Required Textbook Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding

[Pages:7]PSYC 100 : Introduction to Psychology Spring, 2010

Meeting Information: MW 8:30-9:50am, THH 301 Instructor: Ann Renken, Ph.D. Office hours: M/W 2-3; Tu/Th 11:30-12:20

Office: SGM 602 Email: arenken@usc.edu

Required Textbook Lillienfeld, S., Lynn, S., Namy, L. & Woolf, N. (2009). Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. ISBN: 0205620124 If you purchase a new text, it comes with access to an online supplement called MyPsychLab. This site includes an electronic version of the full text plus study tools, practice quizzes, video clips, demonstrations, and more. Access to this site is required as you will be assigned material from it. If you purchase a used text, access may be purchased separately at . (Depending on used book price, this may actually cost more than a new book, so shop around.) Or, you may subscribe to MyPsychLab and just use the online text. Visit the above website and select our textbook icon to purchase or activate your MyPsychLab access code.

Please be advised that Mypsychlab "Coursecompass" and Mypsychlab "Pegasus" editions do not work for our course. Because these run through entirely separate systems in which our course does not participate, you will not be able to register and use access codes for either of these editions, and therefore need to be careful to acquire the plain "MyPsychLab" edition.

Course Overview: This course is a comprehensive introduction to the subject areas and theoretical perspectives in the field of psychology. Topics covered include brain structure and function, learning, memory, development, intelligence, personality, psychological disorders, approaches to therapy and social behavior. Course Objectives: You will learn the various degree types and activities open to those trained in psychology, including teaching, conducting research, providing therapy, developing tests, and consulting in business and industry. You will learn how behavior is understood and modified within the various perspectives of the field. An important goal is for you to develop a healthy scientific skepticism for what you read and hear about the causes of functional and dysfunctional behavior. Hopefully, you will learn something valuable to your own life - perhaps a new study method, a new perspective on your own or others' actions, or strategies to avoid problems and maximize your health and fulfillment in life. Below is a more formal list of the learning objectives of the course:

? To understand how the scientific method is applied in order to increase our knowledge of behavior. ? To learn how to think critically about theory and research in psychology. ? To learn the major features and origins of the broad theoretical systems in psychology. ? To understand the biological and environmental influences on behavior. ? To learn about some of the major applications of psychological theory and research.

Course Format: Class meetings will follow a lecture format, but will include frequent demonstrations, video clips and brief assignments in which you should expect to participate. In class I will focus on the more challenging topics and will include information beyond what is in the textbook. You are responsible for all material conveyed in the textbook, during class or discussion, and on Blackboard. A timetable of topics and reading assignments is listed at the end of the syllabus.

Weight of Course Requirements toward Grade: 75% Exams (three exams worth 25% each) 6% Discussion Activities (Weeks 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 12) 10% Bring Psychology to Life Project (3% attendance and progress on project development; 7% presentation and final project evaluation) 4% Prologue and Ch. 1 Quiz (Week 4) 5% Research participation or JEP Experience 100% total

Description of Course Requirements: Exams. Three, non-cumulative exams will cover material from lectures and discussion, class activities and videos, the textbook and any other assigned reading. The exams will be all multiple-choice, with many items testing your ability to apply concepts rather than simply to memorize key terms. Of the approximately 70 questions on each exam, 70% will come from topics covered in lecture with the remainder emphasizing prominent ideas from other assigned pages in the text. If you miss an exam without an approved, documented excuse, you will receive a zero and may not make it up. With an approved excuse you must let me know within 24 hours of its scheduled time, and take a make up test by the end of the third day weekday after it was given.

Exam Day Procedure: On exam day you should arrive early (up to 12 minutes). Before you sit down, come to the front of the room where there will be stations set up (alphabetically by last name) for check in. You will need to show your blank scantron and a photo ID in order to receive an exam. You must put your name on the exam. Find a seat toward the middle rather than taking the outer seats and having people climb over you. You will need to bring a Scantron 882-E form and a pencil to each exam. The scantron is a green color and is half a vertically-oriented sheet in size. Do not use the gray "parscore" form or the red form as these do not work in our machine.

Discussion Meetings. Discussion meetings are graded and required. A Teaching Assistant who is a doctoral student in psychology leads these sessions. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each discussion section meeting. Discussion meetings are greatly compromised if everyone is not present the entire time; thus, if you are late, you will lose 50% of the possible points that day if the activity or discussion is underway when you arrive, or, if you leave early without a documented excuse and prior permission from your TA.

As indicated on the course schedule, six discussion meetings relate to current course topics and the rest focus on the Bringing Psychology to Life Project. Also scheduled are a quiz (Week 4)and time to go over mid-term exams (Weeks 7 and 13). It is very important that you check the schedule and Blackboard for information about discussion meetings. The activities during these meetings vary but often require advanced preparation (typically about an hour). Discussion preparation assignments will be posted in the Assignments area of Blackboard one week in advance. For example, the preparation may include reading assigned pages from the textbook or other materials given to you, locating examples of concepts to share with the group, or participating in mini-experiments. Advanced preparation work is due upon arrival.

Discussion grading. Your TA will track your completion of any assignments given and your participation in discussion activities each week. Both quality and quantity count. Discussions in weeks 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 12 are each worth 1% of your course grade. Discussion grades use a letter system of A (95%), A- (92%), B+ (87%), B (85%), B- (82%), C+ (77%), C (75%) and so forth, rather than a points-earned system. This keeps us from needing to be picky in grading and works to your advantage in the long run, but do realize that 95% is the top grade given. Note the following rules about discussion: -If you have a documented and accepted excuse for missing discussion, you will be "excused" and your grade will be based on scores for the

other meetings. -If you miss discussion for any reason, you are still responsible for discussion material appearing on exams and keeping up on your project.

Overview of Bringing Psychology to Life Project. Detailed instructions will be provided in Discussion Week 7. Working in partners within your discussion section, each team will identify a principle or concept from this course and select from these two options to bring it to life: 1) Create a media-based example of a principle of psychology that can be used for educational purposes. The end result can be in video, audio,

interactive game, or another approved format. 2) Identify one principle or concept from the course as it is represented thematically in three examples from a variety of media. For example,

you might identify your chose concept in a song, fictional writing, theatrical production, piece of artwork or film. Evaluate the accuracy of how it is portrayed and how evocative the representation is across the forms of media.

Acceptable excuses for missed exams or discussion meetings: (1a) medical condition that keeps you from attending class on the scheduled date; (1b) medical condition that keeps you from attending class for at least the exact three consecutive days prior to the scheduled date; (2) university-sanctioned event that spans on the scheduled date; (3) unanticipated and unavoidable emergency on the scheduled date, such as a documented incident on the way to campus; (4) death or life threatening emergency of a close relative or friend within a reasonable timeframe of the scheduled date (paper evidence of the

emergency is required, and additional documentation by a university official may also be required).

Note that non-emergency-related travel or life's inconveniences such as traffic, work, parking delays, and non-emergency appointments will not count as acceptable excuses.

Research Requirement Research is the foundation of psychological theory and practice, and the most effective way to learn about research is through first-hand experience. All PSYC 100 students are required to complete 10 credit hours as a research participant. Alternatively, students may participate in the Joint Education Project (JEP) for the semester. You must decide within the first two weeks of the semester which option you want to do; you will be asked this in Discussion Week 3. Representatives will visit the beginning of class during the first two weeks and give brief presentations on both options.

Research Participation Option: Research participation requires that you use the web-based Experimetrix system. This is where researchers post active studies and you may sign up for those for which you are qualified and find interesting. Instructions for using this system will be presented during the first two weeks of class and posted throughout the semester in the syllabus area on Blackboard. Students bear the entire responsibility for using the Experimetrix system correctly as course instructors have no access to your records. Please note that at the end of the semester, you must log in and apply up to

10 credits to this course. This is a separate step from listing in which courses you are enrolled. Even if this is your only psychology class, I will not know you have earned any credits unless you apply them to this course by the deadline. Deadlines and procedures for applying credits will be provided by the Experimetrix coordinator via email and will be strictly enforced.

If you choose research participation, it is important to know that at least 5 of the credit hours must be for experiments in which you physically go to a laboratory to complete the study. Any remaining hours can be completed through participation in on-line studies. If you complete the "premeasure," you may find that you are eligible for extra studies; the pre-measure itself is online and counts as two online credits. After you participate in a study you should receive a detailed description of the study's purpose and an opportunity to ask questions of the experimenter (hence, the learning aspect!) Be prepared to check for new studies on a weekly basis. Each study will specify eligibility criteria and have limited time slots. Please let me know if you encounter extreme difficulties with scheduling or completing in-person experiments (i.e., you don't qualify for enough studies or your schedule conflicts with available times) so that we can try to find a solution sooner rather than later.

Joint Education Project (JEP) Option: This program places student volunteers in schools or other venues where they serve as teacher's assistants, work with students as tutors, and/or help lead activities. Although JEP is a semester-long commitment (and takes far more time than research participation), past participants have found JEP very rewarding on personal and academic levels, often marveling at how the principles studied in this class (e.g., development, learning, memory, social interactions) can be seen on a daily basis. Positions with JEP are tailored to various majors and only the Psychology positions will fulfill this credit. Be advised that less than full credit will be given to students who do not receive satisfactory reports (e.g., frequent absences, lack of effort) from their JEP site supervisor.

Alternative research credit for those ineligible/unable to complete the above: If you do not wish, or are unable, to participate in experiment in the psychology department or in JEP you may write either a research paper or a review of a psychological book. Research papers would involve reading 5 to 10 journal articles on a topic and writing a 10-page integrated review of the articles. Reviews of psychological books would involve writing a 10 page critical review. Topics for research papers and book reviews must be pre-approved and written using APA style. If you want to choose either of these options, you must let me know by the end of February and topics/books must be approved by the end of March.

For all of these options, satisfactory completion will earn you a grade of 100% which constitutes 5% of your course grade. Lower grades will be given proportionate to the quality and quantity completed. For example, you would receive 80% if you earn only 8 research credits or if you only earn 3 credits from in-person studies, if you earn a B rating in JEP, or submit a B-quality paper.

Assignment of Grades:

Letter Grades will be assigned based on the percentage that you earn, applying normal rounding. Your current percentage is reflected in your weighted average on Blackboard throughout the semester, but because this program cannot predict your future performance, it will show you a grade based only on items completed to date. Exams will count for 75% and discussion grades will count for 25% throughout the semester. Research participation/JEP and project grades are entered after the last week of classes.

A 93% and up B- 80-82

A- 90-92

C+ 77-79

B+ 87-89

C 73-76

B 83-86

C- 70-72

D+ 67-69

D 63-66

D- 60- 62

F

59% and below

Academic Integrity Cheating during an exam will result in a score of zero, and is deemed to have occurred if a student has displayed a test for others to see, looked at another student's test or answer sheet, or attempted to communicate in any manner with another student during the exam. Gross dishonesty-behaviors such as bring information or answers into an exam or submitting work as your own that was generated by someone else--will result in a grade of F for the entire course.

Notice from DSP to Students Requiring Accommodations: "Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me or the TA as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. ? 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776." Also be advised that, per DSP policy, you must have me sign the blue form on which testing accommodations are described two weeks prior to the scheduled exam. If you need extra time on an exam and you wish to take it with the class, you will need to stay after rather than start early.

Policies in the Classroom Use of Blackboard. Blackboard is a web-based system through which course material and grades will be communicated. Once registered, you will find access to this course at: blackboard.usc.edu. Powerpoint and pdf versions of outlines from lecture will be posted but detail will be omitted. This practice ensures that you attend and take notes in your own words. Arrange to get notes from someone if you miss class. I use a mac so you will likely need to use the pdf versions of the notes if you use a PC in order to preserve images and formatting.

Use of Technology. Your phone needs to be silenced. Texting is not permitted in class. Your laptop may not be used for internet access after the first 5 minutes of class. If you wish to take notes on your laptop, you may only use word processing, powerpoint, or other essential applications for note taking. Consider if it might be easier for you to print slides and take notes on these rather than typing into slides during class. You may wish to draw or label things and this is difficult to do quickly within a powerpoint slide and impossible in a pdf file.

Course Schedule

Date Lecture Topic 1/11 Course Overview/Psychological Science 1/13 Research Methods

Assigned reading Ch. 1 Ch. 2

1/18 No Class-Martin Luther King's Birthday

1/20 Research Methods

Ch. 2

1/25 Brain Structure and Function

Ch. 3

1/27 Neural Communication & Neurotransmitters Ch. 3

2/1 Drugs & Addiction 2/3 Sleep, Meditation/Hypnosis

Ch. 5 Ch. 5

Discussion Week 1: Degrees and Specializations

Week 2: "Jeopardy!" Review (Prologue, Ch. 1)

Week 3: Mini-Study using correlations Week 4: Quiz: Prologue, Ch. 1

2/8 Diagnosing Disorders/ Dissociative Disorders

2/10 Anxiety Disorders

2/15 No Class--President's Day 2/17 Exam 1 (Ch.'s 2, 3, 5, 15)

2/22 Learning and Behavior 2/24 Learning and Behavior

3/1 Treatments: Behavioral 3/3 Memory

3/8 Memory 3/10 Development

3/15 Spring Break 3/17 Spring Break

Ch. 15 Ch. 15

Ch. 6 Ch. 6 Ch. 16 (683-687) Ch. 7 Ch. 7 Ch. 10

Week 5: Activity TBA

Week 6: No Discussion Meetings Week 7: Go over Exam 1/ Overview: Bringing Psychology to Life Project Week 8: Memory Experiment Week 9: Work with partner on project Week 10: No Discussion Meetings

3/22 Development 3/24 Language

Ch. 10 Ch. 8 (end p. 333)

3/29 Intelligence 3/31 Intelligence

Ch. 9 Ch. 9

4/5 Exam 2 4/7 Emotion

Ch. 11 (end p. 469)

4/12 Stress & Health 4/14 Personality

Ch. 12 Ch. 14

4/19 Personality, Mood Disorders & Schizoph. Ch. 15

4/21 Other Therapy Approaches

Ch. 16

4/26 Social Psychology 4/28 Social Psychology

Ch. 13 Ch. 13

Final Exam: Monday, May 10th, 11:00am - 12:50pm in the usual classroom.

Week 11: Guest: Preparing PPT presentations with media

Week 12: Activity TBA

Week 13: Go over Exam 2

Week 14: Presentations

Week 15: Presentations continued

Week 16: Presentations continued /wrap up

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