2017 Fall Intro Syllabus PDF

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2017 Fall Intro Syllabus...

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Syllabus Introduction to Psychology -10000/20000 Section 1 (10:30 am), 102 DeBartolo Section 2 (9:25 am), 102 DeBartolo

Part 1:

Part 2:

Instructor: Prof. G. A. Radvansky 218C Haggar Hall 1-6473 [email protected] Office Hours T 11-12:30 & TH 10-11:30

Instructor: Prof. A. Venter 114A Haggar Hall 1-6619 [email protected] Office Hours: by appointment

INTRODUCTION The required text for Psychology 10000/20000 is Psychology (4th Edition) by Schacter, Gilbert, Nock, & Wagner. This text is published by Worth (2017). We will be using the e-book version as all testing will be done through the publisher’s web-site. In addition, supplementary reading materials may be assigned by individual instructors to support the text materials. Please note that class lectures and text readings are designed to supplement one another, and accordingly are to serve a complementary function. Because of the broad scope of this discipline, it is impossible to cover all of its material in the 'handful' of lecture periods in a single semester. Instructors therefore will tend to embellish, focus, integrate, synthesize, and/or develop topics that either are only nominally covered or even fully absent from the text assignments. Thus, lectures and readings are to be viewed as an 'integrated package' of information, materials, and experiences designed to assist you to attain the objectives of this course. Attendance at lecture is expected but class roll will not be taken. The course objectives are (a) to familiarize you with the primary content areas of a major behavioral science, (b) to help you critically analyze the causes of behavior within an objective empirical framework, (c) to foster an appreciation for the role, formulation, and design of research to test theories about human behavior, and (d) to apply psychological knowledge to human problems. COURSE REQUIREMENTS There will be four examinations (2 exams from each of the 2 professors) during the semester. Two exams thus will be given within each of the two sections (parts) of this course, for a total of four such exams in all. Each test will be given in correspondence with class periods that respectively bisect and terminate these two sections. Each will consist of approximately 100 multiple-choice items. You are required to sit for all of the exams on the announced dates with

you are registered. Any exceptions to this must be cleared with your instructor well before an exam date. Students will not be allowed to make up an exam without prior permission. All work completed during exam periods must reflect the sole work of each individual student. Your final course grade will be based on the sum totals from the exams plus any additional points acquired by participation in departmental experiments. An important part of the college experience is being actively involved in the courses you are taking and the topics you are learning. This is difficult in a course such as this one because of the very large number of students in the lecture hall. Still, we want to keep it a priority. As such, we are going to insist that you interact with us at some point during the semester. Specifically, at the beginning of most lectures we will ask the class questions about the material covered in the previous lecture. People from the class will have an opportunity to answer these questions. If no one tries to answer the question, we will pick students out at random to do so. At some point during the semester, you must try to answer one of these questions. Your answer does not need to be brilliant or insightful. It does not even have to be correct. All we need is evidence of some effort to try to answer it. If you answer at least one question during the course of the semester there will be no influence on your grade. However, if you go the entire semester without doing so, you will receive -20 points on your final point total. COURSE GOALS: The American Psychological Association has articulated numerous goals for undergraduate education in the psychology major. The APA report is called Undergraduate Psychology Major Learning Goals and Outcomes, and you can download the full report here: http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/about/psymajor-guidelines.pdf This course will focus on: •

Goal 1 Knowledge, Skills, and Values Consistent with the Science and Applications of Psychology: Demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The following are learning outcomes that will indicate mastery of the Goals: Students should be able to: 1.1 Characterize the nature of psychology as a discipline. a. Explain why psychology is a science b. Identify and explain the primary objectives of psychology: describing, understanding, predicting, and controlling behavior and mental processes

c. Compare and contrast the assumptions and methods of psychology with those of other disciplines d. Describe the contributions of psychology perspectives to interdisciplinary collaboration 1.2 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding representing appropriate breadth and depth in selected content areas of psychology: a. Theory and research representing each of the following four general domains: (1) Learning and cognition (2) Individual differences, psychometrics, personality, and social processes, including those related to sociocultural and international dimensions (3) Biological bases of behavior and mental processes, including physiology, sensation, perception, comparative, motivation, and emotion (4) Developmental changes in behavior and mental processes across the life span b. The history of psychology, including the evolution of methods of psychology, its theoretical conflicts, and its sociocultural contexts c. Relevant levels of analysis: cellular, individual, group/systems, and society/culture d. Overarching themes, persistent questions, or enduring conflicts in psychology, such as (1) The interaction of heredity and environment (2) Variability and continuity of behavior and mental processes within and across species (3) Free will versus determinism (4) Subjective versus objective perspective (5) The interaction of mind and body (6) Applicability of theories and measures across societal and cultural groups e. Relevant ethical issues, including a general understanding of the APA Ethics Code 1.3 Use the concepts, language, and major theories of the discipline to account for psychological phenomena. a. Describe behavior and mental processes empirically, including operational definitions b. Identify antecedents and consequences of behavior and mental processes c. Interpret behavior and mental processes at an appropriate level of complexity d. Use theories to explain and predict behavior and mental processes

e. Integrate theoretical perspectives to produce comprehensive and multifaceted explanations 1.4 Explain major perspectives of psychology (e.g., behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural). a. Compare and contrast major perspectives b. Describe advantages and limitations of major theoretical perspectives

HONOR CODE Students are expected to follow the honor code of Notre Dame. Although students are encouraged to work collaboratively and to cooperate in the mastery of course material, the various papers and course projects should reflect the individual accomplishment of students. Here is the complete text of the ND Honor Code http://www.nd.edu/~hnrcode/Honor_Code.pdf

SPECIAL NEEDS If you have special needs that require accommodation, please let us know within the first days of class.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS The science of psychology is a research-oriented enterprise. As such, it is a goal of this introductory course that you develop a greater appreciation for the role of research in psychology. To this end, you are required to earn 5 hours of experimental research credit. This can be done in two ways. First, you can volunteer to act as a participant in the various studies being conducted by the faculty and graduate students in the psychology department. Research credits correspond roughly to the length of time that it takes to complete an experimental session. So, an experiment that offers one (1) research credit will take no longer than one hour to complete. Participating in five such experiments, then, would satisfy your research requirement. Most experiments offer one research credit, but occasionally an experimental session will last two hours. Participating in that experiment would earn you two (2) research credits. In the past when students have been given the opportunity to participate in departmental research, they have typically chosen to do more than five (5) experiments. So, after you’ve satisfied the required five (5) hours of research credit, you may participate as a subject in up to ten (10) additional hours of research. This will give you an opportunity to experience a wider variety of psychological research, and obtain extra credit points in computing your final grade. In fact, it is not uncommon for this extra credit to mean a half-step difference in your letter grade.

Note that the research credits can be obtained through online/internet surveys or through participation in studies that take place in labs on campus (Haggar Hall or elsewhere as specified). Please note that the following rules apply to these research credits: 1. No more than half of the 15 hours can be completed in the form of online studies/surveys. 2. The prescreening survey (more information will be emailed to you) counts as an online/internet survey. A second way for you to satisfy your research requirement is to read a body of literature and to write a review paper. If you choose this option, you should see your instructor for more details regarding the length of the paper, how it will be evaluated, and how the paper will be translated into research credit hours. Please note that it will take some time for credits to show up on the SONA system after you have done a study. This is because somebody has to actually hand enter these. For example, the credits for the prescreening at the beginning of the semester will not show up until all of the prescreening is completed. So, don’t worry about contacting anyone about making sure you’ve gotten the credits you earned until a week or two has passed after you are done with the study and there are still no credits posted. The sign up procedure for these studies is completed through an on-line sign up system as follows: Request an Account • Browse to http://nd.sona-systems.com/ and click on the link under New Participant. • Enter the information requested – be sure to use your NetID as your User ID. • Only courses that require or allow extra credit for participating in studies will be shown. You may select all of the classes available for which you are enrolled this semester. • After you click on “Request Account” you will receive an email with your login information. You will be assigned a randomly generated password. You cannot change this password for security purposes. View/Sign Up for Studies • Click Study Sign-Up on the main menu or Studies on the top toolbar. • Review descriptions of studies and note any special requirements that may restrict your eligibility to participate in a study. Only studies that have available timeslots will appear. • To view more information about a study, click on the name of the study. • Click on View Timeslots for This Study and you will see a list of available timeslots. Choose a timeslot that is convenient for you, and click Sign Up. • Confirmation of your enrollment will be emailed to your ND account.

Canceling a Sign-Up • Click My Schedule & Credits on the main page or My Schedule/Credits on the top toolbar. • Studies you have signed up for that you are allowed to cancel will have a Cancel button next to them. You will not be penalized for canceling at this stage. There is a time limit before the study is to occur, when it is too late to cancel. This restriction may be listed at the bottom of the page, or can be found by clicking on the study name and viewing the study details. • Once you click Cancel to cancel your sign-up, you will see a confirmation page. You will also be warned if your cancellation might affect your ability to participate in other studies you have signed up for, due to pre-requisite restrictions. • Click Yes to cancel your sign-up. If you cancel the first part of a two-part study, the second part will also be cancelled. If you cancel the second part of a two-part study, the first part will not be cancelled, but you will need to ask the researcher to sign you up for the second part again, if you would like to participate in it at a later date. Tracking Your Progress • Click My Schedule & Credits on the main page or My Schedule/Credits on the top toolbar • Review the number of credits you are required to earn, and how many you have earned so far at the top of the page. Below that, if you have signed up for any studies, those are listed as well. In the list of studies, you will see information about your credit status. • Credit will appear once the researcher confirms your participation in the system. • If you failed to appear for a study, it is possible you were assessed a penalty. That will be displayed in your progress, and the penalty (if assessed) will be deducted from your current credit earnings. Frequently Asked Questions Immediately after I login, as soon as I click on any menu option, I am taken back to the login page and I see a message that my authentication has expired. What does this mean? Your web browser is not properly configured to accept cookies. You should turn on cookies in your web browser, use a different web browser (for example, try Firefox if you are currently using Internet Explorer), or try a different computer. Detailed instructions can be found if you go to http://nd.sona-systems.com/cookie_help.asp. I participated in a study, but I have yet to receive credit. How do I receive credit? The researcher must grant you credit. This is usually done shortly after your participation. If it has been some time and you have still not received credit, contact the researcher. I noticed that with some studies, I can sign up for them again even if I participated before, while others don’t allow for this. Why is this? Researchers can choose if their studies allow you to participate more than once. Not all studies allow you to participate more than once.

I attempted to sign up for a study, and I was prevented from doing so because the study I was trying to sign up for is a disqualifier for another study I am scheduled to participate in. Why is this? If you have signed up for a study that has disqualifiers (studies you must not have participated in to participate in that study), you may not then sign up for the studies that are listed as the disqualifier studies. You are allowed to sign up for the disqualifier studies if the disqualifier study will take place after the study with disqualifiers, or if you have already participated in (and received credit for) the study with disqualifiers. The easiest way to sign up for both studies is to schedule the disqualifier study at a time later than the study with disqualifiers.

COURSE OUTLINE TENTATIVE PART I (Prof. Radvansky) August

23rd

– October

9th

August 23 August 25 August 28 & 30 September 1, 4, & 6 September 8 September 11, 13, & 15

Introduction and Overview History of Psychology Methods and Ethics Neurons and the Brain Attention Sleep, Dreaming, and Hypnosis

September 18th-22nd

Exam I

September 18 & 20 September 22 & 25 September 27 & 29 October 2, 4, 6, & 9

Sensation and Vision Perception Learning and Conditioning Memory

October 9th-13th

Exam II PART II (Prof. Venter)

March 8th – May 3rd October 23 & 30

Introduction/The Self

October 27, 30, Nov 1 & 3

The Self /Emotion/Thinking/ Social Psychology

November 6, 8 & 10

Personality/Intelligence

November 13, 15, & 17

Developmental

November 13, 15, & 17

Exam III

November 20, 22 & 24

Developmental

November 27, 29 & Dec 1

Psychological Disorders

December4 & 6

Therapies

December 11 - 15

Exam IV

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 no readings Chapter 5 (pp. 171-197, 208-210)

Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 7 Chapter 6...