Fall 2004                                                                     Course 3 Credits, Lab 0.5

 

Psychology 110-9

Fundamentals of Psychology

 

Catalog Description: An introduction to the scientific study of behavior through a survey of psychology’s principal methods, content areas and applications. Course requirements include participation in psychological research or preparation of a short article review. 

 

Time & Place:            MWF 11:00-11:50, AMH 212

                                    Lab for majors    W 4:00-4:50, AMH 211

 

Instructor:      Christie Karpiak, Ph.D.                        Office: AMH 129

Phone: 941-5886                                 E-mail: karpiakc2@scranton.edu

Office Hours: M & F 10:00-11:00, W 3:00-4:00, and by appointment

                       

Required Text:

Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2003). Psychology (7th edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

 

Course Goals:

Welcome, majors, to the field of psychology! This course will provide an introduction to the history of this science, current topics, major theories and approaches, and future directions. We will debunk common misconceptions about psychology and human nature as we read about and discuss findings generated from the many diverse areas within this field. There will be ample opportunity for you to begin to identify the areas that seem most interesting to you as you consider pursuing a degree in psychology. You will need to read and remember lots of facts, definitions, and other information. Beyond the retention of relevant information, this course will emphasize the importance of learning how to think about issues and findings in psychology. It is a complicated business studying ourselves, the findings are often counterintuitive, and psychological issues are often badly represented in the media. Thus, critical thinking skills are crucial in being an informed and balanced consumer of and contributor to this knowledge. At the end of this course you should:

1.                  have a solid foundation of basic knowledge (facts, definitions, etc.) about a wide range of psychological topics and areas

2.                  be able to apply critical thinking skills to psychological topics in future courses and psychological information in your life in the real world

3.                  understand psychology as a science—participate in research and review a number of important studies to facilitate understanding of some of the ways in which psychologists go about gathering information.     

 

Evaluation:  There are four components to your grade:

1.                  Weekly quizzes, worth a total of 50% of your grade.

2.                  Two assignments, worth a total of 35% of your grade.

3.                  A final exam, worth 15% of your grade.

4.                  The departmental research requirement (see below).

 

Quizzes are given weekly and are designed to assess your grasp of the concepts that are covered in the text and lectures. Each is worth 10 points and consists of 10 multiple choice questions. 5 questions come from the lectures given or films viewed during the preceding classes, and 5 from the reading assigned for the day of the quiz (material we have NOT yet covered in class). Reading assignments are listed on the syllabus. A total of 12 quizzes are given, and the highest 10 scores used to compute your total quiz grade. In other words, the 2 lowest scores, or missing scores, are dropped from your final quiz grade. Quizzes take place during the first few minutes of class, and answers are given after the quizzes are turned in so you can track how you have done. There are no make-up quizzes—missed quizzes are automatically included in the 2 scores that are dropped.

 

The final exam is worth 30 points (15% of your final grade), and consists of 30 multiple choice and 2 short essay questions. Half of the multiple choice questions come from the final lectures and reading assignments, and the other half cover major concepts from the rest of the course. True to its name, this exam occurs during finals week. An optional, cumulative exam will be given immediately following the final exam. The cumulative exam score can improve a low quiz total but it is fully comprehensive and difficult, and should only be taken if necessary. NOTE: The cumulative exam is not offered to make up poor quiz grades resulting from excessive unexcused absences. Zeros earned on regular quizzes due to unexcused absences cannot be remedied through good performance on this exam.  

 

Two assignments are also required, the first worth 30 points and the second worth 40 points. They are intended to provide thought-provoking, hands-on experiences with relevant material. Detailed descriptions of the assignments are attached to this syllabus.

 

Your final grade for this course will consist of:

            Scores from 10 quizzes 100

            Final exam                      30

            Assignment #1                30

            Assignment #2                40

                                                            Total       200 possible points

 

The departmental research requirement, described below, does not add to your points for the course, but failure to complete it will drop your grade by ½ step (e.g., from an A- to a B+)

 

The grade breakdown is as follows (point breakdown is approximate):

            A         94-100%                     187-200 pts.

            A-        90-93                           179-186

            B+       87-89                           173-178

            B          84-86                           167-172

            B-        80-83                           159-166

            C+       77-79                           153-158

            C         74-76                           147-152

            C-        70-73                           139-146

            D+       67-69                           133-138

            D         64-66                           127-132

            Fail       63 & below                  126 and below

 

Departmental research requirement: This requirement is detailed on the handout entitled “Research requirement for psychology 110.” As you will see, the grade you earn in this class will be lowered by one step (e.g., from a B to a B-) if you do not complete the research requirement, either by participating in 2 research activities, writing summaries of 2 research papers, or completing one of each. 

 

Attendance, Participation, & Honesty:

Regular class attendance is expected and is important in order to do well in this course. If absent from a lecture, you are responsible for the material covered. You are also responsible for knowing all announcements made in class, including those related to any changes in the attached schedule.

 

Please refer to the University’s Academic code of Honesty (revised May 1998). Dishonest examination or quiz behavior on your part will result in the assignment of a grade of F for the course. Dishonest behavior in writing a paper (e.g., plagiarism) will result in the assignment of a grade of F (zero points) for the paper in question. Plagiarism includes failing to put quotation marks and appropriate citations with material copied from the work of another, failing to use quotation marks when you’ve changed only a few words in a sentence or paragraph written by another, “cut and paste” papers created with information copied from various sources, or otherwise failing to differentiate your own language and/or phrasing from that used by the author(s) of the documents you use to pull the paper together. These forms of plagiarism are common, so be careful. You will receive a grade of F for the paper for plagiarism, regardless of whether it was intentional or due to carelessness. Egregious plagiarism—e.g., copying a paper written by another person or buying a paper online—will result in a grade of F for the entire course. NOTE: We will use www.turnitin.com, a program offered through the library, to check your papers for copied content. If you object to use of this program, you need to make alternative arrangements with me by October 6th.   

 

Hints for avoiding plagiarism in this class:

1.         Start the paper well in advance of the due date--don’t procrastinate.

2.         Read all background information at least once before you start to write.

3.         Try to summarize main points from sections, pages, or even entire articles rather than focusing on single sentences or paragraphs. It’s almost impossible to take a single sentence from a source and summarize it without either plagiarizing or resorting to quotation marks.

4.         Keep internet sources separate so you can find/cite them properly (print or save each separately).

5.         Ask me, your Freshman Seminar faculty, or the qualified people at the campus writing center for help you if you are uncertain. Good, clear examples can be found on the turnitin.com website, and on pages 159-165 of the following book, available in my office for review by interested students: Kirszner, L. G. & Mandell, S. R. (2004). The Pocket Handbook for Psychology (2nd Ed.). Boston, MA: Thomson/Wadsworth.

 

Classtime Activities:

Our classroom time will involve lectures, discussions, films, and demonstrations. The primary function of the lectures is to supplement the textbook. The lectures will, therefore, contain information not found in the text. You are free to decline participation in any classroom discussions or activities.

 

Web Resources:

I rely heavily on Blackboard for communication of quiz grades, announced changes to the schedule, and central storage of the syllabus and other documents for reference.

 

The text publisher provides a website with outlines, study tips, and practice quizzes at www.prenhall.com/wade. My quizzes are more difficult (conceptual and applied) than the practice quizzes, but several students in past years have improved their performance on my quizzes by including this website in their approach to studying for the course.

 

You will send your papers to me electronically through turnitin.com. To gain access to the course page, you need to go to www.turnitin.com, then enter the following class ID: 1159219 and password: barnaby. You will also bring a hard copy of the papers to me in class on the due dates, because (unfortunately for the trees) I like to provide detailed feedback with your grades for the papers.

 

Fall 2004 Course Schedule

(I reserve the right to make changes as needed. Changes will be announced in class and/or on Blackboard)

 

Aug 30    M            Syllabus, Introduction [1]

Sep 1       W            What is psychology? [1]

Sep 3       F              Critical thinking [1]

 

Sep 6       M            Labor Day, no classes

Sep 8       W            How psychologists do research [2], Quiz # 1

Sep 10     F              continued [2]

 

Sep 13     M            Evolution, genes, and behavior [3], Quiz # 2 

Sep 15     W            continued [3]; Neurons, hormones, and the brain [4]

Sep 17     F              continued [4]

 

Sep 20     M            Body rhythms and mental states [5], Quiz # 3

Sep 22     W            continued [5], sensation and perception [6]

Sep 24     F              continued [6]

 

Sep 27     M            Learning and conditioning [7], Quiz #4

Sep 29     W            continued [7]

Oct 1       F              continued [7]

                                                NOTE: THE 2ND IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN MOST STATES

Oct 4       M            Behavior in social and cultural context [8], Quiz #5

Oct 6       W            continued [8]

Oct 8       F              continued [8]

 

Oct 11     M            Thinking and intelligence [9], Quiz #6

Oct 13     W            continued [9], assignment # 1 due

Oct 15     F              continued [9]

                                                                                FALL BREAK OCTOBER 16 - 19

Oct 20     W            Memory [10]

Oct 22     F              continued [10]

 

Oct 25     M            Emotion [11] Quiz # 7

Oct 27     W            continued [11]

Oct 29     F              Motivation [12] Guest Lecture/Evolutionary Psychology: Dr. Tim Cannon

 

Nov 1      M            continued [12], Quiz # 8                        NOV 2ND IS ELECTION DAY. VOTE.

Nov 3      W            Theories of personality [13]

Nov 5      F              continued [13]

 

Nov 8      M            Development over the lifespan [14], Quiz # 9

Nov 10    W            continued [14]

Nov 12    F              continued [14]

 

Nov 15    M            Health, stress, and coping [15], Quiz # 10

Nov 17    W            continued [15]

Nov 19    F              Psychological disorders [16]

 

Nov 22    M            continued [16], Quiz # 11

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY NOVEMBER 24 - 28

Nov 29    M            continued [16]

Dec 1       W            assignment # 2 due, discussion

Dec 3       F              Approaches to treatment and therapy [17]

                                                               

Dec 6       M            continued [17], Quiz # 12                     

Dec 8       W            continued [17]

Dec 10     F              continued [17]

 

Dec 13     M            wrap up

Dec 14     T             FINALS BEGIN                     Final Exam & Optional Cumulative Final      

 

 

 

 

Assignment # 1

Psychology 110

Fall, 2004

 

Thought Paper: Social Psychology Research

 

This paper will provide you the opportunity to read an original journal report of classic psychological research and think in depth about the findings. The studies (you will select only one to analyze) are summarized in your text and lab book, and will be addressed in some detail during lecture. You are to integrate information from these sources with the results of recent studies, current events, information from other courses, or personal experiences.

 

The purpose of this paper is not to summarize the article. One paragraph reviewing the content is sufficient. Yes, I want to know you read it, but that will become apparent in your analysis as you react and respond to specific aspects of the material. Try to keep the entire paper down to no more than five double-spaced pages. As always, talking with classmates about the material is encouraged, but producing a paper that is a joint effort (with classmates or internet paper-sharing services) is strongly discouraged. Plagiarism will result in a grade of F (zero points) on this paper, unless it is blatant (copying a paper from last year’s students, buying a paper on the internet). Blatant plagiarism will result in a grade of F for the course.   

 

1.         Select only one of the following two original social psychology articles. I have placed them on reserve and e-reserve at the library. Read your chosen article.

 

Asch, S. E. (1955). Opinions and social pressure. Scientific American, 193, 31-35.

 

Darley, J. M., & Latane, B. (1968). Bystander intervention in emergencies: Diffusion of responsibility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 8, 377-383.

 

2.         Provide your impressions of the material. For example, do you find the results surprising (or would you have found them surprising prior to lecture/lab)? Do you believe they run contrary to what people in general would expect (counter to intuition)? Do you agree or disagree with the author? Are there questions you would like answered? Do you think things (people, culture) have changed since the classic study was conducted—would the results be different today?

 

3.         Relate the material to learning from at least two of the following areas: learning from other courses (likely: sociology, political science, maybe philosophy); current events (things that happened recently—sometime during 2004); new research (a search with PsychArticles, PsychInfo, or Wilson will reveal a number of recent studies that are based on the concepts from these articles, but don’t use one that is cited in your lab text); or personal experience (HINT: don’t select this option unless you have had a relevant personal experience).     

 

 

Assignment # 2

Psychology 110

Fall, 2004

 

Critical Thinking about Psychology in the News

 

Findings from psychological studies find their way into the media, often in the form of watered down, distorted, soundbytes. This is not the classic “psychobabble” discussed early in the course, which often contains no reference to research whatsoever. This can be worse—research is referenced in a simplistic and often inaccurate way, and is automatically viewed as legitimate because, hey, it comes from research and fits with “common sense.” You are to identify and critically evaluate a psychological claim from a popular magazine, newspaper, or the internet, then be prepared to share your findings with the class during an in-class discussion on December 1st.  

 

If you wish you may work together with another student, but everyone needs to submit an individual paper. In other words, think and talk about the project together if you’d like, search for articles together, but write it up separately. If you decide to work with someone else identify that person on the top of your paper. The paper should be no longer than 5 double-spaced pages, and you may use outline form using the numbering below. HINT: do not procrastinate in identifying your chosen topic. You need to turn in a copy of the claim as well as copies of the first page, including the abstract, of each research article.

 

1.         Identify a psychological claim in the news, in a popular magazine, newspaper, or on the internet. National news from an ‘average’ source is best. If you use the internet, stick to a news source that also exists on TV or in newsprint (e.g., CNN headline news website, NYTimes or another newspaper on line, etc.). Recent examples include: “children are better off if their mothers don’t return to work”  “DARE proponents say the program works” “smoking causes depression”

 

2.         Answer the following questions: Do you think people in our society generally agree with the claim (is it intuitively appealing, “common sense”)? What are the possible implications of failure to think critically about the claim (e.g., increased maternal guilt, harm to children, wasting money or other resources, raising hopes without foundation)?

 

3.         Evaluate the claim using the critical thinking guidelines on pp. 5-12 in your text. Apply as many of the guidelines as are appropriate for the claim you have selected. Different guidelines will be relevant depending on the factoid you have selected, but all papers should address the following:

            a.         how well are the terms defined?

            b.         what evidence is provided in support of the claim?

            c.         are there other possible interpretations of the evidence?

                                                More questions on other side!!!

 

4.         Conduct a database search for 2 recent original peer-reviewed research articles on the topic. THESE MUST COME FROM RESEARCH JOURNALS AND REPORT ORIGINAL RESEARCH STUDIES. If you don’t know what that means, ask me. At least one of the research articles you locate must come from 2003 or 2004—if you can find the study from which the claim comes, that is best. Use the research articles to re-evaluate the claim. Include in your analysis the following:

a.         how accurate was the media presentation of the specific claim (e.g., is that really what the researchers found)?

b.         are there additional, important qualifiers that were not included in the media presentation (e.g., the “mothers returning to work” finding holds only for young infants, for certain aspects of functioning, in poor quality child care settings, and is most relevant for those whose mothers don’t want to work)?

c.         are there contradictory findings in either of the studies you located?       

 

5.         What is your final analysis of the claim? (I value evidence of critical thinking here)