Introduction to Psychology s1

SYLLABUS, PSY 100

Introduction to Psychology Freshman Seminar

Western Connecticut State University

Shane Murphy, Ph.D.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Section 4 11.00 am to 11.50 pm Room WH 207

Office Hours: Dr. Shane Murphy Room 311 Warner Hall

Mondays: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays: 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm Fridays: 10 am to 11 am

Dr. Murphy is also available for consultation by appointment - post a message to me by email, at [email protected] and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Required Texts

Text website: http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl? fid=M20b&discipline_number=24&product_isbn_issn=0534632882

2. D. Alan Bensley Critical Thinking in Psychology: A Unified Skills Approach Brooks/Cole Publishing. Pacific Grove, CA. 1998 ISBN: 0-534-25620-1 Psychology Syllabus 2

Class Website (WCSU WebCT)

Log in to WebCT Vista at: WestConnduit

Note: You will require your WestConduit username and pin number.

Your WebCT course is a very important part of this class. All my class lectures can be found here, as well as the syllabus, study guides, and assigned writing assignments to post in an online Discussion section. You should check WebCT at least every other day.

Please realize that we are using WebCT Vista this semester!

Important notices about class cancellations due to weather, etc, and how classes will be made up, will also be posted here.

Grading

The final course grade is made up as follows:

Class Exams 40% (4 exams) Major writing assignments 30% (2 papers, with revisions) Web-based writing assignments 20% Class Participation 5% Research subject participation 5%

NOTE: All full-time students must carry at least 12 credit hours each semester.

Freshman Seminar Course Objectives

By the conclusion of this course, students should:  Be able to describe the historical development of psychology.  Understand psychology as a social science and be aware of the research methods used in psychology.  Be familiar with resources available in psychology, especially through library services and via the internet.  Develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills.  Be capable of describing the brain and its relationship to mental processes.  Understand and describe the major theories used in psychology, including historical approaches, such as functionalism; psychodynamic theory; gestalt psychology; humanistic psychology; behaviorism; developmental theories; cognitive approaches; cognitive-behavioral theories; and systems and family approaches.  Be familiar with the knowledge base in major content areas of psychology such as sensation and perception, consciousness, learning, memory, language and thinking, intelligence, emotion and motivation, personality, life span psychology, stress and coping, and social psychology. Psychology Syllabus 3

 Be more integrated into the WestConn community via the learning exercises undertaken in this class.  Know the common psychological disorders and their psychological treatments.  Be able to apply your understanding of psychology to your own life.

Class Exams (40% of course grade)

These exams will be a combination of multiple-choice, short answer and essay questions. Each exam will be based on the chapters recently discussed in class and on the class lectures.

During the semester there will be 4 exams.

Here is the schedule of exams for this semester.

Policy on Missed Exams

There are only limited make ups for missed exams. If you miss an exam, you have 48 hours to receive a make up project. It is your responsibility to see me. If there is a legitimate reason why you missed an exam, I will need to see documentation. Acceptable documentation includes:  Notice of hospitalization  Funeral notice from a newspaper  Police accident report

In the case of such an emergency, you will be given a replacement assignment for the missed exam.

Unacceptable reasons for not taking the exam:  I slept in  I didn’t know the exam was today  I had car problems (catch a bus)

Major Writing Assignments (30% of course grade)

Two assignments will be provided during the semester. Each of them requires a very detailed reading of original research in psychology followed by the explanation, synthesis and critique of the research in a 7-page writing assignment. A draft of the final paper must be handed in 2 weeks before the paper is due and this draft will be returned to the student with comments from the instructor. Students are expected to improve their final paper using the feedback provided on the draft paper.

The two assignments will be structured to cover different areas of psychology (e.g., clinical and developmental; or cognitive and abnormal).

A separate handout describes this assignment in detail and we will go over the assignments in class. One class will be devoted to a library visit to explore how to research the assignment. Psychology Syllabus 4

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1 The Brain

Read Chapter 3 (WW): The Biological Bases of Behavior Chapter 4 (AB): The Mind, the brain and behavior

It is easy in a course designed around critical thinking to make the mistake of presenting too much information about process, leading to an under emphasis on the content area of the course. Thus the course begins immediately with one of the most fascinating and important areas of psychology – understanding the brain and how it gives rise to psychological processes.

Students will be introduced the WebCT Discussion Board and will be given their first Web-based writing assignments.

Week 2

Introduction and the History of Psychology

Read Chapter 1 (WW): The evolution of psychology

The major theories in psychology are presented by means of an historical presentation of the development of psychology. Psychology is presented as a social science with roots in philosophy, physiology and biology.

Students will be given a group oral presentation assignment concerning prominent psychologists in history.

Week 3

Critical Thinking in Psychology

Read Chapter 1 (AB): Introduction to Critical Thinking in Psychology Chapter 2 (AB): Inductive reasoning and the analysis of psychological arguments Chapter 3 (AB): Analyzing discussions of psychological questions

Having introduced psychology as a science, students are challenged to think about the process of discovery in psychology. This section lays the groundwork for much of the work throughout the rest of the semester. Inductive and deductive reasoning are introduced and students will work through a variety of examples in class to gain familiarity with basic concepts.

Students will begin Critical Reading assignments. There will be class discussion of in- class assignments, and Web-based written discussion of a homework Critical Reading Psychology Syllabus 5

assignment.

Week 4

Research Methods in Psychology

Read Chapter 2 (WW): The Research Enterprise

Weeks 1 and 2 will provide numerous examples for students to think about the research process in psychology. Hypothesis formation and theory testing will be introduced to students. Also, students will be introduced to several learning assignments to help them develop Information Literacy skills.

One learning exercise will include a library visit. Students will also be introduced to the major writing assignments for the course. The process of drafts and revisions will be emphasized. Students will examine psychology journals in class and will be introduced to web-based search engines such as PsycInfo and PsychArticles.

Week 5

Information Dissemination in Psychology

Read Chapter 14 (AB): Critical Thinking and Writing

Critical Reading and Information Literacy are the platforms for the development of effective college Writing Skills. Writing is demonstrated to be another process in the development of critical thinking and students are encouraged to learn about how psychologists write for each other and for the general public. Students will examine and practice their own writing skills.

In-class assignments will include peer feedback. Students will continue to work on their major writing assignments and will be given another web-based writing assignment.

Week 6 Development

Read Chapter 10 (WW): Human Development Across the Lifespan

This section introduces students to the major theories in developmental psychology, including the work of Piaget, Erikson and Kohlberg. The Nature-Nurture debate will be the focus of assignments in Critical Reading and Writing.

Classroom reading assignments, discussion and website writing assignment. Psychology Syllabus 6

Week 7 Consciousness

Read Chapter 5 (WW): Variations in Consciousness

This chapter deals with the rich psychology research tradition in the area of human consciousness, including sleep research, dream theories, and research into drug use and abuse.

This week’s assignments include an in-class debate and a discussion of a classroom video presentation.

Week 8 Learning

Read Chapter 6 (WW): Learning through Conditioning

Behaviorism is presented via a historical perspective, tracing the research and theory development using association principles from Pavlov to Watson to Skinner to Bandura.

Classroom reading assignments, discussion and website writing assignment.

Week 9 Memory

Read Chapter 7 (WW): Human Memory Chapter 8 (AB): Memory and Critical Thinking Chapter 13 (AB): Thinking critically about repression and recovered memories of abuse

Psychological research into human memory processes is presented, from Ebbinghaus to Lashley to Baddeley. Current cognitive models are emphasized and attention is paid to the interaction of attention, memory and imagery/verbal thought processes.

Some classroom memory demonstrations are used and students will be taught some mnemonic devices and encouraged to report back to the class on the results of using different methods with assigned learning materials. The topic of recovered memories will be discussed during an in-class discussion following assigned readings from the AB text.

Week 10 Thinking and Intelligence

Read Chapter 8 (WW): Cognition and Intelligence

Intelligence is used as the organizing construct for a discussion of human cognitive Psychology Syllabus 7 processes. The concept of intelligence is presented and examined from the time of Galton, through the work of Binet and Terman, to modern approaches such as those of Sternberg and Gardner.

This week’s assignments include Critical Reading, an in-class debate, and web-based Writing.

Week 11 Sensation and Perception

Read Chapter 4 (WW): Sensation and Perception

The process of visual perception is used as an organizing construct to introduce students to major ideas in the work of sensation and perception. Research on visual perception from brain research, to gestalt psychology principles to feature analysis and signal detection is presented and discussed.

Week 12 Psychological Disorders

Read Chapter 13 (WW): Psychological Disorders Chapter 12 (AB): Critical Thinking and Diagnosing Mental Disorders

DSM-IV will be used to organize a presentation on the wide range of psychological disorders seen in our society. Students will be encouraged to view the concept of abnormal behavior from a variety of perspectives.

The AB text will be used to guide an in-class discussion and as the basis for a web-based critical writing assignment. Cultural differences in the concept of abnormal behavior will be explored via an assigned web-based information search exercise.

Week 13 Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Read Chapter 14 (WW): Treatment of Psychological Disorders Chapter 11 (AB): Thinking critically about theories of abnormal behavior: Culture and witches

Modern therapies for the treatment of psychological disorders will be discussed in the context of historical approaches to dealing with abnormal behavior. Psychotherapy and medication-based interventions will be examined from the perspective of the theories underlying their development.

The concept of “witches” will be explored via several reading and discussion exercises in critical thinking contained in the AB text. Psychology Syllabus 8

Week 14 Personality

Read Chapter 11 (WW): Personality

The rich tradition of psychological theory development in personality theory will be discussed from a philosophical/historical perspective. Important issues such as dualism, the mind-body problem, determinism and rationalism will be explored in the context of the theories of psychologists such as Freud, Jung, Maslow, Skinner, Eysenck and modern evolutionary theories.

Week 15 Social Psychology

Read Chapter 15 (WW): Social Behavior

The psychological study of social behavior and interpersonal group processes is introduced in this section. Work on person perception, attribution processes, interpersonal attraction, attitude formation, conformity and obedience, and group behavior is discussed.

Discussions on WebCT Vista

It is your responsibility to read the course material on WebCT and post answers to all Writing Assignments posted there on the Discussion Board. Answers should be 2-3 paragraphs and include some evidence for the answer you give. This evidence can be in the form of reference to research, it can be based upon personal life experiences, and it can include discussion of material from the text. These posts are not graded for content, but participation is required for class credit. Psychology Syllabus 9

I will post regular assignments on the Discussion Board. You will only answer one or two questions per week at most. These postings must be a substantive contribution to the topic under discussion and reflect the critical thinking skills we are developing.

Web-based writing assignments will be graded as follows:

8-10 Points Comments or questions are responsive to the requirements of discussion activity instructions and posted by the due date. Discussion contributions are characterized by depth and reflection on the issues, familiarity with the course materials (citing experts and/or the readings, drawing parallels, etc.), and insightful interpretations or well-supported alternative viewpoints of the course materials as applicable.

5-7 Points Comments or questions are responsive to the requirements of discussion activity instructions and posted by the due date. Discussion contributions show evidence of some depth or reflection on the issues; show that the student has absorbed general principles and ideas from the course materials; viewpoints and interpretations are not always thoroughly supported.

1-4 Points Comments or questions are posted by the due date, but not always responsive to the requirements of discussion activity instructions. Postings tend to address peripheral issues; generally accurate, but with some omissions and/or errors; tendency to recite fact rather than reflect on the issues; rarely include questions that stimulate discussion; rarely respond to questions raised by others. Comments and questions do not provide evidence that the student has synthesized key ideas.

0 Points If any of the following conditions are present: All discussion responses posted past the late deadline of the week in which the assignment is due. Responses and comments do not address the requirements of discussion activity instructions. Student exhibits inappropriate behavior in the discussion forum.

How to Use Discussion Board

Participation Requirements: Participation in the class discussions is an integral part of this course, and any deviation from it will affect your grade negatively. Students are required to keep hard copies of all their on-line contributions. Students are expected to participate every week by posting materials and contributions to assignment discussions. In addition, students are expected to comment on materials posted by fellow students or the instructor. To be counted as participation, the postings need to be thoughtful; that is, they refer to the assigned readings, relevant issues in the news, information obtained from other sources, or ideas expressed in the postings of other class members.

Research Subject Participation (5%) Psychology Syllabus 10

Part of your grade for this course will be based upon completing the requirement for research subject participation in psychology, or an alternative assignment. This requirement will be explained later in the semester.

Student Rep

The Psychology Department has a Student Representative who can help you with any concerns you may have.