Intro to Psychology (PSY111T-CRF-15)

Intro to Psychology (PSY111T-CRF-15) Course Guide Spring 2010

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” William James

Instructor: Randy Schultz, Assistant Professor of Psychology Meeting Time: 9:00-9:50 a.m. MWF Meeting Place: Benton 319, Kirkwood Community College Office: 1031 Cedar Hall Office hours: MWF (10:00-11:00 a.m.); TTH (2:00-3:00 p.m.) Office Phone: (319) 398-5899, Ext. 5718 (with voice mail) Dept. Phone: (319) 398-4911 Website: http://www.kirkwood.edu/faculty/rschult E-mail: [email protected] (I will respond to emails within 24 hours during M-F, and 24-48 hours on the weekends. When sending me an email, you will need to use your Kirkwood student email and type “Intro to Psychology —9am” in the subject line of your email, so I know the email is from a student enrolled in this course. Also, you will need to use formal language, not texting language, when creating and sending your email. Any email that is not created using this format, I simply will not reply to.)

Course Description: Introduces the scientific study of mental processes and behavior with emphasis on the nervous system, learning and memory, cognition, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, personality, intelligence, stress, psychological disorders and therapy, and social influence. Stresses roles of both theory and empirical evidence in describing, explaining, and predicting behavior. Encourages critical thinking about research methods and ethics. Arts & Sciences Elective Code: A

Social Science Core Course Objectives: All Social Science core courses, including General Psychology, are designed to meet the following objectives which focus on research methods and evaluation. The student will: 1. Be able to understand and explain the use of the scientific method in gathering information and drawing inferences about human behavior. 2. Become acquainted with examples of valid and reliable research methods. 3. Become acquainted with classic and contemporary theoretical perspectives within the discipline. 4. Become acquainted with classic and contemporary research within the discipline. 5. Understand how the discipline analyzes data and draws conclusions. 6. Learn the ethical guidelines and challenges of the discipline.

Specific Course Goals: 1. Develop an understanding of basic vocabulary, concepts, knowledge base, and principles of psychology 2. Understand the scientific method, to generate alternative explanations, and to demonstrate the complexity of scientific proof as applied to the study of psychology 3. Demonstrate the ways in which these principles are based on empirical research and often follow from theoretical systems within psychology 4. Exercise critical thinking and self-assessment skills through assigned readings and activities Learning Resources A. Textbook: Huffman, Karen (2006). Living psychology (Required) B. Article Reader: Hock, R. (2009). Forty studies that changed psychology (6th ed.). (Required) C. Study Guide: Huffman, K., & Hosey, R. (2005). Study guide to accompany Living Psychology (Optional) D. Textbook Website: http://www.wiley.com/college/huffman (Click on student companion website)

Academic Assistance: If you need extra support tutoring services are provided for you at no cost. I encourage you to use the KCC Tutoring Services (2071 Cedar Hall), and/or check out these websites that provide strategies for academic success: http://www.kirkwood.edu/site/index.php?p=13114, http://www.uni.edu/walsh/linda7.html, and http://www.studygs.net.

Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with disabilities who need accommodations to achieve course objectives should file an accommodation application with the Learning Services, 2063 Cedar Hall as soon as possible. You will need to provide me a written plan of accommodation prior to the accommodation being approved.

College Closings & Delays: At various times throughout the semester we may experience weather- related closing or delays. The college policy is that students should report to whatever class would normally be in session when the campus opens.

Attendance and Drop Date: If you do not attend any class period by 1/22, you will need to drop the course. If you are registered for this class, but do not show up on the first day or two of class, you will not be able to make up any assigned work you missed. NO exceptions are allowed, unless approved by me. In addition, the last day to drop this course with a W is 75% through the course, which is April 15.

Midterm and Final Grades: A midterm grade will be calculated and posted on EagleNet. The grade will be posted as “A” through “F” or as “S” (satisfactory) or “U” (unsatisfactory). The midterm grade is a grade-in-progress, and will not affect your official GPA, nor will it impact financial aid. The midterm grade has three purposes: first, to communicate your academic performance; second, to provide opportunities for you to discuss progress with your instructor; and third, to allow Kirkwood to design college-wide intervention programs that will improve student success. A final grade also will be calculated and posted on EagleNet after final exams are graded. To comply with federal guidelines, I will not post final grades on my website nor email them.

Since I am required to only provide you your grade at midterm and at the end of the class, you are fully responsible for maintaining your progress in this course. Thus, you must maintain detailed records of all relevant graded course work to verify your standing in this course. To help you, I am providing an assignment record sheet so you can keep tally of your grade, which is located on my website under the link “Intro to Psychology Grade Record Sheet”. Remember, you need to keep and organize every piece of graded work until your final grade is submitted, just in case there are any grade discrepancies.

Assignment Guidelines: If you show up late to class and turn in the due assignment after I have collected them, you will lose 10% of the total points. Otherwise, no late assignments will be accepted for credit after I collect assignments at the beginning of the class period that they are due.

Extra-Credit: Extra-credit points may be earned and awarded only at my discretion, and you must be present at class to earn any points awarded for extra-credit assignments. Course Requirements: The avenues for achieving these goals and objectives will be through a variety of methods including lectures, selected readings, small and large group discussions, small and large group in-class activities, a writing assignment, a presentation, quizzes, exams, and videos.

Research component: Students will read summarized journal articles of historical psychological studies and learn to evaluate the methods and ethics of these studies. Students will learn to identify hypotheses, data-gathering methods, variables, main results and the ethical treatment of subjects.

Writing Component: The Social Science/Career Option faculty feels strongly that good writing is the result of extensive writing practice. As a general rule, the department requires a minimum of nine pages of written work (3 pages per credit hour) for this course. I will inform you before the writing of the purpose and the criteria with which their work will be graded. I will be responsible for giving meaningful and precise feedback on the writing using criteria discussed with you in advance. Exceptions can only be made with permission of the Dean of Social Science/Career Option Department.

Technology Component: You will have at least one assignment that teaches you how to do research on the Internet, to evaluate sites for reliable content, and to use higher order thinking. Where possible, I will design learning activities that encourage growing expertise and confidence through offering opportunities for guided practice in using appropriate software.

(27) Reading Quizzes (125 points) You will complete 27 reading quizzes worth 5 points each, but you will be graded upon only 25 quizzes, since you will be able to drop your two lowest scores. Each reading quiz will include 5 multiple choice questions worth one point each, and you will be able to use any handwritten notes you take over the assigned readings during the quiz. Quizzes will be given and completed during the first 8 minutes of the class period or when everyone completes the quiz, whichever comes first. However, if you are tardy to class, you will not be able to take the quiz once testing has started, as it is too disrupting to the students who have already begun the testing process. Finally, if you leave class early without first discussing it with me and obtaining my approval, you will receive a zero for that quiz. Although you will not be able to make-up any quiz if you miss one, if you know in advance that you will miss a class due to a valid and verifiable reason you may take the quiz before the class period you intend to miss, but only with my prior permission. You may use this option only one time though.

(4) Exams (100 points) You will complete four exams worth 25 points each. Exams will consist of 15 multiple-choice items, worth one point each, and one essay question worth 10 points. These are NOT open-notes exams, but to help you in this learning process, I am going to post learning objectives at the beginning of each unit on my website to help you prepare for each exam. All students must take the exams on the scheduled days; no exceptions will be allowed. However, i f for any reason you miss an exam, you will be allowed to take it only with my permission if you meet the following stipulations. First, you need to contact me via phone or email before the scheduled exam. Second, you must have a valid extenuating (beyond your control) reason (e.g., car accident, sick) why you cannot take the exam on the scheduled day, and you must provide evidence to support this excuse (e.g., doctor’s excuse). If you do not meet these two rules, then you will not be able to make up the exam and will receive 0 points. Quiz and Exam Protocol (This protocol is NOT negotiable and WILL be strictly enforced.)  No materials are allowed on the top of the desks, except for extra pencils, the exam booklet or quiz, and answer sheet. Also, no hats will be worn during any quizzes or exams.  Notes used for reading quizzes can only be hand-written. No typed notes, photocopied pages from the textbook or printouts from websites are allowed to use during any quiz.  No writing will be allowed in your notebooks during the quizzes, nor are you allowed to use cell- phones (or any other electronic device) during a quiz or exams. Any person caught writing in your notebook and/or using a cell phone during testing will automatically receive a zero, not to mention your cell phone use will be considered a level-three offense (see Classroom Behavior Policy).  At no time are you allowed to leave during the quiz or exam. If you need to use the restroom, you may do so after everyone has completed the quiz or after you have completed the exam. Anyone leaving without permission during testing will automatically receive a zero on the exam or quiz.

Writing assignment (100 points) During the semester you will complete one writing assignment worth 100 points. To demonstrate your understanding of the components of testing (reliability and validity) presented in chapter 8 and the Big Five personality factors presented in chapter 11, you will complete an in-class personality test (BFI-54) and two online personality tests—The Big-Five Mini Test and The Big Five Test. Following the completion of these tests, you will type a minimum of a 5-page paper analyzing the reliability and validity of these tests as they relate to each Big-Five personality dimension score. More details of this assignment will be forthcoming in a handout.

(11) Hock Article Written Analyses (100 points) You will complete an article analysis on an assigned article from Hock’s Forty Studies that Changed Psychology book and turn it in at the beginning of the class period. This analysis will be worth up to 5 points, and you will be graded upon each completed section of the analysis. Thereafter, you (and your team) will complete an analysis during class on the same assigned article as a group and turn it in at the end of the class period. This analysis will also be worth 5 points, but you will be graded as a group on the accuracy of your answers for each section. You will complete 11 analyses worth 10 points each, but you will be graded only upon 10 analyses, since you will be able to drop your lowest score.

The analyses you complete on your own need to be typed in order to receive any credit. You will also need to print two copies of your individual analysis, one you will turn into me and the other you will use during your small group discussion. The group analysis will of course be handwritten, as it will be completed during class. Please note that if you do not have two copies printed when you come to class OR did not FULLY complete the individual analysis, or complete one at all, then you will not be able to participate and receive any credit for the group analysis.

If you should show up late to class, unless you and I have discussed your tardiness before the class begins, your analysis will be considered late and you will be penalized 10% of the total points. If you should miss the day of when your analysis is due, you may drop this analysis as your lowest score.

Comprehensive Final Exam (100 points) You will complete a comprehensive final exam over the material covered during the entire semester. The final exam will be a multiple-choice format and consist of 50 items, worth 2 points each. This is NOT an open-notes exam, but to help you in this learning process, I posted a final exam study guide on my website, so you will have the entire semester to prepare for the exam. All students must take the final exam on the scheduled day; no exceptions will be allowed. You-Tube Presentation (75 points) For you to demonstrate your understanding of the principles of psychology based upon a real-world example, you will choose a maximum of a 3-minute video from the website http://www.youtube.com and present an 5-7 minute PowerPoint presentation of the video clip by applying one psychology concept you choose from the final exam study guide. More details of this assignment will be forthcoming in a handout.

Method of Grading (27) Multiple-Choice Quizzes (5 pts. each) (2 lowest scores dropped) 125 points (20% of total grade) (4) Multiple-Choice/Essay Exams (25 points each) 100 points (17% of total grade) (11) Hock Article Analyses (10 points each) (1 lowest dropped) 100 points (17% of total grade) Comprehensive Final Exam (50 Multiple-Choice items; 2 pts. each) 100 points (17% of total grade) Writing Assignment (5 pages minimum) 100 points (17% of total grade) You-Tube Presentation (5-7 minutes long) 75 points (12% of total grade) Total 600 points

Grading Policies The grading point ranges are as follows: Grade % of points possible Points Grade % of points possible Points A 94-100 561-600 C 74-76 441-458 A- 90-93 537-560 C- 70-73 417-440 B+ 87-89 519-536 D+ 67-69 399-416 B 84-86 501-518 D 64-66 381-398 B- 80-83 477-500 D- 60-63 357-380 C+ 77-79 459-476 F 59 and below 356-0

FW (This grade has the same negative effect on your grade point as an F. An FW is assigned when a student stops attending class before March 25 and fails to withdraw by April 15.) Tentative Course Plan and Schedule for Intro to Psychology (PSY111T) Date Assigned Material 1/11 Introduction

1/13 DUE: Signed and dated course guide contract; (First Reading Quiz) Chapter 1 Tools for Student Success (pp. 39-46) Chapter 3 Avoiding Procrastination (p. 101) Chapter 7 Using Psychology to Improve Memory (pp. 273-278)

1/15 Chapter 1 Introducing Psychology (pp. 3-9) DUE: Three concepts from the exam study guide for the You-Tube Presentation

1/18 No Classes Martin Luther King Jr. Day

1/20 Chapter 1 History and Perspectives of Psychology (pp. 10-17) Chapter 11 Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory (pp. 418-424)

1/22 Chapter 1 The Science of Psychology (pp. 17-24)

1/25 Chapter 1 Experimental Research (pp. 25-30)

1/27 Chapter 1 Descriptive, Correlational, and Biological Research (pp. 30-39)

1/29 Hock: A Prison by Any Other Name (pp. 287-294) (For Practice Only-No Credit)

2/1 Chapter 2 Neural Bases of Behavior and the Nervous System (pp. 58-71)

2/3 Chapter 2 Lower-Level Brain Structures and the Cerebral Cortex (pp. 71-82) First Day of You-Tube Video Presentations

2/5 Hock: More Experience = Bigger Brain (p. 11-18) (For Credit)

2/8 No Class Instructor Professional Day (Take-home quiz over the following readings) Chapter 4 Sensation and Perception (pp. 126-127; 143-146) Chapter 5 Consciousness, Sleep and Dreams (pp. 169-185)

2/10 Chapter 3 Understanding Stress (pp. 94-101); Stress Management (pp. 115-119) Chapter 11 Rotter’s Locus of Control (p. 433)

2/12 Exam 1

2/15 Chapter 7 Models of Memory and Forgetting (pp. 247-264)

2/17 Chapter 8 Cognition, Problem-Solving, and Creativity (pp. 285-297)

2/19 Hock: Life, Change, and Stress (pp. 175-183); [Assign Hock Article Teams]

2/22 Chapter 2 Behavioral Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology (pp. 53-58) Chapter 11 Personality Development: Trait Theory (pp. 413-418)

2/24 Chapter 8 Nature, Measuring, and Controversy of Intelligence (pp. 304-319)

2/26 Hock: Are you a Natural? (p. 19-27)

3/1 Chapter 9 Cognitive and Moral Development (pp. 339-347; 352-355) 3/3 Chapter 9 Social and Emotional Development (pp. 347-352; 355-359) 3/5 Hock: Discovering Love (pp. 126-134)

3/8 Chapter 10 Psychosocial/Biopsychosocial Theories of Motivation (pp. 379-380) Motivation and Emotion (pp. 386-387; pp. 390-401)

3/10 Hock: I Can See It All Over Your Face! (p. 168-175)

3/12 Exam 2 ------3/15-3/19 No Classes Spring Break ------3/22 Chapter 6 Classical Conditioning: Ivan Pavlov and John Watson (pp. 207-211)

3/24 Chapter 6 B.F. Skinner and Operant Conditioning (pp. 214-218; pp. 220-225)

3/26 Hock: Little Emotional Albert (p. 72-78) DUE: Writing Assignment

3/29 Chapter 6 Cognitive and Observational Learning (pp. 226-229) Chapter 11 Bandura’s Social Learning/Cognitive theory (p. 432)

3/31 Hock: See Aggression…Do Aggression (pp. 85-92)

4/2 No Classes College Holiday

4/5 Chapter 14 Our Thoughts and Feelings about Others (pp. 540-555)

4/7 Chapter 14 Our Actions about Others (pp. 556-566)

4/9 Hock: Thoughts out of Tune (pp. 183-190)

4/12 Exam 3

4/14 Chapter 12 Psychological Disorders—Studying and Classifying (pp. 455-464)

4/16 Hock: Who’s Crazy Here, Anyway? (pp. 227-235)

4/19 Chapter 13 Therapy and Critical Thinking (pp. 525-533)

4/21 Chapter 12 Mood Disorders (pp. 470-475) Chapter 13 Cognitive Therapy (pp. 506-509); Biomedical Therapies (p. 519-524)

4/23 Hock: Learning to be Depressed (pp. 242-249)

4/26 Chapter 3 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (p.105-106) Chapter 12 Anxiety Disorders and Phobias (pp. 465-470) Chapter 13 Behavioral Therapies (pp. 514-519)

4/28 Chapter 10 Eating Disorders (pp. 384-385) Chapter 12 Substance, Dissociative, and Personality Disorders (pp. 483-488)

4/30 Hock: Relaxing Your Fears Away (pp.264-271)

5/3 Exam 4

5/5 Final Exam Review 5/10 Comprehensive Final Exam (Time: 9am-10:50am) Classroom Student Conduct Policy (Stipulated by Randy Schultz and Kirkwood Community College)

Cheating Policy The Academic Policies and Procedures Committee created the following plagiarism policy: According to Webster, to plagiarize is “to steal or pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own to use created productions without crediting the source to commit literary theft present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.”

Kirkwood Students are responsible for authenticating any assignment submitted to an instructor. If asked, you must be able to produce proof that the assignment you submit is actually your own work. Therefore, we recommend that you engage in a verifiable working process on assignments. Keep copies of all drafts of your work, make photocopies of research materials, write summaries of research materials, hang onto Writing Center receipts, keep logs or journals of your work on assignments and papers, learn to save drafts or versions of assignments under individual file names on computer or diskette, etc. The inability to authenticate your work, should an instructor request it, is a sufficient ground for failing the assignment. In addition to requiring a student to authenticate his/her work, Kirkwood Community College instructors may employ various other means of ascertaining authenticity – such as engaging in Internet searches, creating quizzes based on student work, requiring students to explain their work and/or process orally, etc.

In accordance with the aforementioned cheating policy stipulated by Kirkwood Community College, I expect you to display integrity and ethical behavior when completing any graded in-class or out-of- class work pertaining to this course. Cheating is defined as using ANY piece of another person’s work as your own, whether it is done purposefully or unknowingly. Unless I give you authorization to work with another person (or group) on an assignment, quiz, exam, or any other graded work pertaining to this course, I expect that the graded work that you complete is done individually and contains only your effort and work, and not someone else’s. I will accept NO excuse from you for cheating; that is, if you are caught cheating of any nature, I will not accept the excuse, “I didn’t know I was cheating.”

If you are caught cheating in this course, the following acts will be enforced: 1. First offense: You will receive an F for the assignment or exam in which you cheated, with no opportunity for make-up. Also, your name will be submitted to our Dean of Student Development, Bob Burnes, so he can document your name within his cheating log.

2. Second offense: You will receive an F for the assignment or exam in which you cheated, and will be expelled from the course with an F as a final grade. Classroom Behavior Policy Learning is the ultimate goal of any course, but learning cannot take place if people’s unruly and/or threatening behavior is disrupting the classroom. Therefore, ALL students are required to understand and display the following classroom behavior rules as stipulated by myself and Kirkwood Community College. These rules are NOT negotiable.

Level-one offense: You will not verbally or physically threaten, degrade, disregard, defame, or humiliate other students or myself by making direct or indirect verbal comments or nonverbal expressions and/or physical behaviors due to any differences in beliefs, values, opinions, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, sexual orientation, and/or disability in the classroom. Enforcement  First offense: If you engage in any offensive behavior (as defined above), you will be asked to immediately leave the classroom and you may not re-enter the class until we have a face-to-face meeting with the Dean of Social Sciences about your behavior and recommendations about you possibly returning to class. The offensive incident and our discussion will be documented. Any work you miss while you are expelled from class will not be able to be made up at a later date.  Second offense: If you display any further level-one offensive behavior, you will be asked to leave the classroom and are expelled from the class permanently. You will receive an F for a final grade, regardless of your grade standing. The offensive incident will be documented.

Level-two offense: You will demonstrate respectful verbal and nonverbal behavior during class by not carrying on inappropriate and/or excessively loud conversations, blurting out unnecessary comments, and/or displaying rude nonverbal expressions (e.g., rolling of eyes) when other students or I am speaking. Enforcement  First offense: If you engage in disruptive/disrespectful behavior, I will ask you to simply stop the behavior and will talk to you after class about the incident. The offensive incident and our discussion will be documented.  Second offense: If you engage in disruptive/disrespectful behavior for a second time, you will be asked to immediately leave the classroom for that period, and you may not re-enter the class until we have a face-to-face meeting along with the Dean of Social Sciences about your behavior and recommendations about you possibly returning to the class. The offensive incident and our discussion will be documented. Any work you miss while you are expelled from class will not be able to be made up at a later date.  Third offense: If you engage in disruptive/disrespectful behavior for a third time, you will be asked to leave the classroom and are expelled from the class permanently. Your final grade will be an F, regardless of your grade standing. The offensive incident will be documented.

Level-three offense: Unless you have proper written and approved accommodations to use a technology device during class, once class has started, I expect you to put away all technology devices, such as, cell phones, laptop computers, I-Pods, MP3 players, or any other technology device not noted. These technology devices, especially cell phones, are a major disruption to the classroom learning environment, not to mention distracting to me as I teach. However, if you will be receiving an emergency call, please inform me before class and turn your phone on vibration. When you receive the call, you may leave the classroom to answer it. Enforcement  First offense: If you choose to use any unauthorized technology device during class, most notably your cell phone (texting, checking messages, checking the time, having it out on your desk, etc.), I will ask you to put it away and you will sign your name in my log documenting the incident. I will talk to you after class about the incident, and both the incident and discussion will be documented.  Second offense: If you choose to display any technology device, most notably a cell phone, for a second time in the same class or subsequent class, I will ask you to put it away, you will sign your name in my log documenting the incident, and I will deduct 10 points from your grade. I will talk to you after class about the incident, and both the incident and discussion will be documented.  Third offense: If you choose to display any technology device, most notably a cell phone, for a third time in the same or subsequent class, I will ask you to put it away, you will sign your name in my log documenting the incident, and I will deduct 20 points from your grade. I will talk to you after class about the incident, and both the incident and discussion will be documented.  Fourth offense: If you choose to display any technology device, most notably a cell phone, for a fourth time, I will deduct 20 points from your grade and you will be asked to leave the classroom in which you may not re-enter until we have a face-to-face meeting along with the Dean of Social Sciences about your disruptive behavior and process recommendations about you possibly returning to the class. Any work you miss while you are expelled from class will not be able to be made up at a later date.

All other classroom offenses will be enforced according to the General Student Conduct Policy stipulated by Kirkwood Community College. Intro to Psychology (PSY111T CRF-15) Course Guide Contract Spring 2010 Instructor: Randy Schultz

A course guide, more commonly known as a syllabus, is a legally binding agreement between the instructor and the student. A course guide defines the content of the course, the course objectives, the instructional methods used to facilitate the learning of these course objectives, and exactly how grades will be determined. In short, a course guide allows an instructor to define the parameters or boundaries in which he or she will judge a student’s performance, and provides the student a guarantee of what to expect from the instructor and the class. Often, misunderstandings arise from an incomplete reading and comprehension of the course guide. In order to decrease the chance of this occurring, I am asking you to sign and date this course-guide agreement, which indicates that you have read and completely understand key policies, guidelines, objectives, and expectations of this course.

This contract must be signed, dated, and turned into me by the second class period, before you may continue in this class. I will maintain this document in my office in a secure place for an unlimited amount of time. If you should have any questions regarding anything stipulated in this document, please ask me, come to my office, or contact me via phone/email before turning it in to me.

My signature verifies that I have read and completely understand the academic and classroom behavior policies and expectations outlined in this course guide (syllabus), and verifies that I will act in accordance with all of these policies and guidelines stipulated in this course guide. However, I understand that if I should choose not to abide by these guidelines outlined in the course guide, the appropriate consequence(s) outlined in this course guide will be enforced immediately by the instructor and/or Kirkwood Community College.

Student Name (Please Print) ______

Student Signature ______Date______

Instructor Signature ______Date______