Bitchess Trippin

Course outline 1

PSYC1000 Introduction to Psychology-Section 04, Fall 2012
General info Course Instructor Benjamin Giguère, Ph.D. E-mail: [e-mail] Office: MacKinnon Building (MACK) 4007 Telephone: [phone] ext. 56862 Office hours: Tuesdays 10:30-12:00; 17:30-18:00 Thursdays 13:00-14:30; 17:30-18:00 David Willoughby E-mail: [e-mail] The course coordinator is the person to contact for absences, illness, and grade issues.

Course coordinator

Seminar Teaching Assistants Name Anne Marie Levy Thomas Sasso Jasmine Mahdy Melissa Bell Chris Upton Dan van der Werf Jeff Franson Julia Wreford Course overview Description: The overall theme of this course is the examination of human behaviour and mental processes using a scientific approach. It will survey some of the major areas of the field such as neuroscience, sensation and perception, learning, cognition, motivation, human development, personality, psychopathology, and social psychology. Lectures: Seminars: Tuesdays & Thursdays 16:30-17:20, Rozanski Hall (ROZH) 104 As assigned on your timetable. • You must attend the seminar for which you are registered, unless you made arrangements with your TA to attend another one of his/her seminars. • PSYC*1000*XXXX, where XXXX is your seminar section number Seminar Sections 0464, 0465, 0479, 0480 0461, 0467 0463, 0470 0471, 0478 0466, 0474 0472, 0473 0462, 0468 0469 E-mail [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail] [e-mail]

Course outline 2 Course material Textbook: Myers, D. G. (2013). Psychology in Modules (10th edition). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Course website: Please visit regularly the course website at http://courselink.uoguelph.ca to obtain materials for this course (e.g., seminar readings, instructions for assignments, lecture slides). Lecture slides: Course objectives The main purpose of this course is to give you opportunities to: 1. Learn about some of the main areas of psychology and how they fit together 2. Gain an understanding of the theories and research methods used in these areas 3. Acquire knowledge and skills for critically evaluating psychological research 4. Gain experience in applying psychological concepts in what matters to you 5. Develop critical thinking skills, particularly as it pertains to understanding human behaviour Course format The course will be comprised of readings, lectures, and seminar activities and discussions. Readings from the textbook will follow the schedule presented at the end of this course outline. To genuinely benefit from this course you need to do the readings prior to attending weekly lectures and seminar meetings. Otherwise your experience will be mixed. Lectures will be coordinated with the readings. They are designed to both complement and supplement the readings. Material not covered in the readings will be presented during the lectures. Lectures are also designed to present links between the different topics we will be covering. This integration of the material is meant to help you create a more unified (and easier to remember) story for the course and to think more critically about psychological research. Any recorded material, regardless of format, that includes the entirety or any parts of the lectures cannot be shared or distributed whether it is in its original format or a modified version under any circumstances. Seminar meetings will (1) provide the opportunity for discussion, analysis, and evaluation of the ideas in a way that is impossible in a large lecture, and (2) provide the opportunity to explore an idea or problem in greater depth through both independent and shared inquiry (i.e., discussion of readings and/or presentations; individual writing assignments). The readings from the textbook will periodically be supplemented with other material pertaining to the seminar activities (e.g., articles from the mainstream media). These will be posted on the course website. Exams will cover the readings, lectures and seminar activities. The exams include questions on material that is only from the textbook or only from lecture. A PDF version of the lecture slides will be available on the course website.

Course outline 3 Evaluations 1. 2. 3. 4. Mid–term examination Seminar project Research participation Final examination (35%) (17%) (3%) (45%)

1. Mid-term exam The mid-term exam will be held in class on October 16th 2012. It will contain approximately 40 multiple-choice questions. It will cover all the material (readings, lectures, seminar activities) up to and including the material covered on the previous class. You MUST have your student ID card with you at the exam. 2. Seminar project You will receive information about your seminar project during your seminar. In addition, instructions for the paper included in this project will be posted on the course website. 3. Research exposure The goal of the research exposure is to provide you an opportunity to see more closely the process of psychological research. Two options are available to you. You can either participate in actual studies being conducted at the university, or you can read and write a critical analysis of articles reporting on psychological research. More information about the research participation appear on the course website. 4. Final Exam The final exam will be held December 13th 2012 from 14:30 to 16:30. The final exam will contain 80 multiple-choice questions. It will be a cumulative exam, however a larger proportion of questions will focus on the material covered since the midterm. It will cover all the material (readings, lectures, seminar activities). You MUST have your student ID card with you at the exam. There will be no supplemental examination for this course. Emails Only questions that can be answered simply, for example by yes or no or with a short sentence, will be answered by email. For longer answers you will most likely receive an email asking you to come and see me. Emails will usually be answered within 24 to 48 hours during weekdays. It is possible that some emails that are not from a university address (e.g., @hotmail.com) may be treated as spam. So do not hesitate to come and see one of us if your email was not answered. The university expects you to check your U of Guelph email account regularly and us to use it to communicate with you.

Course outline 4 Policy on classroom and seminar discussions/debates The topics in this course have been chosen to stimulate our thinking and encourage discussion about issues linked to human psychology. Some of the topics discussed may be of a sensitive nature and/or controversial. While you may disagree/debate with others who hold opinions different from your own, an atmosphere of respect must be maintained at all times. Policy on missed classes and exams All of the information related to the logistical and administrative components of this course will be communicated during class time. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to make contact with a fellow student and catch up on what you missed, regardless of whether the absence was justified or not. Exams can only be missed for documented (medical or compassionate) reasons. Please contact the course coordinator as soon as possible if you miss an exam. You will need to provide documentation. For example, your physician will need to provide a signed note stating that it is impossible for you to write the exam as scheduled. Notes may be verified by different means, including calling the doctor’s office for confirmation. See the undergraduate calendar for detailed information on regulations and procedures for Academic Consideration. University policies All students must know and adhere to ALL University policies, regulations and procedures, including Academic Misconduct http://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/undergraduate/current/c08/c08amisconductproc.shtml; Academic Integrity, http://www.academicintegrity.uoguelph.ca/, in particular Plagiarism http://www.academicintegrity.uoguelph.ca/plagiarism_types.cfm. Work previously done for another course may NOT be reworked and/or resubmitted for this course. If you have any doubts about whether or not what you are doing deviates in any way from the university policies, in particular those guiding issues of plagiarism, consult the course instructor. University criteria for grading will apply to all assignments. All work must conform to University standards with respect to scholarship. Work submitted for grades may be screened electronically, although this will not involve third parties. As a student enrolled in a psychology course you are required to read and adhere to the “Student Responsibilities” material found on the Department of Psychology website: http://www.uoguelph.ca/psychology/page.cfm?id=745

Course outline 5 Lecture Schedule (*may be subject to changes, please consult course website for announcements) Week Lectures 1 2 1 2 Date Sept. 6 th th

Topic Course overview Scientific inquiry

Module(s) #1 The story of psychology #1 The story of psychology #2 Thinking critically with psychological science #3 Research strategies: How psychologists ask and answer questions #4 Neural and hormonal systems #5 Tools of discovery and the older brain structures #6 The cerebral cortex and our divided brain #11 Behavior genetics and evolutionary psychology #12 Culture, gender, and other environmental influences #14 Infancy and childhood #15 Adolescence #7 Brain states and consciousness #17 Basic principles of sensation and perception #18 Vision and perceptual organization and interpretation #20 Basic learning concepts and classical conditioning #21 Operant conditioning #23 Studying and building memories #24 Storage: Retaining information in the brain #27 Thinking #28 Language and thought #32 Basic motivational concepts and hunger

Sept. 11

2 3 3

3 4 5

Sept. 13th Sept. 18th Sept. 20th

Research methods Behavioural neuroscience Behavioural neuroscience

4 4 5 5 6

6 7 8 9 10

Sept. 25th Sept. 27th Oct. 2nd Oct. 4th Oct. 9 th Nature vs. nurture Nature vs. nurture Development Development Sensation and perception Perception and perception Midterm Learning

6 7 7

11

Oct. 11th Oct. 16th

12

Oct. 18

th

8

13

Oct. 23rd

Memory

8 9

14 15

Oct. 25th Oct. 30th

Cognitive Psychology Motivation and emotions

9

16

Nov. 1

st

Motivation and emotions

Course outline 6 #35 Introduction to emotions #38 Stress and health

***Nov 1st is the last day to drop one semester courses*** 10 10 11 11 12 17 18 19 20 21 Nov. 6th Nov. 8th Nov. 13th Nov. 15th Nov. 20th Personality Personality Social Psychology Social Psychology Abnormal Psychology Abnormal Psychology Abnormal Psychology #40 Psychodynamic theories #41 Humanistic theories #42 Trait theories, social-cognitive theories, and the self #43 Social thinking #44 Social influence #47 Introduction to psychological disorders #48 Anxiety disorders #49 Mood disorders #52 The psychological therapies #54 The biomedical therapies

12 13

22 23

Nov. 22nd Nov. 27th

Course outline 7 Seminar Schedule (*may be subject to changes, please consult course website for announcements) Come to the seminars prepared (i.e., read the readings or watched the videos and be ready to discuss them)! *Note that all seminar materials (PDFs) or video links will be posted on the course website * Week 1 Sept. 3rd -7th 2 Sept. 10th–14th 3 Sept. 17th–21st Seminar • • 1 • • Topic and assigned reading or video No seminar No seminar How can we study the mind using the scientific method? Reading: The psychology laboratory from Great ideas in psychology by Fathali Moghaddam (2005) Introduction of the seminar project, how to search the literature and write for psychology? Material: Instructions for Seminar Project (PDF) & PDF version of slide kit (Seminar Project and lit search) It’s not my fault, my brain made me do it! Reading: Damaged: Why do some people turn into violent criminals? New evidence suggests that it may all be in the brain by Malcolm Gladwell, from the New Yorker (1997) Outline for seminar papers are due in class on October 9th No seminar Midterm No seminar Questions/answer/group discussions about challenges with the seminar project Is there an identity crisis for boys? Video: TED: Ali Carr-Chellman: Gaming to re-engage boys in learning http://www.ted.com/talks/ali_carr_chellman_gaming_to_re_engage_bo ys_in_learning.html

4 Sept. 24th–28th

2

• •

5 Oct. 1st–5th

3

• •

6 Oct. 8th–12th

• •

7 Oct. 15th–19th 8 Oct. 22nd–26th 9 Oct. 29th– Nov. 2nd 4 5

• • •

• •
•

10 Nov. 5th–9th

6

• •

How much can a psychological test tell us about you? Reading: Personality plus: Employers love personality tests. But what do they really reveal? By Malcom Gladwell (2004)

Course outline 8 11 Nov. 12th–16th 7 • • • Seminar papers are due in class on November 15th! A big challenge: Accepting the power of the situation with humility instead of shame Video: TED: Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of evil http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil. html

12 Nov. 19th–23rd 13 Nov. 26th-30th

• •

No seminar No seminar