Syllabus Spring Semester 2005 Psychology 111. Foundations of Psychology
Section 007 Mon. and Wed. 1:30-2:45 pm FH-0207 Instructor: Dr. Eva Ferguson
Office:
III-0135 Phone for Psych
office: ext.2202 to leave
a message
email:efergus@siue.edu FAX
618-650-5087
Office hours: M 2:45-3:45, T 2:15-3:15, W 12:15-1:15
and other times by appointment.
Required from Textbook Rental:
Textbook Santrock, J.
(2003). Psychology essentials, 2nd Ed. Boston:
McGraw-Hill.
Strongly
Recommended from University Book
Store:
Student Study Guide Rodriguez, I. (2003). Student
study guide to accompany psychology essentials, J. W.
Santrock, 2nd
Ed. Boston:
McGraw-Hill.
Course
Objectives: This course helps students
to gain an overview of the field of psychology, its social and biological
foundations as well as its scientific and applied aspects. Students will learn
about research in psychology and about human and animal behavior as well as
learning and motivation. Lecture and in-class activities will illustrate content
areas of psychology. Students who spend the needed time for in-depth reading of
the text and use of support materials will benefit in learning and critical
thinking in this course.
Course
Requirements: Students are expected to
contribute to class discussions and to conduct themselves in a courteous and
professional manner. Four exams, two homework assignments, attendance, and
research involvement are all required (research involvement means active study
participation and/or research reporting from library sources – see the section
on Participation in
Research or Research Summaries).
Each exam is worth 32 points,
each homework assignment is worth 18 points, attendance is worth 12 points,
research of 6 hours involvement is worth 20 points, and class participation is
worth 4 points for a total of 200 points. Up to 4 absences are permitted for
attendance credit; no attendance credit is given for absences of 5 or more
times. To obtain credit for attendance, the student is required to be in class
on time and to remain in class the total class time. If an emergency requires
the student to leave class early or to arrive late, the student needs to
speak to the instructor about this prior to the start of class.
The grades are assigned for points
as follows: A is 180-200, B is 160-179, C
is 140-159, D is 128-139.
Below 128 is Failing.
Exams are based on
lectures, text assignments, and in-class activities. Reports are due on time
and exams must be taken as scheduled.
If an emergency arises so the student cannot take the exam or hand in the
report as scheduled, the student must speak to the instructor ahead of the
scheduled time. Only in unusual circumstances may special arrangements be made
for a makeup or late paper (conversation with instructor is necessary –
it is not sufficient to leave a message). Unexcused make-ups and late papers
without special permission are not possible and receive a failing grade.
Cheating and plagiarism are not permitted.
Writing
assignments in homework will be described in separate instructions.
Papers are to be handed in at the beginning of class. All papers must be
word-processed or typed in black letters, double spaced with font size12, and
they need to be grammatically correct and spelled correctly. Points will be
taken off if writing does not keep plural and singular consistent. Many students have problems with this,
so take extra care with this. Incorrect grammar and spelling also lose points.
In case of an emergency, a homework paper may be faxed, with a cover page
clearly stating the instructor’s name. In no cases will a paper be accepted
via email.
Research
involvement evidence (card with studies and/or library papers) must be
handed in to the instructor April 18th.
Student comments that are shared with the whole class
and that help in the course learning are welcome; comments are to be made
in a respectful manner to the whole class. Private conversations are not
permitted.
Students will find some
chapters easier to understand than other chapters. Students should seek extra
help when exam and homework grades are less than a C level and when specific
topics are not clear. Students should see the instructor either during regular
office hours or at specially arranged appointment times. The sequence of Chapter
text assignments differs from that of the textbook. The syllabus will be the
class guide but may be modified if circumstances make that
necessary.
WEEK SESSION DATE DAY ASSIGNMENTS &
LECTURE TOPICS
1 1 Jan. 10 M Chapter 1. Why do we consider psychology to be a science?
1
2
Jan. 12 W Chapter 1
continued. What do we mean by an experiment,
independent and dependent variables, correlation? Why do we say
‘correlation does not mean causation’?
Jan. 17 Martin Luther
King Jr. Day – No class. University
is closed.
2
3
Jan. 19 W Chapter 8.
What do we mean by thinking, language, and
intelligence?
How is intelligence measured?
3
4
Jan. 24 M
Continue reading Chapter 8. Information is given on
Students’ Research Involvement.
3
5
Jan. 26 W
Chapter 8 continued. Start Chapter 13: Health and Stress. Discuss
1st Homework.
4
6
Jan. 31 M Chapter 13. What
affects our health and well-being?
4
7
Feb. 2 W
Students bring Review questions to class. Review Chs. 1, 8, 13 to be on
1st Exam.
5
8
Feb. 7 M
Hand in 1st Homework. First Exam. Students bring pencils
with
erasers to class.
5
9
Feb. 9 W
Start Chapter 2. Do all parts of the brain have a similar function?
What
is important about neurons?
6
10
Feb. 14 M
Chapter 2 continued. How does the brain relate to
behavior?
6 11 Feb. 16 W Chapter 3. Does development occur in stages?
7
12
Feb. 21
M
Chapter 3 continued. What developmental changes occur from
childhood onward? How do ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ contribute to
changes through to adulthood and aging?
7
13
Feb. 23 W
Chapter 4. How do we perceive objects & hear
sounds?
8
14
Feb. 28 M Chapter 4 continued. How do brain and
receptors work together?
8
15
Mar. 2
W
Students bring Review questions to class. Review Chs. 2, 3, 4 to be on
2nd Exam.
9
16
Mar. 14 M
Second Exam. Students
bring pencils with erasers to class.
9
17
Mar. 16 W
Chapter 6. How do we learn? Are there different kinds of
learning?
10
18
Mar. 21 M
Chapter 6 continued. Why should we know what is the
difference between classical and operant conditioning or what is
meant by ‘generalization’ and ‘extinction’?
10
19
Mar. 23 W
Chapter 7. Is there a relationship between learning and
memory?
11 20 Mar. 28 M Chapter 7 continued. Why is it important to know the difference between encoding and retrieval?
11
21
Mar. 30 W
Chapter 9. How does motivation affect animal and human
behavior?
Why should we study animal motivation?
12
22
Apr. 4 M
Students bring Review questions to class. Chapter 9 continued. Is there a
relationship between emotion and motivation? Review Chs. 6, 7, 9 to be on
2nd Exam.
12 23
Apr. 6 W
Third Exam. Students
bring pencils with erasers to class.
13 24 Apr. 11 M Discuss 2nd Homework. Chapter 10. What is meant by
“personality” and how is it measured?
13 25 Apr. 13 W Chapter 10 continued. How do different theorists view personality? Start Chapter 11 pp. 392 – 408. How do different theorists view ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’?
14 26 Apr. 18 M Hand in Research Involvement evidence (card with studies
and/or library papers; if a student has both a card plus library
papers, these must be paper-clipped together!). Continue Chapter 11 and start Chapter 12.
14
27
Apr. 20 W
Hand in 2nd homework. Chapter 12 pp.434 – 436, 439 -
463. Are there different kinds of therapy?
Start Chapter 14. Do social
processes affect our behavior and beliefs?
15 28
Apr. 25
M
Continue Chapter 14. How does social psychology help
us?
15 29 Apr. 27 W Students bring Review questions to class. Review chapter assignments for Chs. 10, 11, 12, & 14 for Final.
Final Examination:
Wed. May 4 at 12:00-1:40 pm.
Note: Exam
is NOT at the usual class time.
See the following pages
for Research and Library information!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PSYCHOLOGY
DEPARTMENT POLICY ON INCOMPLETE GRADES, PASS-NO CREDIT OPTION, AND
WITHDRAWAL
It is a student’s
responsibility to officially withdraw from a course through the Enrollment
Office by the dates set by the university if the student is not intending to
complete the course. Students who
do not withdraw but have not completed the course will receive an E. Only under special circumstances a
faculty member may agree to give a student an INC grade in order to allow the
student to complete the remaining work for the course no later than the end of
the following semester. An INC is
never automatic but must be approved by the instructor. If an instructor agrees to give a
student an INC grade, the instructor and student will fill out a form
(Memorandum of Incomplete Grade) indicating why an INC is being given. This form will be on file in the
instructor’s office and if the work is not completed by the specified time, the
grade will be changed from an INC to E.
DEPARTMENT OF
PSYCHOLOGY POLICY ON PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism includes
either presenting someone else’s words without quotation marks (even if you cite
the source) or presenting someone else’s ideas without citing that source. If you plagiarize, your instructor
cannot evaluate your understanding of the topic. When paraphrasing from another source,
at the very least the student should change the wording, sentence syntax, and
order of ideas presented in the paper.
Ideally, the student will integrate ideas from multiple sources while
providing critical commentary on the topic in a way that clearly identifies
whether words and ideas are those of the student or are from another
source. University policy states
that “Normally a student who plagiarizes shall receive a grade of F in the
course in which the act occurs. The
offense shall also be reported to the Provost.”
(http://www.siue.edu/POLICIES/li16.html).
The University policy discusses additional academic sanctions including
suspension and expulsion from the University. To insure that you understand how to
avoid plagiarism, we encourage you to review the information on plagiarism
provided on the Department of Psychology web page at
http://www.siue.edu/PSYCHOLOGY/plagiarism.htm.
The department of Psychology
has a Research Involvement requirement. You are to participate in 6 hours of
research.
You are required to participate in on-going research
in the Department of Psychology OR write summaries of published research, OR a
combination of both. You are required by the Department of Psychology to
participate in 6 hours of research. You will receive more information regarding
participating in Psychology Department research during the second week of class.
At that time, you will be given Subject Pool Cards, which you will use to keep
track of and tally the number of hours you have completed. These are the cards
that must be turned in to me at the end of the semester. DO NOT LOSE THESE
CARDS, as they are your only record/receipt of your involvement in research
studies.
Those students who do not wish to be a participant in
a research study may substitute written assignments for research participation.
The written assignments will give you exposure to psychological research and
acquaint you with some of the rich sources of materials in which psychological
studies are reported. The written assignment includes these
requirements:
1. Submit brief summaries of research articles
published in current psychological journals (published in the past five
years). A list of acceptable
journals is given below. Research summaries must be typed, double-spaced, and
should not exceed two pages. Attach a photocopy of the entire article to your
summary. Each summary counts for 1
HOUR of research time.
2. Research summaries are due as described on the
syllabus schedule. No credit will be given for late
summaries.
3. Each summary should be written in your own
words.
A good summary attempts to summarize briefly who
investigated what problem, by what method, and with what results. Use the
following organization:
1. Author’s name, year, title of article, journal,
volume number, page numbers.
2. Purpose of the study (general problem, hypotheses,
etc.)
3. Method or procedures used (omit technical
details)
4. Results (what was found, what does it seem to
mean?)
5. Personal comments (what, in your opinion, was the
importance or significance of the
study? Did you think the study was worthwhile?)
If there are other journals you wish to use, check w/
the instructor first. Only ‘scientific’ journals, not ‘popular’ journals (e.g.,
Discover, Psychology Today, etc.) will be accepted.
These journals are located on the second floor of the
library in the Education section. Some journals are on
microfiche.
Child Development
Journal of Educational Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
Journal of Experimental Psychology
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Journal of Applied Psychology
Journal of Psychology
Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Journal of School Psychology
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Journal of Child
Language
Journal of Social Psychology
Journals of Gerontology
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Psychological Bulletin
Journal of Clinical Psychology
Psychological Reports
Journal of Community Psychology
Psychology in the Schools
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Psychology of Women
Quarterly
Journal of Counseling Psychology
Sex Roles
The Department of Psychology requires a minimum of 6
hours of research. This may be completed by active participation in a
department-approved study, by report of instructor-approved library reading, or
a combination of these two completed in accord with guidelines set by the
instructor. Failure to complete the minimum research requirement results in a
one-letter grade drop, so if a student, for example, had a 'B' average at the
end of the semester, the grade the student receives is a 'C'.
Research is the basis of knowledge in psychology and
provides the content in all areas of the discipline. So that students can learn
in depth the nature and content of research, and to become familiar with
research in ways that are available only outside the classroom, the Department
of Psychology requires students to have a minimum of 6 hours of research
experience. This may be obtained by active participation in department-approved
studies, by reading research articles and reporting the content in a library
report, or by a combination of these two. Each accepted library research report
receives one hour of research credit, and active participation in ongoing
studies receives credit according to the length of time spent in the study,
which can vary from half an hour up to two hours. Details of the research
participation and the library assignment will be provided in the 2nd or 3rd week
of class.
Students who sign up for research participation, and
the investigators conducting the study, make a commitment to be at the
designated place and time. If an emergency arises to prevent the participants
from being able to be at the appointed time and place, they must notify the
investigator no later than one hour prior to the study time. If students fail to
come to the study or fail to cancel with sufficient notice, they will be
penalized for the time of that study, which means that if students fail to show
up or to cancel in time for a one hour study, they must make up one hour as
penalty. Thus, a student who completed 5 research hours and fails to show up at
the appointed time and place for the 6th hour of a study is required to complete
1 research hour as penalty and then still make up the 6th hour for completing
the minimum research requirement. Failure to meet the 6 hour requirement at the
end of the semester will lead to a reduction in grade of one letter
grade.