DEPARTMENT OF
PSYCHOLOGY
SPRING 2008
COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Psychology
CLASS TIMES: Tuesday, Thursday: 6:00 PM – 7:20 PM
INSTRUCTOR: Tara
Woolfolk, Ph.D.
PHONE & EMAIL: (856) 225-6535 (Office)
OFFICE HOURS: Mondays 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Tuesdays
4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
TEXT (REQUIRED): Myers,
David G. (2007). Psychology, 8th ed.,
TEXT (Suggested): Straub,
Richard, O. (2007). Study Guide to Accompany David G. Myers Psychology,
8th ed.,
COURSE OVERVIEW:
The purpose of this
course is to provide students with a broad overview and general understanding
of the basic principals and major theoretical approaches used to explain human
behavior. Emphasis will be placed on the
understanding and application of such principals and theories as they relate to
our surroundings and ourselves.
COURSE COMPETENCIES:
Upon successful
completion of the course, students should be able to:
1.
Explain what psychology is and describe the methods used
by psychologists to study human behavior.
2. Identify
the major physiological structures involved in human behavior and explain their
functions.
3.
Identify the major concepts involving social interaction
and relationships.
4.
Identify the most important aspects of human development
from the prenatal state to dying.
5. Describe
the major theories of human personality.
6. Describe the causes and classification of
mental illness.
7.
Identify
and describe the mechanisms involved with memory, learning, and motivation.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS & REGULATIONS:
While you we are
together in this course, I expect certain things of you so that class can
function as well as possible for all of us. Here is what I need from you:
1.
You
are expected to come to class on time and be prepared to discuss the material
being presented. Coming to class late is
very distracting. Also, if you come to class, you are expected to stay for the
entire class period unless you seek permission beforehand.
2.
You are expected to treat your fellow
students with respect, this includes turning off all pagers and cell phones
while in class. Additionally, if you attend class, you
are expected to pay attention to the lecture and discussion. In large classes
students feel anonymous and there is a tendency to start conversations with
their friends. Again, this can be very distracting.
***Students who violate these 2 rules will be warned for their
first violation. A second violation will result in a 5-point deduction from an
exam. Any violation after that will result in the loss of a letter grade.
3.
You are expected and encouraged to address any concerns
or issues, or raise any questions with the instructor in a timely manner. If necessary, an appointment can be made to
discuss any issues in private.
4.
You understand that the syllabus is meant as a general
outlined of topics that are intended to be covered. The syllabus may be changed based upon
student and/or class need.
5.
You are expected to take each test as scheduled and turn
in any written assignments when due, unless you receive an exception from the
instructor prior to missing a test/due date.
Late assignments will be assessed a 5 point penalty. Missed exams may be made up at the discretion
of the instructor.
6.
You are expected to actively participate
in the class discussions and are encouraged to ask questions at any time. Please remember that there are no “dumb”
questions! If you do not understand
something, please feel free to ask about it.
7.
While
I do not take attendance, I think that it will be very difficult for a student
to do well in the course if he/she misses a lot of classes. The reason is that
I test heavily from class material and in many chapters; the class discussion
goes beyond the readings from the text.
EVALUATION:
Evaluation will be based on the results of tests and examinations, and
participation in discussions.
1.
Tests: There will be four (4) in-class tests. These tests may include multiple-choice,
true/false, short answer, essay or fill-in-the blank items. The content of the tests will clearly reflect
information from lectures, class discussion and readings.
2.
Participation and Attendance:
Your involvement in the course is important to your success in class. Please remember that there are no wrong or
“dumb” questions! All questions are
encouraged and invited!
3.
There is a Research
Participation Requirement-- See “Important
Additional Requirements” section for more detail.
EVALUATION PROCEDURE:
Student performance
and grade will be based on the following: 80%
– Tests
10%
– Research Participation
10% – Class Participation
100%
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL
REQUIREMENT: PLEASE
READ!!!
RESEARCH PARTICIPATION
REQUIREMENT:
The Psychology Department of the Camden Faculty
of Arts & Sciences has established a policy that students enrolled in
Introduction to Psychology (830:101) must either participate as subjects in
psychological research activities or complete a designated alternative
activity. This policy is designed to enhance students' understanding of the
nature of psychological research and to support the research activities of the
faculty. At the present time, the research participation option requires
completion of a total of 3 hours worth of credits for participating in research
studies. The designated alternative
activity consists of writing a paper on some aspect of psychological
research. This paper must have the prior
approval of the instructor, be on a topic selected by agreement between the
instructor and the student, and be five (5) pages in length, typed and
double-spaced, with appropriate documentation. (Please review the departmental
policy on plagiarism, if you are not familiar with it). Failure
by a student to satisfy the requirement before the end of the semester, either
by completion of 3 hours worth of experiments or by writing an acceptable
paper, will result in the student receiving no credit for 10% of the course OR
in the student receiving a grade of "Incomplete" ("IN") for
the course. This
"Incomplete" will only be bestowed based on prior arrangement, and
can only be removed by the student's fulfillment of the requirement.* Unless
prior arrangements are made, all the work needed to remove an
"Incomplete" grade should be finished before the start of the
following semester.
Benefits of
Participating:
By participating as a subject in research, you
will contribute in a small way to increasing our understanding of psychological
processes. You will have an opportunity to gain some direct experience of what
psychological research involves, and you may acquire a better understanding of
some of the issues and topics you are studying in your course. You will be able
to give your own insights and comments to the experimenter and perhaps suggest
ways to improve the methods or alternative ways to think about the task.
Finally, most of the research projects are interesting to do (some are
down-right fun) and you will learn a little bit more about yourself in the
process.
Where to sign up:
Sign up for participation is handled online at
the website http://experimetrix.com/rutcmdn.* The first time you go to this site, register as
a new user (select “New User Registration” and follow the instructions. It is essential that you register for the
correct section of your course – if you are a day student, your course number
is 50:830:101:01 (MWF 10:10 am – 11:15 am) Introductory Psychology – Spring 2008;
if you are an evening student, your course number is 50:830:101:40 (TuTh – 6:00
pm) Introductory Psychology – Spring 2008. Once registered, you can see what experiments
are available and sign up to participate in any of them. Each posted experiment includes a brief
description of the study, its location, how much time credit you will receive,
and available appointment times. To
participate in a study simply sign up for an available time. You
must register using your assigned
Sign-up responsibility:
Students who sign up for a particular time are
responsible for fulfilling their commitment. If you must cancel your
appointment, notify the experimenter at least 24 hours before the scheduled
session; the telephone number will be provided with the description of the
study. You may be subject to a penalty
of additional required time for completing this requirement if you fail to
notify the experimenter in a timely manner.
Should an experimenter fail to show up within 15
minutes of the scheduled session, the student will receive full credit for that
session. To receive credit, make a note of the study, the date, the time, and
the name of the experimenter and give this information to the secretary in Room
301 on the same day that the experimenter did not show up. At times, students
may be called by experimenters requesting participation in a particular
experiment. In such cases, several available times will be discussed and such
calls will be at least 48 hours prior to any agreed upon session.
Credit for participation:
When a student arrives at an experimental
session, he or she will be provided further information on the nature of the
experiment and the procedures to be used and may be asked to sign a consent
form. When the experiment is over, the experimenter will ask you to write your
name and id # on the master list that will be turned in to the research pool
coordinator. You may check at any time on the Experimetrix website to see that
you have received credit for your participation. If you find you did not receive credit for an
experiment, please contact the department secretary in Room 301 within 48
hours. After investigation, if due,
your credit will be reflected on the website. NOTE:
If you do not inquire about the discrepancy within the 48-hour period, we do
not guarantee that you will receive the credit.
Subject safeguards:
Please be assured that you will not be asked to
participate unknowingly in research that is detrimental to your physical or
psychological health. All research projects must be approved by an
institutional review board (IRB) before it can be done. The IRB screens
proposed research carefully to be sure it is safe and justified. In addition,
you are entitled to refuse to participate in a study if you find it personally objectionable
or feel it is harmful to you. Obviously, we do not expect you to sign up for
studies if you object to them, based on their descriptions. Conversely, you
would normally be expected to complete a study if you sign up for it. However,
you may only find out while you are participating that you have serious
objections to further participation. In such a case, you are free to terminate
your participation without prejudice or penalty, and you will receive credit
for participation. If you have further
questions or concerns, please refer them to your instructor or to Dr. Whitlow,
who is serving as the coordinator of the psychology research subject pool.
NOTES:
1.
RU policy states that effective
June 1st, all “Incomplete” grades will convert to grades of “F”
unless an “extension of grade form” is completed and filed before the attending
semester’s end.
2.
If you
experience any problems with the website (registering, receiving credit, etc.)
please email the contact person(s) for the site. Their email address can be found on the
log-in page or by following the Help(FAQ) link.
Your instructor cannot answer your questions about website problems!
Thank you for your time
and attention.
830:101:01
Jan. 22 INTRODUCTION - Course Overview
Jan. 24 Chp.
1 – Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
Jan. 29 Chp. 1 – Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
Jan. 31 Chp. 2 – Neuroscience and Behavior
Feb. 5 Chp. 2 –
Neuroscience and Behavior
Feb. 7 Chp. 4 – Developing Through the Lifespan
Feb. 12 Chp. 4 – Developing Through the
Lifespan
Feb. 14 Chp. 4 – Developing Through the
Lifespan
Feb. 19 TEST 1: CHAPTERS 1, 2, 4
Feb. 21 Chp. 9 - Memory
Feb. 26 Chp. 9 – Memory EXPERIMENT #1 SUGGESTED DUE DATE
Feb. 28 Chp.
7 – States of Consciousness
Mar. 4 Chp.
7 – States of Consciousness
Mar. 6 Chp.
8 – Learning
Mar.
11 Chp. 8 - Learning
Mar. 13 TEST 2: CHAPTERS 7, 8, 9
Mar. 18 SPRING
BREAK: NO CLASS
Mar. 20 SPRING
BREAK: NO CLASS
Mar. 25 Chp. 12 –
Motivation and Work
Mar. 27 Chp. 12 –
Motivation and Work EXPERIMENT #2 SUGGESTED DUE DATE
Apr. 1 Chp. 13 – Emotion
Apr. 3 Chp.
13 – Emotion
Apr. 8 Chp. 15 – Personality
Apr. 10 Chp. 15 – Personality
Apr. 15 Chp. 15 – Personality
Apr. 17 TEST
3: CHAPTERS 12, 13, 15
Apr. 22 Chp.
16 – Psychological Disorders
Apr. 24 Chp. 16 –
Psychological Disorders EXPERIMENT #3 SUGGESTED DUE DATE
Apr. 29 Chp. 18 – Social Psychology
May 1 Chp. 18 – Social Psychology LAST CLASS MEETING
May 6 READING DAY—NO
CLASS
May 8 FINAL
EXAM—TEST 4: CHAPTERS 16 & 18
Thursday,
5/8, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm; at our regular classroom