Psychology 100: General Psychology

Spring, 2004

Dr. Peter Bachiochi

Office: Webb 135

Phone: 465-4551

This syllabus and the assignment descriptions can be found on my website and on WebCT.

Office Hours: T/W/Th, 10-11, T/Th 2-3, and by appointment

Textbook: Weiten, W. (2002). Psychology, Themes and Variations: Briefer Version, (5th ed.) Brooks/Cole.

CD ROM: Weiten, W. (2003). Psyk.trek 2.0: A Multimedia Introduction to Psychology (a very cool collection of exercises, video simulations, study help, web links, and other fun stuff).

Attendance: Although attendance is not taken in class, you will be responsible for everything presented in class. It is in your best interest (and your grade’s) to attend all lectures and discussion sections. It’s my job to make this time interesting and useful for you.

Grading: I use exams, papers, and participation to assess your performance in this class.

Exams: There will be 4 exams, 3 during the semester and one during final exams week. The last exam is NOT cumulative. They will be multiple choice exams and each exam will be worth 100 points (for a possible 400 points by the end of the course). The dates for the exams are on this syllabus. Make-up exams will be given only for extreme circumstances (and will be given before the scheduled exam time). In the case that a make-up cannot be taken before the scheduled exam time, an essay exam will be given.

Papers: There will be 2 short papers, a 2-4 page paper on an experiment we do in class, worth 100 points, and a 2-4 page paper on a psychological disorder, worth 100 points.

Participation: Another 100 points will be awarded based on participation (quality, not quantity). I use a lot of exercises and discussions, so take advantage of these “easy” points.

Research Participation: All Psychology 100 students are required to fulfill a research requirement and there are two ways to do this. First, you may acquire two credits worth of research. Sign-up sheets for research projects are posted on a bulletin board outside the Psychology department office (Webb 122). Sign-up sheets contain a description of the study, the number of credits offered, and the time and location of the study. When you sign up for the research, record the time and location of the study and please be sure to show up. The majority of this research happens in the last half of the semester, so don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of opportunities during that period. Research participation is always on a voluntary basis, so as a second option, a short written assignment can be substituted if you do not want to participate in research. This second option is also good for those of you who are worriers and don’t want to wait until the end of the semester to fulfill the research portion of your grade. The details of the research requirement will be summarized in a handout. Whichever option you choose, 5% of your grade (35 points) is awarded for this part.

Therefore, there are a possible 735 points for the course and grades for this course will be determined as follows: A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69% and F=59 or below.

Within letter grades, B-=80-82, B=83-86, and B+=87-89.

Academic Honesty: If I am certain that you are cheating, you will receive an immediate zero for the exam or assignment. This includes plagiarism on written assignments (see my webpage for detail on exactly what plagiarism is). We will discuss plagiarism in detail in class. Any cheating will also be reported to the dean. Penalties range from deductions on an assignment all the way to dismissal from the university! Please do not give me even the occasion to think you are cheating.

Classroom Courtesy: Please arrive on time and try not to bring food or drinks to class (small snacks are no big deal). Please do not talk while I am lecturing and, more important, don’t talk when someone else is talking. I will provide ample opportunity for participation and discussion.

Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact the Office of AccessAbility Services at 465-5573. To avoid any delay in the receipt of accommodations, you should contact the Office of AccessAbility Services as soon as possible. Please note that I cannot provide accommodations based upon disability until I have received an accommodation letter from the Office of AccessAbility Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Psychology 100 - Class Schedule

Date Topic Related Chapter Psyk.trek Module(s)

1/27, 29 Introduction and Major Perspectives Chapter 1 1a

2/3, 5 Research Methods Chapter 2 1b-1e

2/10, 12, 17 Biological Bases of Behavior Chapter 3 2a-2g *

Chapter 5 (152-158) 4c-4d

2/19 EXAM 1

2/24, 26 Sensation & Perception Chapter 4 3a-3c, 3e-3g *

3/2, 4 Learning Chapter 6 5a-5e *

3/9 Human Memory Chapter 7 6a-6c

3/11, 16 Language & Decision-Making Chapter 8 6d-6e *

3/18 EXAM 2

3/23, 25 SPRING BREAK - No Classes

3/30, 4/1 Intelligence/Psychological Testing Chapter 9 7a-7d *

4/6, 8 Human Development Chapter 11 9a-9d

4/8 Paper 1 Due

4/13 Theories of Personality Chapter 12 10a-10d

4/15, 20 Abnormal Psychology Chapter 14 11a-11c

4/22 EXAM 3

4/27 Motivation (pp. 292-308 only) Chapter 10 8b

4/29 Industrial/Organizational Psychology Handout

5/4 Paper 2 Due

5/4, 6, 11 Social Psychology Chapter 16 12a-12d

5/18 EXAM 5 at 3:00 p.m.

* Modules contain a cool simulation exercise to do, too.