TICKET: 21087 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY Spring 2006
Professor: Kimberley J. Duff, Ph.D.
Cerritos College
Lecture: MW 12:30 – 2pm SS215
email: kduff@cerritos.edu voicemail: 562-860-2451, ext 2780 Office: SS 39
Office Hours in SS39:
NOTE: It is your responsibility to make time for office hours. Remember, that office hours can often be busy so come early as the instructor will take students first come first serve.
REQUIRED TEXT: Wade, C. & Tavris, C. (2001). Invitation to Psychology (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome! Introduction to Psychology is a survey course on the science of psychology. During the course, you will learn about a vast array of topics inherently interesting in understanding ourselves and those around us. In class we will learn about such frequently raised questions as: What are some of the research methods Psychologists use?; How do measure concepts like intelligence and personality?; Are there differences in people's susceptibility to visual illusions?; Do we all use stereotypes and can they be helpful as well as harmful?; Do subliminal messages exist and, if they do, how do they work?; Should we believe eyewitness testimony accounts? Do we really only use 10% of our brain? How can you train your new pet to do what you want?
To make class exciting and because students learn and process information in a variety of ways, the course will be a combination of lecture, class discussion, and group activities. A variety of thought provoking video clips have been incorporated into class to help bring topics to life for you. In-class activities and lectures will include quite a bit of information that is not in the textbook, that you will be tested on (i.e., if you skip class you will miss out on information that you can not get solely from reading the book).
The purpose of a college education is not to give you all the information that you need, nor all of the information about the field of Psychology. Rather a college education teaches you how to get that information on your own. Therefore, in addition to learning about an overview of psychology, after this course you should also have developed more general skills so that you will have learned:
1) enough background information to read and understand more advanced information
2) what kinds of psychological information are available and how to find it
3) how to evaluate information critically
4) how to form and state intelligibly (in written or verbal form) your independent judgment
5) how to further your education independently throughout your life
6) how to apply the knowledge you gained in this class to your professional life
TESTS: All tests will consist of multiple choice questions. Questions will test your understanding of concepts and theories as well as experimental evidence for theory. There will be 3 inclass exams that will cover textbook readings, lectures, special assignment readings, and films. In addition, there will be a FOURTH cumulative final during the normal finals week. If you are satisfied with your scores, you may skip the final exam. If you miss one of the first three tests or took them all and want to try to replace you lowest score with a better score, you may take the final exam and I'll take the best of your 3 scores. However, because the final will cover the entire class, it is in your best interest to take the first three tests. Because of the option to drop one test grade, THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP EXAMS FOR ANY REASON. If you are ill, injured, or away during one of the first three exams, that will simply be your drop score and you'll have to take the final. If you miss two exams, a zero will be averaged in for one test score.
TEST REVIEW: Time permitting, to help you study for the exams we will have an inclass game of Psychology Jeopardy which will help you review for the test. To prepare for this each student must prepare 5 questions (typewritten) with answers that address the topics that will be on the upcoming test. You must turn in 5 multiple choice questions with answer choices A-D and you must note the correct response. Please proofread your paper for errors prior to turning in. The questions are to be original questions written by you, not copied from another source (i.e., do not copy questions from your study guide, another book, another student or the internet)!
Possible Extra Credit:
The following option(s) require you to type a 2 page summary of your experience and submit proof that you were in attendance at the event. Unless otherwise specified in class, you may participate in one extra credit opportunity. Keep in mind that extra credit is not a guaranteed way to raise your grade and, as it is not a requirement for the course (or your grade), the extra credit options are offered outside of class time and may not fit in to your schedule. However, if you can not make it to the extra credit opportunities or you would like to improve your grade more, come and spend some time with me in office hours and we can work on some better study habits!
1. Attend a psychological experiment performed by students at Cerritos College. These opportunities may be offered by Dr Duff's research assistants or by students in the Research Methods course and will be announced in class.
FINAL GRADE CALCULATION
Grading will be according to a straight percentage of possible points:
90-100% of total possible points = A
80-89% of total possible points = B
70-79% of total possible points = C
60-69% of total possible points = D
Below 60% of total possible points = F
¯ Tests = 3 exams
(Tests are worth 100 points each)
¯ Mini-assignments = 4 assigned mini-assignments (3 sets of test questions;email: each worth 10 points) Others may be announced in class.
See back of syllabus for assignment handouts; however, do not begin until given further instruction.
t TOTAL= 3 Tests + 4 Mini-assignments
**It is extremely critical that you are present for all exams and that you turn in all of your assignments as both are counted to compute your total score. For example, if you got 100% on each exam, but never turned in any assignment, you would not necessarily get an A grade in the class. Likewise you could get all C's on the exams and pull the letter grade up by doing all your assignments.
**Note: to avoid a competitive environment, there will not be curve on your grades. However, if at the end of the term you are on the borderline of a grade (e.g., you have 79% which technically is a C), but you have turned in all the mini assignments and you have participated actively in class, then I will consider moving your score up the 1% point.
MISCELLANEOUS
First of all, let me say that you should treat college as a job that you have chosen to be employed by. As an employee you should show up on time, complete all of your work by the deadlines, and treat others respectfully. If you do not follow these guideline, you would not receive a paycheck or you could possibly be fired. Likewise, in a classroom not adhering to these guidelines could result in a low grade or even being dismissed from the class!
-If you are not actively participating in class, the instructor may drop you. Although it is the student's responsibility to drop courses, according to college policy, if you miss one more than twice the number of weekly class meetings you may be dropped by the instructor. In addition, if you miss the attendance call at the beginning of class by coming in late, you may be marked as absent.
-Please be on time; it is very disruptive if you arrive late or leave early and you will miss critical information that is provided. I also consider it to be disrespectful to be continually arriving late. If you have an emergency that requires you to arrive late or leave early please do so unobtrusively.
-It is extremely important to keep up with the reading; as you will see, Psychology is not about common sense. You should at least read the summary in the back of the chapter prior to coming to class.
-Assignments are due at the beginning of the hour and must be ready to be turned in (i.e., your name must be on it and it must be stapled) otherwise it will not be accepted.
-please complete work ahead of time. You never know when a rolling blackout may occur, you may run out of printer ink, you may get a flat tire, your goldfish might die, or you have to go to the beach!
-no late work! I recognize that sometimes extreme circumstances such as medical problems, family death, or disabling emotional problems could interfere with regular work. If you have a documentable circumstance, see me as soon as the problem arises.
-I prefer that you hand in assignments in class, however if you discuss it with me first you may send assignments via email. When sending email, it is the student's responsibility to double check that the assignment arrives on time. Sometimes I may not be able to open an attachment, so always check with me.
-no side conversations are permitted while class is in session. Students engaging in side conversations or other disruptive behavior will be sent to the Dean.
-In fairness to the vast majority of students who take their college career seriously, no form of cheating will be tolerated on exams or projects/papers (this includes plagiarism). Any student suspected of cheating will receive a failing grade and will be reported.
**If another student is bothering you or you suspect a student cheating (that I do not see), I encourage you to leave a confidential message on my voicemail.
-Students who miss classes or are late for class are responsible for all notes and handouts given in class. I suggest you exchange numbers with another student in class in case you are unable to attend a lecture.
-It is your responsibility to consult the syllabus for due dates, chapter readings, test etc. Remember, even if the instructor does not remind you of a due date, if it is on the syllabus you need to adhere to it.
-If you have any special needs for this course (i.e., help with note-taking, video viewing assistance, special test-taking needs etc.) please see me as soon as possible so that we can special arrangements.
-For emergency evacuation procedures, please let the instructor know as soon as possible if you will need assistance leaving the classroom. We will go over the evacuation procedure in class.
-If you have any concerns with the course or you would just like to talk about the courses, please contact me.
Please keep track of your points and notify the instructor if there is a discrepancy between your records and the posted roster.
ASSIGNMENT POINTS YOUR POINTS/
TOTAL POINTS
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**If you decide that you are not happy with your grade and you have taken all three exams, you can substitute one test score with the final score. To calculate what you need on the final to change your score:
1. Calculate your total points so far
2. Subtract your lowest test score
3. Subtract your points from your desired grade and that is what you need on the final to pull yourself up.
TENTATIVE CLASS AGENDA
Note: please read chapter, or at least chapter summary, before coming to class. We do not necessarily go in the same order as the chapters in the book, so consult this reading list for information.
DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT DUE
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Week 1 1/09 |
Introduction to course/syllabus |
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1/11 |
What is Psychology and Research Methods READ: Chapter 1 |
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Week 2 1/16 |
CAMPUS CLOSED MLK, JR. DAY
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1/18 |
Research Methods READ: Chapter 1 |
email must be sent today |
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Week 3 1/23 |
Research Methods READ: Chapter 1 |
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1/25 |
Neurons, Hormones and the Brain (Biopsychology) Read chapter 4 |
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Week 4 1/20 |
Neurons, Hormones and the Brain Read chapter 4 |
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2/01 |
Neurons, Hormones and the Brain/Sensation and Perception Read chapter 4, 6 |
email printout due today |
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Week 5 2/06 |
Sensation and Perception Read chapter 6 |
Test 1 questions due |
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2/08 |
Sensation and Perception/Test Review |
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Week 6 2/13 |
EXAM I |
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2/15 |
Learning how to do better on an exam |
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Week 7 2/20 |
CAMPUS CLOSED PRESIDENTSÕ DAY |
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2/22 |
Learning Read chapter 9 |
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Week 8 2/27 |
Learning Read chapter 9 |
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3/01 |
Learning Read chapter 9 |
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Week 9 3/06 |
Memory Read chapter 8 |
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3/08 |
Memory Read chapter 8 |
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Week10 3/13 |
Memory Read chapter 8 |
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3/15 |
Thinking and Intelligence Read chapter 7 |
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Week 11 3/20 |
Thinking and Intelligence Read chapter |
Test 2 Questions due |
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3/22 |
Thinking and Intelligence / Test Review
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Week 12 3/27 |
Test 2 |
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3/29 |
Behavior in Social and Cultural Context (Social Psychology) Chapter 9 |
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Week 13 4/03 |
Social Psychology Chapter 10 |
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4/05 |
Social Psychology Chapter 10 |
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APRIL 10TH – 16TH SPRING RECESS CAMPUS CLOSED |
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Week 14 4/17 |
Social Psychology Chapter 10 |
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4/19 |
Theories of Personality Chapter 2 |
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Week 15 4/24 |
Personality Chapter 2 |
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4/26 |
Theories of Personality Chapter 2 |
Test 3 questions due |
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Week 16 5/01 |
Personality /Test Review Chapter 2 |
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5/03 |
Exam 3 |
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Week 17 5/08 |
Catch up |
Extra credit papers due |
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5/10 |
Review for Final Exam |
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IMPORTANT DATES:
COMMENCEMENT: MAY 13TH
FINAL EXAM: DURING FINAL EXAM WEEK (MAY 13TH – MAY 19TH) CHECK POSTED FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE (NOTE IT MAY NOT BE AT THE SAME TIME AS OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED CLASS).
*If you cannot make your final exam date, you need to make prior arrangements with me at least 1 week before the final.
Last day to Add class: 1/22/06
Last day to drop without a W:2/10/06
Last day to drop with a W : 4/21/06
Sample Test Questions
Remember, questions are due on the date specified by your instructor and it is your responsibility to ensure that you are aware of the due dates. You are to prepare 5 questions (typewritten) with answers that address the topics that will be on the upcoming test. You must turn in 5 multiple choice questions with answer choices A-D and you must note the correct response. Please proofread your paper for errors prior to turning in. The questions are to be original questions written by you, not copied from another source (e.g., do not lift questions from the study guide, another student, the internet or another text), nor are they to be straight definitions copied from the book. Keep in mind that this assignment is intended to help you prepare for the exam. The more time and effort you spend, the more you will learn. If your questions are creative and well written, they may appear on the exam! Here are some sample questions:
Kimberley Duff #67850
Assignment 3 - test 2 questions July 7th 2000
Dr Duff's Introductory Psychology M-Th 10:15-12:30pm
1. According to the Primacy effect, which of the following names should have enhanced recall?
Brittany, Madonna, Alicia, Janet, Gwen, Eve
a. Eve
b. Madonna
c. Brittany
d. Janet
2. After taking Dr Duff's class, you really want to impress all of your friends with your new knowledge. However, you find that about a year after her class you are having difficulty remembering some of the vocabulary terms. This is probably due to problems with
a. procedural memory
b. anterograde amnesia
c. semantic memory
d. episodic memory
e. none of the above
3. Yolanda finds that her participants she is studying tend to increase the amount of cigarettes they smoke when they are under a lot of stress. However, when the situation is not as stressful, participants smoke less. This is an example of
a. a negative correlation
b. a third variable
c. a cause and effect relationship
d. a positive correlation
4. A researcher is interested in seeing if caffeine helps students learn. Some students are randomly assigned to the experimental group and receive 500mg of caffeine and other students are randomly assigned to the control group and receive 1mg of caffeine. Finally participants are evaluated on how well they learn information from a psychology course.What is the independent variable?
a. the experiment
b. learning
c. psychology
d. caffeine
5. When Jaime's puppy chews on Jaime's shoes, Jaime takes the dog outside. In operant conditioning terms this is the use of?
a. negative punishment
b. positive punishment
c negative reinforcement
d. positive reinforcement
EMail Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to allow you the opportunity to become familiar with using the Cerritos email system and to get to know and introduce yourself to the professor.
To complete the email assignment, you need to do the following:
Following the dates specified on the syllabus, you are to send the instructor an email that introduces who you are (PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME THAT YOU GO BY IN CLASS, YOUR STUDENT ID AND EXACTLY WHICH CLASS YOU ARE IN, INCLUDING WHAT TIME THE CLASS IS), why you are taking the class and what you hope to learn in this class (needs to be a short paragraph, about 10 sentences). If you do not have an email account, please go to the computer lab and they will help to set one up for you. Do not simply tell me that you are taking the class because you have to, as there are many classes you can take and you should think about what you want to get out of your education! Please spellcheck and grammar check your email before turning in. Failure to include any of the above information or write the email clearly may result in a lower grade. I will send an email reply to you and you are to print out your original message with my response and turn in the print out. You should print out your original message as soon as you send it so that you have your own copy; I do not necessarily keep copies of emails that are sent to me. Normally I will respond to emails within 48 hours, however due to the volume of emails that this assignment generates it may take me a few days to reply to you. If you are concerned about your email, please see me in office hours when I will be in front of my computer and can check questions for you.
To set up an email account, go to computer services which is in the basement of the library. They have student workers that can help you if you need it.
Please be sure to include your name and the exact time or your class so that I can identify you and give you credit.
Like all assignments, do not leave this until the last minute. This assignment may take longer than you anticipate and you may run into problems (such as the server being down, a rolling blackout, or too many students needing to set up new accounts). If you plan ahead, there are no excuses for not completing this on time.