Introduction to Psychology PSY 301 (43090) Spring 2012

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1 PSY 301 (43090) Spring 2012 The Basics When: Tuesdays / Thursdays, 9:30 11:00 AM Where: Burdine 106 Instructor: Teaching Assistant: Teaching Assistant: Teaching Assistant: Dr. Paige Harden Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology SEA / harden@psy.utexas.edu Office Hours: Wednesdays, 1:00 3:00 PM Erin Burgoon 2 nd year Ph.D. student, Social Psychology SEA 3.426C erin.burgoon@gmail.com Office Hours: Mondays, 12:00 PM 2:00 PM Natalie Kretsch 2 nd year Ph.D. student, Clinical Psychology SEA 3.320D natalie.kretsch@gmail.com Office Hours: Thursdays, 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Lisa Sacerio 2 nd year Ph.D. student, Clinical Psychology SEA 3.320D lsacerio@gmail.com Office Hours: Wednesdays, 10:00 12:00 PM Reading Assignments and Reading Quizzes The textbook for this course is: Schacter, D.L., Gilbert, D.T., & Wegner, D.M. (2011). Psychology. 2 nd edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. The textbook is required. I have designed the class so that, if you want to do well, you have to have it, you have to have the right version (no, the 1 st edition is not OK), and you actually have to read it. All readings are two for one. You should plan to read all of the assigned chapters at least twice. The first time should be before class; the second time should be after class. For the record, completing the assigned reading is not the same thing as studying. Completing the assigned reading is the bare minimum that you should do to be ready for class, and once you ve read (and re-read) everything, then you are ready to begin studying.

2 To help you keep up with the reading, there will be a short, 10-item reading quiz before every class. (Really and truly, this is to help you.) The quiz will be posted on and submitted through Blackboard, and it is due by midnight the night before class. This quiz is open book you can sit there with the textbook open in front of you while you complete the quiz. My suggestion would be for you to take the quiz with your book closed, and then go back and check your answers with the textbook, changing any answers you need to before you submit it. You cannot, however, copy answers from another student, get another student to take the quiz for you, or otherwise collaborate with another student in taking the quiz. So, don t cheat it totally ruins the point and wastes everyone s time. If you don t complete a quiz, don t contact me with your excuse. Even if you have a really, really good excuse. If you me about a missed quiz, I will ignore your . And don t contact the TAs about it either. There is nothing that they can do about your missed quiz. There are no quiz make-ups. (Make-up quizzes would be chaos.) Given that the quizzes are designed to be short and easy, that they will be posted well in advance, and that you can use your textbook, everyone should in theory have a perfect score for every quiz. It s an easy way to rack up points! But, just in case, you can drop your lowest 5 quiz grades. (This has the advantage of making the math easier for me: There are 25 quizzes total; you will keep the top 20 grades; they are worth 10-points each, for a total of 200 quiz points.) Overall, reading quizzes will account for 26.67% of your final grade. Participation / Clickers This class will use Clickers to allow you to respond in real-time to questions I pose during class. The purpose of Clickers is to (1) give you an opportunity to discuss ideas and questions with your classmates in structured way, (2) break up class so that it is more interesting for you, and (3) allow me to adjust my lectures to address any misunderstandings or confusion on your part. Getting feedback the old-fashioned way ( Does anyone have any questions? ) is really, really difficult in a class this size, and just talking at you for 3 hours a week is super boring. Hence, Clickers. An i>clicker remote is required for in-class participation and voting in this course. For this class, you have the option of purchasing an i>clicker remote (ISBN: ) or an i>clicker2 remote (ISBN: ). You may purchase the remote through the bookstore or online at Clickers are increasingly popular for large classes, and sometimes sell out quickly. Buy yours today! When purchasing your clicker, be sure to consider which of your other courses may require an i>clicker or i>clicker2 remote. While I will only ask Multiple Choice questions in class, you may need an i>clicker2 remote for answering numeric/alphanumeric questions in another course. If you have already purchased an i>clicker or i>clicker2 remote for another class, you do not need to purchase a second one; the one you own will work just fine. Once you have a Clicker, you must register your remote on Blackboard in order for your participation to be credited to you. To register your remote, log into Blackboard. On the left hand toolbar, click on Blackboard Tools. Then click on Register Your i>clicker Remote ID (third from the top on the right hand side), and enter the remote found on the bottom of the back of your i>clicker remote. If you have any problems registering, please contact Natalie Kretsch. You absolutely must register your Clicker by January 26, 2012, because that s when we ll start Page 2 of 8

3 keeping track of whether you answer. If you don t register, then I can t tell that you are participating, and at the end of the semester we ll have a huge problem. Instructions for using both remotes are on the back of the remote. If you need technical support for your Clicker, please contact (866) or support@iclicker.com from 9AM- 11PM EST, M-F. The i>clicker website ( also has support documentation, video tutorials, and FAQs for students. You may also contact Natalie Kretsch with any questions or problems about your Clicker. If you lose or break your Clicker, you will have to purchase another one. Please Natalie Kretsch with your new Remote ID so that she can manually register your new remote. Participation, as measured by Clickers, will count for 6.67% of your grade (50 out of 750 points). Your grade for the Clicker portion of class is determined only by the proportion of in-class questions that you answer, not the proportion of questions that you answer correctly. So, your grade will suffer if you don t come to class, or if you don t participate once you are here. Also, you can t participate if you don t remember to bring your Clicker. It is your responsibility to come prepared with your Clicker every day. If you show up, remember to bring your Clicker, and try to answer the in-class questions, even if you don t get them right every time, you will easily rack up extra points. Bringing a fellow student s Clicker to class is cheating. If you are caught with a remote other than your own or have votes in a class that you did not attend, you will get a zero for your Clicker grade. Experimental Requirement All students in Introduction to Psychology (not just this class) are required to participate in 5 hours of faculty-sponsored research. Faculty-sponsored means that the study is being run or supervised by a faculty member in the Psychology department. If you don t want to participate in research, you have to write a 5-page research paper instead. All the information you need to know is here: The experimental requirement is not administered through this class, and we (the Professor and the TAs) have zero control over it. If you have any questions after thoroughly reading all of the materials at the website listed above, you should 301research@psy.utexas.edu. You should not ask us anything about it, because the answer will always be I don t know." You should 301research@psy.utexas.edu. If you choose to write a 5-page paper instead of participating in research, then that paper is due to Natalie Kretsch, in her mailbox on the 4 th floor mailroom on the Seay building, no later than April 19 at 5 PM. If you don t finish your experimental requirement, and you don t do the 5-page paper, then your grade in the class will be blocked, and you will have to figure out how to deal with the orangetape bureaucratic debacle that you ve created. This will take much longer, in the end, than simply showing up for 5 hours of experiments. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, probably the best place to start will be to 301research@psy.utexas.edu. Page 3 of 8

4 Exams There will be 3 non-cumulative 100-point exams throughout the semester (each counting for 13.3% of your final grade), and 1 cumulative 200-point final exam (26.7% of your final grade) during the scheduled final exam period. The final exam will consist of 4 50-point sections, each one corresponding to a section of the course. All exams will be multiple-choice, scantron. There are no make-up exams. (Seriously. Again, we are avoiding chaos.) If you miss an exam, then your score on the section of the final that corresponds to that section of the course will count twice both as part of your final exam grade and as your missing exam score. For example, if you were to miss Exam #2, and then on the final exam you got 40 out of 50 points for the questions corresponding to Section 2 of the course, then your make-up grade for Exam 2 will be an 80 (40/50). (You cannot make up an exam that you took; even if you score better on the Final than you did on an earlier exam, you can t substitute your grade.) The final is not optional. Everyone has to take it. If there are extreme extenuating circumstances, such that you are not able to sit for the final, and if you have prior permission from me, you will be given a make-up essay exam. I guarantee that the essay exam will be more arduous (for you) and more harshly graded (by me) than the multiple-choice exam. It is in your own interest to move heaven and earth to make sure that you are at the final exam. If you don t have prior permission from me and you miss the final anyway, you will get a 0. (And, obviously, your final grade will suffer, and you will probably fail.) The moral of the story: Show up for all of your exams! The exams will be 50% from lecture and 50% from the textbook. Obviously, material that is covered in both lecture and the textbook is the most important. Grading This all adds up to: 200 points for quizzes (20 quizzes x 10 points) points for exams (3 exams x 100 point) + 50 points for participation points for the final = 750 Total Points The cut-offs for each grade are as follows: A = 697 points A- = 675 points B+ = 660 points B = 622 points B-= 600 points C+ = 585 points C = 547 points C- = 525 points D+ = 510 points D = 472 points D- = 450 points F = <450 points To a professor, But I m only 2 points away! is perhaps the most annoying phrase in the English language. The point cut-offs are absolute. No amount of pleading, cajoling, or crying will change them. I know that this will fall on deaf ears, but please don t try to argue your way to a better grade. It is an unsavory habit. Try to think of the point cut-offs as being like gravity a law of nature. Office Hours The TAs are the first line of defense. If you have a question, you should attend one of the TA's regularly scheduled office hours or one of them with your question. You do not need to make an appointment for TA office hours in advance; you can just go. If you cannot attend any Page 4 of 8

5 of the scheduled office hours, you should one of the TAs to ask for an individual appointment. (You can whichever one you want.) This is what an to your TA should look like: Subject: PSYC301 Appointment Dear Lisa, I am unable to attend any of the scheduled TA office hours. Do you have time to meet with me outside of your scheduled hours? I am available on Mondays from to, on Wednesday afternoons after, and on Fridays before. My question is regarding, and I will need about minutes of your time. Thank you for your assistance. Best Regards, Your Name If the TA is unable to answer your question satisfactorily, then (and only then) you can meet with me during my office hours. I have a Gmail calendar with my schedule, to which the TAs (and only the TAs) have access. If, after meeting with one of them, you still want to meet with me, then the TA will schedule you for an appointment with me through the Gmail calendar. Students are scheduled for my office hours in 10 minute blocks. Except in rare and extenuating circumstances, you will only have 10 minutes, so you should show up prepared! You cannot show up for a meeting with me without (1) first meeting with a TA, and (2) having the TA schedule you for an appointment. I will not respond to s requesting a meeting with me; all scheduling of appointments goes through the TAs. If your reason for meeting with me is personal, that is OK you don t have to tell the TA why you want to meet with me, but you still have to go through the TA (in person or by ) to schedule the appointment. Attendance Eighty percent of success is showing up. Woody Allen Academic Integrity University policies on academic integrity (Office of the Dean of Students, 2008) apply to this course. At a minimum, you should complete any assignments, exams, and other scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to: Acknowledge the contributions of other sources to your scholastic efforts; Complete your assignments independently unless expressly authorized to seek or obtain assistance in preparing them; Follow instructions for assignments and exams, and observe the standards of your academic discipline; and Avoid engaging in any form of academic dishonesty on behalf of yourself or another student. Page 5 of 8

6 -- Office of the Dean of Students. (2008). The Standard of Academic Integrity. Retrieved July 26, 2009, from Don t cheat. Anything that artificially inflates your grade relative to how much you really know or how hard you ve really been working is probably cheating. Cheating is an odious, sneaky, disgusting crime. If I discover that you are cheating, I will fail you. Who Do I Ask About Clicker registration or Clicker problems? Natalie Kretsch (TA) Participating in research for the experimental requirement? 301research@psy.utexas.edu. The 5-page paper for the experimental requirement? 301research@psy.utexas.edu. Arranging a make-up essay exam for the final? Any of the TAs, who will schedule you for an appointment with Dr. Harden. A missed reading quiz? No one. There are no make-up reading quizzes. A missed exam? No one. There are no make-up exams. Questions about reading material or lecture material that you don t understand? Any of the TAs or Dr. Harden. Tips on studying or improving your grade? Any of the TAs or Dr. Harden. Required University Notices and Policies University of Texas Honor Code The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. Documented Disability Statement The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. You must provide written documentation of your need for accommodations within the first two weeks of class. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at (voice) or (video phone) or Use of for Official Correspondence to Students is recognized as an official mode of university correspondence; therefore, you are responsible for reading your for university and course-related information and announcements. You are responsible to keep the university informed about changes to your e- mail address. You should check your regularly and frequently I recommend daily, but at minimum twice a week to stay current with university-related communications, some of which may be time-critical. You can find UT Austin s policies and instructions for updating your e- mail address at Religious Holy Days By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work Page 6 of 8

7 assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call or visit Page 7 of 8

8 Class Schedule Date Topic Reading Assignment Section One Jan 17 Introduction Jan 19 What is Psychology? Chapter 1, Quiz #1 Jan 24 Psychological Methods Chapter 2, Quiz #2 Jan 26 Psychological Methods Quiz #3 Jan 31 Neurons and the Brain Chapter 3, Quiz #4 Feb 2 Brain-Body Interactions Chapter 16, Quiz #5 Feb 7 Sensation and Perception Chapter 4, Quiz #6 Feb 9 Exam #1 Section Two Feb 14 Consciousness Chapter 5, Quiz #7 Feb 16 Memory Chapter 6, Quiz #8 Feb 21 Memory Quiz #9 Feb 23 Learning Chapter 7, Quiz #10 Feb 28 Learning Quiz #11 Mar 1 Language Chapter 9, Quiz #12 Mar 6 Emotions Chapter 8, Quiz #13 Mar 8 Exam #2 Section Three Mar 20 Social Psychology Chapter 13,, Quiz #14 Mar 22 Social Psychology Quiz #15 Mar 27 Nature-Nurture Debate Chapter 10, Quiz #16 Mar 29 Intelligence Quiz #17 Apr 3 Intelligence Quiz #18 Apr 5 Personality Chapter 12, Quiz #19 Apr 10 Personality Quiz #20 Apr 12 Exam #3 Section Four Apr 17 Development: Birth through Childhood Chapter 11, Quiz #21 Apr 19 Development: Adolescence through Quiz #22 Adulthood Apr 24 Psychological Disorders Chapter 14, Quiz #23 Apr 26 Psychological Disorders Quiz #24 May 1 Treating Psychological Disorders Chapter 15, Quiz #25 May 3 Review and Wrap-Up Thursday, May 10, 2:00 5:00 PM Final Exam Page 8 of 8

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