PSY 1300: General Psychology Summer 2015 Section D01

PSY 1300: General Psychology 1 PSY 1300: General Psychology Summer 2015 Section D01 Instructor: Cecilia Bess Office: PSY 406 Email: cecilia.bess@ttu.edu Office Hours: By appointment Contact: Will answer emails within 24 hours (48 hours on weekends) Textbook Ciccarelli, S. K., & White, J. N. (2015). Psychology, 4th. Ed. (Custom ebook with MyPsychLab for Texas Tech University). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Course ID: bess11969 Course Description, Purpose, & Objectives This course satisfies the Texas Tech University core curriculum requirement in social and behavioral sciences. This course is designed to introduce many of the major topics and theories of psychology. Both historical perspectives and current research are included. Application of psychology to various aspects of everyday life, investigation of the impact of culture on psychological processes, and critical analysis of research will be emphasized. This course serves as a pre-requisite to most other Psychology courses offered through the department, which tend to offer a more in-depth analysis of specific topics introduced in this course. There are no pre-requisites for this course. Core-Curriculum Objectives and Assessments: The objective of the social and behavioral sciences in a core curriculum is to increase the student's knowledge of how social and behavioral scientists discover, describe, and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, events, and ideas. Such knowledge will better equip students to understand themselves and the roles they play in addressing the issues facing humanity. Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to demonstrate the ability to assess critically claims about social issues, human behavior, and diversity in human experiences. Specifically, should be able to demonstrate: 1. Critical Thinking Skills: to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information. Students will often be exposed to competing theories that attempt to explain the same behavior(s). Students will weigh evidence and consider alternatives when exposed to such conflicting viewpoints. Strategies to teach students to evaluate claims and weigh evidence will include didactic lecture introducing the basic research methods in psychology; modeling of critical questioning of claims and generation of alternative explanations; and activities and discussions, both inside and outside of class, that provide opportunities for students to practice these skills. Assessment of student learning for this objective will include using a set of shortanswer questions developed by the course supervisor and the Psychology Department s Undergraduate Program Committee to assess these critical thinking skills; these items will be administered to students at the beginning and end of the semester. In addition, student learning will be assessed via participation in class discussions and activities, outside homework assignments, and graded exams. 2. Communication Skills: to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication. Students will express their opinions and critical analysis of the course topics in the form of class discussions, class activities, class presentations, written homework assignments, and by answering written exam questions. Students will also have the option to write about empirical research articles as an alternative course assignment. Course materials include a variety of

PSY 1300: General Psychology 2 multimedia content including photographs, data charts/graphs, videos, and interactive simulations to enhance students interpretation, comprehension, and integration of information across a variety of presentation modalities. Ongoing assessment of student learning of this objective will occur through the formative and evaluative assessments described above (class discussions and activities, outside homework assignments, and graded exams). 3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills: to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions. Students will learn how to calculate and interpret basic descriptive (mean, mode, median, standard deviation) and inferential (correlation, t-test) statistics. They will interpret the results of empirical studies in class, on homework assignments, on exams, and in empirical research articles. They will also learn about various research methodologies employed in psychology (experiments, case studies, surveys, etc.) and the situations in which each is most appropriate. Ongoing assessment of student learning of this objective will occur through the formative and evaluative assessments described above (class discussions and activities, outside homework assignments, and graded exams). Student learning of this objective will also be assessed using a set of short-answer questions developed by the course supervisor and the Psychology Department s Undergraduate Program Committee to assess methodological understanding; these items will be administered to students at the beginning and end of the semester. 4. Social Responsibility: to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities. Many topics include information on how and why some relevant human behaviors differ by group while others are consistent across groups, which will provide students with important knowledge necessary to engage in diverse communities. More specifically, through didactic lecture and assigned readings, students will be exposed to research in multicultural and international contexts to increase their awareness and knowledge of the extent to which human behavior and experience is influenced by individual, group, and universal factors. Moreover, research on the enlightenment effect demonstrates that learning about basic research on issues such as pro-social behavior leads students to engage in more socially responsible behavior. Ongoing assessment of student learning of this objective will occur through formative and evaluative assessments of students contributions to class discussions and exam responses. TTU Student Learning Objectives: 1. Identify and critique alternative explanations for claims about social issues and human behavior. By the end of this course, students will have been exposed to different theories, ideas, and empirical findings about the causes and effects of human behavior and experiences as they relate both to individuals and to groups. Importantly, they will have been exposed to various theories about human behavior that have been proposed and falsified through decades of psychology theory and research, providing them with a better understanding of the criticalthinking process that researchers and theorists engage in while investigating human behavior. They will also engage in their own critical thinking about current theories and empirical findings as part of their in-class lessons and activities, as part of homework assignments, and on exams. Student learning of this objective will be assessed in part using a set of shortanswer questions developed by the course supervisor and the Psychology Department s Undergraduate Program Committee to assess these critical thinking skills; these items will be administered to students at the beginning and end of the semester. In addition, student learning will be assessed via participation in class discussions and activities, homework assignments, and graded exams. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the appropriate and ethical methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition. Students will learn about various research methodologies employed in psychology (experiments, case studies, surveys, etc.) and the situations in which each is most appropriate. They will also learn the basics of data analysis and the logic behind scientific research. Ethics in research are

PSY 1300: General Psychology 3 also covered, including institutional review boards (IRBs) and historical examples of past research situations that are no longer considered ethical and why (e.g., the Stanford prison study or Milgram s obedience research). Students will also have the option to participate in research as a research participant, which provides a hands-on experience to help them understand how psychology research is conducted. Student learning of this objective will be assessed using a set of short-answer questions developed by the course supervisor and the Psychology Department s Undergraduate Program Committee to assess methodological understanding; these items will be administered to students at the beginning and end of the semester. In addition, student learning will be assessed via participation in class discussions and activities, outside homework assignments, and graded exams. College-Level Competency Objectives: 1. Students graduating from Texas Tech University should be able to: demonstrate the ability to assess critically claims about social issues and human behavior in human experiences. Students who complete PSY 1300 will have been exposed to different theories, ideas, and empirical findings about the causes and effects of human behavior and experiences. They will have been exposed to various theories about human behavior that have been proposed and falsified through decades of psychology theory and research and engage in their own critical thinking about current theories and empirical findings as part of their in-class lessons and activities, as part of homework assignments, and on exams. In addition, students will learn how and why some human behaviors are consistent despite culture, gender, or economic differences while others differ by group. Student learning of this objective will be assessed using a set of short-answer questions developed by the course supervisor and the Psychology Department s Undergraduate Program Committee to assess these critical thinking skills; these items will be administered to first-year and graduating students to assess the extent to which students acquire these skills across their undergraduate curriculum. Course-Specific Objectives and Assessments: This course is designed to increase your knowledge of how social and behavioral scientists discover, describe, and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, events and ideas. Such knowledge will better equip you to understand yourself, others, and the roles you play in addressing the issues facing humanity. By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the major facts and theories from experimental, cognitive, biological, developmental, social, and applied psychology (e.g., know the difference between operant and classical conditioning). Achievement of this outcome will be assessed through inclass performance, exams, and quizzes. 2. Apply this knowledge to events and situations in their everyday life (e.g., Does my roommate really have OCD? How can I use operant conditioning to train my cat?). Achievement of this outcome will be assessed through in-class performance and exams. 3. Be able to critically analyze and critique alternative explanations for claims about social issues and human behavior (e.g., Does this media claim that ice cream sales are associated with a rise in violent crime make sense to you?). Achievement of this outcome will be assessed through in-class activities and exams. 4. Understand that psychology is a science and that psychologists utilize the scientific method to obtain information and knowledge about behavior and thought. Achievement of this outcome will be assessed through exposure to primary research either as a participant or by reading and summarizing empirical articles, quizzes, exams, and in-class activities/discussions.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 4 Course Requirements and Final-Grade Calculation Exams (62%) Each assigned chapter will have an accompanying chapter exam, totaling 12 exams. Each chapter exam will consist of primarily multiple choice, true/false, and/or matching questions. Each chapter exam will be around 20 questions long, and will solely cover the readings for that chapter. Please note that NO MAKEUP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN. Chapter activities (13%) Some chapters will also have relevant activities assigned. Ten activities are assigned to supplement the readings in such a way that they should help you apply the material to everyday life, or provide further context and scope on major topics in the chapter. Each video will have a Start button below it to begin the Quiz, which will provide 2-5 questions on topics and statements in the video. Credit will be calculated based on number of questions answered correctly. Final Exam (10%) A brief (~40 question) final exam will be given at the end of the semester, covering major topics and ideas presented throughout the course. To reiterate, there are NO MAKEUP EXAMS. Research Experience (15% of Final Grade) As you will learn in this class, psychology is a science, which means it relies on research using the scientific method to gain new knowledge. Given how important research is to psychology, you are required to gain experience with and exposure to psychological research. You have two options for fulfilling this requirement: the research participation option or the research paper option. Both options are designed to help you: learn how and why research with humans is conducted learn how the results are used to help understand human behavior see the variety of problems that can be studied with scientific methods Details about how to participate and other requirements are included on page 6 of the syllabus. Assignments Points Possible Exams (12 x 20 pts) 240 Assignments (10 x 5 pts) 50 Research Experience 60 Final Exam 40 Total 390 Final Score Letter Grade 90-100% A 80-89% B 70-79% C 60-69% D 59% and below F

PSY 1300: General Psychology 5 Course Policies Communication & MyPsychLab Email is the best way to get in touch with me. Please allow me one business day to reply to your email Monday-Friday and within 48 hours on weekends. The course website is available through MyPsychLab. Here you will be able to find your grades for each assignment. All important announcements will be emailed; thus, all students are expected to have an active e-raider account and to access their TechMail (https://mail.ttu.edu).you are responsible for any information received via email or MyPsychLab, so please check your e-mail and the MyPsychLab calendar on a regular basis. Failing to check is not a valid excuse. If you have questions regarding the material/grading procedures/etc., please first check the syllabus. If you still have questions email me or schedule an appointment to see me during office hours. Issues with MyPyschLab, if related primarily to the software or its functioning, should be addressed with Tech Support. Email Instructions* When emailing me, Ms. Bess, it is expected that you, the student, remain professional, include a subject line, use complete sentences, spell-check, and use your full name. Please stay away from using text-messaging language or slang. Emails that do not follow these instructions may be sent back to the student to revise before the instructor replies to the student s email. Please see the link below for tips on how to write a professional email: http://www.wikihow.com/email-a-professor Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Cheating (e.g., copying someone else s writing) or plagiarism (e.g., trying to pass off someone s writing or ideas as your own or not properly citing someone else s ideas) will not be tolerated and will be reported in accordance with official university procedures. Being disruptive in class in any way (e.g., talking to friends, cell phone use) will also not be tolerated. Students with Special Needs Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor s office hours. Please note: instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, please contact Student Disability Services in West Hall or call 806-742-2405. Holy Days Religious holy day means a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Texas Tax Code 11.20. A student who intends to observe a religious holy day should make that intention known in writing to the instructor prior to the absence. A student who is absent from classes for the observance of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence. A student who is excused under section 2 may not be penalized for the absence; however, the instructor may respond appropriately if the student fails to complete the assignment satisfactorily. Note The content of this course and syllabus is subject to change at the need and discretion of the instructor. Students will be notified in class and by email of any changes to the syllabus and receive new copies of the revised syllabus.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 6 PSY 1300 Research Experience Requirement As you will learn in this class, psychology is a science, which means it relies on research using the scientific method to gain new knowledge. Given how important research is to psychology, you are required to gain experience with and exposure to psychological research. You have two options for fulfilling this requirement: the research participation option or the research paper option. Both options are designed to help you: learn how and why research with humans is conducted learn how the results are used to help understand human behavior see the variety of problems that can be studied with scientific methods For both options, you will use the SONA on-line sign-up system To register as a participant in the Sona System go to the following URL: http://ttu.sona-systems.com/ On the right side of the main Sona page a box point reads Request Account. Click on the Request account box.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 7 This will take you to the registration page. Fill in all of the options on this page. - Your First Name - Your Last/Family Name - Your User ID Your User ID is your TechMail Email Address before the @ symbol. (You must use your TTU email address.) Enter everything before the @ symbol including periods. - Your University ID Number Your University ID Number is your R-Number Enter your R-Number including the R - A Telephone Number (Entering a telephone number is optional) After entering this information select the Request Account button. An email containing your log on information will be sent to your TTU Email address.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 8 Below is a screen shot example for Jane Doe. Jane Doe s email at Texas Tech is jane.doe@ttu.edu making her login jane.doe, her student ID number is R12345 and her PSY 1300 course is 005 so she chose course PSY1300 005.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 9 After You Register After you log on there are three options: - Study Sign Up : Where you can browse and select available studies to participate in. - My Schedule & Credits : Where you can view your past participation, your credit balance and cancel upcoming research appointments. If you must miss an experimental session, please login to SONA and cancel so the researchers know you won t be attending. You must read the study information to know how many hours before the study you must cancel your scheduled appointment. - My Profile : Where you can change your password, edit your profile information and add an additional contact email address. You must earn 7.5 credits from participation or papers to get the total possible points, which are worth 15% of your grade. Although there are a variety of ways to earn the 7.5 credits required, you are only allowed to earn 4 of the 7.5 credits through online studies. When you view the list of studies available for sign-up in Sona, online studies say Online Study under the Experiment Number. When you click on them, they also say Web Study: This is an online study. You may earn your 7.5 credits through a combination of papers and participation Each hour of research you participate in is worth 1 credit Each paper you write is worth 1 credit SONA will keep track of your credits for both participation and papers. Do not expect to receive credit immediately. Allow up to one week for your credit to appear in the system. You should save your consent forms for in-person studies in case you ever need to prove that you attended an experimental session. If you are going to miss an experimental session (or the deadline for a paper), you are encouraged to cancel your appointment so the researchers know not to expect you. Please make every effort to attend every study session you sign up for. If you do not attend a study session and you do not cancel the appointment at least 2 hours before the scheduled time, the researcher will indicate unexcused no show for the study session you signed up for in Sona. When you have three unexcused no shows the Sona system will prevent you from accessing the system to sign up for additional studies. To regain access you must talk with your instructor about the reasons for these unexcused no shows. Following this conversation your instructor will request that your access to sign up for studies Sona be restored. Note that the last day to participate in a study is the last scheduled day of classes for the semester at 5 pm. If you wait until the end of the semester to start earning credits, there is no guarantee that there will be enough participation / paper opportunities available for you to earn full credit. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to start earning credits early in the semester. The paper option is not offered during the last week of the semester to allow time for grading.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 10 Research Participation Option: Participate in laboratory research in the psychology department during the semester. These studies are conducted by faculty members or by students under faculty supervision. Individual studies last anywhere from ½ hour to 4+ hours. The length of time is indicated before you sign up for a study. Longer studies are worth more credits. Research Paper Option: To complete the research paper option you will choose and read an article from Current Directions in Psychological Science that was published in 2004 or later. You will then write a 1-2 page paper that both (a) summarizes the article you read and that (b) explains how the topic of the article relates to something you are learning in class. You are expected to use APA style citations for all references. It takes the typical student about one hour to read the article and write the paper, so each paper earns 1 credit. You must follow all instructions for writing the papers carefully, or you will not receive full credit. You will be allowed to revise and resubmit any papers for which you do not receive full credit, but only if the papers are turned in on time and there is still time left in the semester to rewrite them. Warning: Academic misconduct (e.g., copying part or all of a friend's paper or inappropriately quoting material from the article) will result in a reduction in your final course grade and will be reported to Student Judicial Services. To be able to complete the paper option, you will need to email me (cecilia.bess@ttu.edu). Within 24 hours of receiving your email I will email you with the due date for your paper as well as with detailed instructions to obtain full credit. When you have written your paper, please email it to cecilia.bess@ttu.edu for grading. Please remember to attach your paper (saved as a Microsoft Word document) to the email; if the paper is emailed after the due date it will be late and will not be accepted. Forgetting to attach the research paper is NOT a valid excuse. Note that grading is done manually and may take 1 to 2 days. Each paper you write is worth a maximum of 1 credit. You will be assigned credit (0,.5, 1) through SONA system based on whether or not the paper fulfills all requirements. If you did not receive full credit, you will also receive instructions on how to revise your paper to earn the rest of the credit (only if the paper was turned in on time, and there is enough time left in the semester to do so). You will then be given one week to turn in the corrected paper. ALL PAPERS ARE DUE TO ME BY WEDNESDAY JULY 29, 2015 AT 5PM. You are also free to turn in papers at any point before the final due date.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 11 **How to Sign Up To MyPsychLab** First, make sure you have these 3 things: -TTU email -Course ID (Our course ID is going to be bess11969) -Access code or credit card (see FAQ on next page for more details) Next, get registered: 1. Go to www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com. 2. Under the large Register section on the right side of the page, and click the Student button. 3. Read the onscreen instructions and click OK! Register now. 4. Next, enter the Course ID for your course: bess11969 5. After this, either Create a new Pearson username and password, or, if you ve already registered for another Pearson product (e.g., MyMathLab), Sign In with that username and password. 6. On the next page, click the Access Code button if you purchased a package with an access code from the bookstore, OR purchase instant access now by clicking on the purchase options under the Use a Credit Card or PayPal section. 7. You are now registered! Now, it s time to sign in. Go to www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com and click the Sign In button in the top right. Enter your username and password. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. I purchased the wrong book or the wrong access code! How do I get the appropriate book? Access codes for this course can ONLY be purchased at the TTU book store or through the Pearson site. See previous section for more information. For refunds (should you purchase the wrong Pearson option or wish to leave the class): Send Customer Service an email (address below) with 1.) your first name and last name, 2.) Your Order ID or Account ID, and 3.) the reason for your refund request (i.e. I purchased the wrong option ). The email must be sent to webaccesscs@pearson.com within 15 days of purchase.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 12 2. Do I have to complete every chapter? Do I have to complete all activities in the assigned chapters? No, you do not. You are ONLY required to complete those chapters and assignments which show up in the Course Calendar on the course website (They are all also listed here in the syllabus, p. 13) 3. I am having trouble accessing the course/assignments will not load/tests will not load. If you have not done so, it is highly recommended you complete the Browser Tune-Up. This ensures that you have all of the settings necessary to access the content. If this does not work, it is recommended you switch to a different web browser. Chrome and Firefox are recommended. Any further problems you should direct to Tech Support. Make sure your Time Zone for the course is set to Central, as setting it to a different time zone may cause different due dates to show for you. 5. My completed research credits have still not shown up / I participated in a study and did not receive credit or a no-show. I do not have control over this aspect of your grade. It is suggested that you contact the researchers for the study you completed and politely inquire about your missing credit or no-show. 6. How do I access journal articles? Current Directions in Psychological Science wants to charge me for articles. What is required for an article review? The TTU library website has a subscription to Current Directions which you can access for free as a TTU student. If you go to the library website, you will see a list of databases. I would recommend Web of Knowledge, as it allows you to implement the journal s name and the required time span quite easily. The handout on signing up for SONA (on page 9) will go over how to write the journal article in more detail.

PSY 1300: General Psychology 13 Course Schedule Chapter Chapter Exams & Assignments Due by 11:59 PM on: Preface Read --- Ch. 1 The Science of Psychology (20 pts) 07/15 Ch. 1 Video & Quiz: Thinking Critically (5 pts) 07/15 Ch. 1 Video & Quiz: Asking the Tough Questions (5pts) 07/15 Ch. 2 The Biological Perspective (20 pts) 07/15 Ch. 3 Sensation and Perception (20 pts) 07/15 Ch. 3 Simulate the Process & Quiz: Ambiguous Figures (5 pts) 07/15 Ch. 5 Learning (20 pts) 07/22 Ch. 5 Video & Quiz: What s in it for Me?: How to Make Healthier Choices 07/22 Ch. 6 Memory (20 pts) 07/22 Ch. 6 Simulate the Process & Quiz: Digit Span (5 pts) 07/22 Ch. 8 Development Across the Life Span (20 pts) 07/22 Ch. 10 Sexuality and Gender (20 pts) 07/29 Ch. 10 Video & Quiz: Sexual Orientation (5 pts) 07/29 Ch. 11 Stress and Health (20 pts) 07/29 Ch. 11 Video & Quiz: Special Topics: Health Disparities (5 pts) Ch. 12 Social Psychology (20 pts) 07/29 Ch. 12 Video & Quiz: Under the Influence of Others (5 pts) 07/29 Ch. 13 Theories of Personality (20 pts) 08/05 Ch. 14 Psychological Disorders (20 pts) 08/05 Ch. 14 Explore the Concept: Virtual Case Studies & Quiz: Mood Disorders (5 pts) 08/05 Ch. 15 Psychological Therapies (20 pts) 08/05 Ch. 15 Video & Quiz: What s in it for Me?: Finding a Therapist If You Need One (5 pts) 08/05 FINAL EXAM Complete any time between 08/06 at 12:01AM and 08/06 at 11:59PM 08/06 NOTE: This is only a tentative schedule of the topics, readings, and exams for the semester. This schedule may be modified as the class progresses. *This syllabus is subject to change by the instructor. You will be notified immediately if any changes occur. It is very important to check your TTU email regularly so you will know of any changes.