Psychology 132 Lab, Fall 2003
TA: Alen Hajnal
Office: 120, Psychology Building
Office Hours: Mon 12-2 or by appointment (email me)
Psychology Library Phone: 486-2183
Email: alen.hajnal@uconn.edu
Website: http://ione.psy.uconn.edu/~ahajnal/
Purpose
The laboratory portion of Psychology 132 serves as an introduction to the experimental method as it
pertains to psychology. We will cover all components of experiments in psychology, with emphasis on
design and examples.
Grades
The lab section of this course is worth approximately 25% of your overall Psychology 132 grade. Your
grade is determined by the following criteria:
major assignments (4)
minor assignments (quizzes)
final exam
50%
20%
30%
The major assignments will consist of various elements of a lab report, building to a complete lab report.
They will be weighted according to the amount of work required (see below). You should read the
description of the lab through at least once at some point before the class. There is the possibility of
weekly quizzes. If you miss an in-class assignment, you will NOT be allowed to make up the work;
however, I will drop your two lowest daily grades at the end of the semester. Minor assignments will be
short, conceptually important quizzes that will contribute to your overall understanding of psychological
experimental methods. The final exam will cover the entire course; more details will be available as the
semester progresses. There is no midterm exam.
If I ask you to email me an assignment, you should use the address listed above. Make sure that you put
132 in the subject line, or it won't end up in the right folder, and might be missed.
Attendance
Regular attendance is essential in order to succeed in this course. Attendance is not explicitly graded, but
daily work is.
Assignments
Listed after each class date are the assignments that are due AT THE BEGINNING of that class. Work
not handed in at the beginning of the class will be considered late. Late work will be penalized 10% per
late day, not counting weekends. Note: it is better to turn in an assignment five days late than to not turn it
in at all. If you miss a lab and have an official University excuse, we will arrange for you to make up the
lab at a mutually convenient time.
week
lab
Assignment due
9.06
Reaction Time
9.08
Prescreening
9.15
Statistics
9.22
Visual Search
9.29
Stroop Effect
10.06
Rearrangement of Perceptual Space
10.13
Motor Learning
10.20
Memory
10.27
Categorization
11.03
Hemispheric Specialization I
11.10
Hemispheric Specialization II
11.17
Poggendorf Illusion
TA Evaluations
12.01
Final Exam
4th major assignment due
1st major assignment due
2nd major assignment due
3rd major assignment due
1st major assignment: Descriptive Statistics and Graphs (Statistics) [10% of your grade]
2nd major assignment: Method and Results (Visual Search) [10% of your grade]
3rd major assignment: Method, Results and Discussion (Memory) [10% of your grade]
4th major assignment: Full Lab Report (APA Style) (Hemispheric Specialization) [20% of your grade]
Each major assignment will be detailed and explained the previous class. You thus have one week to complete each
assignment, with the exception of the 4th assignment, for which you will have two weeks, though you are more than
welcome to turn it in earlier.
All assignments must be typed. Graphs and figures can be hand drawn only if done exceptionally neatly. You will
only be penalized for grammar or spelling if there is an excessive number of errors or if those errors impede my
understanding of your work. You should staple your work neatly - do not use paper clips or report covers.
Details on the requirements for written assignment will be provided in class the week before.
Cheating/Plagiarism
University policy on academic misconduct can be found at http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/Code2.html. It applies to all
of your courses, including this one. The document contains both the process and rights you have as a student. In this
course, the final result can vary from a zero daily grade to a zero for the lab section to expulsion from the
University.
Computer Equipment
Simply, you will be held responsible for any equipment you damage. More specifically, you should not touch the
screen, bang on the keyboard, and handle any other equipment with care.
Food, smoke, or liquid is not permitted in the computer lab at any time.
Do not use floppy, zip, or other disks unless they are provided as part of the lab.