THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
LONDON
CANADA
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
2014 - 2015
Psychology 1000-001: Introduction to Psychology
Welcome to the redesigned Psychology Superclass! We plan to make this
year’s course every bit as successful as in previous years. Below you will
find a course description, evaluation summary, lecture outline, and some
study tips. We will go over these points in class, but please take a few
minutes to familiarize yourself with the outline right now. I look forward to
teaching you in Psych 1000 and wish you all the best for a great year!
Dr. Mike Atkinson
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
An introductory survey of the methods and findings of modern scientific
psychology. The following topics will be covered: history and methodology,
biological psychology, sensation and perception, learning and motivation, verbal
and cognitive processes, developmental psychology, social psychology,
individual differences (intelligence and personality), and clinical psychology.
Antirequisites: Psychology 1100E, the former Psychology 1200
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one
can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a
course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course,
regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
3 lecture hours, 1.0 course
Please note: You are responsible for ensuring that you have successfully
completed all course prerequisites, and that you have not taken an antirequisite
course. Lack of prerequisites may not be used as a basis for appeal. If you are
found to be ineligible for a course, you may be removed at any time and will
receive no adjustment to your fees. This decision cannot be appealed. If you find
that you do not have the course prerequisites, it is in your best interest to drop
the course well before the end of the add/drop period. Your prompt attention to
this matter will not only protect your academic record, but will ensure that spaces
become available for students who require the course for graduation.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is an introductory level survey of the methods and findings of modern
scientific psychology. The goal is to provide students with an overview of various
topic domains within the realm of psychology. As such, students will be exposed
to diverse theoretical viewpoints and various methods and procedures for the
scientific investigation of psychological issues. Note: Modern psychology is
scientific in nature. Consequently, we will spend a lot of time discussing sciencerelated topics such as research design, neural functioning, sensory mechanisms,
brain structure, etc.
Each chapter in the text covers a major interest area in psychology. Following
each chapter, students will be able to identify the major concepts and
terminology for that topic area. In addition, when presented with a hypothetical
problem or case, students will be able to assess and evaluate the problem and
choose the best solution.
COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor:
Dr. Mike Atkinson Room 6316, SSC
661-2111, ext. 84644 atkinson@uwo.ca
Class:
NCB 101 Tuesday & Thursday, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Office Hours: By appointment (usually Wed. p.m.)
Required Text: Passer, M.W., Smith, R.E., Atkinson, M.L., Mitchell, J.B., &
Muir, D.W. (2014). Psychology: Frontiers and
Applications. Fifth Canadian Edition. Toronto: McGraw
Hill Ryerson.
Note: this text comes shrink-wrapped with a passkey for the
CONNECT website.
Also, it is important to purchase the 5th edition—it has content that is
not available in earlier editions.
Recommended: Ellis, Toft & Dawson (2012). Becoming a Master
Student. Nelson
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources
here at Western to assist you. Please visit:
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these
resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format
or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to
you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)
at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an
accommodation.
Teaching Staff
In addition to Dr. Atkinson, there are a number of Graduate Teaching Assistants
assigned to Intro Psych. The graduate students have been part of the
Department of Psychology from 1 to 5 years. Teaching assistants may be in NCB
101 before, during, and after class. Please feel free to address any questions
about the lecture, the program, or psychology in general to them as well as to Dr.
Atkinson. The TAs also will hold office hours during the week ... please drop by
and see them.
Psych 1000 Web Site
The course website is located at:
http://owl.uwo.ca
Here you will find class information, study suggestions, links to other resources,
etc. Please check it often.
Questions
Asking questions during lecture is an extremely important part of learning. I
strongly encourage you to ask a question whenever you require clarification on
an issue, or have an observation to make yourself. Sometimes we get so many
questions on a particular topic that I have to limit the amount of time on any
particular issue. If you do not get a chance to ask your question, or if you would
rather address the question to me in a more anonymous fashion, there is a large
"question box" available at the front of the room. Simply write out the question,
deposit it in the box, and I will address the most frequently raised issues at the
beginning of next lecture. Note: Routine questions such as ―Where is the
exam?, What chapters are covered for the midterm?, etc., may already be
addressed on the FAQ portion of the course website.
Classroom Conduct
NCB 101 is a new teaching facility. The classroom holds a maximum of 800
people & the technical wizardry available in NCB 101 is awesome. I'm very
excited about using NCB 101 again this year, and I hope that you will enjoy the
course.
With 800 people in one room, there can be a lot of confusion. A few, simple rules
can keep the confusion to a minimum, and help provide a reasonably quiet
teaching environment for all students.
1.
Class is scheduled from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Tues. and Thurs. The lecture
will start promptly at 1:45 p.m. You must be in NCB 101 by 1:45 p.m. The
doors to NCB 101 will be closed at 1:45 p.m. If you
must come late, please use the doors at the back of the room and take the
first available seat. Lecture will end by 3:15 p.m. at the latest. I promise not
to go over the time limit. This will allow you enough time to exit and get to
your next class. Please do not leave early -- shuffling up and down the
aisles causes a great deal of distraction. We will take a brief stretch break
around 2:30 p.m.
2.
The potential noise level generated by 800 people "whispering" to one
another is quite high. In order that everyone can hear the lecture, please do
not talk to your neighbours during lecture. If the noise level starts to climb,
one of the teaching staff will remind you not to talk. If the noise level
continues to climb, you may be asked to leave the room. Please remember
that there are many other people in the room and we all must be sensitive
to everyone's concerns. Also, please turn off your cell phone when you
enter the classroom. The ring tone can be very distracting to your fellow
students.
EVALUATION
There will four tests during the year. All tests are common to all sections of
Psych 1000. Term test 1 (Fall term test) is scheduled for Sat. Oct. 18, 2014 from
9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Term test 1 will consist of 75 multiple choice questions
(chapters 1 – 4 plus Appendix ) and is worth 20%. Questions will be based on
both the text and lecture material. The Christmas test will be scheduled
sometime during the Christmas exam period (Dec. 6 - 17, 2014). This test will
consist of 75 multiple choice questions covering both text and lecture material
and is worth 20%. The Christmas test covers chapters 5 – 8.
Term test 2 is scheduled for Sat. March 7, 2015 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and
will be worth 20%. This test is similar to Term test 1 and the Christmas test (i.e.,
75 multiple choice questions from the text and lecture material). Term test 2 will
cover chapters 9 – 13. The final exam will be scheduled during the final exam
period (April 11 – 30, 2015) and is worth 30%. The final exam covers chapters
14 – 17 and will consist of 100 questions from both the text and lecture material.
In addition to the exams, you must complete a series of quizzes on the
CONNECT site and participate in a series of on-line discussions. The
discussions are based on the content for the Ask Dr. Mike book, included with
your text. Details about the format and a grading scheme will be posted on Owl.
The quizzes are worth 5% and the discussions are worth 5%.
Finally, there is a research participation requirement (see details on the Owl site).
Please note that this is a Department of Psychology requirement and does
not add marks to your grade. Failure to meet the research requirement will
result in a loss of 10 points on your final grade.
Evaluation Summary:
Term test 1:
Mid year test:
20%
20%
Term test 2:
Final exam:
Discussion:
Quizzes:
Total
20%
30%
5%
5%
100%
EVALUATION GUIDELINES
The Psychology Department follows Western University’s grading guidelines,
which are as follows (see the following link):
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
A+
A
B
C
D
F
90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
below 50 Fail
Greening the Classroom... it’s a start.
Whether you believe that global warming is one of the most serious challenges
we face in the 21st century or that it is wildly exaggerated, the fact remains that
dumping endless tons of CO2 onto the atmosphere is not good. And we should try
to do something about it. Individually, we should all recycle, use less energy in
our homes, and reduce the amount of fossil fuels we burn. But what can we do in
the classroom? It is difficult to control the physical infrastructure of any
classroom—turning down the heat or AC, shutting down the fans, etc. affects
more than just one classroom and may affect an entire block of buildings. In
addition, the startup of equipment may actually consume more energy than we
save by turning it down. So, I’ve come up with the following suggestion.
I estimate that this class consumes about 93,600 kwh per school year. This is the
energy required to run the lights, fans, equipment, etc.
This translates into
dumping approximately 215, 280 pounds (107.6 tons) of CO2 into the
atmosphere. The single largest factor I can identify that is under my control is
diet. By switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet, the average person can offset up
to 1.5 tons of CO2 per year. I propose to eat vegetarian on Tuesdays and
Thursdays (class days). This will create a savings of approximately 16.44 pounds
of CO2 per week--427.44 pounds over the school year for me alone. If 100
students in this class join me in this pledge, we save 42,744 pounds. If 400 join,
we save 170, 976 pounds. We break even with a little over 500 students. Thus,
by this method alone, we can run the class on a zero carbon footprint. There is
section on the website where you can pledge to join me in this project.
I realize that the idea of offsetting only works through a trickle-down effect—it will
take time for this initiative to have any impact at all. In addition, my numbers are
ballpark estimates at best. Maybe it takes 800 or 1200 students to break even. I
also realize that there are consequences to such action (e.g., if many people did
this, the price of meat would soar), and we need to consider such outcomes. But
the potential consequences of doing nothing are far more serious. Even if, in the
end, all we save is a few hundred pounds, well at least we’ve done that. It’s a
start.
Psychology 1000 Lecture Calendar
Topics will be covered in the following order during the year. Approximate lecture
dates are given so that you can keep up with the readings. Ideally, you should do
the required readings before the topic is covered in class. Lectures are
intended to highlight certain areas of each topic -- there is not
enough time available to us to cover all the material. However, you
are responsible for all the material in the text. Please note that there is a fairly
heavy reading load in this course -- we cover approximately one chapter every
week and half. Thus, it is important for you to keep up with the readings.
First Term
Topic
Introduction
& Methodology
Chapter
Lecture date
1&2
Sept. 9, 11, 16
Biological Foundations
3
Sept. 18, 23, 25, 30
Genes & Behaviour
4
Oct. 2, 7, 9
Statistics
Appendix
Review
Term test 1 (20%)
Oct.14
Oct. 16
1 – 4, plus Appendix
Oct. 18, 9:00 a.m.
Sensation & Perception
5
Oct. 21, 23, 28
Nov. 4
Consciousness
6
Nov. 6, 11
Learning
7
Nov. 13, 18, 20, 25
Memory
8
Nov. 27
Dec. 2
Mid-year TEST (20%)
5-8
Dec. 6 – 17
Second Term—Classes resume on Jan. 5
Topic
Chapter
Lecture date
Language & Thought
9
Jan. 6, 8
Intelligence
10
Jan. 13, 15
Motivation & Emotion
11
Jan. 20, 22, 27
Development
12
Jan. 29; Feb. 3, 5, 10
Social Psychology
13
Feb. 12, 24, 26;
March 3
Conference Week
Feb. 16 - 20
Review
Term test 2 (20%)
March 5
9 - 13
March 8, 3:00 p.m.
Stress
15
March 10
Personality
14
March 12, 17
Disorders
16
March 19, 24, 26
Treatment
17
March 31;April 2, 7
Final Exam (30%)
14 - 17
April 11 – 30
LEARNING INFORMATION EFFICIENTLY
You will be expected to know the assigned chapters VERY WELL!
Many of the multiple-choice questions in this course are based on material from
the chapters that is not explicitly covered in lecture. To be able to answer these
questions correctly you will need to know and understand each of the concepts
and processes described in the assigned chapters. This a major learning task
and many students run into difficulties because they do not know how to handle
this learning task efficiently.
Just reading the assigned chapters is NOT enough!
For most people the process of reading something, or even re-reading it, does
not mean that they remember it. This is especially true for "heavy" course content
such as that found in the psychology text. If you wish to learn the material from
the text efficiently, you will need to approach it in a different manner.
Learn the text chapters using ACTIVE reading/learning strategies.
Strategies recommended for efficient learning of text material can be divided into
three types: pre-reading, reading for comprehension, and post-reading.
a. Pre-reading. Learn the headings and subheadings.
Instead of diving immediately into reading the chapter, spend a few minutes
learning the headings and subheadings. The headings and subheadings tell
you the important ideas that will be covered in the chapter. In the text they
are laid out for you on the first few pages of the book in the table of
contents. Look at these headings and subheadings, think how they have
been ordered, try reciting them from memory, and then write them out on a
separate sheet of paper.
b.
Reading for comprehension. Read a few pages and THEN summarize.
Don't try to read most of the chapter in one sitting. It is much easier to learn
the material in small chunks. Read a few pages carefully and THEN make a
summary of the important points. Continue doing this until you have
summarized about 10 pages - then take a break. You can summarize by
highlighting sparingly AND making marginal notes, or by making separate
written notes.
Note that much of the information in psychology comes in the form of
arguments. Here are some the important kinds of information that are
crucial to knowing and understanding an argument: i) definitions of new
terms, ii) essential explanations of the specific argument, iii) examples, iv)
results of studies.
If you make separate summary notes, try using point form and keywords.
This has 2 advantages: the notes are made more quickly and they are
easier to read. As you record key terms and definitions ALWAYS relate
them to the arguments of which they are a part.
c.
Post-reading. Test yourself.
After actively reading 10 or more pages in the manner described above,
try reciting (i.e., recalling from memory) all the important points under each
heading and subheading that you have studied. This will reinforce the
ideas you know and identify those that you need to review. Doing the
study guide questions and relevant old exam questions after you have
finished the entire chapter can also be very helpful.
The Legal Stuff
STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the
occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating
are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of
research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described
at the following link:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to
detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked
for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will
be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written
assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter
plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content
located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such
checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the
purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system.
Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between
Western University and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment,
failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the
University.
OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the
following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergradresponsibilities.htm
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2014 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.