Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 1
Psychology 103: Introduction
to Psychological Science
Section 012 – Spring, 2005
Instructor: Dr. Michael Marcell
Contact Information
Office
Room 202, 55 Coming Street
Telephone
953-8197 or 953-5590
E-mail
marcellm@cofc.edu
Web page
http://www.cofc.edu/~marcellm/
WebCT page
http://webct.cofc.edu/
Office Hours
Wednesday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Or by appointment
Class Information
Class Time and Location 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM, Tuesday and Thursday
R.S. Small Library, Room 113
Textbook
Gray, P. (2002). Psychology (4th Edition). New York: Worth Publishers.
The textbook is available at the College of Charleston Bookstore (160 Calhoun
St., 953-5518) and at University Books of Charleston (360 King St., 853-8700)
(the cover of the textbook is displayed at the top of this page).
Course Credit
3 credit hours
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course. Psychology 103 can be used for any
of the following degree-related purposes: a) An elective course, b) A course that
satisfies half of the College’s General Education requirement for 6 semester
hours of social science, or c) A required course for the psychology major.
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 2
Course Objectives
In this course we will become acquainted with the major insights that psychologists have developed
through the study of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Although our focus will be on insights gained from
research with humans, we will also review relevant findings obtained with non-human animals. Following a
brief review of the history of psychology and broad themes in the field of psychology, we will focus on
scientific research methods (such as experimentation, correlation, and naturalistic observation) and statistical
tools favored by psychologists. This will be followed by a review of concepts and findings from the more
experimentally-oriented content areas of psychology. Examples of topics to be reviewed include the
following: Behavioral genetics, natural selection, ethology, classical and operant conditioning, observational
learning, species-typical behavior patterns, neurons, peripheral and central nervous systems, brain
organization, hormonal regulation of bodily processes, physiology of motivation, hunger and sex drives,
reward mechanisms in the brain, sleeping and dreaming, arousal and emotion, sensory processes, smell,
taste, hearing, psychophysics, anatomy and physiology of vision, pattern recognition, depth perception,
perceptual constancies, attention, sensory memory, working memory, long-term memory, encoding, storage,
and retrieval of information in human memory.
Next, we will review concepts and facts from the more social and clinically-oriented content areas of
psychology. Examples of topics to be reviewed include the following: Impression formation, stereotypes,
attitudes, social facilitation, group processes, conformity and obedience, trait theories of personality,
personality and family dynamics, psychodynamic, social-cognitive, and humanistic theories of personality;
mental disorders (anxiety, mood, somatoform, dissociative, schizophrenic, and personality disorders), and
psychotherapies (psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive, and behavioral).
My hope is that by the end of this course you will become well acquainted with the wide range of
problems that psychologists study and how psychologists go about studying these problems. I also hope that
you will experience the excitement of a rapidly growing discipline, develop a passion for the many
fascinating topics in our field, and begin to display the critical-analytical thinking skills of a scientist.
Class Format
There are 5 units of study, a unit lasts 4 – 5 class periods, and each unit ends with an exam. Every
class has a reading assignment, and the average length of a daily reading assignment is 21 pages. Please
complete the assigned reading before you come to class. This course is primarily structured as an
independent reading, lecture, and discussion class. I would like to see my primary role as “interpreter,”
someone who will help you to understand material that you have read and digested on your own. It is up to
you to be an active, thinking reader who completes reading assignments on time. I will begin each class
by asking if you have any questions or comments about the assigned reading. I will happily spend time
clarifying difficult topics encountered in the textbook, perhaps by redescribing concepts, using different
examples, referring to digital resources posted on WebCT, or conducting classroom demonstrations. If there
are few questions or comments, I will assume that the material is understood and may move on to new
material. Sometimes, however, I will lecture on topics that are covered in the Gray textbook in the hope that
a “double dose” of reading and lecture will help you absorb difficult material.
Remember: You are expected to learn all assigned reading material on your own. We will not
have time to review all of a chapter’s important material; thus, it is crucial that you not waste your own time
and your classmates’ time by being unprepared or superficially prepared. It is up to you to digest the
assigned material and to ask questions, inside and outside of class, if you’re having difficulty. You will
probably find it helpful to bring your textbook to class with you.
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 3
Attendance Policy
Class attendance is required for regular classes as well as exam days. This also means being on time
and remaining for the entire class. You will be allowed 3 unexcused absences without penalty. Your final
grade in the course will be lowered by one letter grade for each unexcused absence over three (e.g., 4
unexcused absences will change a C average to a D; 5 will change a D average to an F).
Excused absences are those due to reasons such as illness, death in the family, and official college
business. You will need to visit the Undergraduate Dean’s Office shortly after your return to class and have
the Office send me an email message explaining your absence. This must be done within 1 week of your
return to class. It is your responsibility to keep a running tally of absences during the semester. I will not
tally absences until Finals Week, at which time I will determine the number of excused and unexcused
absences by matching recorded absences with absence memos received from Undergraduate Studies. It is
also your responsibility to notify me immediately after a class in which you came in late and missed the
taking of roll.
Please remember that you are always responsible for all material covered in class, such as new
research findings, classroom demonstrations, emergent points in discussions, and changes in the reading
schedule, exam schedule, homework schedule, or syllabus.
Testing
Four 130-point examinations (Exams 1 - 4) will be administered during the semester. About 110
points of a regular exam will consist of 2-point multiple-choice questions, and about 20 points will consist of
2-6 point short-answer questions. Roughly speaking, about 55% of an exam will be based on the assigned
reading material from the Gray text and about 45% of an exam will be based on the information posted on
WebCT resources and/or conveyed in class during lecture, demonstration, and discussion.
The final exam (Exam 5) is worth 290 points. It will consist of questions from Unit 5 (about 110-130
points from multiple-choice and short-answer questions) and questions from Units 1 – 4 (approximately 160180 points, mostly multiple-choice questions). Thus, the final exam is comprehensive in that it will include
textbook and classroom material covered during the entire semester.
Online Quizzes
12 quizzes will be self-administered online through WebCT. Each quiz is worth 5 points and consists
of 5 randomly-selected multiple-choice questions. The maximum number of points you can accumulate on
quizzes is 50 (this is the equivalent of 10 quizzes at 5 points each). Because your quiz grade will actually be
the sum of all 12 quiz scores (50 points maximum), you can miss two quizzes or do poorly on two quizzes
without your grade being adversely affected.
Beginning with the third class period, quizzes are scheduled for half of the assigned readings. Please
check your syllabus regularly for quiz dates. A quiz should be taken after you have completed an assigned
reading for a class, and it must be taken no later than 10 AM the morning of your class. Quizzes not taken
before the deadline will earn 0 points. The WebCT software will allow you 8 minutes to complete a quiz, so
find a quiet time and place and try to avoid interruptions! As soon as you complete a quiz, the WebCT
software will score it and provide feedback on the correctness of your answers.
Continued on next page…
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 4
The College’s Honor Code is, of course, in effect for all components of this class. For online
quizzes, this means that you are not allowed to receive help from anyone else while taking the quiz.
However, you are allowed to refer to your textbook and notes during the quiz – I consider each online quiz
to be “open book.” Note that if you have not read the material, it is unlikely that you will be able to find the
answers to 5 questions in 8 minutes! The best strategy will be to read the material, answer the questions to
the best of your ability, and use any remaining time at the end of a quiz to double-check your answers.
Makeup Policy
The exam schedule is distributed on the first day of class for a reason -- so that you will put each date
on your calendar and be present for each exam. However, if you find that you must miss an exam due to
illness, death in the family, or some other circumstance formally recognized by the College, then I will
accept a written excuse from the Undergraduate Dean's Office immediately upon your return to class.
You will then have an opportunity to make up the missed test, at my convenience, within one week of your
return to class. The makeup essay exam is usually perceived as being more difficult than the standard
multiple-choice exam (grades on makeups are consistently poorer than grades on in-class exams). Past
experience suggests that it is to your advantage to take an exam on its regularly-scheduled day.
No makeup is given for the Final Exam. For the College’s policy on attendance at Final Exams,
please read the information on the College’s webpage at http://www.cofc.edu/~undrgrad/exam.html.
Typically, no makeups are given for quizzes. However, if you experience a computer malfunction with an
online quiz, please let me know by email before the quiz expires and I will arrange for you to take a
hardcopy makeup version of the quiz.
Online Surveys (extra credit)
At the conclusion of each unit and 24 hours before the exam for that unit, you will have an
opportunity to earn extra credit by completing a 10-question anonymous survey. The purpose of a survey is
to provide me with rapid feedback about certain course components. During the Spring of 2005, survey
questions will focus on quizzes, WebCT resources, and comprehensibility of material in the unit. Upon
completion of a survey, WebCT will automatically record your participation, and you will later be awarded 5
extra-credit points. You may accumulate up to 25 extra-credit points during the semester by completing the
survey at the end of each of the five units. Please be completely honest in your answers -- WebCT will
record your responses anonymously and will not associate your identity with your answers. WebCT will
only indicate whether or not you completed a survey, thus allowing proper recording of credit.
Spring, 2005, Faculty Research Project
This semester I will use information normally collected during the course of the semester (such as
survey responses, quiz scores, and exam scores) in a “behind-the-scenes” research project. The purpose of
the research project is to explore whether certain course practices increase the effectiveness with which this
class is taught. My focus will be on class performance, not individual performance. Thus, any data
tabulated for the research project will be reported anonymously as class averages and will have no impact on
your grade in the class. If you do not wish to participate, then let me know during the first two weeks of
class and I will exclude your assessment data from the statistical analyses.
Continued on next page…
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 5
Once again, your participation in this faculty research project is completely voluntary, your
involvement is passive [i.e., you need to do nothing special – the data (e.g., exam grades) are collected over
the course of a normal semester], your scores (when used for this project) will not be tied to your personal
identity, and your choice to participate or not to participate will have absolutely no impact on your grade in
the course.
PSYC 103 Research Requirement: Research Participation or Journal Article Reviews
Students enrolled in Psychology 103 must fulfill a research requirement as part of this course. This
research requirement constitutes 5% of your final grade, and may be completed in one of two ways: (a)
participating in experiments offered by the Psychology Department, or (b) reading and reviewing empirical
journal articles on psychological research obtained from the electronic reserves website at
http://ereserve.cofc.edu/. Each of these options is described below in more detail. You should not feel
pressured to participate in experiments; fulfilling your research requirement through experimentation is
optional and you will receive full credit if you successfully complete either alternative for this requirement.
Participation in Experiments Conducted Within the Psychology Department. Student and faculty
researchers in the Psychology Department conduct scientific investigations on many of the topics covered in
this course. These studies typically require 30 minutes to 1 hour of your time. You are encouraged to
participate in psychological research for several reasons: The experience is educational, allowing you to learn
"first hand" about psychological research. In addition, your participation helps to train advanced psychology
majors about how to conduct scientific investigations (under faculty supervision). Experiments are posted
electronically along with electronic sign-up sheets on the Internet at http://experimetrix.com/cofc/. The
handout provided along with this syllabus ("Getting Started…") describes how to sign up for experiments, and
it lists websites that provide other important information.
In order to satisfy the research experience requirement for this course (and earn these points toward your
grade), you will need to earn 6 research credits. At least 2 of these research credits must be earned prior to
midterm or you will be penalized a portion of your grade. You will earn 1 credit for each study in which you
participate that is 30 minutes or less in length, and 2 credits for any study greater than 30 minutes. For
example, a 20-30 minute study will earn 1 credit, a 45-60 minute study will earn 2 credits, and so forth. Be
sure to attend experiments for which you sign up or call to cancel ahead of time or you will be penalized (see
the listed web sites on your "Getting Started" handout for more details).
Journal Article Review. You may prefer not to participate in psychological research. You have the option of
earning your research credits by reading and reviewing approved journal articles on psychological research.
Approved journal articles are available at the College of Charleston Library via electronic reserve. To access
electronic reserves, interested students should go to the library web page (http://ereserve.cofc.edu/). Approved
articles and review forms can be found under the course listing “Research Requirement.” To access these
materials, you will need to use the password, “knowledge.” Students should download an article and a blank
“Review Form.” After reading an article, complete the review form, and turn it in to your psychology
professor before the last day of class. Because each review is worth 1 credit, you need to complete 6 reviews
to fulfill your requirement (if you choose not to participate in any experiments). However, note that one may
choose to fulfill his/her requirement by participating in experiments and reviewing some journal articles so
long as a total of 6 research credits are earned.
To access the materials for the Journal Article Review do the following:
1) Go to http://ereserve.cofc.edu/
2) Click on the "Electronic Reserves and Course Materials" link
3) Where it says "Select a Department," choose "Psychology" and click on "Go"
4) Then select "103 Research Requirement" (Note: do not choose your Psychology instructor)
5) Type in "knowledge" and choose "accept" at bottom left
6) Select the article you want to read
7) Download the Journal Review Form
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 6
Grading
The following grading scale will be used in this course:
Number of Points Associated with Each Grading Component
Grade
Associated
Percentile
130-Point
Exams
(Exams 1 - 4)
57% of grade
32% of grade
50 Points
Online
Quizzing
6% of grade
290-Point
Final Exam
(Exam 5)
A
92 - 100%
120 - 130
267 - 290
46 – 50
B+
88 - 91%
114 - 119
255 - 266
44 – 45
B
82 - 87%
107 - 113
238 - 254
41 – 43
C+
78 - 81%
101 - 106
226 - 237
39 – 40
C
72 - 77%
94 - 100
209 - 225
36 – 38
D
62 - 71%
81 - 93
180 - 208
31 – 35
F
0 - 61%
0 - 80
0 - 179
0 – 30
45-Point
Research
Requirement
5% of grade
If you complete all 6
research credits, you
will earn 45 points. If
you fail to earn 2 of
your research credits
by midterm, you will
still need to complete 6
credits, but the total
possible points will be
30 (15-point penalty). If
you fail to complete all
6 research credits, you
will earn 0 points.
Points
Needed
by End
of
Semester
(905
possible)
833 - 905
796 – 832
742 – 795
706 – 741
652 – 705
561 – 651
0 – 560
Bear in mind that failure to attend class regularly will hurt your grade (see Attendance Policy section
above), and that preparation for, and participation in, class will be considered in the determination of
your grade should your average fall on the border between two letter grades.
Students with Disabilities
If you have a documented disability that may have an impact on your work in this class, and for
which you require accommodations, please see me as soon as possible so that we can discuss arrangements.
The Center for Disability Services (CDS), located in Suite B31 at the lower level of the Lightsey Conference
Center (953-1431; lindstromb@cofc.edu), is available to assist you and can provide the following services:
SNAP (Special Needs Advising Plan). SNAP provides services and accommodations for students
with disabilities that have been documented by a qualified MD or psychologist (e.g., learning disability, visual
impairment, movement disorder). Documentation must meet criteria published in the SNAP brochure and on
the www.cofc.edu/~cds website. Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and are determined by
the type and severity of the disability and the essential elements of the course the student is taking.
Accommodations are designed to provide access to education and to create a “level playing field,” not to give
advantage or guarantee success. Students approved for SNAP Services should meet with each of their
professors during the first two weeks of classes to discuss accommodations and present a copy of their SNAPissued Professor Notification Letter (PNL).
Alternative Testing Site. The alternative testing site provides an area for students approved for
services to take their tests with accommodations such as extra test time, testing in isolation, use of readers or
scribes, and access to assistive technology.
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 7
Assigned Readings and Exam Schedule (total of 28 class periods)
Unit 1: Thursday, January 13 – Thursday, January 27 (5 class periods, 96 pages)
ASSESSMENT DATE
READING ASSIGNMENT
Thurs., Jan. 13
No reading assignment
PracticeQuiz
Tues., Jan. 18
“Preface” and “To the Student” (xv – xxvii) – optional reading – a
useful orientation to the textbook
Chapter 1, “The History and Scope of Psychology” (pp. 1-27)
Quiz1A
Thurs., Jan. 20
Chapter 2, “Methods of Psychology” (pp. 28-49)
Note: Online quizzes begin with this assignment and continue throughout the semester.
Quiz1B
Tues., Jan. 25
Statistical Appendix (pp. A1-A8); Chapter 3, “Genetics and
Evolutionary Foundations of Behavior” (pp. 51-66)
Note – This quiz covers only the statistics material from the Appendix
& Ch. 2. Ch. 3 material to be covered on the next quiz.
Quiz1C
Thurs., Jan. 27
Chapter 3, continued (pp. 66-82, 89-95)
Note – This quiz covers Ch. 3 material from both classes.
Survey1
Complete no later than 24 hours before the exam
Exam 1
Tuesday, February 1
Unit 2: Thursday, February 3 – Thursday, Feb. 17 (4.5 class periods, 69 pages for Ch. 4-5)
ASSESSMENT DATE
READING ASSIGNMENT
Thurs., Feb. 3
Chapter 4, “Basic Processes of Learning” (pp. 97-117 )
Tues., Feb. 8
Chapter 4, continued (pp. 118-120, 125-139)
Thurs., Feb. 10
Chapter 5, “The Nervous System” (pp. 141-155)
Tues., Feb. 15
Chapter 5, continued (pp. 159-165, 177-185)
Quiz3A
Thurs., Feb. 17
Chapter 6, “Mechanisms of Motivation, Sleep, and Emotion”
(pp. 187-192, 194-206) – Note: Half of the class period will be used to
finish Unit 2, and half used to begin Unit 3 (today’s reading).
Survey2
Complete no later than 24 hours before the exam
Exam 2
Tuesday, February 22
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 8
Unit 3: Thursday, Feb. 17 – Tuesday, March 15 (4.5 class periods, 109 pages)
ASSESSMENT DATE
READING ASSIGNMENT
(Quiz3A)
(Thurs., Feb. 17) (Chapter 6, “Mechanisms of Motivation, Sleep, and Emotion”
(pp. 187-192, 194-206) – Note: This material, as well as Quiz3A, was
covered during the last class period of Unit 2.)
Quiz3B
Thurs., Feb. 24
Chapter 6, continued (pp. 208-225, 228-229)
(no quiz)
Tues., Mar. 1
Chapter 7, “Smell, Taste, Pain, Hearing, and Psychophysics”
(pp. 231-247, 253-257, 260-267, 271-273)
Quiz3C
Thurs., Mar. 3
Chapter 8, “Vision” (pp. 275-282, 285-288, 293-297)
No classes on Tuesday, March 8 and Thursday, March 10 – Spring Break!
Quiz3D
Tues., Mar. 15
Chapter 8, continued (pp. 297-315, 319-321)
Survey3
Complete no later than 24 hours before the exam
Exam 3
Thursday, March 17
Unit 4: Tuesday, March 22 – Tuesday, April 5 (5 class periods, 104 pages)
ASSESSMENT DATE
READING ASSIGNMENT
Tues., Mar. 22
Chapter 9, “Memory and Consciousness” (pp. 323-343)
Thurs., Mar. 24
Chapter 9, continued (pp. 343-365)
Tues., Mar. 29
Chapter 13, “Social Perception & Attitudes (pp. 495-508, 520-531)
Thurs., Mar. 31
Chapter 14, “Social Influences on Behavior” (pp. 533-545)
Tues., Apr. 5
Chapter 14, continued (pp. 545-569)
Survey4
Complete no later than 24 hours before the exam
Exam 4
Thursday, April 7
Psychology 103 Syllabus – Marcell – Page 9
Unit 5: Tuesday, April 12 – Thursday, April 26 (5 class periods, 108 pages)
ASSESSMENT DATE
READING ASSIGNMENT
Quiz5A
Tues., Apr. 12
Chapter 15, “Personality” (pp. 571-590)
Quiz5B
Thurs., Apr. 14
Chapter 15, continued (pp. 591-609)
Quiz5C
Tues., Apr. 19
Chapter 16, “Mental Disorders” (pp. 611-625)
Quiz5D
Thurs., Apr. 21
Chapter 16, continued (pp. 626-633, 639-651)
Quiz5E
Tues., Apr. 26
Chapter 17, “Treatment” (pp. 653-659, 669-694)
Survey5
Complete no later than 24 hours before the exam
Exam 5 (Final Exam): Thursday, May 5, 8:00 – 11:00 AM, in our regular classroom