FALL, 2012 SYLLABUS FOR PSY 2012 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
SECTION 4040 McCarty Auditorium (MCC 100) MWF - 8 th 3:00-3:50 pm
Professor:
Office: and 7 th
Robin Lea West, Ph.D.
530 McCarty-C Building
Phone:
EMAIL :
273-3824 (lv. message) west51@ufl.edu
Office Hours : 9 th period, MW
period before each exam
TeachAssts: Hayley
Kamin, Hsiao-Wen Liao
Office
Matthew Sharkey, and Hanna Suh
: 517 McCarty-C
EMAILS : hkamin88@ufl.edu; hsiaowenliao@ufl.edu
msha3441@ufl.edu; hannasuh@ufl.edu;
Office hours : Mon. 10 am – noon (HL) and 12:30-2:30 (HK)
Tues. 11:30-1:30 (MS)
Thurs. 1:00-3:00 (HL)
Wed. 10:30 – 12:30 (HS
) and 4-6 pm (HK)
Lecture review : Tues. 4-6 pm (HS)
REQUIRED TEXT : PSYCHOLOGY by Bernstein et al (9 th ed.)
COURSE OBJECTIVES : This class is a prerequisite to more advanced psychology courses. The course is designed as a broad overview of the research methods, basic concepts, and issues in the field of psychology. When you complete the class, you should be 1) be able to understand and define key concepts in psychology, 2) know many of the issues and theories that drive psychological research, 3) know the basic features of psychological research methods, and 4) know how to evaluate basic psychological research.
COURSE POLICIES :
1) The teaching assistant and the professor are WILLING TO HELP individual students with study skills. Please ask us. Normal email correspondence for the course should be sent to hsiaowenliao@ufl.edu – do not use the course website email system—no one will be answering it. Lecture reviews will be given each week in McCarty C, room 517 on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm . You can come any time during that time slot to get a review of any lecture from the previous week.
2) In order to BE FAIR, all grading will be done according to announced course policies. No one will be given the opportunity to do special, individualized assignments to improve their grade. Don't ask.
3) Be in your seat and have your notebook and pen/pencil ready at the scheduled TIME FOR CLASS to begin. Class ends only when the speaker indicates that class is dismissed, not before. Do not arrive late or leave early, because it disrupts the class.
4) Give your FULL ATTENTION to the speaker and audiovisual materials. Do RESIST THE URGE to tweet, send email, check Facebook, browse, text, sleep, talk to others, do homework, pack up your books early, or listen to music. Such inattention to the lecture is rude and distracting to classmates who want to learn. Plus research shows that you only learn what you focus attention on.
5) CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION in the form of comments, questions, or discussion is highly desirable. For this to be effective, you must protect the rights of fellow students. Make sure that you are recognized before speaking, restrict your remarks to topics of direct relevance to the class, and give your peers your full attention when they are speaking, just as you do the instructor. In this way, we can all learn from each other.
6) All students are expected to WORK ALONE ON ALL EXAMS. You are not permitted to ask another student to answer any exam questions for you. You may not look or attempt to look at another student's answers during an exam. Looking at notes, phones, computers, or Exam Guides during an exam is not permitted. Any student with a phone or computer open or visible during an Exam will automatically receive a failing grade on that exam – no exceptions. Students must follow all Honor Code rules. Any problems will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
7) Class begins on August 22 and the last class is December 5. NO CLASSES: September 3,
September 17, November 9, November 12, November 21, November 23.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Psychology Department Chair: Neil Rowland
Undergraduate Coordinator: Lise Abrams

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
COMPLETE ALL READING ASSIGNMENTS
COMPLETE 5 EXAMS, 40 POINTS EACH
COMPLETE THE RESEARCH REQUIREMENT, 50 POINTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LECTURE TOPICS REQUIRED READING DUE DATE
Introduction
Psychology as a Science
Memory and Study Skills
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 7
EXAM 1 - SEPTEMBER 12 (WED.)
Wed. 8/22
Fri. 8/24
Fri. 8/31
The Brain Chapter 3 Fri. 9/14
Nature-Nurture Issues Chap.10,App. B,pp 314-326,583-585, pp. 484-486 Mon. 9/24
EXAM 2 - OCTOBER 3 (WED.)
Sensation and Perception
Learning
Motivation
Chap.4 & 5 (NOT 113-119,129-152) Fri. 10/5
Chapter 6 Mon. 10/8
Chapter 11 (NOT 445-459)
EXAM 3 - OCTOBER 22 (MON.)
Wed.10/17
Stress / Personality
Psychological disorders
Psychotherapy and Treatment
Chapter 13
Chapter 15
Chapter 16 plus
EXAM 4 - NOVEMBER 7 (WED.)
pp. 564-583 Wed.10/24
Fri. 10/26
Wed.10/31
Development and Socialization
Social Influences
Chapter 12
Chapter 17, plus
EXAM 5 - DECEMBER 5 (WED.)
pp. 729-755
Wed. 11/14
Mon. 11/26
1.
COMPREHENSIVE FINAL (ALL COURSE MATERIAL)
[[ NOTE: The final is optional for most students. It is required for any student who missed an hourly exam.]]
FINAL EXAM ROOM: TBA
FINAL DETAILS: PSY2012 ASSEMBLY EXAM, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 7:30-9:30 AM
Dr. West's classroom lectures and multimedia materials are original material, written and/or designed by her
(except where specific other copyrights are mentioned). No one is allowed to copy and sell her lectures, or sell any part of any classroom presentation without express permission in writing from Dr. West (or, where appropriate, the company holding the copyright). Dr. West's powerpoint slides are also original material written by her and may not be copied, sold, or used for teaching without her express permission.

EXAMS AND GRADES:
There will be 6 exams. You are required to complete at least 5 of these exams.
All hourly exams will be held in the McCarty Auditorium (MCC, Room 100).
The final is an Assembly exam, room to be announced.
Bring a #2 pencil and your Gator 1 ID card to each exam.
This course has frequent exams, to aid your learning, to help you to focus attention on the important concepts, and to reduce the amount of material that you must master for each exam. The exams will cover the lectures (including demonstrations and video) and the text. There will be a heavier emphasis on material presented in both places, but you will also be tested on material that is presented only in lectures or only in your text. Each exam will be 40 points of multiple-choice and matching items. There will be 5 noncumulative "periodic" exams and one cumulative final. You are required to complete 5 exams (one exam grade can be dropped). You may take all of the exams and then drop your lowest grade, or skip the final if you are happy with your grade at the end of the term. If you miss an exam for any reason , including illness, your 0 score on that exam will be the score you must drop, and then you will be required to take the final.
There will be no regular make-up exams. If you are seriously ill on the day of an exam, and you have already missed an exam, Dr. West may give you permission to take a makeup exam during finals week, if you can document your illness. Because it is not required for most students, the final exam will be administered only at the scheduled time , not earlier and not later.
On each exam day, you must print your name clearly on the front of the test question sheet and on a
“scantron” answer sheet. After finishing the exam, you must hand in the test questions and the answer sheet.
BOTH must be returned on the day of the exam for you to receive a non-0 score for that exam. We will begin the exam 5 minutes before class normally begins, and all exams must be finished and handed in 10 minutes before the end of the class period. At that time, Dr. West will provide the answers to all test questions. If you wish to challenge the answer to a test question, you must write out a clear statement no later than 2 weeks after the exam, and hand it in to Dr. West (include your name and UF ID #). If you challenge an answer, you must support your alternative answer using lecture notes or textbook material. A teaching assistant will maintain a record of your points, and all grades will be posted on the website at http://lss.at.ufl.edu
. If you wish to review an exam scantron, please do so right after the exam. Exam papers will be kept only until the next exam is given and then they will be shredded.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to request any special accommodation they may need, and this should be done no later than August 31 if you require special accommodation on the first exam .
Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The
Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student that must be given to Dr. West.
Your grade will be determined by adding up points for 5 exams (200 points) and the research requirement
(50 points) and any extra credit you receive (e.g., a curve on a test). Grades will be computed as follows:
A = 92% - 100% 230 points or more
A- = 90% - 91% 225 – 229.5 points
B+ = 88% - 89% 220 – 224.5 points
B = 82% - 87% 205 – 219.5 points
B- = 80% - 81% 200 – 204.5 points
C+ = 78% - 79% 195 – 199.5 points
C = 72% - 77% 180 – 194.5 points
C- = 70% - 71% 175 – 179.5 points
D+ = 68% - 69% 170 – 174.5 points
D = 62% - 67% 155 – 169.5 points
D- = 60% - 61% 150 – 154.5 points
E(F) = less than 60% below 150 points
RESEARCH REQUIREMENT:
All students enrolled in PSY 2012 are required to participate in research. To complete the research requirement, choose OPTION 1-participate in UF research OR OPTION 2-write papers . Some information about these options is provided below. Detailed instructions concerning both options can be obtained at the class website and at the university-wide website, http://ufl.sona-systems.com.
Option 1 details : Earn 10 credits (1 credit = 1/2 hour) by participating in approved research for 5 hours
( due Dec. 5, 4:00 pm ). Four bonus points may be earned by completing Option 1 early, by 4 pm on

Thursday, November 15. If you do not complete all 10 credits by the deadline, you will receive points at a rate of 5 points per credit completed. It will be difficult to complete Option 1 if you are not 18 years old by
November 1. Students who want to complete the research requirement using Option 1 should sign up for research participation by the third week of classes at http://ufl.sona-systems.com
to take advantage of online credit opportunities.
Option 2 details : Write 3 papers about completed research published in academic psychology journals ( due
Nov. 30, 4:00 pm ). Four bonus points may be earned by completing Option 1 early, by 4 pm on Thursday,
November 15.Students who will not be 18 until the spring term MUST use this option. Students who want to complete the research requirement using Option 2 must submit an email indicating this choice to hsiaowenliao@ufl.edu AND psy2012@grove.ufl.edu
no later than Friday, Sept. 7 at 4 pm . Make sure and send your email request to both of those email addresses by Sept. 7.
STUDY SKILLS
This class covers a large amount of material
and it is crucial for students to keep up with the reading and study regularly. The MOST IMPORTANT study habits are 1) read the material when it is assigned, 2) read and study the text after hearing the lectures on those topics, and 3) study and test yourself in-depth on the days before each exam.
It is very important to read the assigned text by the due date on the syllabus. This reading will provide you with some basic knowledge for each topic, to help you to understand the material more fully when you hear the lectures. A day or two after each lecture, read back over your notes to make sure that you understand everything you have written. Be certain, for example, that you can find a definition in your notes for each new term that was presented in class. Class attendance is not required. However, if you are having difficulty with the material, or if you are not performing as well as you want on exams, you should do the following: attend class EVERY TIME, pay close attention to the lecture, review the “terms and names to know” in order to focus your reading, and use good note-taking skills.
Your text is well organized. Important terms are defined separately in the text. Always read the chapter summary and try to answer the questions in the text. Use the text headers to help you identify main ideas, and take note of any definitions in the text. Compare these to the definitions received in class.
You can improve your knowledge and your test scores by reviewing all available learning materials and online resources provided for your text. In addition, Dr. West has Terms and Names to Know to help you to study. The Terms and Names to Know lists all concepts that you need to understand for the exam. If a term is not listed there, you do not need to know its meaning for the exam. If a term is listed there, you should be prepared to answer any question about that concept from class or the book. The Terms and Names to
Know list from last year is already available on the course E-LEARNING website at http://lss.at.ufl.edu.
This will assist you to begin to study. An updated version of this (typically a few terms are deleted and a few terms are added) will be posted no later than 2 days before the exam. In addition, we will periodically post a copy of lecture slides on the website after the lectures are completed.
Everyone has a different preferred way of studying. Some students find that outlining the text or rewriting class notes is a good way to study. Others find that flash cards are a good study aid -- they put an important term on one side of the card and put its definition on the other side, maybe with an example (make up your own example if you can). You may benefit from rewriting ideas in your own words, or it may help you to study aloud, defining terms, and explaining theories to a "study buddy." Do all of the practice tests available for your textbook, before the exam, to test yourself to see if you have learned the material.
It doesn't matter which method works best for you -- the important thing is to study and be involved in studying over a period of time. Don't try to cram it all in your brain at the last minute. There will be no worksheets or homework assignments to ensure that you start reading the material early. You will have to take the initiative yourself to get started right away.
REMEMBER!!!!!!!!! The most important study habits are 1) read all assigned pages by the date they are assigned; 2) read and study the text after hearing the lectures on those topics, and 3) study and test yourself in-depth on the days before each exam, using the Terms and Names to Know and all available practice tests.