Psychology 209
Online
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
Section 730
Summer 2013
May 13-June 27
Course Description: This is an introductory course covering the biological basis of behavior.
We will examine the physiological, developmental and evolutionary mechanisms of behavior.
The basic structure of the nervous system, its components, circuitry and organization will also be
discussed. In addition, the course will cover major behavioral deficits that result from brain
damage or neurochemical imbalance.
Instructor: Dr. Sharleen Sakai
Location: https://angel.msu.edu
E mail: sakai@msu.edu
Required Textbook: Biological Psychology, Breedlove, Watson and Rosenzweig, Sinauer
Publishers, 6th edition, 2010 .
The companion website to this textbook: http://www.biopsychology.com/6e/index.html . This
website features chapter summaries, tutorials, flash cards and other study aids as well as links to
recently published news articles on topics relevant to each of the chapters in the text.
ONLINE course requirements: This course is entirely online available through ANGEL
system at Michigan State University. Each lecture and accompanying material as well as tests
are available on line. You will need access to the internet throughout the course. Be sure that
your internet access is high speed and that you can download the necessary plugs-ins to access
videos and audio files.
Problems with ANGEL?
CALL MSU HELP LINE: 1-800-500-1554 or (517) 355-2345
Any technical problems should be directed to the help line. They will log the problem in and
report it to us. Report these technical problems immediately (within 6 hrs, max). You may also
report the problem to me but I am not available 24/7, like the help line.
Exams and grading: There will be one exam at the end of each of the seven weeks of the
course. Exams 1-6 are open beginning noon on Thursday and lasting until 5:00 pm on Friday.
EXCEPT the last exam, Exam 7, will be open beginning noon on Wednesday, June 26, and
lasting until 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 27. EXAM TIMES ARE EASTERN DAYLIGHT
SAVINGS TIME. BE SURE TO CONVERT TO YOUR TIME ZONE!
Each exam covers the preceding week’s material. Each exam will be open book and consist of
30 questions. These questions will be multiple choice or other objective questions. These exams
include all information covered in that part of the course: reading assignments from the textbook,
lectures, reading assignments posted on ANGEL, videos, tutorial activities and so on. You will
have 35 minutes to answer the 30 questions, so you must know the material very well even
though it is open book. You may use your book but all work must be completed on your own.
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Also, you must stay in the exam and not exit it at all. Do not go to folders in the course or
different folders in ANGEL because that can cause technical problems. You can have notes
from these other sites. During a test NEVER have ANGEL open in another browser – ANGEL
may register you as “YOU” in one browser and as a “GUEST” in the other. This can cause
significant problems for you.
ANGEL will automatically time the exams. ANGEL will close you out after 35 minutes or at the
end of the scheduled time for the exam, whichever comes first.
ANGEL Supported Browsers: Especially Important at Exam Times!
When taking the exam it is important to use a browser that gets along well with ANGEL! Even
if you use Safari or Opera for much of your everyday activity, when it comes to a timed
situation, such as an exam, then there are browsers that ANGEL has been tested on and with
which it is highly compatible. Sometimes students think that Safari has been working fine since
the first day of class, but then discover that there are problems during the exam! It is best to play
it safe and use a supported browser.
You can see a list of these browsers by looking at the Question Mark over by the Guide at the
left of your course. That is where you find answers to other Help Questions about ANGEL, too.
Overall the best browsers to use include Internet Explorer 9.x (Windows) and Firefox 3.6
(Windows/Macintosh/UNIX/Linux) (Highly Recommended).
*Firefox 3.0 Beta is NOT compatible with ANGEL
If you are not sure about what browser you are using or don't understand how to get
Firefox remember that we have a great Help Desk! Just call 355-2345 or 1-800-500-1554.
They are just as happy to help you prevent a problem as they are to help you in the middle
of one.
Before you begin an exam:
1. Clear you cache and cookies by going into the Tools tab in Firefox (go to Internet Options in
Internet Explorer)
2. Choose “Clear Private Data” and check two boxes, “Cache” and “Cookies” in Firefox (choose
the “Delete...” button in Internet Explorer)
3. Click on “Clear Private Data Now” (click “Delete” in Internet Explorer) .
4. Log into ANGEL and begin your exam.
Assessment Method for your Exams: The “Single-question, no backtrack” method is used in
PSY 209. Only one question is delivered at a time. You answer the question and submit your
answer. Then the next question is then presented. You may not go back to previous questions.
This is the no backtrack method. This method requires a different strategy for test taking. Since
this course uses open-book testing many students find that those questions about which they had
doubts are the ones that they want to look up in the book. A quick look to refresh their memories
and they can proceed with confidence.
If single-question no backtrack (open book testing) sounds like a method with which you will be
comfortable then this online PSY 209 class is probably a good fit for your assessment style.
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The lowest grade of the seven exams will be dropped. This policy gives you one grace period of
poor performance or unexcused absence from an exam. However, you are STRONGLY
encouraged to take all of the exams, even if you don’t feel as prepared as you’d like to be.
Makeup Exam Policy: Because students are able to take exams at any time during the exam
period, and because the lowest grade will be dropped, make-up exams will not be given except
under extreme circumstances. Make-up exams will be 45 min in length and entirely short answer
essay format, and will be offered only to those who have a significant illness documented by a
letter from a physician or those who have an extremely serious family problem (e.g., death of a
family member) that precludes them from taking the exam on the scheduled days. This must be
documented by sending a fax to 517-432-2744 to Dr. Sakai with the subject line “PSY 209
Missed Exam Documentation.” Following review of the documentation, you will be informed if
a makeup exam is permitted. Students who miss an exam without satisfying these conditions
will receive a grade of zero for that exam.
Grading:
Final grades are based on the following scale:
Percent
90-100
85-89
80-84
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
Less than 60
Grade
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0
Exam question appeal: You should receive exam feedback including your grade and a
hypertext date when you took your exam from 8:00 am Saturday to Sunday noon on most
weeks. If you click on the hypertext date, then a page will open up and you will see all the exam
questions and answers. In the case that you feel that an item is scored incorrectly, you may
appeal the item through ANGEL via an email to Faculty. In the subject line, type PSY 209
Question Appeal. Only points appealed in this method will be considered. In order to appeal a
question, explain why your choice is the BEST answer. Document your explanation. Provide
page numbers from the text, slide numbers from the powerpoint presentations, etc. Explain why
the other choice is wrong or ambiguous. Appeals must be received by 8 am on the Monday
immediately after an exam in order for it to be considered.
Academic Honesty: Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "The student
shares with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and
professional standards." In addition, the Department of Psychology adheres to the policies on
academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and
Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00,
Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide
(http://www.vps.msu.edu/SpLife/index.htm) and/or the MSU Web site:
http://www.msu.edu.).Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to
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complete all course assignments, including homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams,
without assistance from any source. Here are some examples of academic dishonesty:
• Have another student provide academic assistance or coaching during an online quiz or test
• Have another person take a quiz or test for you
• Copy questions or answers from your online quiz or test and share them with another student
• Copy questions or answers from your online quiz or test and post them on a website for others
to view
• Get questions and/or answers from students who have already taken an exam or quiz you are
scheduled to take
• Collaborate with other students on projects or assignments without your instructor's permission
Students who violate MSU rules may receive a penalty grade, including but not limited to a
failing grade on the assignment or in the course. A letter is sent to the dean of your college and to
the dean of the College of Social Sciences about the incident.
MSU Final exam policy: “A student absent from a final examination without a satisfactory
explanation will receive a grade of 0.0 on the numerical system, NC on the CR-NC system, or an
N in the case of a course authorized for grading on the P-N system. Students unable to take a
final examination because of illness or other reason over which they have no control should
notify the assistant deans of their colleges immediately."
ANGEL Tracking -Please be aware that ANGEL tracks all student login information. For
example, it tracks when you have logged into ANGEL and when you have logged out. It also
tracks when you begin your exam and when your exam is submitted. This is helpful for the
instructors because it allows us to resolve issues if there is a problem with the ANGEL system in
terms of logging on and/or gaining access to the various sections of the site. Tracking can also
help us resolve disputes about exams and assignments, particularly those that are timed. ANGEL
tracking also can reveal academic misconduct. Of course, professors cannot view the personal
content of a student in the “My Content” area of ANGEL.
Course time commitment: Since this is an online summer course, you should expect to spend
more time each week on the course than you typically might spend on your semester long
courses. You should expect to spend 12-24 hours a week on this course during our compressed 7
week schedule. This is a reminder that this will require planning and discipline to get the most
out of this course. It is important to keep up and not fall behind in your assignments. The code
word you will need to enter during your course orientation is isocortex.
Accommodations for Disabilities -Students with disabilities should contact the Resource Center
for Persons with Disabilities to establish reasonable accommodations. For an appointment with a
counselor, call (517 353-9642 (voice) or (517) 355-1293 (TTY). Visit the RCPD website
athttp://www.rcpd.msu.edu/Home/ or send them an email at Email: rcpd@msu.edu
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Course Schedule
The lecture powerpoint presentation and videos of the lecture can be found in ANGEL for each
week. Note the reading assignments from the textbook corresponding to lectures are listed in the
schedule below. Some lectures also have supplemental materials; be sure to check ANGEL each
week for folder with these materials. Exam questions will come directly from the lectures,
corresponding text, tutorial activities or supplemental materials as indicated in that week’s
folder.
Week 1, May 13-17: Intro to Biological Psychology and Neuroanatomy
Lecture 1. Introduction to biological psychology
Lecture 2. Functional Neuroanatomy
noon May 16 – 5 pm May 17
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 , p 23-48
Exam 1
Week 2, May 20-24: Nervous System Communication
Lecture 3. Neurophysiology
Lecture 4. Chemical basis of behavior
Chapter 3, p 57-80
Chapter 4, p 87-110
noon May 23 – 5 pm May 24
Exam 2
Week 3, May 27-31: Hormones, Evolution and Development
Lecture 5. Hormones
Lecture 6. Brain evolution.
Lecture 7. Development.
Chapter 5, p 117-144
Chapter 6, p 151-175
Chapter 7, p 177-206
Noon May 30- 5 pm May 31
Exam 3
Week 4, June 3-7: Sensory systems
Lecture 8. General principles of sensory processing, touch
Lecture 9. Hearing
Lecture 10. Vision
noon Jun 6 - 5 pm Jun 7
Chapter 8, p 216-234
Chapter 9, p 248-265
Chapter 10, p 281-313
Exam 4
Week 5, June 10-14: Motor Control, Sex and Homeostasis
Lecture 11. Motor Control
Lecture 12. Sex
Lecture 13. Homeostasis
Chapter 11, p 317-346
Chapter 12, p 351-381
Chapter 13, p 383-388,
396-409
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noon Jun 13 - 5 pm Jun 14
Exam 5
Week 6, Jun 17-21: Biological rhythms, Emotions, Learning and Memory
Lecture 14. Biological rhythms.
Lecture 15. Emotions
Lecture 17. Learning and Memory
Chapter 14, p 414-438
Chapter 15, p 446-461,
470-474
Chapter 17 511-545
noon Jun 20- 5 pm Jun 21
Exam 6
Week 7, Jun 24-27: Attention, Language
Lecture 18. Attention and cognition
Lecture 19. Language and hemispheric specialization
Chap 18, p 549-582
Chap 19, p 583-586,
588-596, 605-612
noon Jun 26 - 5 pm Jun 27
Exam 7
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