PSY 11:
Introduction to Psychology
Dr. Karen Murphy
Office: 243 Soc-Psych Building
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 9 AM-11 AM
Or by appointment
Telephone: 660-5785
Email: Karen.Murphy@duke.edu
Meeting Times
10:05– 11:20 AM W, F in Soc/Psych 130
Micah Lattanner
Office: Soc/Psych 05B
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: Micah.Lattanner@duke.edu
Michael Barger
Office: Soc/Psych 122M
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: michael.barger@duke.edu
Syllabus, Spring 2012
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Over the last 100 years, psychology’s domain has broadened into a complex system of knowledge with many
branches (the American Psychological Association has 54 divisions!). This course is designed to provide
you with a comprehensive survey of the field by introducing you to the major concepts, theoretical
perspectives, and empirical findings in psychological science. Through your study of these topics you will
acquire a broader understanding of human behavior and of psychology’s wide implications for our lives.
Many of the topics covered in class will speak to your own experiences and behavior, and will apply to realworld events and issues. I encourage you to reflect on your experiences, while keeping an open mind so that
you can objectively and critically evaluate the material. I also encourage you to be alert to psychology’s
applications in the popular press or in your studies in other areas, and to share them in our discussions
A second aim of this course is to cultivate your understanding and appreciation of the ways psychologists
pursue ideas and contribute to knowledge. Psychology is committed to methods or standards of knowing
that emphasize both critical thinking and replicable tests. Thus, you will learn about not only psychological
phenomena, but also the techniques and methods by which knowledge about brain, mind, thought, and
behavior is acquired and refined. Understanding the scientific method and becoming an informed and
critical consumer of psychological research will serve you well in practically any field of study.
READINGS
1. Gray, Peter (2010). Psychology (6th ed. but the 5th ed. is also fine). Worth Publishing, ISBN 0-7167-0617-2.
If you prefer the e-book version, it can be accessed at http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/gray6e.php . This link can
also be found on Blackboard under Course Information.
2. Readings for discussion sections (primary research articles). Available on-line through the
Blackboard course web site < http://courses.duke.edu/ >.
RESEARCH REQUIREMENT
You must either participate in either 5 hours of research or complete five ~2-page writing assignments.
The full requirement details are online at http://psychandneuro.duke.edu/undergraduate/subjectpool.
Click on "Course Research Requirement" under the "Students/Participants" heading. You will be responsible
for all details as described in the online document.
***Failure to fulfill the research requirement for this course will result in an incomplete in the course.
Grades will be calculated as follows:
Exams (all exams weighted equally)
Project
Quizzes
Assignments
“Discussion”
Attendance/Participation
45%
20%
15%
10%
10%
Exams
There will be three unit exams (the final is not cumulative). Exams will involve some short answer,
matching, true/false, and multiple-multiple choice questions. There is also the possibility of a long answer
portion. Please note that once you start the online portion of the exam, you will have a set amount of time to
complete it, meaning you can’t start it, pause it for a couple of hours and return.
Project
This will be awesome. You will love it. You will be proposing, carrying out, and writing up a small
experiment as a group. More to come on this as the semester progresses.
“Discussion” Attendance and participation
We will have a couple of days where we meet in smaller groups and discuss a topic or piece of research.
Discussion is a very important portion of the class where we interact on a deeper and more specific level
with the material. Everyone’s thoughts and ideas contribute in an important way to this process. Please
arrive to class on time and ready to participate.
Assignments
There will be short assignments associated with papers we read for “discussion” days to promote and
channel thinking about the topic prior to the class meeting. There may also be additional small assignments
throughout the semester.
Date
Topic
Reading assignments
13-Jan Intro/Background
Chapter 1
18-Jan Methods
Chapter 2
Special notes
20-Jan More fun with methods
25-Jan Genetics/Evolution
Chapter 3
27-Jan Neurons/Brain structure
Chapter 5
1-Feb Neurons/Brain structure
Chapter 5
3-Feb Sensation/Perception
Chapters 7 & 8
8-Feb Discussion
SEE BLACKBOARD
10-Feb
Project groups due
discussion assignment due
TEST 1
15-Feb Learning
Chapter 4
17-Feb Learning
Chapter 4
22-Feb Memory/Consciousness
Chapter 9
24-Feb Reasoning/Intelligence
Chapter 10
29-Feb Cognitive Development
Chapter 11
2-Mar Cognitive Development
Chapter 11
Final project proposals due
7-Mar Spring Break
9-Mar Spring Break
14-Mar Social Development
Chapter 12
16-Mar Social Development
Chapter 12
21-Mar Discussion
SEE BLACKBOARD
23-Mar
TEST 2
28-Mar Personality
Chapter 15
30-Mar Motivation/Emotion
Chapter 6
4-Apr Social Psychology
Chapters 13 and 14
6-Apr Social Psychology
Chapters 13 and 14
11-Apr Abnormal Psychology
Chapters 16 and 17
13-Apr Abnormal Psychology
Chapters 16 and 17
18-Apr Abnormal Psychology
Chapters 16 and 17
20-Apr Discussion
SEE BLACKBOARD
25-Apr turn in projects
1-May
discussion assignment due
TEST 3 7 - 10PM
discussion assignment due
Final projects due!!