FALL, 2014 SYLLABUS FOR PSY 2012 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
SECTION 4040 McCarty C 100 (Auditorium) MWF - 8th 3:00-3:50 pm
Professor:
Office:
EMAIL:
Robin West, Ph.D.
530 McCarty-C Building
west51@ufl.edu
TeachAssts: Tia B., Gaby P., Aylin T.
Office hours: 517 MCCC
EMAIL: h.bolivar@ufl.edu (TB)
gcm0402@ufl.edu, (GP) atasdem@ufl.edu (AT)
Office Hours: Mondays after class
Office hours: Mondays 10-12 (GP) and 12-2 (TB)
and 7th period, before each exam Tuesdays 4:30-6:30(AT) Wednesday 10-12 (AT)
Thursdays 1-3 (GP) and 4:30-6:30 (TB)
REQUIRED TEXT: PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE by Gerrig (20th ed.), ISBN#: 0205863140 OR
9780205859139. Used copies are fine. Do not get a special edition, international edition, or brief edition.
Make sure that you use the 20th edition. Earlier editions will not have the same material.
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 1) be able to define key concepts in psychology, 2)
be able to explain many of the issues and theories that drive psychological research, 3) understand the main
features of psychology 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 atasdem@ufl.edu. Do
not use the course website email system—no one will be answering it. LECTURE REVIEWS will be given
each week by graduate TAs during their office hours.
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. RESIST THE URGE to
tweet, send email, check Facebook, browse, text, sleep, read outside materials, 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. Psychology research shows that you learn only when you pay attention.
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) Feel free to form study groups to aid your learning. However, all students are expected to WORK
ALONE ON ALL EXAMS IN CLASS. 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 tablet 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) The University of Florida does not permit student grade information to be sent or received by email
on nonencrypted cell phones. If you have PERSONAL GRADE QUESTIONS, come to office hours.
8) Class begins on August 25 and ends on December 10. NO CLASS on these official UF holidays:
Sept. 1 (Labor Day), Oct. 17 (Homecoming), Nov. 26 to 28 (Thanksgiving).
-----------------------------------------------------------------Psychology Department Chair: Lise Abrams
Undergraduate Coordinator: Jeffrey Farrar
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
COMPLETE ALL READING ASSIGNMENTS
COMPLETE 5 EXAMS, 40 POINTS EACH
COMPLETE THE RESEARCH REQUIREMENT, 44 POINTS
COMPLETE TOPHATMONOCLE ASSIGNMENTS, 35 POINTS (4 EXTRA)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------LECTURE TOPICS
REQUIRED READING
DUE DATE
Introduction
Psychology as a Science
Memory and Study Skills
Chapter 1, plus 121-125
Chapter 2
Chapter 7, plus 208-210
EXAM 1 - SEPTEMBER 15 (Mon.)
Wed. 8/27
Fri. 8/29
Wed. 9/3
The Brain
Nature-Nurture Issues
Chapter 3
Chapter 3, Chapter 9
EXAM 2 - OCTOBER 6
(Mon.)
Wed. 9/17
Fri. 9/26
Sensation and Perception
Learning
Motivation
Chapter 4, plus 220-222, skip 90-102 Wed.10/8
Chapter 6
Mon.10/13
Chapter 11
Fri. 10/24
EXAM 3 - OCTOBER 29
(Wed.)
Personality
Psychological disorders
Psychotherapy and Treatment
Chapter 13, plus 333-344
Chapters 14
Chapter 15
EXAM 4 - NOVEMBER 17
Fri. 10/31
Wed. 11/5
Mon. 11/10
(Mon.)
Development and Socialization
Chapter 10
Social Influences
Chapter 16
EXAM 5 - DECEMBER 10 (Wed.)
Wed. 11/19
Mon. 12/1
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: **TO BE ARRANGED**
FINAL TIME AND DATE DETAILS: **TO BE ARRANGED**
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 exams.
All exams will be held in McCarty Auditorium (Room 100), except for the final (room to be arranged).
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 clips or films) and the text. There will be a heavier
emphasis on material presented in both class and text, 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 non-cumulative "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 after Exam 5. If you miss an exam for any
reason, 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 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 if you want 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 (hard
copy) 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 for no more than a month and then they will be shredded.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to request any special accommodations they may need, and this
should be done no later than Sept. 8 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.
Students may obtain credit for answering questions from TOPHATMONOCLE (by text message in class, or
online). Students should sign up as soon as instructions are provided for enrollment for this particular class.
Your grade will be determined by adding up points for exams, TopHatMonocle (THM) work, and the
research requirement, plus any extra credit you receive (e.g., a curve on a test, extra points in THM). Grades
will be computed using the UF grading system, as noted below:
A
=
92% - 100% 253 points or more
A=
90% - 91%
247 – 252.9 points
B+
=
88% - 89%
242 – 246.9 points
B
=
82% - 87%
225 – 241.9 points
B=
80% - 81%
220 – 224.9 points
C+
=
78% - 79%
214 – 219.9 points
C
=
72% - 77%
198 – 213.9 points
C=
70% - 71%
192 – 197.9 points
D+
=
68% - 69%
187 – 191.9 points
D
=
62% - 67%
170 – 186.9 points
D=
60% - 61%
165 – 169.9 points
E(F) =
less than 60%
below 165 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 studies OR OPTION 2--write papers. Some information
about these options is provided below. Additional instructions can be found on the class website and at the
university-wide website, http://ufl.sona-systems.com.
Option 1: Earn 8 credits (1 credit = 1/2 hour) by participating in approved research for 4 hours (due Dec.
10 by 4:00 pm). If you do not complete all credits by the deadline, you will receive points at a rate of 5.5
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. TOTALCREDITSANDPOINTSPERCREDITMAYCHANGE!!
Option 2: Write 3 papers about completed research published in academic psychology journals (due Nov.
24 by 4:00 pm). Students who will not be 18 years old until the spring term MUST use this option. All 3
completed papers will receive a total of 44 points (approx. 14.6 points for each). Papers that are incomplete
will lose points. Students who want to complete the research requirement using Option 2 must submit an
email indicating this choice to atasdem@ufl.edu no later than Wed., Sept. 17 at 4 pm. Option 2 may not
be selected after that date.
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 by the assigned date, 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: read the chapter by the due date, attend class EVERY TIME, pay close attention to the lecture,
use good note-taking skills, and review the “terms and names to know” in order to focus your reading.
Your text is well organized. Important terms are defined separately in the text. Always read the chapter
recap 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 written or digital resources
provided for your text and in MYPSYCHLAB. MYPSYCHLAB is not required but I strongly recommend
that you use it for studying. 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 lists from
a previous class can be found on the course E-LEARNING website at http://lss.at.ufl.edu. This will
assist you as you begin studying for each exam. 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." You should use practice tests in the
book or MYPSYCHLAB to test yourself before each exam, to see if you have learned the material well.
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) do assigned reading by the due date; 2)
read and study the text again after hearing the lectures, 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.