General Psychology
PSYCH 110 – 00007
Spring 2007
Instructor: Caroline Mann
Office: 307 Austin Peay (on the hill)
Office Hours: Drop-in Mon 2:15-3:15, Thurs: 12:15-1:55, or by appointment
Email: cmann4@utk.edu
Class Location: 27 AMB
Meeting Time: 3:35-4:25 MWF
Course Overview
“Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire” -William Yeats
Welcome to Psychology 110! I hope that you find the course both enjoyable and
stimulating. Psychology110 is a freshman level survey course that will focus on the basic
concepts, principles, and theories related to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
This course seeks to provide students with an appreciation and sensitivity to the many facets of
human behavior. This course surveys a wide array of topics that psychologists study, such as
biology, learning, cognition, social, and abnormal behavior. The class is taught in a
lecture/discussion format. Because of time constraints, not all material presented in the book will
be presented in class. However, you are still responsible for all material in the book even though
some of it may not have been covered in class. You are also responsible for lecture material that
might not be covered in the book.
Objectives
 To spark your interest in the broader field of psychology
 To encourage you to apply psychology to experiences in your daily life
 To convey that psychology is, in fact, a science
Blackboard Website
When you registered for the class you were automatically enrolled in the Blackboard
website for your section of Psychology 110. The website will provide information about the
course such as the syllabus, extra credit opportunities, course announcements, study guide
questions for your exams, and grades. All urgent announcements will be sent to the class via
your UTK email address. Check the website frequently!!
Required Reading
Textbook: Psychology (edited by Richard A. Saudargas)
Supplemental Readings (will be provided):
Excerpt from Opening Skinner’s Box
Classroom Protocol:
With this being a large course in terms of enrollment, it amplifies the importance of
classroom atmosphere. A classroom environment that facilitates the maximum opportunity for
learning must be present at all times. It is expected that all students attending this course be
attentive, polite, and not a source of distraction to the instructor or any other student. Distracting
behaviors such as private conversations, newspaper reading, coming to class late and leaving
early, or any other potentially disruptive behavior have no place in a classroom environment
devoted to learning in a university setting. However, you are always encouraged to ask questions
and share informed comments. Every effort will be made to make the classroom experience both
profitable and enjoyable for all.
Optimizing Your Classroom Experience:
Take responsibility for your learning experience. If you are having difficulty with the
material, seek help from me. Form study groups. These groups are a terrific opportunity for
sharing ideas, meeting new people, and enhancing your absorption of the course content.
How to Prepare for Class:
In order for maximum interaction and learning to occur, it is essential that students read the
assigned chapters prior to each class session. In a large course, it is often easy to sit back, relax,
and absorb information without becoming engaged in the topic under consideration. Individuals
may also feel psychology to be "common sense" and, therefore, feel they do not need to devote
time to studying the material. Students are encouraged to come to class prepared and contribute to
the topic from their individual perspectives. It will be up to each student to assist in making this
class an interactive experience.
Office Hours:
Please do not hesitate to come by during office hours. They are held for your benefit. If you
are having trouble in class, you should discuss it immediately. Most students wait until the end of
the semester before they realize they are having problems in class. If you wait until the end of the
semester, it may be too late. If you want to review an examination and discuss what you missed,
come to office hours. If you want to discuss a topic more fully, come to office hours. If you need
to talk about strategies for studying the course material, then come to office hours. Office hours
are an opportunity to discuss whatever you choose about the class or psychology in general. I am
happy to help!
Student Success Center: http://studentsuccess.tennessee.edu/ The Student Success Center
contains an array of information that is designed to help students adjust to and succeed at the
university.
Academic Honesty:
Your academic performance is based on YOUR honest efforts. Academic dishonesty will be
dealt with according the rules of the University. (see Hilltopics and the Undergraduate Catalog).
If you are caught cheating on an exam or quiz or a paper you will be given an F in the
course and a letter will be sent to Student Judicial Affairs. Cheating includes plagiarism,
copying answers during an exam, etc. Each semester several students receive an F in the course
for taking a quiz for someone else. If you decide not to come to class on a quiz day, please do not
ask another student to take a quiz and sign your name on the quiz, and do not offer to take a quiz
for another student. A two or three point quiz is not worth the consequences. In such cases both
students receive an F in the course, letters are sent to Student Judicial Affairs, and the students
risk losing their scholarships.
Disability Services
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a documented disability or if
you have emergency information to share, please contact the
Office of Disability Services at
191 Hoskins Library or 974-6087. This will ensure that you are properly registered for services.
Withdrawing from the Course: (see p. 45 of the Undergraduate Catalogue)
 No W on transcript. Until Sept 1 you may drop this course without a W on your
transcript.
 W on transcript: From September 2 until October 3 you may drop the course and receive
a “W” on your transcript which is not computed in your GPA.
 WP or WF on transcript: From October 4 until November 14 you may drop the course
and receive either a WP (Withdraw Pass) or WF (Withdraw Fail). If you are passing the
course, I will assign a WP which is not computed in your GPA. If you are failing the
course, I will assign a WF which is calculated as an F grade in your GPA. My signature is
required on a WP/WF form that you can pick up at the registrar’s office
Course Grading:
There are four ways you can earn points toward your course grade: (1) Exams, (2) Scheduled
Quizzes, (3) Research Participation (4) Class Participation.
EXAMS (200 points)
There will be 4 examinations and 1 optional comprehensive final each worth 50 points. The
examinations are multiple choice with answers placed on an answer form. Arrive on time for each
exam since no one will be allowed to take the examination after the first person turns in his or
her examination and leaves the classroom. In other words, if you come to an examination after
one person has turned in their test, you will miss that examination and receive a zero for that
exam. There are no exceptions to this rule, so be sure your alarm clocks and cars are in working
order. Bring your picture Student ID with you to each examination as we may ask to see it.
Because of the large numbers of students in all the sections of Psychology 110 we cannot
offer make up examinations. If you miss an exam for any reason, do not ask for a make-up. The
COMP examination (see below) given at the end of the semester acts as the make-up.
The optional COMP is a comprehensive examination over the semester material and is
given during your scheduled final examination period. You can use the COMP exam to make-up
one missed examination or to try and raise your score on one examination. The COMP is your
make-up examination. Remember the COMP is only good for replacing the score on one
examination. If you have enough points for the grade that you want after Exam 4, then you do
not need to take the COMP examination. The COMP is no risk. After taking all regular exams
and the COMP you may drop the lowest of any of the four exam grades, including the COMP.
Scan Forms. You will take your exams on a scan form which you can purchase at the bookstore.
Be sure you get the half sheet forms that are for Psychology. Scan forms will not be available at
the exams. If you do not have a form you may not be able to take the exam, so you should go to
the book store and buy a bunch of forms. You will also need a #2 pencil.
SCHEDULED QUIZZES (32 points)
Ten in class quizzes will be administered between each of the four examinations. See the
syllabus for the days of the quizzes. The quizzes will cover book and lecture material since the
previous quiz. There are no make-ups for missed quizzes, regardless of the excuse. Each quiz is
worth 2-4 points for a total of 32 possible points.
RESEARCH PARTICIPATION (48 points)
One goal of the course is to teach about research in psychology so one of the course requirements
is to actively learn about psychology research. In this class there are two ways to actively learn
about research. The first is to participate in a research study and the second is to integrate
concepts and research findings and apply those to areas of ones life. You can earn up to 48
points by participating in research and/or writing research participation concept papers.
Participate in Research. You can earn up to 12 points per hour by participating in experiments
conducted by researchers in the Department of Psychology and the university. Finding out about
research opportunities and signing up to participate in research is done on-line. You must be
registered on-line by Jan 17, 2007.
Instructions for Student Sign Up
1. Go to the following URL:
http://hpr.msu.edu/UTK/
2. Click on Participants
3. Click on Create an Account
4. Type in the box: utstudent (the screen will not show the letters)
5. Click on submit
6. Complete the information on the next screen and click submit
7. On subsequent visits you will just enter your username and password.
8. You will be able to see any extra credit opportunities and sign up for them on line.
The last day for research participation is April 27, 2007
The number of experiments in which students can sign up for participation varies each semester
and there is no guarantee that there will be enough experiments for all students to earn all the
Research Participation points.
AND/OR…
Research Concept Papers: You may earn up to 12 points for each of 4 concept papers. For a
particular course unit, discuss three concepts or information from the unit that challenged you or
surprised you and prompted you to think about the concepts or information in ways that had not
occurred to you before. Papers will be a minimum of 3 pages and no longer than 4 pages (12
point Times New Roman font, double spaced). You must include a minimum of 3 concepts in the
paper and indicate the chapter and page number where those concepts are found in the book. Only
the paper for a particular unit will be accepted. That is, for Unit 1, only papers pertaining to Unit
1 will be accepted. Once Unit 2 begins, only papers for Unit 2 will be accepted; you will no
longer be able to turn in a paper for Unit 1, etc.
Due dates for the concept papers are listed on the course outline. Papers will not be accepted after
the class period on that date nor via email attachments.
You can be a research participant and write concept papers in any combination. You
can do 4 papers and no time as a research participant; 3 papers and be a research
participant for 1 hour; 2 papers and 2 hours of research participation; 1 paper and 3 hours
of research participation; no papers and 4 hours of research participation.
CLASS PARTICIPATION (10 points)/ “Extra Credit Points”
Class participation points are in class pop quizzes and other in class activities that will be
given at unscheduled times. These are bonus points that are added to point totals at the end of the
semester. There are no make-ups for missed class participation points, regardless of the excuse.
Grade Point Ranges. The total number of points you earn determines your grade. Using the
total points from 4 examinations (200 points), quizzes (32 points), and research participation (48
points), you can earn as many as 280 points.
`
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Point Range
280-252
251-224
223-196
195-168
167-000
Grades of Incomplete are not given except under extraordinary circumstances for which we
will want documentation. Examine your semester schedule carefully. If you will miss more than
one exam and the COMP because of some personal conflict, take the class some other time or
semester.
Grade Postings:
Your examination, research participation, and quiz scores will be posted on the Blackboard
website. If you think there is an error in your score, you have until the next exam date to
correct any errors for the just completed section of exams, papers, and quizzes. In other
words, if you think there is an error in your score, come see me immediately. If we cannot locate
your exam or quiz, you will not receive points for it. You should check these postings to be
certain you have received all the credit you have earned.
Some Quotations on Psychology:
- “Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose” (Zora Neale
Hurston).
- “When I look at the world I’m pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic” (Carl
Rogers).
- “The social psychology of this century reveals a major lesson: often it is not so much the kind of
person a man is as the kind of situation in which he finds himself that determines how he will act”
(Stanley Milgram).
Unit 1:
Chapter 1: Human Development
Chapter 2: Research Methods
Chapter 3: Biological Psychology
Chapter 4: Sensation and Perception
January
W
10
F
12
M
15
W
17
F
19
M
22
W
24
F
26
M
29
W
31
February
F
2
M
5
Introduction to Class
Ch 1
Ch 1
Ch 1 (Quiz 1)
Ch 2
Ch 2
Ch 3 (Quiz 2)
Ch 3
Ch 4
Ch 4 & R article (Quiz 3)
Lecture [Unit 1 Paper ]
Exam 1: Chapt. 1,2,3,4
and Research Article
Unit 2:
Chapter 5: Memory
Chapter 6: Language and Thought
Chapter 7: Intelligence and Testing
W
F
M
W
F
M
W
F
M
7
9
12
14
16
19
21
23
26
Parenting or special topic
Ch 5
Ch 5
Ch 6 (Quiz 4)
Ch 6
Ch 7
Ch 7 (Quiz 5)
Ch 7 [Unit 2 Paper]
Exam 2 Chapt 5,6,7 (don’t
read article)
Unit 3:
Chapter 8: Motivation and Emotion
Chapter 9: Variations in Consciousness
Chapter 10: Learning
W
March
F
M
W
F
M
W
F
M
W
F
28
Ch 8
2
5
7
9
12
14
16
19
21
23
Ch 8
Ch 9
Ch 9 (Quiz 6)
Ch 9
Spring Break
Spring Break
Spring Break
Ch 10
Ch 10 (Q 7), Unit 3 Paper
Exam 3 Chapters 8,9,10
and Research Article
Unit 4:
Chapter 11: Personality
Chapter 12: Mental and Behavior
Disorders
Chapter 13: Treatment of Disorders
Chapter 14: Social Behavior
M
W
F
April
M
W
F
M
W
F
26
28
30
Ch 11
Ch 11 (Quiz 8)
Ch 12
2
4
6
9
11
13
Ch 12
Ch 12 (Quiz 9)
No Class
Ch 13
Ch 13 (Quiz 10)
Ch 14
M
W
16
18
Ch 14
Supplemental Reading
[Unit 4 Paper ]
F
20
M
W
F
23
25
27
Exam 4: Ch 11, 12, 13, 14
and Supp. Reading
Review
Review
Last Day of Classes