DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING
SPRING SEMESTER, 2007
PSYC2500D
FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY
3 HOURS
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Pastorino, E.,
& Doyle-Portillo, S. (2004). What
is psychology? (1st ed.). Thomson
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A general survey course designed to introduce the student to the fundamental methods and content of contemporary psychology. PSYC 2500 is required of all psychology majors.
Principle 1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures
of the fields of knowledge s/he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Principle 2: The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and provides learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING OUTCOMES
1. Students will use the scientific method as a primary basis for engaging in critical thinking and evaluating multiple sources of information. (Outcome #1)
2. Students will communicate and present psychological concepts, principles, and theories clearly and effectively, both in oral and written form. (Outcome #6)
3. Students will use appropriately the technical language of the science of psychology in oral and written communication. (Outcome #7)
4. Students will articulate the developmental changes resulting from both hereditary and environmental factors that shape individual differences. (Outcome #9)
5. Students will compare and contrast differing theoretical perspectives within and among the differing disciplines of psychology. (Outcome #10)
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will describe the following theoretical approaches in psychology.
a. Psychoanalytic
b. Learning/Behavioral
c. Cognitive
d. Humanistic/Existential
2. Students will be able to name and describe various methods of scientific inquiry.
3. Students will be able to describe in general the interplay of biological and psychological factors which effect personality, social, and cognitive development.
COURSE EVALUATION
Exams: There will be four unit exams (see calendar below for dates and chapters to be covered) for this course. Each exam is worth 100 points (20% of your grade). The fourth of these exams will be administered during the regularly scheduled final exam period. At that time, you will also have the option of retaking a previous unit's exam to try to replace the grade you originally received for that unit. Keep in mind that you risk lowering your grade rather than raising it! You must inform me if you wish to take advantage of this option by the last class day. If you should miss an exam (due to a documented medical or family emergency), you will take it during the final exam period and not be permitted to retake another exam.
Assignments: You are responsible for completing four of the six offered assignments this term. Each completed assignment will be worth 25 points. If you choose to complete more than four required assignments, the four highest grades will be put toward the overall grade in the course. Keep in mind that the greater depth and effort demonstrated in completing these assignments, the better the grade. Specific assignments are on the final page of this syllabus.
GRADING CRITERIA
Four exams worth 100 points each plus four assignments worth
25 points each for a total of 500 possible points.
A = 90% = 450-500 points
B = 80% = 400-449 points
C = 70% = 350-399 points
D = 60% = 300-349 points
F = 299 points or less
ATTENDANCE POLICY
VSU policy requires class attendance. Class roll will not be taken, so you are on your honor to attend class. It will be very difficult to do well on exams without class attendance. Changes to class calendar may be announced in class, and you will be expected to be aware of them. In addition, extra credit opportunities may be given or announced in class and will not be made up if you miss class.
CELL PHONE/TECHNOLOGY POLICY
You may use a laptop to type notes, but use of laptops for activities unrelated to class activities will result in being asked to leave. Using cell phones to take pictures, text message, or to make phone calls during class is prohibited. Cell phones should be switched off and left in book bags, purses, or pockets. Having a cell phone on your desk will subject it to being confiscated for the duration of the class. MP3 players or other stereo equipment with earpieces or cell phones should also be switched off and put away during class time.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING POLICY:
The full text of this policy is available in the
College of Education Dean’s Office, EC room 227. The following penalties will be enforced, as
stated in the Policy:
FIRST OFFENSE: The student will earn a
“0” on the assignment, test, project, etc.
SECOND OFFENSE: The student will earn the letter
grade “F” for the course.
THIRD OFFENSE: The student will earn the letter
grade “F” for the course, and further action involving referral of the
matter (with documentation) to the appropriate college (university) officials
within the administrative structure will be taken. (Please see page 39 of the
VSU Student Handbook.)
If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, I recommend you review the following web site:
http://www.valdosta.edu/~cbarnbau/personal/teaching_MISC/plagiarism.htm
INSTRUCTOR
David Wasieleski, Ph.D.
#306
Office Hours: MWF 9:30-11:00 a.m.; TR 1-3:30pm (Available at other times by appointment)
Phone: 333-5620
dwasiele@valdosta.edu
http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski
SPECIAL NEEDS STATEMENT
COURSE SCHEDULE
1/9: Chapter 1: What is Psychology?
1/16: Chapter 2: How Does Biology Influence Our Behavior?
1/23: Chapter 2: How Does Biology Influence Our Behavior?
Chapter 3: How Do We Sense and Perceive Our World?
1/30: assignment 1 due
Chapter 3: How Do We Sense and Perceive Our World?
Chapter 5: How Do We Learn?
2/6: Exam 1 (Chapters 1-3) Link to exam 1 sample
questions here Link to exam 1
key words here
Chapter 5: How Do We Learn?
2/13: Chapter 6: How Does Memory Function?
2/20: assignment
2 due
Chapter 7: Cognition, Language, and Intelligence: How Do We Think?
2/27: Exam 2 (Chapters 5-7) Link to exam 2 sample questions here Link to exam 2 key words here
Chapter 9: Child Development
3/6: assignment 3 due
Chapter 9: Child Development
Chapter 11: How Do Gender and Sexuality Impact Our Behavior?
3/20: assignment 4 due
Chapter 12: How Do We Understand and Relate To Others?
3/27: Chapter 12: How Do We Understand and Relate To Others?
Chapter 14: What is Personality and How Do We Measure It?
4/3: Exam 3 (Chapters 9, 11, and 12) Link to
exam 3 sample questions here
Link to exam 3 key words here
Chapter 14: What is Personality and How Do We Measure It?
4/10: Chapter 15: What are Psychological Disorders and How Can We Understand Them?
4/17: assignment 5 due
Chapter 15: What are Psychological Disorders and How Can We Understand Them?
4/24: assignment 6 due
Chapter 16: What Therapies are used to Treat Psychological Problems?
Final Exam: Thursday,
5-3-07, 7:15p.m.-9:15p.m.: Chapters 14-16 Link to exam 4 sample questions here
Link to exam 4 key words here
Please note that dates of chapters are approximate and subject to change.
Assignments
Assignment 1: Summarize a research article from the
field of psychology. Take one of the journals listed below (you may use another
psychology journal in our library if you wish, but first show the article to me
for approval if you do), and select an article that describes a research
project. Be sure the article includes a research study (one way to be sure is
to look for headers like “Method,” “Results,” and
“Discussion” in the article). Some of these journals are available
with full text through Galileo; others require a visit to the library itself.
For tips on writing a research summary, check the following web site: http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dtwasieleski/artisumm.htm.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology Journal of
Clinical Psychology
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Psychology in the Schools
Journal of
Experimental Psychology Developmental
Psychology
Assignment 2: There are 4 stages of observational learning: Attention, Retention, Reproduction, and Motivation. In the first stage, the person learning must notice the model's behavior. In the second stage, the person must remember what the model did. In the third stage, the person must have the ability to try to do the model's behavior. In the last stage, the person must want to copy the model's behavior. In this exercise, take 2 different ads from television and explain how they use the 4 principles of observational learning. First of all, describe the ad. Make sure that you break the ad into the 4 parts and explain thoroughly enough that I see you understand the concept.
Assignment 3: One of the larger controversies in the social sciences in the past 20 years surrounds the use of IQ tests to draw broad conclusions about the relative cognitive abilities of different demographic groups. A book published in 1992, The Bell Curve, rekindled this controversy. At the following web site there are two opinions rendered regarding this controversy, one for, and one against the propositions in The Bell Curve.
http://felix.unife.it/Root/d-Mensa-files/d-Intelligence/t-Bell-curve-reviews
Read this document, then write a 2-3 page summary and reaction paper (with your opinion) on this controversy. Be sure to acknowledge points made on both sides of the debate.
Assignment 4: Choose a children's book and relate what is in the book to one of the areas discussed in your psych text (nature/nurture, biological development, cognitive development, language, social development, moral development, etc.). Describe your observations and include a discussion of how principles from the text apply to your observation. Make sure to give examples from the book that show how they relate to the concept you are talking about. For example, the Winnie the Pooh books focus on a child in Piaget's preoperational stage. So you would talk about the kinds of things found in that stage that are also found in those books.
Assignment 5: Two of the most famous experiments in social psychology are the Milgram obedience study and the Zimbardo prison experiment. In 2-3 typed pages, briefly describe the two studies, and discuss the ethical issues raised by how these studies were carried out. What ethical issues would first need to be resolved before those studies could be run today? Feel free to include your personal opinions regarding the value of such studies.
Assignment 6:
Watch either a serious movie or a comedy about someone who obviously
displays some abnormal behavior. Need some suggestions? Check out http://www.Psychmovies.com by Dr.
Cannon.
1. According to the book and notes, how do psychologists define psychological
disorders (what are the conditions or criteria for abnormal behavior)?
2. How does the movie define the person's behavior as abnormal? In other words,
how does it fit the conditions listed? Make sure to give me specific examples
of how the behavior fits abnormal conditions.