FOUNDATIONAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology 150 (Section 03), Fall 2013

Instructor: Office: Phone: E-mail: Dr. Katherine White 125 Clough 901.843.3235 whitek@rhodes.edu Office Hours: MW 10:00-11:30 and by appointment

Class meetings: Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00-12:15 Clough 313 Required Texts: Griggs, R. A. (2012). Psychology: A Concise Introduction (3rd Edition). New York: Worth Publishers. Hock, R.R. (2013). Forty studies that changed psychology (7th Edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall. Other articles required as reading for the course (see calendar) will be on the file server.

I. Course Overview
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. This course will provide you with a broad overview of the field and will introduce you to different aspects and subfields of psychology. We will discuss basic concepts and theories for topics such as perception, memory, learning, personality, child development, and psychological disorders. I will also introduce the research methods utilized in these areas, as well as describe research findings in each area. Passing this course is a prerequisite to most advanced courses offered by the Department of Psychology. These advanced courses develop, in greater breadth and depth, the topics covered by this basic course.

II. Course Objectives

Through this course, students should: 1. Gain factual knowledge by learning basic concepts, theories, and terminology used in different areas of psychology. 2. Learn fundamental principles and theories in the major disciplines of psychology. Students should attain an understanding of the scientific nature of psychology, including research methods utilized in different areas of psychology. 3. Begin to learn how to analyze and critically evaluate psychology and research. Development of these skills will be demonstrated through assignments that will require summarizing, evaluating, and critiquing psychological research.

III. Course Requirements

A. Class Preparedness & Participation in Discussions (75 points). Regular attendance is strongly recommended and will be tracked. Material will be covered in class that is not available in your text or on the PowerPoint slides you are responsible for this material. In addition, you will read several research articles that supplement and expand upon the material covered in the text and lectures. You will also periodically be asked to watch videos (links will be provided in class or sent via email) prior to class. You should come to class fully prepared by having read the complete reading assignments and having watched the videos in advance of the class period. We will discuss the readings and videos during class and student participation is expected. I expect you to respectfully express your opinions, ideas, and questions in class, and listen and respond to your fellow classmates . Students will start with zero (0) discussion points it is your responsibility to contribute to class discussions in order to earn the full 75 points. If you are uncomfortable speaking in class for any reason, please see me during the first week of class. (Objectives 1 3) B. Reading Quizzes (45 total points). As indicated above, you will read several research articles that supplement and expand upon the material covered in the text. As a way of encouraging you to keep up with the readings, 10 brief quizzes (on supplemental readings) will be given during the first 5 minutes of class. Of the 10 quizzes, nine will count towards your final grade (i.e., one quiz will be dropped). No make-up quizzes will be given; if you miss class or are late for class for any reason, the missed quiz can be used as your drop (students arriving late will not be given extra time to finish the quiz). Each quiz will be worth 5 points. (Objectives 1 & 2) 1

C. Article critiques (150 total points): You will be responsible for critiquing two empirical articles over the course of the semester. These critiques are designed to help you learn how to read and evaluate scientific research articles, and to encourage critical thinking about scientific research. Guidelines for evaluating each article are provided in the Critiques folder in my public folder. Deadlines for each critique are indicated on the Course Calendar. Critiques should be typed and handed in during class on date on which the article is assigned as a supplemental reading. Late critiques (those turned in after the class period in which the article is to be discussed) will be deducted 20% per day late. Each critique is worth 75 points. (Objective 3) D. Exams (425 total points). There will be three regular exams (100 points each) over the course of the semester and a comprehensive final exam (125 points). The Final will also include questions from the last topic/chapter. Exams will cover a large amount of material, so please plan ahead. Details on exam format will be provided prior to the first exam. You will be responsible for information presented in class AND in the text/readings (note that exam questions will cover all assigned readings) and videos. All exam dates are indicated on the course calendar, and all exams will be given in the classroom. Students are responsible for knowing exam dates and being in the classroom ON TIME. Additional time will not be given to students who arrive late. (Objectives 1 & 2) Make-up Exam Policy. Make-up exams will only be given in cases of serious illness or emergency, or if you must represent the College at an athletic or scholastic event. In either case, if an exam is to be missed, you must notify me AND obtain my permission to miss the exam prior to the exam, otherwise you will receive a 0 for that exam grade (even if you are sick you can still pick up a phone and call!). Further, all make-up exams will be given during the final exam period. E. Research Requirement. Students enrolled in Psychology 150 must fulfill a research requirement as part of this course. This research requirement may be completed in one of two ways: (a) participating in four hours of experiments offered by the Psychology Department, (b) reading and critiquing empirical journal articles on psychological research. Experiments typically take 30-90 minutes of your time, and are educational by allowing you to learn first hand about psychological research. Furthermore, your partici pation helps to train advanced psychology majors who are learning how to conduct scientific investigations (under faculty supervision). If you choose to participate in experiments, you must register with the on-line experiment sign-up system, Sona Systems. See handout titled Intro Research Requirement. You should not feel pressured to participate in experiments; fulfilling your research requirement through experimentation is optional and you will receive full credit if you successfully complete the alternative for this requirement. Note that the alternative research credits are due on Friday, November 1. If you do not complete either of these alternatives, you will receive an incomplete in this course. The handout Intro Research Requirement can be found on \\Fileserver1\Acad_Dept_Pgm\ Psychology\White_Katherine\Public\PSYC 150\Research Requirement. (Objective 2) *If you chose to participate in experiments, all of your participation will be tracked online and you will have nothing to turn in. However, if you chose to complete an alternative (or a combination of alternatives and experiments), staple all of your alternative research credit forms together and turn them in once you have all credits completed. DO NOT turn them in one by one.

IV. Grading
A. Summary of Course Assignments Class preparedness and participation Quizzes (9 at 5 points each) Article critiques (2 at 75 points each) 3 Regular Exams (100 points each) Final Exam TOTAL Points = 75 points = 45 points = 150 points = 300 points = 125 points = 695 points % of Final Grade 11% 6% 22% 43% 18% 100%

B. Grievances: If you feel that something was not graded fairly, you may request a re-evaluation of that particular grade. All requests must be made in writing to the professor within one week of receiving the grade and must include a detailed explanation of why the grade is unfair. 2

C. Academic Dishonesty. As in all courses at Rhodes, students are expected to act honorably in pursuit of our mutual educational objectives. Thus, honor code violations (e.g., cheating, plagiarism) will not be tolerated and will be reported to the appropriate authority. Please review the Rhodes College academic dishonesty policies, particularly the section on plagiarism. You will be required to pledge all of your work. However, students are encouraged to work collaboratively in this course unless otherwise indicated. Feel free to study together, share notes, discuss assignments, and proofread one anothers work.

V. Resources for You

A. Students with Special Accommodations. If you have a documented disability and would like to receive academic accommodations, please speak with me as soon as possible (at least one week before the first exam) so that we can discuss appropriate arrangements. You will need to show me documentation from the office of Student and Disability Services (843-3994). B. Assistance with Writing or Studying. If you feel you need assistance with your writing, please contact the Rhodes College Writing Center at 843-3393. In addition, students who belong to the Psychology Honor Society (Psi Chi) hold regular office hours and are also good resources to help review concepts discussed in class and writing assignments. I strongly encourage you to use one of these resources. C. Office Hours. If you would like additional assistance in order to achieve the goals of this course, I am happy to meet with you during my office hours (see top of syllabus). If these times are inconvenient for you, please see me about scheduling an appointment at a mutually convenient time. If you need to contact me, my phone number and email are listed at the top of the syllabus. If you are struggling in this course for any reason, please contact me immediately do not wait until the end of the semester because it may be too late. D. Course Material. You can find portions of the lecture slides and any additional material (e.g., handouts) on the file server at \\fileserver1\Acad_Dept_Pgm\Psychology\White_Katherine\Public\PSYC 150. The lecture slides will be available at least one day prior to each class meeting. Note that the slides do not replace note taking, and should only serve as an outline to help you fully engage in the course material. E. Classroom Climate. The Psychology Department at Rhodes College is committed to creating an academic climate that is safe, respectful, and appreciative of all students, staff, and faculty regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, size, socioeconomic background, religion, spirituality, physical ability, mental ability, or any other aspect of ones identity. We believe that a climate of mutual respect allows us to ask difficult questions and to participate in honest discussions about difficult issues, even in the context of strong disagreement. Creating this kind of open, honest, and respectful climate is our mutual responsibility. F. Safe Zone. On my door is a Safe Zone sign. This sign is a symbol that represents my office as a safe place where one may be open about their identity without fear. Specifically, the Safe Zone symbol is a message to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) students, ally students and colleagues. My office is a safe space for anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, size, socioeconomic background, religion, spirituality, physical ability, mental ability, or any other aspect of ones identity.

G. Course Calendar. Below is a tentative outline of the course topics and corresponding readings. Readings should be completed prior to class on the assigned date. It is your responsibility to be in class and to regularly (i.e., daily) check email for any announcements of changed due dates. The exam dates are also listed ( these are not tentative).

PSYC 150 Course Calendar

*It is strongly recommended that you read the assigned pages in Griggs prior to reading the Journal Articles
Readings & Assignments Supplemental Readings: Hock Articles and Empirical Journal Articles

Date

Topic Course Introduction A Scientific Psychology Research Methods & Statistics

Griggs (Ch: pp #s) Ch. 1: 1-7 Ch. 1: 7-16 Ch. 1: 16-30

R T R

Aug 22 27 29

We will use these articles to discuss how to read & critique journal articles:

Fraley et al. (2012) Dev. Antecedents of Political Ideology

T Sept 3

Article Discussion

an example of a correlational research method

DeLoach et al. (2010) Do Babies Learn From Baby Media? an example of experimental research method
R T R T R T R T R T R T R T R T R T R T R T R T R T S 5 10 12 17 19 24 26 Oct 1 3 8 10 15 17 22 24 29 31 Nov 5 7 12 14 19 21 26 28 Dec 3 Dec 7

Ch. 2: 37-57 Neuroscience Ch. 2: 58-78 Ch. 3: 85-107 Ch. 3: 108-120 Hock 1: Gazzaniga (1967) - split brain Hopkins & Cantalupo (2008) Evol. Origins of Hemis. Specialization Lit et al. (2007) Subliminal Smells Hock 4: Gibson & Walk (1960) visual cliff Hock 5: Fantz (1961) take a long look EXAM 1 Learning Ch. 4: 127-137 Ch.4: 138-164 Ch. 5: 171-185 Memory Ch. 5: 197-200 Ch. 5: 186-197 Intelligence Ch. 6: 228-240 Havermans & Jansen (2006) Inc. Childrens Liking of Veggies Hock 31: Seligman & Maier (1967) learn to be depressed Loftus (2004) Memory of Things Unseen Lindsay et al. (2004) True Photos & False Memories *1st critique due Karpicke (2012) Retrieval-Based Learning Gottfredson (2011) Intelligence Hock 14: Gardener (1983) multiple intelligences FALL BREAK Intell. contd & Article Discussion Moreno et al. (2011) Short-Term Music Training Gottfredson (2004) Schools and the g factor EXAM 2 Developmental Psych Ch. 7: 247-257 Ch 7: 257-269 Ch.7: 270-282 Ch. 8: 289-301 Personality Ch. 8: 301-316 Ch. 9: 346-356 Ch. 9: 324-339 323; 339-346 Abnormal Psychology Ch. 10: 363-375 Thomas & Johnson (2008) Sensitive Periods Hock 17: Harlow (1958) discovering love Raby et al. (2012) Contributions to Infant Attachment Hock 30: Freud (1946) defense mechanisms Komarraju et al. (2011) Big 5, Learn Styles, & Academic Achiev.
*2nd critique due

Sensation & Perception

Social Psychology

Hock 24: Festinger & Carlsmith (1959) thoughts out of tune Eibach & Mock (2011) Idealizing Parenthood Hock 40: Milgram (1963) Obedience Burger (2009) Replicating Milgram Hock 39: Darley & Latane (1968) bystander intervention EXAM 3 Hock 29: Rosenhan (1973) crazy

THANKSGIVING BREAK Abnormal Psychology Ch. 10: 375-380 Arkowitz & Lilienfeld (2006) Psychotherapy on Trial FINAL EXAM @ 5:30 PM