PMAS ARID AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY

University Institute of Information Technology

Course: Psychology (PSY-600) Credit Hours: 3 (3-0)

Class: BSIT Semester: Spring 19

Instructor:
Counseling Hours:
Course Description: This course will introduce basic psychological concepts necessary to
understand behavior. Different psychological issues related to person’s
individual and social life will be addressed. Coping and dealing with
stressful life events and situations will also be discussed. The content will
vary from learning about one’s own personality and behavior to
understanding people around us. Biological, genetic, social, cognitive and
environmental determinants of behavior will be explained in detail.
Effective techniques and strategies will be discussed to enable students to
identify and cope with number of educational and social problems.
Learning Objectives: Describe psychology with major areas in the field and identify the
parameters of this discipline. Distinguish between the major perspectives on
human thought and behavior. Appreciate the variety of ways psychological
data are gathered and evaluated. Gain insight into human behavior and into
one's own personality or personal relationships. Explore the ways that
psychological theories are used to describe, understand, predict, and control
or modify behavior.
Recommended Book:  Feldman, R.S. (2010). Understanding psychology. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
 Atkinson, R., & Smith, E. E. (2005). Introduction to Psychology
(14th ed.)
 Lahey, B. B. (2004). Psychology: An Introduction
 Myers, D. G. (2010). Introduction to Psychology (10th ed.)

Grading Policy:  30% Mid Term Exam

(Tentative)  50% Final Exam
 10% Assignments
 10% Quizzes

Quiz/Assignments Quizzes:
Policy  Quizzes will be unannounced some time.
 They will be taken either in the first ten minutes of the class (so
come to the class on time & be prepared!) or in the last ten minutes
of the class (so listen to the lecture carefully).
 If you miss a quiz, you miss it!
 It’s up to the instructor’s discretion to choose the number of
quizzes for evaluation purposes.
Assignments:
 Assignments will be submitted on time. There will be 4% per hour
deduction on late assignment submission
 Copying/Cheating whole or part of the assignment from anywhere
without proper credit/references will not be tolerated. Whether you
have copied or your work has been copied by someone else, you
will get zero marks in that assignment.
 WEEK WISE COURSE DISTRIBUTION

Week 1 & 2 Chapter1: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

Definition of Psychology
Sub-fields of Psychology
Schools of Thought: Structuralism, Functionalism, Gestalt, Neuroscience,
Psychodynamic, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic
Research Methods: Research Process, Hypothesis, Theory, Archival
Research, Naturalistic Observation, Survey Research, Case Study,
Correlation Research, Experimental Research
Week 2 & 3 Chapter 2: SENSATION, PERCEPTION AND ATTENTION
Sensation: Sensing the World Around Us
Absolute Thresholds: Detecting What’s Out There
Difference Thresholds: Noticing Distinctions Between Stimuli
Sensory Adaptation: Turning Down Our Responses
Perceptual Organization: Constructing Our View of the World
The Gestalt Laws of Organization
Top-Down and Bottom-Up Processing
Depth Perception: Translating 2-D to 3-D
Perceptual Constancy
Motion Perception: As the World Turns
Perceptual Illusions: The Deceptions of Perceptions
Attention
Definition
Factors affecting
Types of attention (sustained, selective, and divided attention)
Week 4 & 5 Chapter 3: LEARNING
Classical Conditioning: The Basics of Classical Conditioning
Applying Conditioning Principles to Human Behavior
Extinction
Generalization and Discrimination
Beyond Traditional Classical Conditioning: Challenging Basic
Assumptions
Operant Conditioning
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
The Basics of Operant Conditioning: Reinforcement and Punishment
Comparing classical and operant conditioning
Cognitive Approaches to Learning
Latent Learning
Observational Learning: Learning Through Imitation
Week 6 & 7 Chapter 4: MEMORY
The Foundations of Memory: Sensory Memory, Short-Term Memory,
Working, Memory, Long-Term Memory
Recalling Long-Term Memories
Retrieval Cues
Levels of Processing Theory
Explicit and Implicit Memory
Flashbulb Memories
Constructive Processes in Memory: Rebuilding the Past
Forgetting: When Memory Fails
Why we forget?
 Proactive and Retroactive Interference: The Before and After of Forgetting
Memory Dysfunctions: Afflictions of Forgetting

Week 8 MID-TERM EXAMINATION

Week 9 & 10 Chapter 5: COGNITION AND INTELLIGENCE

Thinking and Reasoning
Mental Images: Examining the Mind’s Eye
Concepts: Categorizing the World
Reasoning: Making Up Your Mind
Computers and Problem Solving: Searching for Artificial Intelligence
Problem Solving
Preparation: Understanding and Diagnosing Problems
Production: Generating Solutions
Judgment: Evaluating Solutions
Impediments to Solutions: Why Is Problem Solving Such a Problem?
Creativity and Problem Solving
What Is Intelligence?
Theories of Intelligence
The Biological Basis of Intelligence
Practical and Emotional Intelligence
Assessing Intelligence
Adaptive Testing: Using Computers to Assess Performance
Group Differences in Intelligence
Week 11 & 12 Chapter 6: MOTIVATION AND EMOTION
Explaining motivation
Instinct Approaches: Born to Be Motivated
Drive-Reduction Approaches: Satisfying Our Needs
Arousal Approaches: Beyond Drive Reduction
Incentive Approaches: Motivation’s Pull
Cognitive Approaches: The Thoughts Behind Motivation
Maslow’s Hierarchy: Ordering Motivational Needs
Understanding Emotional Experiences
The Functions of Emotions
Determining the Range of Emotions: Labelling Our Feelings
The Roots of Emotions: James-Lange theory, Cannon-Bard theory,
Schahchter-Singer theory,
Week 13 & 14 Chapter 7: PERSONALITY
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory: Mapping the Unconscious Mind
The Neo-Freudian Psychoanalysts: Building on Freud
Trait Approaches: Placing labels on Personality
Learning Approaches: We are What We Have Learned
Biological and Evolutionary Approaches: Are we Born with Personality?
Humanistic Approaches: The Uniqueness of You
Assessing Personality: Determining What Makes Us Distinctive
Self-Report Measures of Personality
Projective Methods
Behavioural Assessment
Week 15 Chapter 8: STRESS, COPING, AND WELL-BEING
Stress: Reacting to Threat and Challenge
The High Cost of Stress
Coping with Stress
Promoting Health and Wellness: Following Medical Advice
Well-Being and Happiness
Week 16 & 17 Chapter 9: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Attitudes and Social Cognition
Persuasion: Changing Attitudes
Social Cognition: Understanding Others
Social Influence and Groups
Conformity: Following What Others Do
Compliance: Submitting to Direct Social Pressure
Obedience: Following Direct Orders
Prejudice and Discrimination:
The Foundations of Prejudice
Measuring Prejudice and Discrimination
Reducing the Consequences of Prejudice and Discrimination
Week 18 & 19 Presentation
Week 20 FINAL EXAMINATION