Psychology 101

Winter 2010

Table of Contents

1. Contact Information (Office Location and Office Hours)
2. Exams
3. Extra Credit Research
4. Lecture Schedule
5. Grading
6. Make-Up Exams and Incompletes
7. Extra Help
8. Classroom and Email Etiquette

1. Contact Information

Professor	Jonathon D. Brown
Office	135 Guthrie Hall
Office Hours	Mon. 2:30-3:20 (and by appointment)




Textbook

Passer, M. W., & Smith, R. E. (2008). Psychology: The science of mind and behavior(4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.




TA	Office	Office Hours
Daniel Byrd (Fellow)	103 Guthrie Annex 4	Tues.10-11; Wed. 2:30-3:30
Rebecca Schacht	103 Guthrie Annex 3	Mon. 2:30-3:30; Fri. 10:30-11:30
Adrianne Stevens	103 Guthrie Annex 4	Mon. 9-10; Thurs. 2:30-3:30




Email

intropsy@uw.edu



2. Course Objectives

This course provides students with an extensive overview of the history and current status of psychological research and application. The field of psychology is very broad and we will cover a great deal of material in a relatively short period of time. The course is appropriate for students who intend to major or minor in psychology, as well as those who simply wish to know more about psychology as part of a general liberal arts education. The course is not appropriate for those who hope to get a good grade without doing a lot of work.



3. Course Structure
1. Lectures

Students are expected to attend all class meetings and to do the assigned reading in advance. Class lectures will clarify and go beyond the material covered in the text, and students will be responsible for all material covered in class.



2. Exams

Three multiple choice exams will be given. The first two exams will have 50 questions, each worth one point; the final exam, which will cover the entire course, will have 75 questions, each worth one point. You will need to purchase a mark-sense form (available for purchase at the UW bookstore and "By George") for each exam.



3. Question Distribution

Approximately 80% of the questions on each exam will come from lecture (or a combination of lecture and textbook material), and 20% of the questions will come from the textbook alone. If you aspire only to get a "B" and believe you will answer every lecture-based question correctly, you can skim the textbook; if you aspire to receive an "A", figure that you (realistically) are not going to answer all of the lecture-based questions correctly, or want to learn as much as you can about psychology, you will need to read the assigned chapters carefully.




The following table will give you an idea of the distribution of questions. (The numbers are approximate, not exact.) Notice that you will be asked 2 questions from each chapter regarding material that will not be discussed in class. Notice, also, that only the lecture material from the first 2/3 of the class will be covered on the final exam. You do not need to reread previous chapters for the final.




	Number	Questions	Total
Midterm 1
Chapters	5	2	10
Lectures	13	3	39
Total			49
Midterm 2
Chapters	6	2	12
Lectures	13	3	39
Total			51
Final Exam
Chapters	5	2	10
Lectures	15	3	45
Previous Lectures	26	1	26
Total			81



4. Time Management

This is a 5-credit course. The UW advises that you spend 3 hours each week for each course credit hour, which means you are expected to devote 15/week to this course. You are expected to attend class 5 days/week, so that leaves 10 hours/week to study. I estimate that each chapter will take 4 hours to read (assuming you are taking notes on the material and reading carefully). There are 15 chapters and 10 weeks in the quarter, so you will need to allot 6 hours/week for reading. This leaves 4 extra hours/week for you to study and review. Many students save those hours up for the night before the exam, but research shows this is not an effective way to learn. You are better off studying 4 hours/week for 3 weeks than studying 12 hours before an exam.



5. Research Credit



Introductory psychology students are eligible to participate in psychological research for extra credit. This is an excellent way to experience scientific psychology first-hand, and to give you some cushion points in case you don't perform as well as you'd like on the exams. You earn .1 of a grade point for every 2 hours of experimental credit you receive, with the understanding that you can earn no more than .3 grade points (for 6 hours of credit) and that we will ROUND DOWN when it comes to calculating your points. This means that 5 hours of research will boost your grade .2, that 3 hours of research will boost your grade .1, and that 1 hour of research will not boost your grade at all. More information about this program is available by clicking the link on the course website, or by clicking this link: Extra Credit Research.



6. Lecture Schedule

Week	Date	Chapter	Lecture Topic	Lecture Slide
01	Monday, January 04	01	Introduction to Psychology	Introduction
	Tuesday, January 05		History of Psychology	History
	Wednesday, January 06	02	Nature of Science	Science
	Thursday, January 07	04	Neurons	Brain 1
	Friday, January 08		Action Potentials	Brain 2
02	Monday, January 11		Neuronal Communication	Brain 3
	Tuesday, January 12		Human Nervous System	Brain 4
	Wednesday, January 13		Questionnaire Day
	Thursday, January 14		Brain	Brain 5
	Friday, January 15		Cortex	Brain 6
03	Monday, January 18		MLK Day
	Tuesday, January 19	03 (61-70; 78-89)	Genetics	Genes 1
	Wednesday, January 20		Evolution	Genes 2
	Thursday, January 21	05 (126-131; 150-167)	Sensation	Sensation
	Friday, January 22		Perception	Perception
04	Monday, January 25		Midterm 1
	Tuesday, January 26	11	Motivation	Motivation
	Wednesday, January 27		Emotion	Emotion
	Thursday, January 28	07	Classical Conditioning	Learning 1
	Friday, January 29		Operant Conditioning	Learning 2
05	Monday, February 01		Contemporary Learning Theory	Learning 3
	Tuesday, February 02	08	Memory 1	Memory 1
	Wednesday, February 03		Encoding	Memory 2
	Thursday, February 04	09	Human Judgment	Cognitive 1
	Friday, February 05		Primitive Thinking	Cognitive 2
06	Monday, February 08	10	Intelligence	Intelligence
	Tuesday, February 09	12 (pp. 408-441)	Cognitive Development	Develop 1
	Wednesday, February 10		Social Development	Develop 2
	Thursday, February 11		Language	Language
	Friday, February 12		TBA
07	Monday, February 15		President's Day
	Tuesday, February 16		Midterm 2
	Wednesday, February 17	13	Personality	Personality
	Thursday, February 18		Freud	Freud 1
	Friday, February 19		Psychosexual Development	Freud 2
08	Monday, February 22	12 (pp. 441-451)	Identity	Identity
	Tuesday, February 23	17	Social Psychology	Social 1
	Wednesday, February 24		Attitudes	Social 2
	Thursday, February 25		Social Behavior	Social 3
	Friday, February 26		Social Influence	Social 4
09	Monday, March 01		TBA
	Tuesday, March 02	15	Psychological Disorders	Clinical 1
	Wednesday, March 03		Anxiety and Mood Disorders	Clinical 2
	Thursday, March 04		Schizophrenia, BPD	Clinical 3
	Friday, March 05	16	Psychotherapy	Therapy 1
10	Monday, March 08		TBA
	Tuesday, March 09		Psychoanalysis	Therapy 2
	Wednesday, March 10		Stress & Coping	Stress 1
	Thursday, March 11		Psychological Well-Being	Stress 2
	Friday, March 12		Final Exam Review
11	Monday, March 15		Final: 2:30-4:30




4. Grading

Midterm 1	50
Midterm 2	50
Final Exam	75
Total	175




158-175	4.0	138-139	3.0	118-119	2.0	98-99	1.0
156-157	3.9	136-137	2.9	116-117	1.9	96-97	0.9
154-155	3.8	134-135	2.8	114-115	1.8	94-95	0.8
152-153	3.7	132-133	2.7	112-113	1.7	93 and below	0.7
150-151	3.6	130-131	2.6	110-111	1.6
148-149	3.5	128-129	2.5	108-109	1.5
146-147	3.4	126-127	2.4	106-107	1.4
144-145	3.3	124-125	2.3	104-105	1.3
142-143	3.2	122-123	2.2	102-103	1.2
140-141	3.1	120-121	2.1	100-101	1.1



1. Grading Policies



1. Exam Score Delays. If you make an error filling in the “bubbles” on your scantron exam form for your student number, name, or test version, this will cause a delay in getting your exam score to you. You either will not be able to find your student number on the list of exam scores, or your student number will appear with no score next to it. In either case, you will need to go to one of the T.A. office hours in Guthrie Hall to find your computerized form.




2. Appeal Procedure. If your answer to an exam question is marked as being incorrect but you feel it is correct, you may contest the question by writing an appeal. The written appeal must be based on material presented in the book or in lecture (indicating chapter, page, line and specific quote); it cannot be based on your personal opinion or experience. Appeals for Exams 1 and 2 must be sent to one of the T.A.s or the T.A. Fellow (or placed in their mail box) within one week after the answer keys are posted. For Exam 3 (final exam) the answer key will be posted about one to two hours after the exam and appeals must be turned in by noon the next day. We will review the appeal and give credit if appropriate. Note: No corrections will be made for instances in which you have “mistakenly bubbled in the wrong answer,” so be very careful filling out your mark-sense form.



2. Make-Up Exams and Incompletes



1. Make-Up Exams. If you are facing a unique circumstance (e.g., serious illness, family emergency) that you think may impair your ability to perform well on an exam, see one of us as soon as the situation arises so that we can discuss whether a make-up or Incomplete will be granted. Do not wait until after you have taken an exam to tell us that your score was low because of some unique circumstance. Once you take an exam, that score counts no matter what. If you are under duress and feel you cannot perform up to your potential, you must receive permission AHEAD OF TIME to reschedule the exam. Be advised, however, that requests to delay taking an exam will rarely be granted. Exceptions to this rule are made only in dire, unavoidable circumstances (e.g., serious illness or emergency) that are fully documented (e.g., with official correspondence from physicians and/or Deans). On the extremely rare occasions that they are offered, make-up exams are essay exams, and are graded by Professor Brown.

2. Incompletes. Incompletes will be granted only if students experience extraordinary difficulties beyond their control, and have received permission for an incomplete no later than the start of the 8th week of the quarter. Incompletes will NOT be given out at the end of the quarter simply as a way to "take the course over again" in the case of a bad grade in the course. If your grade isn’t what you need or want, come to office hours during the quarter and the T.A.s and I will try to assist you and help you learn the material. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

3. Student Athletic Travel. If you need to miss an exam due to UW-related athletic travel, you will need to make arrangements to take the exam while you are away. Your coach needs to vouch for you and supervise the exam. This responsible party should contact us via email at least one week prior to the exam and provide a fax number where the exam can be sent. You are required to take the exam and return the answers via fax no later than the time and date the exam will be given in Seattle. Your coach must fax your answers back to the UW Psychology office (206.685.3157) before 1:30 p.m. PST on the day of the exam. No late exam answers will be accepted.





5. Extra Help


1. Lecture Outlines

An outline of the day's lecture will be posted on the website, no later than noon (and usually the night before) the day of the lecture. These slides are in outline form and will provide a structure to the day's lecture. I suggest printing these notes and bringing them to class. Doing so will organize your thoughts during lecture, allowing you to understand and absorb the material as it is presented rather than having to jot down every word I say. Of course, you should also make clarifying comments on your copy of the lecture slides as needed.



2. Audio (Podcasting) Recordings of Lectures

Lectures will be "podcasted" (i.e. audio recorded) and available online at http://www.css.washington.edu/course/PSYCH101B. Podcasts are useful if you miss a lecture or want to listen to lecture material again. However, they are not a substitute for regularly attending class. There will also be a link to the podcasts from the course home page. Any student who wishes to may use his/her own audio recorder to record lectures for personal use. NOTE: Stuff happens, and some days the audio recording gremlins may cause podcasting equipment to malfunction. In that event, you'll need to get lecture notes from a classmate. Finally, throughout the quarter I will be showing segments of videotapes during lecture. You will need to be in class to see these. For several reasons we cannot arrange "individual showings" for students who miss a film or videotape.



3. Disability

If you have a disability that we should know about, please contact us immediately and we will make the necessary arrangements.



4. Exam Reviews

We will schedule review sessions before each exam. Time and dates will be posted on the course website and announced in class.



5. Study Skill Courses

If you need additional help with the material or suggested study techniques, see one of us during office hours. We can discuss your approach to studying and make suggestions.




A structured program of improving study skills may be offered by the University Counseling Center at 401 Schmitz Hall (phone number 543-1240). There usually is a fee for this program. If you are interested, contact the Center as soon as possible.

You can find advice on how to develop good study skills in your textbook. See:

• How to Enhance Your Academic Performance (pp. 23-25);
• Using Operant Principles to Modify Your Behavior (pp. 234-235);
• Improving Memory and Academic Learning (pp. 287-288);
• Recognizing What You Do and Don't Know, including the Research Close-Up feature (pp. 322-325);
• Increasing Self-Efficacy Through Systematic Goal Setting (pp. 482-483).


6. Etiquette


1. Classroom Behavior

I expect you to behave while you are in class. This means that cell phones must be turned off during class time, and sleeping, eating (in any way other than discreetly), and resting your feet on the desk in front of you are forbidden. Anyone who violates these rules will be asked to leave.



2. Email

We are available to answer emails during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm). All emails must be sent to the course email account: intropsy@uw.edu. If you send us an email, you must use correct grammar and punctuation, without typographical errors. Otherwise, we will not reply or acknowledge receipt. Emails must also begin with a salutation that doesn't include the word "Hey" and end with your name and student number.



3. Laptop Policy

The last row of the room is prioritized for laptop users. All laptop users must sit in the last row unless it is full, in which case the next-to the-last row also will be opened to laptop use. No laptop use is permitted in any other row (unless you can verify with a doctor's note that your eyesight requires that you use a laptop and sit in a closer row).



4. Classroom Atmosphere

Finally, to establish a class atmosphere in which you can ask questions and in which I can have discussions with the class and perform demonstrations, I ask that if you come to class, please come to learn. If you want to chat with classmates, read the newspaper, eat or drink, etc., then please go elsewhere. These behaviors distract your classmates. If a classmate asks me a question during lecture, please show her or him respect by not starting to talk. Remember, no one is taking attendance or making you come to class. In sum, come to class because you want to, and because you wish to learn about psychology. For my part, I will do my very best to make lectures informative and interesting. Thanks.