Psychology 100B

Psychology 100B: Introduction to Psychology

Brown 100: 2:00—3:00 pm MWF

Instructors: Drs. Mitchell Sommers, Alan Lambert, and Jan Duchek

Fall 2008 Semester

Psychology may be defined as the scientific study of mind and behavior. This definition is meant to be quite broad, because many diverse topics are a part of psychology. The purpose of this course is to provide a general survey of the subject matter of psychology. For some of you this may be your only exposure to studying psychology, but for others this course will lay the groundwork for more advanced courses. It is difficult to cover the many topics of psychology in a survey course. If your curiosity is not satisfied with regard to some specific topic -- and often it will not be -- there is usually an advanced course that you can take.

By the first or second week of class, we expect to have this syllabus, and outlines for class lectures, on the web. This site will allow you to check your grades and will also contain other helpful information pertaining to the course. The URL for this site will be announced in class.

Format of the course. The three class meetings each week are usually devoted to lectures on topics listed on the course outline, but may also include demonstrations and films. Your performance will be evaluated on the basis of three tests and a cumulative final examination.

Textbooks. The textbook for the course is Psychology by Peter Gray (2007, 5th Edition), available at the bookstore.

Attendance. You are responsible for everything presented in class, including lectures, films, remarks of guest speakers, and announcements. The class material complements the text material, but does not substitute for it. In some cases, material presented in class will overlap that in the textbook; in other cases, the lecture content will diverge from that of the text. Material covered in class forms a large part of the tests. You are expected to attend. A tentative schedule of events is listed in the course outline below. If you are unable to attend class, it is your responsibility to obtain notes from someone in class. Please note that the TA cannot provide notes for you.

Tests and Final Examination. Your knowledge will be evaluated by three tests and a cumulative final examination. The dates, rooms, and times are listed below. The final exam will be on December 17, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Each test will be worth 50 points and will be composed of multiple choice questions. The final exam will be worth 50 points and will be cumulative.

Exam Date Time Location

Test 1	Wednesday Oct. 1	In class	Brown 100
Test 2	Friday Oct. 31	In class	Brown 100
Test 3	Monday Dec. 8	In class	Brown 100

Final Wednesday Dec. 17 3:30-5:30 pm TBA

Missing an exam

The only acceptable reason for missing one of the regularly scheduled examinations is if you must attend a University-sponsored event. Because these events are planned well in advance, you must notify one of the professors or the teaching assistant NO LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 19—NO EXCEPTIONS. This notification must be in the form of a written note explaining which exam you must miss and the University event that you will be attending. Any absence from an exam without previous written notification means that you will receive a zero.

Research participation. As part of the requirements for this course, you are to participate in 6 hours of posted experiments (see the procedure below). This is akin to a laboratory requirement in other sciences, and serves to acquaint you with the methods and issues of contemporary psychology. Each hour of experimental participation is worth 1 point, for a total of 6 maximum points. On the first day of class, you will receive a one-page handout describing how to sign up for and participate in experiments. Every activity associated with participating in research, including checking how many experiment credits you have earned over the course of the semester, will be handled through our subject pool website. The website address will be provided on this handout.

Alternatives to research. If you would rather not earn credit through participation in research, you have two main options. First, you may complete your hours of research by writing a short (1 page) paper. Each paper is worth one point and thus each paper can be used to replace one hour of your required experiments. You have the option of writing as few or as many papers as you wish. A list of approved papers for alternative assignments will be posted on the research website. Students who turn in papers on an article that is not listed as an approved topic on the website WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT. All papers are due on the last day of class.

A second option is to attend one of the departmental colloquia. These are one-hour talks that typically are on most (but not all) Mondays, from 4-5 pm. Space for these talks is limited, and you must sign up for these in advance. Please see the following website for more information: http://artsci.wustl.edu/~alambert/colloquia.htm

Grading. Your grade will be based on (a) 4 exams, each worth 50 points, and (b) 6 points for experiments (or papers, colloquia). Thus, the maximum possible score in the course is 206.

You must take all 3 exams and the cumulative final. However, if your score on the cumulative final is higher than any one of the three regular exams, we will replace the lowest regular exam grade with the grade on the final. As an example, suppose your grades were as follows:

Exam 1 - 42; Exam 2 – 40; Exam 3 – 37; Cumulative Final- 39.

In this case, your final grade for the course would be determined by adding 42 (Exam 1), 40 (Exam 2), 39 (final grade is higher than Exam 3 so it replaces it), and 39 (cumulative final).

However, if your final exam score is not higher than any of your 3 exam scores, then it does not replace any of the test scores and your 4 exam scores are simply added “as is”.
The grading scale is listed below.

Grading scale:

A+ 97-100%

A 93-96%

A- 89-92%

B+ 85-88%

B 81-84%

B- 77-80%

C+ 73-76%

C 69-72%

C- 65-68%

D+ 61-64%

D 57-60%

D- 53-56%

F 53% or lower

If you are taking this class Pass-Fail you must earn a C- or better to earn a passing grade.

Extra credit

In addition to the 206 points you can earn through exams and research, you also have the opportunity to earn two additional points extra credit. In particular, you can earn one additional research point by participating in an extra experiment (or by earning an additional point through one of the alternatives). The 2^nd extra credit point can be earned by completing the on-line course evaluation and the end of the semester; the procedure for submitting your course evaluations will be explained in detail during the last few weeks of class (see p. 7 of syllabus).

These two points will be added to your total at the end of the class before we compute your percentages, which will still be based on a maximum of 206. For example, if you end up with a total of 191 points after adding the two extra credit points, your percentage will end up being 93% (191/206).

Grade Appeals. If you feel strongly that your grade on some test was unfair, you have the right to appeal. In such cases, write a note stating (a) what test item you are questioning and (b) your rationale for the appeal. Attach the note to your test and hand it in to the instructor who administered the exam (i.e. Dr. Sommers, Lambert, or Duchek). Such appeals MUST be submitted within one week in which grades for that exam are posted.

Instructors. Dr. Sommers’s office is Room 417A of the Psychology Building (telephone 5-6561; email: msommers@artsci.wustl.edu). His office hours are Mon. & Fri. 11am -12 pm and 3-4 pm and by appointment. Dr. Lambert’s office is in Room 319B of the Psychology Building (telephone 935-7176; email: alambert@artsci.wustl.edu) and his office hours are Mon. & Fri. 11am -12 pm and by appointment. Dr. Duchek’s office is Room 410B of the Psychology Building (telephone 935-7445; email jduchek@artsci.wustl.edu) and her office hours are Wed. 3-4 pm, Fri. 12-1 pm and by appointment.

Teaching Assistant. You should see the teaching assistants if you have questions about the content of the course, or about your grades, or any other difficulty. They are there to help you. Please see them during office hours whenever possible, or by appointment. The TAs for the course are Wingyun Mak (wmak@wustl.edu) office hours Mon. & Wed. 3-4 pm and by appointment, Room 118C in the Psychology building; and Michael Scullin (mscullin@wustl.edu) office hours Tues. & Thurs. 2:40-3:40 pm and by appointment, Room 109D in the Psychology Building.

Final Grades. These will be determined from the final grade distribution and will be posted as soon as we can calculate them.

COURSE OUTLINE

Below is the outline of topics in the course, including the date, the topic of the lecture, and the reading assignment. You should complete the reading assignments before the scheduled class.

First third: (Dr. Sommers)

Date	Topic	Chapter
W 8/27	Course introduction.	Chapter 1
F 8/29	Research Methods-I	Chapter 2 (25-35)

M 9/1	Labor Day – NO CLASS
W 9/3	Research Methods –II	Appendix A-1 to A-8
F 9/5	Research Methods – III	Chapter 2 (35-47)

M 9/8	Biological Psychology – I	Chapter 5 (133-147)
W 9/10	Biological Psychology – II	Chapter 5 (147-158)
F 9/12	Biological Psychology – III	Chapter 5 (159-169)

M 9/15	Biological Psychology – IV	Chapter 5 (170-177)
W 9/17	Sensation and Perception – I	Chapter 7 (226-230) Chapter 8 (263-272)
F 9/19	Sensation and perception II –	Chapter 7 (230-254)

M 9/22	Sensation and Perception III-	Chapter 8 (272-300)
W 9/24	Motivation and consciousness	Chapter 6 (179-195)
F 9/26	Motivation and consciousness	Chapter 6 (195-212)

M 9/29	Motivation and consciousness	Chapter 6 (213-223)

Wed. 10/1	EXAM 1 (in class)

Middle Third (Dr. Lambert)

Date	Topic	Chapter
F 10/3	Learning	Chapter 4 (90-104)

M 10/6	Learning	Chapter 4 (104-118)
W 10/8	Learning	Chapter 4 (118-131)
F 10/10	Memory	Chapter 9 (303-314)

M 10/13	Memory	Chapter 9 (315-326)
W 10/15	Memory	Chapter 9 (326-339)
F 10/17	Fall Break—no class

M 10/20	Intelligence	Chapter 10 (341-354)
W 10/22	Intelligence	Chapter 10 (355-366)
F 10/24	Intelligence	Chapter 10 (366-381)

M 10/27	Social perception/attitudes	Chapter 13 (465-482)
W 10/29	Social perception/attitudes	Chapter 13 (482-489)

Friday 10/31	Exam 2 (in class )

Last Third (Dr. Duchek)

Date	Topic	Chapter
M 11/3	Cognitive Development	Chapter 11 (383-390)
W 11/5	Cognitive Development	Chapter 11 (390-405)
F 11/7	Language Development	Chapter 11 (406-421)

M 11/10	Social Development	Chapter 12 (423-440)
W 11/12	Social Development	Chapter 12 (441-463)
F 11/14	Personality	Chapter 15 (558-575)

M 11/17	Personality	Chapter 15 (537-548)
W 11/19	Personality	Chapter 15 (548-557)
F 11/21	Mental Disorders	Chapter 16 (577-589) Chapter 17 (621-625)

M 11/24	Mental Disorders	Chapter 16 (589-596) Chapter 17 (626; 641-649)
W 11/26	THANKSGIVING Break—no class
F 11/28	THANKSGIVING Break—no class

M 12/1	Mental Disorders	Chapter 16 (596-601) Chapter 17 (625-631)
W 12/3	Mental Disorders	Chapter 16 (601-603)
F 12/5	Mental Disorders	Chapter 16 (608-619) Chapter 17 (626; 649-654)
Monday 12/8	Exam 3 (in class)

Commonsense etiquette during class

This course is based on a simple principle of mutual respect and politeness. Just as it is important for your instructor to act in a courteous and respectful way toward you, it is equally important for you to extend the same courtesy to your fellow students and also, the instructor. Empirical research shows that the following behaviors are judged to be equally disruptive to students and faculty:

a. Students talking with their neighbor after the instructor has begun lecturing. Students rate this as extremely annoying because it interferes with their ability to take notes. It is also distracting to your instructor and will inevitably prevent him or her from presenting the class material. Dr. Sommers, Lambert, and Duchek will not repeat portions of their lecture that could not be heard because of others talking or because of other similar disruptions (see below). Thus, when you talk to your neighbor you may well be hurting the grades of others around you (and your grade, too!). Thus, once the instructor steps to the podium, as a courtesy to your fellow students and to your instructor, this is a signal to stop talking with your neighbor.

b. Coming in late. Class starts promptly at 7 minutes after the hour. If you come to class late, please select a seat in the back row; do not clamber over other students to find your usual “favorite” seat.

c. Ringing/beeping/using cell phones and pagers. Please turn off all phones and beepers before class begins.

In order to make the classroom experience enjoyable for all, students are expected to comply with the above commonsense guidelines.

Student Resources:

Cornerstone: The Center for Advanced Learning, located on the South 40 at Gregg Hall, offers academic resources such as study groups, peer mentors, help desks, and course workshops to students seeking additional support in classes ranging from Chemistry and Calculus to Spanish and Freshman Writing. The Center also offers technological resources like programs for web design and learning style assessments. Those seeking disability information should contact Disability Resources at 935-5970 or link to Disability Services from the Cornerstone website (http://cornerstone.wustl.edu) for further information.

Course Evaluations:

The final course evaluation for Psychology 100B will be administered on-line. The evaluations will be available on-line at the end of the semester at the following website: http://evals.wustl.edu

Course evaluations provide an important mechanism for you to express your opinions about course content and instruction. The information received from your evaluations is taken very seriously by your instructors and serves to enhance the future quality of instruction in this course. Thus, it is critical that we receive everyone’s evaluations to get a representative sampling of opinions. In an effort to achieve near 100% participation in this evaluation process, you will be given 1 extra point added to your final grade, if you fill out the on-line evaluation for this course. Thank you in advance!

Topic

Chapter