Psychology 104 (Section A2): Basic Psychological Processes Fall 2018
Instructor: Kathryn Chaffee Office: BS P 359
Email: [email protected] (Please put “PSYCO 104” in the subject line of all emails)
Phone: 780-492-1355
Office hours: Wednesdays 1:00-2:30 or by appointment Teaching Assistants:
Kennedy Fjellner Office: BS P-117
Email: [email protected] (Please put “PSYCO 104” in the subject line of all emails) Scott Stone
Office: BS P-547
Email: [email protected] (Please put “PSYCO 104” in the subject line of all emails) Course webpage: accessible from https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/
Lecture Room & Time: TL 11, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 10:00-10:50am
Course description:
Principles and development of perception, motivation, learning, and thinking and their
relationship to the psychological functioning of the individual. Fulfillment of the 1/4 laboratory credit typically entails serving as a research participant, but can be fulfilled through the
completion of alternative assignments. The course is a prerequisite to all courses in the department and is normally followed by PSYCO 105.
Course objectives:
This course is the first half of the Psychology Department’s introductory psychology course sequence. The objective of this course is to provide an introduction to the science of psychology, highlighting the most influential theories and research in the field. You will learn about topics including the history and methods of psychology, learning, memory, consciousness, the brain, emotions, and motivation. By the end of this course, you should be able to
(1) name and identify psychological concepts covered in this class
(2) explain these concepts in your own words to people who have never taken this course (3) recognize these concepts in the real world and your everyday life
Required textbook:
Passer, M., Smith, R., Atkinson, M., & Mitchell, J. (2018). Psychology: Frontiers and applications (PSYCO 104 Custom Text w/ Connect for the University of Alberta; 6e Canadian Ed.). McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Recommended materials:
Connect. Your textbook comes with access to Connect, an online portal for the textbook.
Connect contains sample questions and an electronic version of the questions and is an excellent study resource. It is not required, but I do recommend it. You can register for this course in connect here: http://connect.mheducation.com/class/k-chaffee-psyco-104-fall-2018-a-2
Course format:
This is a lecture-based course. The purpose of the lectures is not to repeat all of the material covered in the text during class, but to supplement the material by elaborating upon and clarifying material within the text. During lectures, I will also introduce concepts and research not covered in the text, and real-life applications using class activities, video clips, and
demonstrations. Lecture time is limited, so you will be responsible for learning material presented in the text on your own. All of the material covered in the class, as well as the material covered in the text and assignments is eligible to be covered on the exams.
Many students will find it helpful to complete the readings from the text before attending lecture (see class schedule).
Representative Evaluative Material:
Sample exam questions will be posted on e-class prior to midterm 1.
Learning Assessments:
Research Participation:
You will learn about research studies in psychology by participating in real research studies as part of this class. Additional information about this will be supplied by Gail Moroschan, the Research Participation Coordinator in class on Monday, September 10. More information is also available in the Research Participation Handout on e-class and on the research participation webpage, here: https://www.ualberta.ca/psychology/programs/undergraduate-studies/research- participation .
Exams:
All of the material covered in the class, as well as the material covered in the text and assignments are eligible to be covered on the exams.
Students should know the material in three ways:
(1) understand the technical language and terminology (learning objective 1) (2) be able to word it in ordinary language, and (learning objective 2)
(3) be able to recognize and apply it to the real world. (learning objective 3)
Midterms 1 and 2 will consist of up to 60 multiple choice questions, and you will have 50 minutes to complete each exam. Sample questions will be posted on e-class prior to midterm 1.
The final will consist of up to 100 multiple choice questions, and you will have 2 hours to complete the exam. The final exam will be cumulative and cover material from the entire course.
Your student photo I.D. is required at exams to verify your identity. Students will not be allowed to begin an examination after it has been in progress for 30 minutes. Students must
Grade % Date
Midterm Exam 1 25% Friday, October 5
Midterm Exam 2 25% Monday, November 5
Research Participation 10% Ongoing
Assignment 5% Monday, October 29
Final Exam 35% TBA
remain in the exam room until at least 30 minutes has elapsed. Electronic equipment cannot be brought into examination room.
Missed Term Exams:
For an excused absence where the cause is religious belief, a student must contact the
instructor(s) within two weeks of the start of Fall or Winter classes to request accommodation for the term (including the final exam, where relevant). Instructors may request adequate
documentation to substantiate the student request.
Students are expected to write all exams as scheduled; see the course outline for the dates of the midterm and the final exams. It is not possible to make up a missed midterm exam. If you present valid excuse for missing one midterm, the weight of the midterm will be transferred to the final exam. Acceptable causes for granting an excused absence include, but are not limited to, incapacitating illness, domestic affliction, or religious conviction. To apply for an excused
absence from a midterm, the instructor must be contacted within 48 hours of the scheduled midterm. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero being applied to the exam.
Deferred Final Examination:
A student who cannot write the final exam due to incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling reasons can apply for a deferred final examination. Students who failed at the start of term to request exam accommodations for religious beliefs are expected to follow the normal deferred final examination process. Such an application must be made to the student’s Faculty office within two working days of the missed examination and must be supported by a Statutory Declaration
(http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=20&navoid=4939#Attendance). Deferred examinations are a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferred examination will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferred examination is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour. If the final exam is missed with a valid reason, the deferred examination will be held on Wednesday, January 16th at 1:00pm. The deferred exam will be cumulative, and will consist entirely of short and long answer questions.
Assignment:
There will be 1 assignment (worth 5% of your final grade). You will find detailed instructions the assignment on e-class. It is students’ responsibility to ensure that their assignment has been submitted appropriately through e-class. Any assignment files must be saved as one of the following of formats: .rtf, .doc., .docx, or .pdf. Assignment submitted in other formats will not be graded. Late assignments will receive a 15% late-penalty per day or part thereof
(submitting at 11:56pm counts as one day late). After 6 days, late assignments will not be accepted and a grade of 0 will be assigned. The assignment is due by 11:55pm on October 29.
Tentative Schedule:
There will be three 50-minute lectures each week. Lecture notes will be posted on e-class, but the notes posted online will provide only an outline of what is discussed in class. If you miss a lecture, you are strongly encouraged to contact another student to go through the notes and catch up on supplemental material not covered in the lectured notes.
The following is a tentative schedule of the topics covered during each lecture and the associated readings, as well as the dates of the exams. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this schedule as the course progresses.
Tentative dates Topic(s) Readings/Assignments
September 5, 7 Course Introduction & Introduction to Psychology --- September 10 Research Participation Instructional Talk &
Introduction to Psychology
Chapter 1
September 12 Methods in Psychology Chapter 2 September 14 Guest Workshop: Sexual Assault Centre ---
September 17, 19
Methods in Psychology Chapter 2
September 21, 24, 26
Biological Foundations of Behaviour Chapter 3
September 28, October 1, 3
Genetic and Evolutionary Influences on Behaviour
Chapter 4
October 5 Midterm 1 Chapters 1-4
October 8 Thanksgiving Day—No Class ---
October 10, 12 Sensation & Perception Chapter 5
October 15 TBA Chapter 5
October 17 Sensation & Perception Chapter 5
October 19, 22, 24
Consciousness Chapter 6
October 26, 29*, 31
Learning and Adaptation Chapter 7
*assignment due 29th
November 2 Review Chapters 5-7
November 5 Midterm 2 Chapters 5-7
November 7, 9 Memory Chapter 8
November 12, 14, 16
Reading Week, no class! ---
November 19 Memory Chapter 8
November 21 TBA Chapter 11
November 23, 26, 28, 30
Motivation & Emotion Chapter 11 December 3 Review, Last Day of Class
TBA Final Exam
Tentative Date: December 17, 9am
Chapters 1-8, 11
General classroom environment:
Students are expected to behave appropriately during class, reflecting respect for the instructor and their classmates. Students are expected to turn off or silence (not vibrate setting) all cell phones and music devices during class time. Laptop and tablet computers are only permitted for the purpose of note taking. Frequent talking or disruptions will not be tolerated. Students are free to ask questions during lecture, but please avoid discussing lecture material with other students during lecture time except as part of a class discussion.
E-mail policy:
University e-mails should be written in a professional manner. This means your e-mails should look more like a business letter than a text message.
For questions about course concepts and content, please begin by explaining everything you already understand about the concept in question. Note that some questions are better answered in person during office hours.
In writing any email to the instructor or TAs, the student will be required to include the following information if they desire a response:
1. The student’s first and last name.
2. Their student ID number 3. The course number.
4. If requesting a meeting outside office hours, at least 2 time windows you would be available to meet.
5. Before e-mailing, check the syllabus and the e-class forum to see if your question has already been answered there.
Failure to include this information may result in the email going unanswered. Not including this information makes it very difficult to get back to students in a timely fashion.
Grades:
Final grades will be reported using letter grades. Final grades will be determined after combining scores for all components of the course into a percentage total for each student. This grade translation is approximate; the instructor reserves the right to use expert judgment to adjust the grades as necessary.
A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F
Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor Minimal
Pass Fail 4.0 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0
≥95 90- 94.9
85- 89.9
80- 84.9
75- 79.9
70- 74.9
66- 69.9
62- 65.9
58- 61.9
54-
57.9 50-54.9 <50 Online learning resources:
Additional learning resources (Connect) aimed at facilitating student learning and perhaps including formative assessment tools, are available from the textbook publisher and may be
accessed for a fee paid by the student to the third party provider (e.g. the textbook company).
Students choosing to access and use the online resources should note the following:
1. Registration in the system and any monetary transactions are of your own accord and not the responsibility of the University.
2. Students should be mindful of protecting their personal information and should be aware of how their personal information might be used and/or shared.
3. Students MUST NOT use their UofA gmail address or CCID to register into the system and instead should use a non-identifying email address or account.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards
regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance. ualberta.ca) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
All forms of dishonesty are unacceptable at the University. Any offence will be reported to the Associate Dean of Science who will determine the disciplinary action to be taken. Cheating, plagiarism and misrepresentation of facts are serious offences. Anyone who engages in these practices will receive at minimum a grade of zero for the exam or paper in question and no opportunity will be given to replace the grade or redistribute the weights. As well, in the Faculty of Science the sanction for cheating on any examination will include a disciplinary failing grade (NO EXCEPTIONS) and senior students should expect a period of suspension or expulsion from the University of Alberta.
EXAMS: Your student photo I.D. is required at exams to verify your identity. Students will not be allowed to begin an examination after it has been in progress for 30 minutes. Students must remain in the exam room until at least 30 minutes has elapsed. Electronic equipment cannot be brought into examination rooms.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT CENTRE: Students who require additional help in developing strategies for better time management, study skills or examination skills should contact the Academic Support Centre (2-300 Students’ Union Building).
WRITING ASSISTANCE: Any student requiring assistance for written assignments of any kind is encouraged to make use of the resources available through the University of Alberta’s Centre for Writers in Assiniboia Hall (for a complete list of available services and tutors please see http://www.c4w.arts.ualberta.ca/).
STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR ACCESSIBILITY-RELATED ACCOMMODATIONS (students registered with Student Accessibility Services - SAS): Eligible students have both rights and responsibilities with regard to accessibility-related accommodations.
Consequently, scheduling exam accommodations in accordance with SAS deadlines and
procedures is essential. Please note adherence to procedures and deadlines is required for U of A to provide accommodations. Contact SAS (www.ssds.ualberta.ca) for further information.
Students who require accommodations in this course due to a disability affecting mobility, vision, hearing, learning, mental or physical health are advised to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly SSDS) in SUB room 1-80 as soon as possible. Students are encouraged to make an appointment with the instructor to discuss any required accommodations.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING: All students should consult the “Truth in Education”
handbook at (http://www.tie.ualberta.ca/) regarding definitions of plagiarism and its
consequences. An instructor or coordinator who is convinced that a student has plagiarized or cheated is obliged, out of consideration of fairness to other students, to report the case to the Associate Dean of the Faculty.
CELL PHONES: Cell phones are to be turned off during lectures, labs and seminars. Cell phones are not to be brought to exams or exam viewings.
RECORDING AND/OR DISTRIBUTION OF COURSE MATERIALS: Audio or video recording of lectures is not permitted, except if recording is part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor and any other content author(s).
Use of note-sharing websites is not permitted.
Policy about course outlines can be found in the University Calendar
(http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=806&hl="syllabus"&returnto=search - Evaluation_Procedures_and_Grading_System).
Disclaimer: Any typographical errors in this Course Outline are subject to change and will be announced in class. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes
precedence over any final examination date reported in this syllabus.
Copyright: Kathryn Everhart Chaffee Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, 2018
