DAWSON COLLEGE

Ponderation: 2-1-3


Section #4 and #5

Effective Date: Winter, 2001

Instructor: Soja Park Cowen


Psychology Department

Office; 5D.24

Office Phone: 931-8731 Loc. 1600

Office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 1 PM to 2:30 PM

Friday: 10 AM to 11:30 AM. Or by appointment


REQUIRED TEXTS: Essentials of Psychology, 8th Edition. By Dennis Coon.

Wadsworth I Thompson Learning. 2000

GOALS: This course is designed to:


• provide you with an overview of the scientific approach to the study of human behavior;

• increase your awareness and understanding of the interaction of factors which influence human behavior;

• to show you how the methods and concepts of psychology can be applied to real life situations.

• provide you with fundamental concepts on which you can build in later psychology courses.

OBJECTIVES

AND STANDARDS: Upon completion of this course, you will be expected to be able to:


• demonstrate awareness of the major areas of basic and applied psychology and the main historical and methodological foundations of modern psychology;

• describe basic biological structures and processes involved in human behavior and mental processes;

• state the major principles and theories used to explain perceptual, cognitive, and affective functioning;

• state how major theorists conceptualise perceptual, cognitive, and emotional processes and interactions among them;

• apply these concepts to different kinds of problems.


In order to pass the course, you must demonstrate adequate knowledge in the areas described by the objectives and earn a minimum grade of 60% overall.


CONTENT:

• Foundations of modern psychology.

• Areas of specialization and major characteristics of psychological research.

• Biological bases of behavior: (1) the nervous system and (2) genes and chromosomes.

• Perception and attention.

• Learning.


• Memory, thinking, and intelligence.

• Motivation and emotion.


TEACHING METHODS: include lectures, discussions, and audio-visual presentations

CLASS PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS: Students are expected to participate in class to the best of their ability.

RULES ABOUT LATENESS AND CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PENALTIES:

Attendance will be taken in all classes. It is important to arrive in class on time and to attend all classes. Participation in class discussions is encouraged and expected. Students missing more than 9 hours of class/lab (for other than documented SERIOUS reasons) may be refused permission to complete the course.

LITERACY REQUIREMENTS:

All written work must be presented in a readable manner and must be well written. Proper grammar and spelling are expected. If you have difficulty please see me or the Learning Centre for help in improving these skills.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION SCHEME:

Exams: 2 Exams x 20% each = 40%
Quizzes; 5 quizzes x 5% each = 25%
Learning activities: = 25%
Attendance and participation = 10%

100%

EXPLANATION OF EVALUATION:

Exams: 40% of the final grade is based on 2 exams, midterm and final. Each exam is worth 20% and non accumulative. They will include multiple choice items and short essays.

Quizzes: Quizzes will be given in class as an open book previews or reviews on a new chapter being studied. They will be consisted of some multiple

choice items, short answers and class exercises. Students must bring their
textbook and study guide on days quizzes are scheduled. There will be 6
quizzes and the best 5 will be counted. (no make up quizzes)

Assignments: The department requires 3 learning activities for this course.

See the separate sheet for the due dates and topics for these assignments.
The 3 assignments make up 25% of the final grade. Assignments will not be
accepted after the due date.

Attendance and participation: 10 marks are reserved for this requirement. In general, physical presence and attention alone will earn these marks. However, in cases of rude or disruptive behavior, a student may be asked to leave the class and/or lose attendance marks.

In order to pass the course, a minimum total of 60 marks is required.

POLICY ON CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will result in a mark of zero for the piece of work in question. A second incident of plagiarism will result in a grade of zero in the course as will any incident of cheating. Cases of plagiarism and cheating will also be referred to College authorities.
TAKEHOME ASSIGNMENTS

All students taking General Psychology must complete the following learning activities. These assignments make up 25% of your grade. Late assignments will not be accepted. Check the class calendar on the next page.

Learning activity One: (10%)

All students in all sections will be required to do a “wider awareness” assignment that uses articles from popular media. At least one of them must be in French. The assignment must be written and all students must submit a first draft which is corrected by the instructor and resubmitted by the student in final draft form.
The following contains the specific steps involved in this assignment. Part 1: Starting immediately collect 3 articles from newspapers or magazines that concern psychology or psychological research. On each article, underline/highlight the main points and supporting points of the article and write key words and questions in the margins. In addition, write in one sentence or two, the main point of the article. Hand in this part on due date. Part 2: either the student chooses one of his three articles or the teacher provides an article for the purpose of analysing the article. This analysis should consist of a) a summary of the contents of the paper, b) relating the content of the article to the course information (primarily text) by finding information and drawing parallels, and c) relating the information in the article to life experiences.

Learning Activity Two: (10%)

This assignment is to be based on the content presented on methodology in chapter 1. The student should be able to demonstrate a knowledge of an ability to apply the concepts taught in this part of the course.
Each student will be assigned a topic in psychology and will be encouraged to design a simple research that involves at least 2 of the methods covered in class. In doing this, one must keep in mind the following objectives. Students must demonstrate an ability to differentiate observation from inference as a first step. Students then must understand the differences among observational, case study; survey, correlational, and experimental methods.
Students will first produce the report in draft form to be corrected by the teacher and rewrite the final report by the due date

Learning Activity Three (5%)

All students are required to buy the textbook and assignments will be provided from the book and the study guide. These assignments reflect the guidelines that are designed to develop the following college level skills: a) how to read a textbook, b)how to take notes from a textbook, and c) how to take notes during a lecture.

This semester, try to take best class notes that you can from your textbook and from class lectures. Save your notes and compile them in order. Indicate dates and chapter on top of each section. Do not merely copy what the teacher writes on the board, but listen carefully and write down definitions, explanations and examples of each concept covered. If you missed them in class, look them up in the book and fill in. On days when you missed class, find out what was covered, and supplement the notes from the content of the textbook.
Hand in your notes on the day of the midterm exam. It will be returned with comments and feedback. It will be graded as pass or fail, and if you fail, you can resubmit the notes at the end of the term.

COURSE CONTENT AND CALENDAR

Week/Date/Topic
Readings Exams or Assignment

Quizzes Schedule
1/ JAN. 22 - JAN. 24
INTRO TO THE COURSE

2/ JAN. 29 - JAN. 31 CHAPTER 1
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE PP. 19—29


3/ FEB. 5 — FEB. 7 CHAPTER 1 QUIZ 1
RESEARCH METHODS PP. 3—19

4/ FEB. 12 - FEB. 14 CHAPTER 2 QUIZ 2
BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR PP. 33—46

5/ FEB. 19 - FEB. 21 CHAPTER 3 QUIZ 3
SENSATION 71-95

6/ FEB. 26 — FEB. 28 CHAPTER 3 ASSIGNMENT 1
PERCEPTION 96-107 DRAFT DUE

7/ MAR. 5 —MAR. 7 MIDTERM
EXAM


8 MAR. 12, MAR. 21 CH 5 QUIZ 4 ASSIGNMENT 1
LEARNING — CLASSICAL 143-155 REPORT DUE

9/ MAR. 19, MAR. 28 CH 5
LEARNING — OPERANT 156-170

10/ MAR. 26, APR. 4 CH 6 QUIZ 5
MEMORY - REMEMBERING 179-191

11/ APR .2-APR. 11 CH 6 ASSIGNMENT 2
MEMORY- FORGETTING 192-205 DATA DUE

12/ APR. 9 - APR. 18 CH 7

INTELLIGENCE 215-229

13/ APR. 23 – APR 25 CH 7 QUIZ 6

ASSIGNMENT 2

THINKING 231-237 REPORT DUE

14/ APR. 30 – MAY 2

MOTIVATION 295-310

15/ MAY 7—MAY 9 FINAL EXAM ASSIGNMENT 3

DUE

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Psychology Department

Office; 5D.24

Office Phone: 931-8731 Loc. 1600

Office hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 1 PM to 2:30 PM

REQUIRED TEXTS: Essentials of Psychology, 8th Edition. By Dennis Coon.

Wadsworth I Thompson Learning. 2000

•	provide you with an overview of the scientific approach to the study of human behavior;

•	increase your awareness and understanding of the interaction of factors which influence human behavior;

•	to show you how the methods and concepts of psychology can be applied to real life situations.

•	provide you with fundamental concepts on which you can build in later psychology courses.


OBJECTIVES

AND STANDARDS:	Upon completion of this course, you will be expected to be able to:

•	demonstrate awareness of the major areas of basic and applied psychology and the main historical and methodological foundations of modern psychology;

•	describe basic biological structures and processes involved in human behavior and mental processes;

•	state the major principles and theories used to explain perceptual, cognitive, and affective functioning;

•	state how major theorists conceptualise perceptual, cognitive, and emotional processes and interactions among them;

•	apply these concepts to different kinds of problems.

In order to pass the course, you must demonstrate adequate knowledge in the areas described by the objectives and earn a minimum grade of 60% overall.

CONTENT:

•	Foundations of modern psychology.

•	Areas of specialization and major characteristics of psychological research.

•	Biological bases of behavior: (1) the nervous system and (2) genes and chromosomes.

•	Perception and attention.

•	Learning.

•	Memory, thinking, and intelligence.

•	Motivation and emotion.

TEACHING METHODS: include lectures, discussions, and audio-visual presentations

CLASS PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS: Students are expected to participate in class to the best of their ability.

Attendance will be taken in all classes. It is important to arrive in class on time and to attend all classes. Participation in class discussions is encouraged and expected. Students missing more than 9 hours of class/lab (for other than documented SERIOUS reasons) may be refused permission to complete the course.

All written work must be presented in a readable manner and must be well written. Proper grammar and spelling are expected. If you have difficulty please see me or the Learning Centre for help in improving these skills.

	Exams: 2 Exams x 20% each	= 40%
	Quizzes; 5 quizzes x 5% each	= 25%
	Learning activities:	= 25%
	Attendance and participation	= 10%

Exams: 40% of the final grade is based on 2 exams, midterm and final. Each exam is worth 20% and non accumulative. They will include multiple choice items and short essays.

choice items, short answers and class exercises. Students must bring their
textbook and study guide on days quizzes are scheduled. There will be 6
quizzes and the best 5 will be counted. (no make up quizzes)

See the separate sheet for the due dates and topics for these assignments.
The 3 assignments make up 25% of the final grade. Assignments will not be
accepted after the due date.

Attendance and participation: 10 marks are reserved for this requirement. In general, physical presence and attention alone will earn these marks. However, in cases of rude or disruptive behavior, a student may be asked to leave the class and/or lose attendance marks.

In order to pass the course, a minimum total of 60 marks is required.


POLICY ON CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will result in a mark of zero for the piece of work in question. A second incident of plagiarism will result in a grade of zero in the course as will any incident of cheating. Cases of plagiarism and cheating will also be referred to College authorities.

TAKEHOME ASSIGNMENTS

All students taking General Psychology must complete the following learning activities. These assignments make up 25% of your grade. Late assignments will not be accepted. Check the class calendar on the next page.

Learning activity One: (10%)

All students in all sections will be required to do a “wider awareness” assignment that uses articles from popular media. At least one of them must be in French. The assignment must be written and all students must submit a first draft which is corrected by the instructor and resubmitted by the student in final draft form.
The following contains the specific steps involved in this assignment. Part 1: Starting immediately collect 3 articles from newspapers or magazines that concern psychology or psychological research. On each article, underline/highlight the main points and supporting points of the article and write key words and questions in the margins. In addition, write in one sentence or two, the main point of the article. Hand in this part on due date. Part 2: either the student chooses one of his three articles or the teacher provides an article for the purpose of analysing the article. This analysis should consist of a) a summary of the contents of the paper, b) relating the content of the article to the course information (primarily text) by finding information and drawing parallels, and c) relating the information in the article to life experiences.

This assignment is to be based on the content presented on methodology in chapter 1. The student should be able to demonstrate a knowledge of an ability to apply the concepts taught in this part of the course.
Each student will be assigned a topic in psychology and will be encouraged to design a simple research that involves at least 2 of the methods covered in class. In doing this, one must keep in mind the following objectives. Students must demonstrate an ability to differentiate observation from inference as a first step. Students then must understand the differences among observational, case study; survey, correlational, and experimental methods.
Students will first produce the report in draft form to be corrected by the teacher and rewrite the final report by the due date

This semester, try to take best class notes that you can from your textbook and from class lectures. Save your notes and compile them in order. Indicate dates and chapter on top of each section. Do not merely copy what the teacher writes on the board, but listen carefully and write down definitions, explanations and examples of each concept covered. If you missed them in class, look them up in the book and fill in. On days when you missed class, find out what was covered, and supplement the notes from the content of the textbook.
Hand in your notes on the day of the midterm exam. It will be returned with comments and feedback. It will be graded as pass or fail, and if you fail, you can resubmit the notes at the end of the term.

2/ JAN. 29 - JAN. 31	CHAPTER 1
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE	PP. 19—29

3/ FEB. 5 — FEB. 7	CHAPTER 1	QUIZ 1
RESEARCH METHODS	PP. 3—19

4/ FEB. 12 - FEB. 14	CHAPTER 2	QUIZ 2
BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR	PP. 33—46

5/ FEB. 19 - FEB. 21	CHAPTER 3	QUIZ 3
SENSATION	71-95

6/ FEB. 26 — FEB. 28	CHAPTER 3		ASSIGNMENT 1
PERCEPTION	96-107		DRAFT DUE

7/ MAR. 5 —MAR. 7		MIDTERM
		EXAM


8 MAR. 12, MAR. 21	CH 5	QUIZ 4	ASSIGNMENT 1
LEARNING — CLASSICAL	143-155		REPORT DUE

9/ MAR. 19, MAR. 28	CH 5
LEARNING — OPERANT	156-170

11/ APR .2-APR. 11	CH 6	ASSIGNMENT 2
MEMORY- FORGETTING	192-205	DATA DUE