The teaching assistant is here to help you. If you are having any
trouble with studying for the course, you can ask the TA to provide some help
during his/her regular office hours.
Please make every attempt see the teaching assistant first,
then the instructor on matters relating to course content, grading on midterms,
and any other general questions you might have.
The instructor will schedule make-ups and deal with final grades.
Course Information:
From the course catalog:
Basic concepts and principles of individual behaviour are examined, particularly
those of human development, normal and abnormal behaviour, social psychology,
learning, perception, and psychological measurement. Students may not hold credit
for PSYC 1200 (017.120) and any of: PSYC 1201 (017.120) or PSYC 1211 (017.121) or
PSYC 1221 (017.122). This course is a prerequisite for all other courses in
Psychology.
Objectives: Psychology is the study of the mind and behaviour.
Psychologists study a wide range of topics relating to both human and animal
behaviour and experience. This course will introduce many of these topics to
you (the more advanced classes will, of course, go into more detail). Through
lectures, film presentations, discussion, the assigned modules and the textbook,
this course will 1) familiarize you with fundamental psychological concepts and theories,
2) increase your awareness of basic psychological processes, and 3) introduce
a general basis of the scientific methods used in psychological research.
Respectful learning environment for all:
Students are expected to arrive early
(arrive BEFORE 11:30 or you will be asked to leave),
turn their cell phones, pagers, anything connected to earphones, etc. off, and
respect the learning environment of others. Once you arrive,
please stay in the class room until the class is over -
going in and out is not acceptable.
Although questions to the instructor are acceptable and encouraged, please DO NOT
talk to classmates during the class. Once I start talking, no one else should be talking.
Students talking during lectures will be asked to leave.
I expect that everyone will follow these few rules to ensure a respectful learning environment for all.
Required materials:
Textbook:
Gerrig, R. J., Zimbardo, P. G., Desmarais, S., & Ivanco, T. (2009). Psychology and life, Canadian
Edition. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada.
i-clicker:
You will need to register your i-clicker at: http://www.i-clicker.com/
There is a yellow link on the left side that says "Register**" - click this and follow the instructions.
Course Evaluation:
| Term Tests |
30% (5x6%) |
| i-clicker questions |
8% |
| Self Study exams |
8% |
| Peer Scholar assignments |
16% |
| Claiming your id at http://umanitoba.ca/claim ID
and logging on to umanitoba.ca/angel with it |
1% |
| Research Participation |
8% |
| Library assignment |
4% |
| cummulative final exam - scheduled by the university |
25% |
| TOTAL |
100% |
Any material from lectures, including films and discussions, and
assigned chapters will be examinable material. Students are expected to read
assigned chapters (scan before class). You should plan to attend all lectures to
have all material - some things will ONLY be discussed in class.
The following evaluation scheme will be used for this course.
NOTE: The instructor does not provide other ways for you to earn course credit beyond
those listed below. Therefore, do not ask to write a paper or do extra work to
improve your grade.
** The course is cummulative. The final will be similar in nature to the midterms.**
** Evaluation will be provided by the Voluntary Withdrawal Without Penalty
date of March 20/2008
Although your attendence at midterms is expected, sometimes missing a test is unavoidable.
Students should provide instructors with detailed information about events that
will cause them to miss any of the midterms as soon as possible when it is missed.
Students will be allowed to take make-up tests ONLY with medical
(or compassionate-grounds) documentation.
Permission to write a make-up midterm if you must be out of town or attend
a special appointment must be obtained from the instructor well in advance
(aim for a month's notice to the instructor). Only students that are provided with
prior instructor approval will be able to make up the missed midterms.
Although "I am going to my brother's wedding in Hawaii" is acceptable (I might want to see the invitation),
"I am going to a concert with my friends", "I couldn't find parking" or
"I missed the bus", are not acceptable reasons for missing a midterm - arrive early.
If you do not schedule in advance, or do not have documentation, you will not be allowed
the opportunity to write the midterm and will obtain a zero for that midterm.
University, provincial, or national athletes should discuss scheduling issues
with the instructors immediately if known conflicts exist. They
should expect to make up exams at the instructor's convenience.
Students with religious obligations need to provide notice (3 weeks) to the
head of the department and present evidence for the religious obligations
involved.
Times will be scheduled between those needing to write the exam and the
instructor. You may be asked to write the midterm earlier than it is scheduled for the class.
If you miss these make-up times, you will not have an additional
opportunity to make up the midterms. Since it is much easier to write tests
while the material is still fresh in your mind, it is highly recommended that
you not postpone the midterms.
Research Participation: please read carefully!
Every year students from Introductory Psychology courses are asked to assist as
participants in experiments aimed at understanding human behaviour. Your
participation earns you 8% of your course credit. This allows students to see
first-hand how some of the research in the Department of Psychology is actually
done. You will earn approximately one-half percentage point for every experimental credit
you accumulate, up to 16 credits. Two additional credits are available to signing up onto
the psychology credit system - see the Yellow sheet.
The total number of credits you need may change!! Sign up early
AGAIN: Please sign up for opportunities early and often.
It is the student's responsibility to attend as many sessions as they can
until they have enough credits. It is also your responsibility to keep track of
experiments and make it to the sessions. MUST keep track of all experiments you participate in to ensure you
get the credit you deserve. You also must be sure of where the experiments you sign up for
are - write it down! If you must cancel, do so before your scheduled time.
Arrive early for your experiments - arriving late will cause you to lose credits
- even a few minutes will result in you being classified as a no-show.
There are few good excuses for not arriving on time, not to mention that it is very rude to
the experimenter to not respect their time.
The course instructor does not deal with the credits at all!
The instructor does not know where the experiments are, they do not know who is
running them, and they cannot make special arrangements if you miss your experiment.
Contact the Undergraduate Advisor (also the experiment co-ordinator) if you have questions.
Any student that believes that they should not, or could not, participate
in these experiments should speak with the instructor immediately at the beginning
of the term. At the
instructor's discretion, other arrangements for the 8% credit may be made.
Grading Scale:
| A+: |
96-100 |
C+: |
66-72 |
| A: |
86-95 |
C: |
56-65 |
| B+: |
80-85 |
D: |
50-55 |
| B: |
73-79 |
F: |
0-49 |
A final percentage grade that has a fractional component will be
rounded up if it is .5 or more, and downward if it is .499… or less.
For example, a final score of 75.5% would be rounded up to 76%, but a score of 75.3% would be rounded down to 75%.
The number grades required for letter grades will not be altered at the end of the year.
Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism or any form of cheating is subject to serious academic penalty.
It is the responsibility of the student to acquaint themselves with Section 7
from the University of Manitoba Undergraduate Calendar for the current academic
year - see Policies on Plagiarism and Cheating, and Examination: Personations.
Academic dishonesty can result in serious consequences, eg. a grade of zero on
an assignment or test, an F on a transcript (with a notation "CW" indicating
compulsory withdrawal). The penalty can also include suspension for a period of
up to five years from registration in courses taught in a particular department
in Arts or from all courses taught in this Faculty. The Faculty reserves the
right to check any work suspected of plagiarism through electronic resources.
Speak to your instructor if you have any questions.
The following outlines three forms of academic dishonesty:
Plagiarism is to take the words or ideas (found on paper or electronic
format) of another person and pass them off as one's own. Submission of a paper
written in part or in whole by someone other than yourself is considered to be
plagiarism and/or cheating.
Cheating in examinations or tests can take a variety of forms including,
but not limited to, the use of unauthorized materials, and copying material from o
thers. An assignment that is prepared for one course cannot be submitted for
another course; this is called duplicate submission and is a form of cheating.
Examination Impersonation - A student who arranges for another individual
(student or non-student) to write any nature of examination, as well as the
individual who writes the exam, will be subject to discipline under the
University of Manitoba's Student Discipline Bylaw.
As such - your student card is essential,
and it is expected it will travel with you to all exams. If you have lost, misplaced, or
mutilated your student card, get another one immediately. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO
WRITE YOUR EXAMS WITHOUT THIS CARD!!!!
Other information:
The instructor does not lend out their notes or overheads.
You should find a classmate that can you can get notes from if you must miss a
class. Do not include the instructor in your emails to classmates asking for notes.
The notes and overheads will not be put on webpages. No student is
allowed to post class notes or overheads on the internet without prior written
permission of the instructors.
Tentative reading outline:
Assume that it will take approximately 2 classes to cover each chapter.
We will read the chapters in order they are presented in the text.
TENTATIVE FALL 2008 COURSE SCHEDULE:
Week 1 (September 4-5): ORIENTATION AND COURSE OVERVIEW
Tutorial Activities:
Review of Syllabus
I-Clicker Registration Instructions
Instructions on Gaining Access to Web Resources
Readings: None, but be sure to get the textbook!
Week 2 (September 8-12): OVERVIEW OF THE FIELD OF PSYCHOLOGY
Tutorial Activities:
Library Resources Presentation
Instructions for Signing-Up to Participate in the Research Pre-Testing Study
I-Clicker Questions on the Syllabus
Readings: Textbook Chapter 1
Week 3 (September 15-19): Research Methods in Psychology
Library Assignment Instructions
Research Pre-Testing Study Participation
Readings: Textbook Chapter 2
Week 4 (September 22-26): Evolutionary Psychology
I-Clicker Questions on Chapter 1
Readings: Textbook Chapter 3
Week 5 (September 29- October 3): Biological Bases of Behaviour, Part I
I-Clicker Questions on Chapter 2
Readings: Textbook Chapter 4
Week 6 (October 6-10): Biological Bases of Behaviour, Part II
NOTE: This week, the library assignment is due during your assigned tutorial class.
Introduction to Peer Scholar
I-Clicker Questions on Chapter 3
Readings: Textbook Chapter 4
Week 7 (October 14-17): 1st Mid-Term Exam Week
NOTE: October 13 is Thanksgiving Day
The first mid-term exam will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions
drawn from Chapters 1-3 and Lectures 1-3. The exam will be written during
class time on October 14th.
Week 8 (October 20-24): Sensation and Perception, Part I
Peer Scholar Assignment Instructions
I-Clicker Questions on Chapter 4
Readings: Textbook Chapter 5
Week 9 (October 27-31): Sensation and Perception, Part II
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by October 27th (see page 13 of this syllabus)!
Readings: Textbook Chapter 5
Week 10 (November 3-7): Mind, Consciousness, and Alternate States
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by November 7th (see page 13 of this syllabus)!
I-Clicker Questions on Chapter 5
Readings: Textbook Chapter 6
Week 11 (November 10-14): 2nd Mid-Term Exam Week
NOTE: November 11 is Remembrance Day
The second mid-term exam will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions
drawn from Chapters 4-6 and Lectures 4-6. The exam will be written during
class time on November 13th.
Week 12 (November 17-21): Learning and Behaviour Analysis
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by November 17th
I-Clicker Questions on Chapter 6
Readings: Textbook Chapter 7
Week 13 (November 24-28): Memory
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by November 28th
I-Clicker Questions on Chapter 7
Readings: Textbook Chapter 8
Week 14 (December 1-5): 3rd Mid-Term Exam Week
NOTE: December 3rd is the last day of classes.
The third mid-term exam will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions drawn
from Chapters 7-8 and Lectures 7-8. The exam will be written during class time
on December 2nd.
TENTATIVE WINTER 2009 COURSE SCHEDULE:
Week 1 (January 6-9): Cognitive Processes
Syllabus Review
I-clicker Questions on Syllabus
½ Point Assessment of Course
Readings: Textbook Chapter 9
Week 2 (January 12-16): Intelligence and Intelligence Assessment
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 9
Readings: Textbook Chapter 10
Week 3 (January 19-23): Human Development Across the Lifespan, Part I
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 10
Readings: Textbook Chapter 11
Week 4 (January 26-30): Human Development Across the Lifespan, Part II
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by January 26th
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 11
Readings: Textbook Chapter 11
Week 5 (February 2-6): Motivation
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by February 6th (see page 13 of this syllabus)!
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 11
Readings: Textbook Chapter 12
Week 6 (February 9-13): 4th Mid-Term Exam Week
The fourth mid-term exam will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions drawn
from Chapters 9-11 and Lectures 9-11. The exam will be written during class
time on February 12th.
Week 7 (February 16-20): READING WEEK - NO CLASSES
Week 8 (February 23-27): Emotion, Stress, and Health
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 12
Readings: Textbook Chapter 13
Week 9 (March 2-6): Human Personality
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by March 2nd (see page 13 of this syllabus)!
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 13
Readings: Textbook Chapter 14
Week 10 (March 9-13): Psychological Disorders
NOTE: Peer Scholar Assignment Due by March 13th (see page 13 of this syllabus)!
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 14
Readings: Textbook Chapter 15
Week 11 (March 16-20): 5th Mid-Term Exam Week
The fifth mid-term exam will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions drawn
from Chapters 12-14 and Lectures 12-14. The exam will be written during class
time on March 19th.
Week 12 (March 23-27): Therapies for Psychological Disorders
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 15
Readings: Textbook Chapter 16
Week 13 (March 30 - April 3): Social Psychology
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 16
Readings: Textbook Chapter 17
Week 14 (April 6-10): Social Psychology
NOTE: April 9th is the last day of classes.
I-clicker Questions on Chapter 17
Readings: Textbook Chapter 18
THE FINAL EXAM WILL CONSIST OF 120 MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS,
20 (OR 20%) OF THESE WILL BE FROM MATERIAL RELATED TO ONLINE LECTURES 15-18
AND CHAPTERS 15-18 OF YOUR TEXTBOOK, THE REMAINING 100 (OR 80%)
OF THE QUESTIONS WILL BE DRAWN FROM ANY OF THE 18 TEXTBOOK CHAPTERS AND/OR
ONLINE LECTURES.
THE TIME AND PLACE OF THE EXAM WILL BE SCHEDULED BY THE REGISTRAR
DURING THE WINTER TERM FINAL EXAM PERIOD. THREE HOURS WILL BE ALOTTED FOR
COMPLETION OF THE EXAM.
RESEARCH PARTICIPATION
Completion of psychological research studies often depend on access to human
participants. You can contribute to the science of psychology at the University
of Manitoba by setting up an account and signing up for research studies at the
following website: http://subpool.psych.umanitoba.ca. How to arrange to
participate in studies will be explained in more detail in your tutorials,
supported by additional handouts. For each ½ hour of participation, you will
receive 1 credit; the maximum number of credits that you can be awarded is 15.
Once you have accumulated 15 credits, you will receive full marks for the research
participation component of your final course mark (which will contribute 8% to your
final course grade). For those who do not wish to complete the research participation
component of the course by participating in research studies, please let your
tutorial leader know, and he/she will arrange another way for you to complete
this component of the course.
ALL THE INFORMATION ON THE EXPERIMENTS IS FOUND ON THE YELLOW SHEET THAT
THE SUBJECT POOL COORDINATOR PROVIDES.
Please refer to this sheet and direct
any and all questions about experiments to the subject pool coordinator.
VERY IMPORTANT:
When you sign up to participate in a research study during a
specific day and time, there will be an experimenter waiting for you.
Showing up late or failing to show up at all for research studies that
you have signed up for wastes the experimenter's valuable time. If you
are late or fail to show up for a study, you will forfeit the number of
credits that you would have received had you participated in the research
study AND there is no way to make up for the loss of these credits.
Also, we urge students to be respectful and cooperative with experimenters.
Credit for research participation will be withheld from students who behave
disrespectfully or who do not follow experimenters' instructions. Research
credit is awarded for honest participation, not for merely being physically
present during the time that you signed up for.
LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT
In order to give students exposure to resources made available
by the U of M Libraries, the Librarian responsible for Psychology
will provide a presentation during the first full week of classes
(between September 9th and September 12th). I will then distribute a brief
assignment to provide an opportunity to use the online databases that
psychological scientists at the University of Manitoba use to access reference
material (which typically consist of articles published in scholarly journals).
Merely completing this assignment by meticulously following the instructions
will award you full marks (out of 25), contributing 4% toward your final course
grade. This library assignment is due to be handed in to your instructor by the
end of your tutorial class on or before October 9th of the Fall Term.
I-CLICKER PARTICIPATION MARKS
With the use of I-Clickers, during tutorials, students will be provided with
opportunities to test their own understanding of the course content throughout
the Fall and Winter Terms. The Chapters that will be the focus of these brief,
I-Clicker quizzes, are indicated in the Tentative Course Schedule provided above.
By participating in 8 of these quizzes, which you may do at any point during
the academic year, you will receive 8% toward your final course grade. In
order to receive credit for your participation in quizzes, you must attend
your tutorial during a day in which an I-Clicker quiz will be held AND YOU
MUST bring your I-Clicker to that tutorial. You will only receive credit
if you actually participate in the quiz with the i-Clicker that is personally
registered to you. We encourage you to bring your I-Clicker to every tutorial
class (the vast majority of these classes will include an i-Clicker quiz) and
to actively participate in the classroom discussion that these quizzes will stimulate.
PEER SCHOLAR ASSIGNMENTS
During the Fall and Winter Terms, you will be required to complete
four Peer Scholar Assignments (2 during the Fall Term and 2 in the
Winter Term). A more detailed explanation as to how to complete these
assignments will be provided in additional handouts and in tutorials,
but a brief description of what will be required of you is provided in this section.
The first component of each of these assignments will involve writing
a brief article summary or opinion paper. The second component of the
assignments will involve reading assignments completed by other students,
scoring those assignments based on your evaluation of their quality, and
providing written feedback about the positive and negative qualities of
those assignments. Your completion of each of these assignments will contribute
16% to your final grade in the course (8 will be based on other students'
evaluation of your assignment and 8 will be based on your evaluation of other
students' assignments). Each of your assignments will receive a score out of
4 based on the following process:
1. five students, selected at random, will assign your work a score out of 5
2. the highest and lowest score generated by these five students will be dropped
3. your mark will be the average score generated by the three remaining student
markers
You will simply be required to provide a score and a written evaluation of the
work generated by 5 other students to receive full marks for your evaluation of
other students' assignments.
A Note on Confidentiality:
No student will ever know the identity of the students who generated the
assignments that they will be required to evaluate. Likewise, your identity
will be unknown to the students who are selected to mark your assignments.
DEADLINES FOR COMPLETION OF PEER SCHOLAR ASSIGNMENTS
FALL TERM
Assignment 1:
Written Component: October 27
Evaluation of Other Students' Work: November 7
Assignment 2:
Written Component: November 17
Evaluation of Other Students' Work: December 28
WINTER TERM
Assignment 3:
Written Component: January 26
Evaluation of Other Students' Work: February 6
Assignment 4:
Written Component: March 2
Evaluation of Other Students' Work: March 13
SELF-STUDY EXAMINATIONS
In exchange for 8% of your course grade, you will be required to complete
16/17 self study examinations at any point during the Fall or Winter Terms.
You will receive these course credits simply for completing these exams.
Your mark for this component of the course will not be based on how many
of the questions you answer correctly. Our goal in having you complete these
short examinations is to provide you with another opportunity to evaluate your
success in learning the course material. For this reason, it will benefit you
most to complete the examinations associated with topics that have not yet
been tested in a mid-term exam. In other words, practice answering questions
on topics that will be tested on mid-term exams that you will be required to
write in the near future. You can find information on how to access these
self-study examinations on Pages 1 and 2 of this syllabus. Additional
information on how to access this resource will also be provided by your T.A.
Important links for the course:
University of Manitoba
Department of Psychology
Illusions
PSYC 1200 research credit information
Claiming your id
Logging on to angel
Logging on to mypsychlab.
Medline search - USE FOR E-JOURNALS