Syllabus

Psych. 150 - General Psychology

Spring 2000

1:00-1:55 MWF

Professor James H. Shaffer (Instructor)

Required Textbook: Baron, Robert A. (1998). Psychology (4th edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon

Required Workbook: Seta, C.E., Seta, J. & Paulus, P. (1998). Study Guide Plus for Baron Psychology Fourth Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Course Objectives - To present a general overview of many of the important topics in psychology, such as research methods, the biological basis of behavior, sensation and perception, learning, memory, motivation and emotion, human development, intelligence, personality, stress and coping, psychological disorders, and therapy. A scientific approach to acquiring knowledge about human behavior and cognition will be stressed.

Reading Assignments

Ch. 1 - Psychology: A Science...and a Perspective (all)

Ch. 2 - Biological Basis of Behavior: A Look Beneath the Surface (omit pp. 72-75)

Unit I Exam

Ch. 3 - Sensation and Perception: Making Contact with the World Around Us (all)

Ch. 4 - States of Consciousness (all)

Ch. 5 - Learning: How We’re Changed by Experience (all)

Unit II Exam

Ch. 6 - Memory: Of Things Remembered...and Forgotten (all)

Ch. 8 - Human Development I: The Childhood Years (pp. 308-313, 317-end)

Ch. 9 - Human Development II: Adolescence, Adulthood, and Aging (all)

Unit III Exam

Ch. 10 - Motivation and Emotion (all)

Ch. 11 - Intelligence: Cognitive and Emotional (all)

Ch. 12 - Personality: Uniqueness and Consistency in the Behavior of Individuals (all)

Unit IV Exam

Ch. 13 - Health, Stress, and Coping (pp. 503-518, 522-533)

Ch. 14 - Psychological Disorders: Their Nature and Causes (all)

Ch. 15 - Therapy: Diminishing the Pain of Psychological Disorders (all)]

Baron Student Center - The author of your text has created a very helpful site on the Internet. There are practice tests, critical thinking questions, student supplements, and InterActivities from the Internet that correspond to the “WEB” signs in the margin of the text. The address of the Student Center is: www.abacon.com/baron4e/student.html. Residential students and commuters, who do not have Internet access, will want to log onto Thiel’s system.

Other Good Internet Sites

www. britannica.com (Encyclopedia Britannica online)

altavista. com, go. com, mamma. com, and snap.com (four good search engines)

Grading - Your final grade will be based upon four unit exams (100 points each), a final examination (150 points), assignments from Study Guide Plus (10 points each for a maximum of 60 points), and extra credit opportunities (5-10 points each for a maximum of 50 points). The final exam will emphasize Chapters 13-15, although one-third of it will be comprehensive in nature. The final exam will be given from 10:30-12:30 on Thursday, May 4^th.

Attendance Policy and Make-Up Policy- You are expected to attend class regularly. If you miss an exam, you must have a good excuse (e.g., illness, family emergency, or representing the College etc.) and notify me as soon as possible. You must attend class to hand in extra credit assignments or pages from Study Guide Plus unless you have a really good excuse.

Cheating Policy - Cheating is well defined in the College Catalog and sanctions are specified in the Student Handbook. Cheating includes copying homework, using unauthorized sources during quizzes and exams, copying or accepting answers from classmates, and plagiarizing on writing assignments.

Office Hours - My office is AC-257 (next to the elevator). Office hours are 10:00-10:55 MWF, 1:00-1:55 TTh, and by appointment. .