General Psychology

Fall - 2008

PSYC 1010-I: Hale Center 209
M-W-F   3:00 - 3:50

Lecture Notes GRADES
  Instructor: Stephen T. Paul, Ph.D.                          Office Hours: M/W/F: 10:00 - 10:50
Office:    Lafayette Center: Room 110.   M/W/F:   2:00 -   2:50
Phone:    (412) 397-5416.   & by Appointment.
E-mail:    paul@rmu.edu
Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this - that you are dreadfully like other people.
-- James Russell Lowell

Overview: General Psychology is a survey of approaches each designed to provide a better understanding of the complexities of human thought and behavior. The course includes an overview of the scientific methods most commonly used to study human behavior. Upon completion of this class, the successful student should have a better understanding of their own motivations and behaviors as well as the motivations and behaviors of others.
Objectives:
  1. To define psychology and be aware of some of its various major sub-fields.
  2. To outline the scientific method as it is applied to the study of human behavior.
  3. To define various theories of psychology as they relate to human development.
  4. To explain the relationship between biology and behavior.
  5. To explain the distinctions between classical and operant conditioning.
  6. To elaborate upon higher-order mental abilities such as memory, language, and thought.
  7. To explore the topic of stress and the theories that relate to identifying and dealing with it.
  8. To explain motivation- and emotion-based influences on behavior.
  9. To define abnormality with regard to human behavior and describe different therapeutic approaches used to treat psychological dysfunction.
  10. To describe many of the social influences on behavior.
Text: Wood, S. E., Wood, E. G., & Boyd, D. (2008). Mastering the World of Psychology, 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Web Site: http://academics.rmu.edu/~paul/courses.html
Examinations: Four exams will be given. Except for the final (which will be multiple-choice), semester exams will be split between matching, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple-choice. If I am persuaded (somehow) that you should be allowed to make up a missed exam, it will be in the form of a challenging essay exam. In addition, please expect anywhere from 4 to 12 pop-quizzes. Quizzes will be unannounced and can NOT be made up if missed. Missing class on the day of a pop-quiz can hurt your final grade.
Policies:
  1. Accomodation: Students who may be eligible to receive learning support or physical accommodations must contact the Center for Student Success at 412-262-8349 to schedule an appointment with a counselor and to learn more about accommodation procedures. To receive accommodations in this course, arrangements must be made through the Center for Student Success.
  2. Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity is valued at Robert Morris University. All students are expected to understand and adhere to the standards of Academic Integrity as stated in the RMU Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found on the RMU website at http://www.rmu.edu/academicintegrity. Any student who violates the Academic Integrity Policy is subject to possible judicial proceedings which may result in sanctions as outlined in the Policy. Depending upon the severity of the violation, sanctions may range from receiving a zero on an assignment to being dismissed from the university. If you have any questions about the policy, please consult your course instructor.
  3. Attendance: Students should not be expected to attend any more lectures than the professor shows up to teach. If you miss a class that I showed up to teach, you will lose points toward your final grade. My view is simply that skipping a class, for any reason, is a bad decision. Also, be aware that if you arrive to class AFTER attendance has been taken, or, if you leave BEFORE attendance has been taken, YOU WILL BE MARKED ABSENT FOR THAT DAY (no exceptions).
  4. Lectures & Readings: I expect that you will have read each chapter before we meet in class to discuss it.
  5. Grading: The semester exams will each be worth 18 percent of your final grade (54 percent total). The cumulative final (given during the scheduled final-exam period) will be worth 28 percent of your final grade. Pop-quizzes will be worth 8 percent and class participation will be worth 10 percent of your final grade. The breakdown below will be used to determine final grades. NOTE: Students will NOT be allowed to wear baseball (etc.) caps during exams. The instructor must be able to see everyone's eyes during exams.

    A = 93.0 - 100B = 83.0 - 86.9C = 70.0 - 74.9
    A- = 90.0 - 92.9B- = 80.0 - 82.9D = 60.0 - 69.9
    B+ = 87.0 - 89.9C+ = 75.0 - 79.9F = 0 - 59.9

  6. Extra-Credit: Extra-credit opportunities will occur at various times throughout the semester. To be eligible for most extra-credit opportunities, you must be present in class the day that it is announced.

Schedule of Events: This is provided as a general outline and ordering of what we will be covering throughout the semester. In addition, I've indicated approximate dates for the various tests (the final-exam, of course, cannot be changed).

  Class
Week Of		 Lecture
Topic		 Reading
Assignment		 Practice
Exam
1 August 25 Introduction to Psychology Chapter 1
One
2 September 1 Biology and Behavior (51-63 only) Chapter 2
Two
3 September 8 Sensation & Perception Chapter 3
Three
4 September 15 States of Consciousness Chapter 4
Four
Exam One Review 1, (2), 3, 4
5 September 22 Learning Chapter 5
Five
6 September 29 Memory Chapter 6
Six
7 October 6 Cognition, Language, & Intelligence Chapter 7
Seven
8 October 13
9 October 20 Exam Two Review 5, 6, 7
10 October 27 Personality Theory and Assessment Chapter 11
Eight
11 November 3 Psychological Disorders Chapter 12
Nine
12 November 10 Therapies
Rogerian Therapist Website!
Rogerian Therapist Program [better]!
 Chapter 13
Ten
Exam Three Review 11, 12, 13
13 November 17 Social Psychology: Part I Chapter 14
Eleven
14 November 24 Fall Break (no classes)
(yeah, right...)
15 December 1 Social Psychology: Part II Chapter 14
Final Exam Tuesday, December 9, 2008 from 1:30pm until 3:30pm Review all chapters covered in class.