Subject Description Form

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1 Subject Description Form Subject Code APSS 222 Subject Title Introduction to Psychology Credit Value 3 Level 2 Pre-requisite / Corequisite/ Exclusion Assessment Methods Nil 100% Continuous Assessment Individual Assessment Group Assessment 1. Midterm Quiz and Final Quiz 40 % Classroom and Online Learning Participation 10% 20% 3. Reflective Journal 30% -- Objectives The subject aims to enable the students to: 1. have an overview of representative work in various areas of psychological investigations; and 2. understand how to apply the psychological concepts acquired in daily lives. Intended Learning Outcomes (Note 1) Upon completion of the subject, students will be able to: a. identify the major fields of study and theoretical perspectives within psychology; b. comprehend essential theoretical and empirical knowledge of psychology; c. analyze the indigenous and global trends and developments in major areas of psychological investigations; d. participate in psychological experiments and engage in active learning; e. apply the acquired psychological concepts and theories in daily lives, and / or relevant professional practice.

2 Subject Synopsis/ Indicative Syllabus (Note 2) 1. Discovering psychology: Is psychology a science? - Psychology, pseudoscience, and common sense - Historical foundations (structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt, behaviorism) - Current perspectives (biological approach, cognitive approach, behavioral approach, psychoanalytic approach, humanistic approach, and cross-cultural approach) - Critical and Scientific thinking in psychology - Research methods in psychology - From the laboratory to the real world 2. Understanding yourself: Is personality a convenient myth? - Freud and psychodynamic theories - The modern study of personality - The genetic contribution - Environmental influences on personality - Cultural influences on personality - The inner experience 3. Developing through the life span: Are adults prisoners of childhood? - From conception through the first year - Cognitive development - Moral development - Gender development - Transition into Adolescence - Transition into Adulthood & the Third Age 4. Stimulating your brain: Are men from Mars and women from Venus because their brains are different? - The Nervous system - Communication in the Nervous system - Mapping the brain - A tour through the brain - Brain and behavior - Stubborn issues in brain research - Neuropsychological problems 5. Knowing your body: How can you get a good night s sleep? - Biological rhythms: The tides of experience - The rhythms of sleep - Exploring the dream world - The riddle of hypnosis - Consciousness-altering drugs: Their physiological and psychological effects 6. Examining your senses: Do you believe what you perceive? - Our sensational senses - Vision - Hearing

3 - Other senses - The mystery of pain - Perceptual powers: Origins and influences - Puzzles of perception 7. Shaping your thoughts: Is human thinking unique? - Thought: Using what we know - Reasoning rationally - Barriers to reasoning rationally - Intelligence - The origins of intelligence & modern intelligence - Animal minds 8. Sharpening your mind: Do you want to improve your memory? - Reconstructing the past - Memory and the power of suggestion - In pursuit of memory - The three-box model of memory - How we remember - Why we forget - Autobiographical memories 9. Learning your environment: What can you do to modify someone s behavior? - Classical conditioning in the lab: Pavlov s dog - Classical conditioning in real life - Operant conditioning in the lab: The Skinner box - Operant conditioning in real life - Learning and the mind 10. Looking around your world: Is it the person or the situation? - Social thought: Thinking about others - Social relations: Interacting with others - Social influence: Conformity, compliance, and obedience - The anonymous crowd - Us versus them: Group identity - Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination 11. Managing your emotions: Can revealing your unresolved emotions help your health? - The nature of emotion - Emotion and culture - The nature of stress - Stress and emotion - Emotions, stress, and health: How to cope 12. Improving your mental health: How do you evaluate self-help groups and books? - Defining and diagnosing disorders - Major psychological disorders (anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, drug abuse and addiction, dissociative identity disorder, and schizophrenia) - Biological treatments for mental disorders

4 - Psychological treatments (psychodynamic therapy, behavior and cognitive therapy, humanistic and existential therapy, and family and couples therapy) - Treatment evaluation and prevention strategies 13. Living a better life: What are the major motives of life? - The social animal: Motives for love - The erotic animal: Motives for sex - The hungry animal: Motives to eat - The competent animal: Motives to achieve - Motives, values, and well-being Teaching/Learning Methodology (Note 3) The subject teacher will deliver lectures that encourage student active participation and classroom interaction. Multi-media materials will be incorporated to enhance student learning experience. Students individual/group presentations, computer-assisted exercises, small group discussion, and/or research participation are arranged to facilitate critical thinking and academic exchange. Teachers will provide consultation for group presentation and/or opportunities for research participation. Immediate feedback will be given after completing computer-assisted quizzes, while the teachers and peers will provide feedback for the group presentation to optimize the learning experience of all participants. Assessment Methods in Alignment with Intended Learning Outcomes (Note 4) Specific assessment methods/tasks 1. Midterm Quiz and Final Quiz % weighting 40 % Intended subject learning outcomes to be assessed (Please tick as appropriate) a b c d e 2. Classroom and Online Learning Participation 30 % 3. Reflective Journal 30% Total 100% Explanation of the appropriateness of the assessment methods in assessing the intended learning outcomes: Quizzes Continuous assessment is adopted, and assessment quizzes are assigned through Learn@PolyU (Blackboard) learning platform after lectures, which should cover the subject syllabus and essential reading requirements. They may be designed in the form of multiple-choice and/or short-question formats. The web-assisted interactive methods are used to assess students learning at the recall, comprehension, analysis and application levels, that are adaptable for a wide range of course contents and learning outcomes.

5 Classroom and Online Learning Participation Learning participation is based on continuous assessment which includes web-based practice and online content usage and online discussion and classroom participation. The assessment are set for all students who are required to demonstrate their level of psychological knowledge learned from this introductory subject. For web-assisted practice and assessment quizzes, the topics taught up to the quiz period are generally examined in the form of multiple choice, and/or short questions. For classroom participation, students form into groups and each group should choose ONE of the topics provided by the subject lecturer and give a group presentation. They are assessed according to: (1) the comprehensiveness and accuracy of contents; (2) the appropriate application of knowledge; and (3) clarity in both verbal presentation and written powerpoint. Assessment is also moderated through various means: (1) setting clear and specific assessment guidelines; (2) regular discussions among the subject lecturer / tutorial instructors and students concerned; and (3) moderation by an internal moderator for this subject. Student Study Effort Expected Reflective Journal Students will write reflective journals to demonstrate their level of psychological knowledge and reflections on learning. There would be 2 reflective journals to cover the first and second half of the wide range of course contents. Class contact: Lecture Assessment Tests / Online Interaction Student study efforts: Self study, including revision, and preparation for tasks Group project / Practice Quizzes / Research Participation Total student study effort 26 Hrs. 13 Hrs. 52 Hrs. 21 Hrs. 112 Hrs. Medium of Instruction English Medium of Assessment Reading List and References English Textbook Wade, C. & Tavris, C. (2011). Invitation to psychology (5th ed.) New York: Pearson.

6 References Myers, D. (2010). Psychology (9 th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. Gerrig, R.J., & Zimbardo, P.G. (2010). Psychology and life (19 th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Adler, J. R. (Ed.). (2004). Forensic Psychology: Concepts, debates and practice. Cullompton: Willan. Baron, R.A., Kalsher, M. J., & Henry, R. A. (2008). Psychology: From science to practice (2 nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. (HKPolyU call no. BF121.B ). Bernstein, D. A., Penner, L.A., Clarke-Stewart, A., & Roy, E.J. (2008). Psychology (8 th ed.). Boston, MA; Abingdon: Houghton Mifflin. (with CD-ROM). Bond, M. H. (Ed.). (2010). The Oxford handbook of Chinese psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. (HKPolyU call no. GN635.C5 O ). Bradshaw J. L., & Jason M. (1995). Clinical neuropsychology: Behavioral and brain Science. N.Y.: Academic Press. Bush S. S., & Martin T. A. (2005). Geriatric neuropsychology: Practice essentials. London: Taylor & Francis Group. Dennis R. G. (2002). Principles of human neuropsychology (2 nd Edition). N.Y.: McGraw-Hill. Feldman, R.S. (2009). Understanding psychology (9 th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. Kalat, J.W. (2011). Introduction to psychology (9 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage. (HKPolyU call no. BF121.K ). Morris, C. G., & Maisto, A.A. (2010). Understanding psychology (9 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (HKPolyU call no. BF121.M ). Wood, S.E., Greenwood, E.R., & Boyd, D. (2011). The world of psychology (7 th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. (HKPolyU call no. BF121.W ). 高尚仁 ( 編 )(1996, 2002) 心理學新論. 香港 : 商務印書館 (HKPolyU call no. BF128.C5 H ) 高尚仁 楊中芳 ( 編 )(1991) 中國人 中國心 臺北 : 遠流出版事業股份有限公司 (HKPolyU call no. DS721.C )

7 陳烜之 梁覺 ( 編 )(2000) 邁進中的華人心理學 香港 : 中文大學出版社 (HKPolyU call no. BF108.C48 M ) 楊中芳等 ( 編 )(2001) 如何研究中國人 心理學研究本土化論文集 臺北 : 遠流出版事業股份有限公司 (HKPolyU call no. BF108.C48 Y ) 編譯組與社會研究中心 ( 編譯 )(1996, 2002) 中譯心理學詞彙 香港 : 中文大學出版社 (HKPolyU call no. BF32.C85)