SYLLABUS CHECK LIST. Date Prepared: April 23, 2009 (updated Sept. 7, 2012)

Transcription

1 SYLLABUS CHECK LIST Date Prepared: April 23, 2009 (updated Sept. 7, 2012) Prepared By: Course Title: Carroll B. Mitchell Introduction to Psychology Course Number: PSY 101 Total Lecture Hours: 45 Total Laboratory Hours: 0 Total Course Contact Hours: 45 Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: EGL 100 Corequisites: Course Description: Psychology is both the scientific and philosophical study of behavior and thought. Topics covered include: research methodology, perspectives on personality, biological basis of behavior, states of consciousness, human development, learning, memory, motivation, emotion, social psychology, and mental health and adjustment.

2 At Cecil College, for all credit courses, students are expected to spend a minimum of 45 hours of 50 minutes each of combined instructional time and related coursework time per credit hour. For this course, the following applies: 3-Credit Course Number of Hours Total hours of direct instruction and/or outof-class 135 student work required Direct Faculty Instruction 45 Out-of-Class Student Work 90 TIME REQUIRED TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE PSY 101 PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology is a 3 credit hour lecture (or lab) course. You should expect to spend 45 hours in class and an additional 90 hours outside of class. The hourly breakdown of assignments is given below Assignment Description Reading - Average reading time 3.2 minutes per page - Average of 38 pages per chapter - 15 Chapters - Total 1,824 minutes - Supplemental Materials 60 Minutes - Total 360 Minutes Writing Assignments - 8 assignment s - 4 hours per assignment Tests minutes - Total 240 minutes minutes Additional Study Time for Tests hours per quiz - Total 12 hours Hours - Total 5 hours Semester Total Total Out-of-Class Hours Total In-Class Hours

3 Topical Outline: I. The science of psychology A. Psychology defined B. Fields of psychology 1. Developmental 2. Abnormal 3. Experimental 4. Clinical 5. Social 6. Cognitive 7. Biological C. Issues 1. Nature-nurture 2. Stability-change 3. Diversity-universality 4. Mind-body D. Growth of psychology 1. Historical perspectives 2. Structuralism 3. Functionalism 4. Psychodynamic 5. Behaviorism 6. Humanism 7. Cognitive revolution 8. New directions 9. Evolutionary 10. Neuropsychology E. Role of diversity 1. Gender 2. Race and ethnicity 3. Culture F. Research methods in psychology 1. Descriptive 2. Naturalistic observation 3. Case studies 4. Surveys 5. Correlational 6. Experimental research G. Ethics and psychology 1. Guidelines 2. Animal experimentation H. Careers in psychology II. Biological basis of behavior A. Neural transmission

4 1. Neural impulse 2. Synapse 3. Neurotransmitters 4. Neural plasticity and neurogenesis B. Central nervous system 1. Organization 2. Brain 3. Specialization 4. Diagnostic tools 5. Spinal cord C. Peripheral nervous system 1. Autonomic nervous system 2. Sympathetic nervous system 3. Parasympathetic nervous system 4. Somatic nervous system D. Heredity and behavior 1. Behavior genetics 2. Evolutionary psychology III. IV. States of consciousness A. Conscious experience B. Circadian cycles C. Sleep 1. Stages 2. Functions 3. Disorders D. Dreams 1. REM sleep 2. Functions 3. Theories of dreaming E. Altered states of consciousness 1. Hypnosis 2. Meditation 3. Mind altering drugs a. Stimulants b. Depressants c. Hallucinogens Perception A. Sensation B. Attentional processes 1. Selective attention C. Perceptual organization 1. Figure-ground 2. Grouping 3. Perceptual constancies

5 D. Role of culture 1. Expectations 2. Learning V. Learning A. Classical conditioning 1. Processes 2. Response acquisitions 3. Applications B. Operant conditioning 1. Response acquisition 2. Reinforcement 3. Punishment C. Biology and learning D. Cognitive influences on learning E. Observation learning VI. Memory A. Sensory registers B. Short-term memory 1. Capacity 2. Working memory C. Long term memory 1. Encoding 2. Storage 3. Retrieval D. Forgetting 1. Interference 2. Repression 3. Failure in retrieval E. Techniques for improving memory 1. Semantic encoding 2. Association 3. Mnemonic devices F. Biological aspects of memory 1. Memory structure 2. Biology of forgetting 3. Brain imaging G. Memory reconstruction VII. Intelligence A. Theories of intelligence B. Influences 1. Environment 2. Heredity C. Assessment

6 VIII. IX. Motivation and emotion A. Perspectives on motivation B. Hunger 1. Biological factors 2. Emotional factors 3. Cultural and social factors 4. Eating disorders 5. Weight control C. Sex 1. Biological factors 2. Cultural factors 3. Sexual orientation D. Cognitive motives 1. Exploration 2. Curiosity E. Social motives 1. Affiliation 2. Achievement 3. Power F. Emotions 1. Theories 2. Communication Stress and health psycholology A. Sources of stress B. Coping with stress 1. Direct coping 2. Defensive coping 3. Emotion focused C. Stress and health 1. Type A 2. Immune system response X. Psychological disorders A. Perspectives 1. Historical 2. Biological 3. Cognitive-behavioral 4. Diathesis-stress B..Classifying abnormal behavior 1. DSM-IV-R 2. Issues with labeling

7 C. Anxiety disorders 1. Phobias 2. Generalized anxiety disorder 3. Panic attack disorder 4. Obsessive compulsive disorder 5. Contributing factors and causes 6. Treatment approaches D. Mood disorder 1. Unipolar 2. Bipolar 3. Seasonal affective disorder 4. Contributing factors and causes 6. Treatment approaches E. Somatoform disorders F. Dissociative disorders 1. Amnesia 2. Fugue 3. Dissociative identity disorder 4. Causes 5. Treatment approaches G. Schizophrenia 1. Symptoms 2. Causes 3. Treatments H. Personality disorders 1. Anti-social 2. Borderline 3. Causes 4. Response to treatment I. Diversity and psychological disorders 1. Gender 2. Race 3. Ethnicity 4. Culture XI. Therapy A. Insight therapies 1. Psychoanalysis 2. Client-centered B. Behavior therapies 1. Behavior modification 2. Systematic desensitization C. Cognitive therapies 1. Goals 2. Rational-emotive 3. Beck s cognitive therapy D. Cognitive-behavior therapy

8 D. Biological treatments 1. Drug therapy 2. Electroconvulsive therapy 3. Psychosurgery E. Group therapy 1. Benefits and limitations 2. Family therapy 3. Couples therapy F. Community issues 1. Deinstitutionalization 2. Support services G. Effectiveness of therapy F. Client diversity and treatment

9 Outcomes Indicators Types of Assessment Sample Assessment Tasks 1.1 Explain as well as contrast the most important schools of thought in psychology. 1. Students should demonstrate an understanding of how psychologists gather, analyze and apply information gained through the study of behavior. -supports general education outcomes A, B, D, and F essays tests discussion 1.1 Answer the following essay question: Using the psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and evolutionary perspectives, give contrasting explanations for gender differences in aggression. 1.2 Describe the experimental method and demonstrate how scientific principles are applied in psychological research. 1.3 Give examples of descriptive, correlational, and observational research and discuss their uses, strengths and limitations. 1.2 Design an effective experiment to test the hypothesis that women are especially likely to comply with requests accompanied by flattery. Identify the population and explain how to get a representative sample. Also, identify and operationally define the independent and dependent variable and specific the control and experimental group. Present your design to student groups for comment and evaluation. 1.3 For each of the following correlational studies described, decide whether the correlation is positive or negative and give alternative explanations for each finding: -a study of married couples showed that the longer they had been married, the more similar their opinions -an IQ test was given to all children in a group home. The results showed that the longer children had lived in the home, the lower their IQ.

10 2. Students should demonstrate an understanding of the major topic areas within the discipline of psychology. -supports general education outcomes A, B, C, E, F 2.1 Define psychology and discuss the focus and goals of its major sub fields. 2.2 Discuss the biological, social and cognitive basis of behavior essays article reviews discussion tests 2.1 Create job descriptions for the following psychologists: clinical, developmental, industrial/organizational, health, social, physiological, and educational. 2.2 Answer the following essay question: A fellow student maintains there is no reason to learn about biology in a psychology course. Using specific information from lecture, readings, and textbook, prove this student is misinformed. Offer examples on how psychobiology can provide insights into drug addiction, behavior disorders, sleep disturbances, memory, and alterations in consciousness awareness. 2.3 Describe the sensory and perceptual processes that enable humans to make sense of their environment. 2.4 Describe naturally occurring and drug-induced altered sates of consciousness and explain their causes and short and long term effects on behavior. 2.3 tests 2.4 tests essays case study discussion 2.2 After reviewing Piaget s and Vygotsky s theories of cognitive development, design contrasting curricula for a pre-school program. 2.3 Given photographs of perceptual illusions, identify the organizational principles creating the illusionary perception. 2.4 Given two lists, one of specific addictive drugs and another of drug classes, match the drug with the class. 2.4 Review, write a response and discuss a biographical account of a drug addict s experience.

11 2.5 Explain how animals and humans learn and remember. 2.6 Contrast the psychoanalytic, humanistic and social-cognitive personality theory. 2.7 Describe the physical, social, personal, and cognitive changes that occur throughout the lifespan. 2.8 Describe how psychologists assess personality, intelligence, creativity, and mental health 2.5 essays tests 2.6 essay tests 2.7 essay 2.8 online testing 2.5 Answer the following essay question: Jacob, a college freshman, gets poor grades on tests in American history. Based on information about memory from the text, readings, and lecture, give specific suggestions Jacob could apply to improve his performance on tests. Provide evidence from research cited in the text to support the suggestions. 2.6 Answer the following essay question: John, a high school sophomore, lacks self-discipline, fails to plan ahead, and is excessively anxious. He is quickly frustrated by challenging tasks and frequently becomes overly critical of others. Use the psychodynamic theory of Freud, humanistic theory of Rogers, and the cognitive-social learning theory of Bandura and others to give three contrasting explanations of John s behavior. 2.7 Create an autobiographical lifeline, identifying major milestones in development. 2.8 Locate and complete an online version of a projective personality test and evaluate its accuracy.

12 2.9 Explain the most important theories of human motivation Explain the effect that emotions and stress have on physical and psychological health and describe how stress can be managed more effectively Describe the symptoms of the major psychological disorders identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Identify the most effective treatments for the major psychological disorders. 2.9 group discussion 2.10 discussion 2.11 case study 2.12 essay test 2.9 Discuss in a group the following question: Solomon s history teacher asked him why so many German people complied with Hitler s orders to systematically slaughter millions of innocent Jews. Solomon suggested that the atrocities were committed because the Germans had become unusually cruel, sadistic people with abnormal and twisted personalities. Use your knowledge of fundamental attribution error and Milgram s research on obedience to highlight the weaknesses of Solomon s explanation After viewing a videotape of marital conflict, present a list of rules for fair fighting that would help the could resolve their conflicts Given several brief case studies, label the psychological disorder described in the case Answer the following essay question: What do you believe is the best approach to treating depressive disorders. Explain the treatments you believe would be most effective and justify your answer with supportive research taken from readings and the textbook?

13 3. Students should demonstrate an understanding of how to apply the knowledge and principles of psychology to individual lives. 3.1 Explain the focus of applied psychology. 3.1 reaction papers 3.1 After reading assigned articles from Annual Editions reader, write reaction papers that include a section on how the content relates to personal experience. -supports general education outcomes A, B, D, F 4. Students should integrate psychological principles with content learned in other courses. -supports general education outcomes A, B, F 5. Students should demonstrate an understanding of how to apply computer skills and use the Internet as a research tool in psychology. -supports general education outcomes A, B, and E 6. Students should improve written communication. -supports general education outcome B 4.1 Explain how psychological theories relate to the historical era in which the theory was proposed. 5.1 Demonstrate the ability to locate and evaluate useful websites related to psychological topics. 6.1 Present written papers that are neat, organized, rich in content, stylistic and grammatically accurate. 4.1 essay reaction papers 5.1 website explorations written summaries and evaluations 6.1 essays reaction papers website reviews editing and rewrites 4.1 In an essay, explain how WWI influenced Sigmund Freud s theory of personality. 4.1 After reading assigned articles, write reaction papers that relates the article s content to information learned in other classes. 5.1 Given a list of websites related to topics studied in psychology, visit several sites and select one that offers students information that is useful and interesting. Write a brief summary on information presented at the selected site. 6.1 After reading assigned articles, write reaction papers that meet or exceed established standards for a C paper.