INTRODUCTION to PSYCHOLOGY INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS A Presidential Scholars Interdisciplinary Seminar

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1 INTRODUCTION to PSYCHOLOGY INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS A Presidential Scholars Interdisciplinary Seminar & PSYC MATH Course Syllabus Dr. Shirley Clay, Professor of Psychology Dr. Paula A. Wilhite, Professor of Mathematics NTCC - MW 1 12:20 Spring 2014 SEMINAR DESCRIPTION This seminar combines Psychology 2301 (Introduction to Psychology) and Math1342 (Introductory Statistics) The combination of these two courses will enable students to apply information gained in one course to the other course. Designed to emulate a learning community, students will see the manner in which information flows from one area to another and how each discipline views similar or same pieces of information. Students may frequently engage in creative and reflective thought to more thoroughly understand the process and importance of experimental design. Introduction to Psychology is a survey course that broadly approaches many topics in psychology. Students will have opportunities to learn about many fundamental principles of behavior and research techniques. Topics may include behaviors from a variety of areas including: consciousness, sleep, altered states, learning principles, mental illness, stress, perception, personality, intelligence, memory, therapy, and brain chemistry. Introductory Statistics provides the basic knowledge of fundamental procedures for descriptive and inferential statistic. Students will be asked to gather data, conduct research, and apply the

2 knowledge to the analysis of data. Topics include frequency distributions, probability, random sampling, central tendency, dispersion, normal distribution, binomial distribution, sampling distribution, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, Chi square, analysis of variance and linear regression analysis. Students are expected to have a sufficient algebra background in addition to the ability to read at college-level. Students will earn three hours college credit for each course. PSYCHOLOGY H TEXTBOOK REQUIREMENT Coon, D. & Mitterer, J.O. (2011). Psychology: A Journey 4th ed. Wadsworth. ISBN 10: Please read the assigned reading BEFORE that topic is covered in class. Expect to read everything more than once! It is a good idea to take the practice quizzes that accompany your text. Aplia is packaged with your book for free when you buy it in the college bookstore. For your convenience, a website in Blackboard is available for you to use as a discussion board and a way to have your grades posted. It is also a way I will communicate with you outside of class. If you have not had the portal set up on your computer, you may want to get your computer campus ready by seeing Chris Eakins in MS 103. You will need to see him for internet access anywhere on campus and how to access the portal. From the portal, click on the Blackboard link and then click on the course number for your class. You will access this with your first initial of your first name and your full last name and the last 3 digits of your social security number. No spaces. Example: jsmith378. Your password will be your birth date using 8 digits. Example: If you have problems accessing your class, contact Chris Eakins in MS 103 computer lab on campus or phone or You may also him at ceakins@ntcc.edu You may also me or any of your classmates in Blackboard. Please use this site to your advantage. You can even set up study groups and study for exams or work on assignments together. CONDUCT OF COURSE Introduction to Psychology Class attendance is required. Most classes will include exercises and activities designed to increase your understanding of the material. These exercises may count toward part of your final course grade. A notebook is suggested for this course in which you keep the course syllabus, class handouts, class exercises, and class notes. This notebook will be an invaluable asset.

3 Anyone who wishes to withdraw from class must take the responsibility to formally drop with the Registrar; otherwise a failing grade will be given. Students with 3 or more absences should consult with the professor. In addition, students should direct questions concerning grades to the professor. Use of lab top computers in class is restricted to taking notes or working on psychology related websites if asked. You may be asked to use your cell phones during class or your computers. Be attentive and courteous when classmates speak or ask questions. Honor those who speak. Please listen attentively and be courteous to everyone. Plan to participate in class and be interested in the subject matter. It is always a good idea to smile and have a positive attitude in class. Come to class prepared and ready to be an active learner. Please take notes and plan on referring back to these when you study and think about the subject matter. Often, our discussion is very important and will not sound like lecture. Your involvement both verbally and physically is required. No grades will be given, grades will be earned based on performance in this course. Late work is discouraged and is usually worth less than full credit. Earning the grade and learning should go hand-in-hand and should also be fun as well as hard work. Learning has its own rewards. Thinking deeply and relating information to experiences in life are really the best way to proceed in this course. Students may use audio and/or video recording devices to record lectures or portions thereof providing that they get permission from the instructor. Materials recorded may only be used by the student to aid in the completion of requirements for the course. Content recorded remains the property of NTCC and may not be duplicated for distribution and may not be sold to another party or uploaded to the internet. Critical thinking will be stressed in this class. Critical thinking includes the following: Asking questions: be willing to wonder Defining the problem Examining the evidence Analyzing assumptions and biases Avoiding emotional reasoning ( If I feel this way, it must be true! ) Avoiding over simplification Considering other interpretations Tolerating uncertainty EVALUATION You will have an opportunity to check your understanding of each chapter by taking selfquizzes and participating in Aplia exercises. You will also find Aplia a useful tool in assisting your understanding of reading material.

4 There will be 4 exams: All exams will be in a multiple-choice format with possibly one essay question on each. If you should miss an exam, you may be allowed to take a MAKE-UP exam, which will be more comprehensive. It is your responsibility to discuss this with me should you miss an exam. The regular exams will each count 100 points. The final exam must be taken to obtain credit in the course. There are also two quizzes required, one at the beginning of the semester and one near the end. These are valued at 30 points each. Class participation is encouraged by activities, demonstrations, and written papers on specific topics of the day. From time to time, you may be asked to write a short paper (a paragraph or two) about a topic. This will be evaluated as part of your daily participation and some work may be counted as bonus points from time to time Your Aplia is also a portion of your daily participation grade. Grades will be computed as follows: Four exams: Two Major Quizzes Project: Experimental design: HH visit & Paper: Daily grading exercises (Aplia) Total = 400 points = 60 points 860 points You may want to make the best grade possible so you qualify for membership in Psi Beta, which is the National Honor Society in Psychology. Ask me or Dr. Skaar about the qualifications and what Psi Beta does here on our campus. The grading scale below will be used to determine your final grade. Points Grade = A = B = C = D BELOW 515 = F

5 CALENDAR Event Date Martin Luther King Holiday Monday,January 20 First Class Day Tuesday,January 13 Spring Break March Final Day to Withdraw with W Thursday, April 10 Final Examinations May 1 7 Spring Graduation May 10 CLASS AND OFFICE SCHEDULE Dr. Shirley Clay - Math/Science Building sclay@ntcc.edu Telephone - (903) FAX (903) TIME MONDAY WEDNESDAY TIME TUESDAY THURSDAY TIME FRIDAY 8:00 8:00 Preparation/ 9:00 9:00 Professional 10: :20 12:30 2:20 2:30 3:50 4:00 Psyc H MATH 1342 Psyc H MATH : :20 12:30 2:20 2:30 3:50 4:00 Psyc 2315 H112 Psyc 2315 H112 12:00 6:00 6:00 Appointments with the professor may be scheduled for times other than the office hours. Call for an appointment at or the secretary s office number