PSYC 1000A General Psychology , 1 st Term Department of Psychology The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Transcription

1 PSYC 1000A General Psychology , 1 st Term Department of Psychology The Chinese University of Hong Kong 1. Course Description: What is the course about? This is a course introducing psychology, the scientific study of human behavior. It will offer a survey of different sub-fields of psychology, including the nervous system, perception, memory, learning, intelligence, development, personality, social psychology, psychological disorder, etc. Focuses will be put on the scientific methodology adopted by psychologists, some key figures and theories, and applications of concepts to personal and social issues. 2. Learning Approach: How does the course help you learn about psychology? Through lectures you will obtain the basic understanding of different topics related to psychology and the scientific tools involved. Tutorials will include a variety of activities, including games, demos, video viewing, etc., to help you further understand and reflect on the course material. Individual writing exercises and the group project will encourage you to reflect on issues related to the study of psychology and on the implications of those issues in real life, as well as help you develop the ability to engage in educated discussions on issues related to psychology. You will also have a chance to participate in psychological studies conducted in this department to experience how psychology is studied scientifically. 3. Prerequisites: What knowledge do you need before taking this course? No courses have to be taken as the prerequisite. 4. Contact Information of Teaching Members Lecturer: Name: Prof. Alan Chun-Nang Wong Office Location: Sino Building 334 Telephone: alanwong@cuhk.edu.hk Lecture Time & Venue: Tue 3:30-5:15pm (FYB LT4) Consultation Hours: Wed 2:30-4:30pm (or by appointment 24 hours in advance) Website: Teaching Assistants: Name: Eunice Choy Karim Bettache Office: Sino Buidling 318 Sino Building 322 Telephone: eehchoy@psy.cuhk.edu.hk kbettache@psy.cuhk.edu.hk Tutorial: Tue 2:30-3:15pm (FYB LT4) Tue 2:30-3:15pm (ELB 203) Consultation Hours: Fri 2-4pm (or by appointment 24 hours in advance) Mon 12-2pm (or by appointment 24 hours in advance) 1

2 5. Course Content Topics Psychology as a Scientific Discipline Neuroscience & Behavior Sensation & Perception Learning Memory Individual Differences Development Social Psychology Psychological Disorders & Positive Psychology Applying Psychology Contents/fundamental concepts What is the history of psychology studies? What are the key issues and controversies in psychology? How is the study of psychology related to your life and the society? How do psychologists do their research? How to do an experiment? How is the study of behavior, brain patients, and neural anatomy and activity help us understand the working of the mind? How do we receive stimulations from the environment? How do we understand and derive meaning from these stimulations? Different types of learning: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive approaches. What are the types of memory? How can we improve our memory? How to define intelligence? Are there different types of intelligence? How to measure them? Different ways to understand personality: trait, psychodynamic, social-cognitive, and humanistic approaches. The nature/nurture debate; What is the cognitive capacity of babies, and how do they become smarter as they grow? How do children and adolescents develop a sense of self and learn to interact with others? How do we influence others? How are we influenced? What are the types of psychological disorders? What are the symptoms and causes? Are humans happy? How do we improve our quality of life? How can we use theories and knowledge in psychology to make an impact in the world? 2

3 6. Expected Learning Goals Learning Goals: 1. Understand the theories and findings in psychology 2. Develop critical thinking skills in psychology 3. Apply and relate psychology to personal and societal issues 7. Expected Learning Outcomes Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, students will be expected to: Learning Outcome 1 understand, relate and apply the key psychology concepts in daily circumstances Matching of learning goals: Each learning outcome matches with the following learning goals: Learning Goal 1 Learning Goal 3 Learning Outcome 2 familiarize with the key classical and contemporary experimental studies and findings in psychology Learning Outcome 3 conceptualize, structure, articulate and present original ideas, in written assignments, during tutorial discussions and via group work, on psychology-related topics Learning Outcome 4 design, direct and regulate own study plan for problem-based learning, from identifying the problem, setting learning objectives, researching on relevant information, reflecting on what has been learnt, to applying the knowledge to future problems Learning Goal 1 Learning Goal 2 Learning Goal 3 Learning Goal 2 Learning Goal 3 3

4 8. Learning Activities Time per week Interactive Lecture Tutorial Self-directed Study Study Participation 2 hours in-class 1 hours in-class 3 hours out-of-class 3 hours out-of-class No. of sessions 13 lectures 13 tutorials in total Attendance Optional Mandatory Teaching Member(s) Matching with learning goals (LG) Lecturer LG 1 LG 3 Lecturer & Teaching assistants LG 1 LG 2 LG 3 Self-initiated by students LG 2 LG 3 -- LG 2 LG 3 Matching w. learning outcomes (LO) LO 1 LO 2 LO 1 LO 3 LO 4 LO 4 LO 3 LO 4 Four different types of learning activities will be adopted in this course: I. Interactive Lectures Present an overview of psychology-related concepts, terminologies, theories and experimental findings, both classical and contemporary Discuss in the class controversial topics in psychology. Engage the class in interactive activities to consolidate the understanding on psychological concepts, terminologies, and theories. II. Tutorials Reinforce, through demonstrations, games, videos, presentations etc, the understanding of different psychology theories and their applications. Discuss in small groups the problem-based task, either daily life issues or fictional scenarios, and to explore and apply concepts, terminologies and theories in psychology. Express and comment on ideas related to the quizzes and assignments. Enhance presentation and communication skills via the group project. III. Self-directed Studies Let students take responsibility for design, direct and regulate their own learning about psychology, to consolidate knowledge, critical thinking skills, and personal reflection on psychology-related topics to pursue further learning. IV. Study Participation Let students have first-hand experience of how psychology research is done. 4

5 9. Assessment Scheme Assessment Mode: Students will be assessed in the form of: 1. Formative assessment (measures what you have learnt at different stages during the course) 2. Authentic assessment (measures various abilities that you can apply to address real-life problems or fictional scenarios) Matching of learning goals: Each assessment mode matches with the following learning goals: Learning Goal 1 Learning Goal 2 Learning Goal 3 Learning Goal 4 Assessment Scheme Quizzes Thought Pieces (individual) Description Weight Matching with assessment mode (AS) Open-book questions (MC and/or 40% AM 1 short-answer) covering the entire course. (20% 2 quizzes) This assignment provides a chance for 20% AM 2 students to reflect on the scientific and/or daily-life implications of theories or findings (10% 2 pieces). Group Project This assignment provides a chance for students to apply psychology knowledge to make an impact on the world. Study Participation / Paper Review Students have a choice between taking part in 3 hours of psychology studies and writing short reviews 30% AM 2 10 % AM 2 Note: Students are expected to attend all tutorials. Absentees from a quiz for unjustified reasons will not be granted a make-up quiz and will be given a 0 for that quiz. Students with justified reasons will be given a make-up quiz with essay questions. Each thought piece assignment and group project report should be submitted to VERIGUIDE (see p.9). Otherwise, it will not be graded. All late submissions will not be graded. 5

6 10. Grade Descriptors A Outstanding performance on all learning outcomes. A- Generally outstanding performance on all (or almost all) learning outcomes. B+/B/B- Substantial performance on all learning outcomes, OR high performance on some learning outcomes which compensates for less satisfactory performance on others, resulting in overall substantial performance. C+/C/C- Satisfactory performance on the majority of learning outcomes, with a few weaknesses. D Barely satisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes. F Unsatisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes, OR failure to meet specified assessment requirements. 11. Study Participation / Written Assignment 10% of the grade is devoted to 3-hour study participation. If you do not intend to participate in all/any studies, then you can choose to submit 1-3 written assignments to both your TAs and VeriGuide (VeriGuide assignments #4, 5, 6) by the last day of class of the semester. Any late assignment (as indicated by the time of submission to VeriGuide) will not be graded. 3%, 7%, 10% will be given respectively for 1, 2, and 3 hours of participation / pieces completed. If you choose to write an assignment, for each piece please select an article published within the last 5 years from the journal Psychological Science. Prepare a one-page paper (font size 12 of Times New Roman, double-line spacing, 1-inch margin) summarizing the main question addressed, how the author addressed it, what they found, and your evaluation of the article. Spend about one hour on each piece. You must turn in photocopies of the journal article that you reviewed along with your paper to your TA. Papers will not be accepted without the printed articles attached. For VeriGuide submission only your writing (without the original article) is needed. You can choose a combination of participation hours and written assignments. For example, you can participate in 2 hours of studies and submit one written assignment to obtain 10%. 12. Learning resources Textbook required: Introduction to Psychology: The Full Noba Collection. (Free e-book available on the course website and on Other recommended readings: Books and journals will be suggested for different topics at the end of each class. 6

7 13. Course updates CUHK elearning System ( will be adopted in this course for posting course notes, announcements, etc. For students who are not familiar with the platform of CUHK elearning System, you are recommended to read the instructions and guidelines of how to use CUHK elearning System once you logged onto it. 14. Feedback for evaluation Students are welcome to give comments and feedback at any time during the class. Stop by to talk to the instructor or teaching assistants. You can also send us s or post your comments on the course website. 7

8 15. Course schedule Week Date Topic Required Reading (Noba E-book Chapters) 1 2 Sept (Whole class at FYB LT 4) T1/L1: Introduction Why Science? 2 9 Sept Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday N/A 3 16 Sept (Whole class at FYB LT 4) T2: elearning System + Literature Review + Grouping L2: Scientific Method Research Designs Conducting Psychology Research in the Real World Reminder: Thought Piece 1 due on 22 Sept 23:59 (Submit to VeriGuide) 4 23 Sept T3: MythBuster (Video & Discussion) L3: Neuroscience & Behavior The Brain 5 30 Sept T4: TBA L4: Sensation & Perception 6 7 Oct T5: QUIZ 1 (Lecture Topics 1-4) L5: Learning 7 14 Oct T6: Quiz 1 Discussion L6: Memory 8 21 Oct T7: Toys & Development (Game) L7: Development 9 28 Oct T8: TBA L8: Thinking and Intelligence 10 4 Nov T9: What is Factor Analyses? (Game) L9: Personality Vision Conditioning and Learning Memory (Encoding, Storage, Retrieval) Cognitive Development in Childhood Social and Personality Development in Childhood Intelligence Judgment and Decision Making Personality Traits Reminder: Thought Piece 2 due on 10 Nov 23:59 (Submit to VeriGuide) Nov T10: QUIZ 2 (Lecture Topics 5-9) L10: Social Psychology Nov T11: Quiz 2 Discussion L11: Psychological Disorders & Positive Psychology Nov (Whole class at FYB LT 4) T12/L12: Applying Psychology to Make an Impact (Group Project Presentation & Discussion) Conformity and Obedience Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping History of Mental Illness Positive Psychology Reminder: Group project report due on 8 Dec 23:59 (Submit report to VeriGuide; PsyConnection Award entry form to me or TA) N/A 8

9 14. Academic honesty and plagiarism Information regarding the academic honesty and plagiarism policy in the University is located at Some further advice is given below. PSYC 1000A General Psychology Term 1 Guideline about plagiarism Any assignment (i.e., project, essay, or paper) that shows evidence of plagiarism will be marked down severely. In simple terms, plagiarism is copying passages and/or ideas from other sources without referencing those sources. Moreover, when you report someone else s ideas/findings you must put it in your own words and not merely copy full sentences or parts of sentences from the source article. It is your responsibility as a scholar- in- training to cite the ideas and work of others correctly. Please visit the following websites for discussions of how to recognize and avoid plagiarism If you commit plagiarism in an assignment, and it is your first offence in the course, the penalty will range from a minimum of a single letter grade reduction in score on the assignment to a maximum of failure on the assignment. A second offence within the same course will result in a minimum penalty of a single letter grade reduction in the course grade to a maximum penalty of course failure. The specific penalty applied is up to the discretion of the professor. In all cases of plagiarism, the student's name will be recorded in a central database maintained by the general office. If a student is referred for plagiarism in more than one course, or more than one instance in the same course, the student's case will be forwarded to the university administration for follow- up action. Detecting plagiarism The Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning requires that all student assignments in undergraduate programmes should be submitted via VeriGuide. This policy will only apply to assignments in the form of a computer- generated document that is principally text- based (i.e., excluding calculations in science, brief laboratory reports, drawings in fine arts and architecture, etc.). Each student must upload a soft copy of the completed assignment to the plagiarism detection engine VeriGuide, at The system will issue a receipt which also contains a declaration of honesty, which is the same as that in The declaration should be signed, and the receipt stapled to a hard copy of the assignment upon submission. Assignments without the receipt will not be graded by teachers. 9

10 PSYC 1000A GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY Term 1 Academic Honesty Statement I promise that all assignments submitted to this course across the entire semester will be original except for source material explicitly acknowledged. I also acknowledge that I am aware of University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and of the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations as contained in the website Signature Date Name Student ID PSYC 1000A Course code GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY Course Title 10