P S Y C	WHEATON COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY'S Introduction to Psychology Spring 2008 On-line Syllabus
1 0 1	Welcome to PSYC 101 on the web! Be sure to visit this site frequently for course information and updates.  You can save or print out a copy of this page and linked pages (i.e., study guides, lecture outlines, extra credit information, etc.) for easy reference. This page was last updated 4/14/2008.
I N F O	GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION Course Number: PSYC 101 Semester: Spring 2008 Location: Barrows Auditorium  Time: Tuesday/Thursday 11:15am-1:05pm (Period C)   Instructors: Prof. Trey Buchanan, Prof. Darlene Hannah, Prof. Ray Phinney, Prof. William Struthers, Prof. Jennifer Gorham Required Texts: Gazzaniga and Heatherton (2006). Psychological Science (2th ed.). NY: WW Norton.
G O A L S	COURSE GOALS The primary goal of this course is to give you a thorough introduction to the field of contemporary psychology from a distinctively Christian perspective. In order to accomplish this goal, each aspect of this course will be grounded by fulfilling four interrelated objectives: 1) Presenting the diversity of psychology as a social and behavioral science through the use of five instructors, each trained in a different area of psychological research and practice; 2) offering critical responses to psychological theories, interpretations and practices that express the integration of mature Christian faith and rigorous academic scholarship; 3) providing a sufficient background in psychology to prepare you for more advanced courses in our department if you choose to take them in the future; and 4) exposing the many opportunities that exist for the use of your own gifts and interests in the field of psychology. With these four objectives and overall course goal in mind, we hope you will not only gain a broad knowledge of the field of psychology, but that you will also deepen your understanding of your own psychological experience. Done within the context of Christian higher education, it is our hope that such a course can challenge and inspire your intellectual growth in Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2.3) and that you would develop a mind which is Christ-like in nature (Philippians 2.5)
I N S T R U C T O R S	Glancing at the Table of Contents of your text or at the class calendar found below, you will see that psychology deals with such diverse topics as the functions of the nervous system, the cognitive abilities of infants, how we see color, the treatment of psychological disorders, and the influence of groups on individuals' attitudes. In order to provide you with an in-depth view of these and other topics in psychology, five instructors trained in specific areas of psychology will teach this course. This team teaching approach also allows you to get to know several faculty members of the Department of Psychology. The primary instructors for this course and their areas of interest in psychology are: (Click on an instructor's photo to visit their web site, click on their name to send email)
		Trey Buchanan, PhD. received his graduate training in the history of psychology (MA) and developmental psychology (Ph.D.) at the University of New Hampshire before coming to Wheaton in 1992. In addition to his teaching, he serves as the Undergraduate Coordinator for the department and oversees its Child Development Laboratory. He research interests include the development of social cognitive in children as well as deficits in social functioning associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity and autistic spectrum disorders. He teaches courses on developmental psychology and history of psychology. Dr Buchanan will be covering the section on development.
		Darlene Hannah, Ph.D. received her training as a social psychologist and conducts research in several applied areas of psychology, including consumer behavior. In addition to introduction to psychology, she teaches courses in social psychology, cross-cultural psychology and consumer psychology. She will cover the social psychology with an emphasis on including interpersonal influence and group dynamics.
		Raymond Phinney, Ph.D. received his degree from Washington State University with an emphasis in sensory psychology, specifically vision (especially motion and stereopsis). His post graduate work has been in single unit electrophysiology in monkeys parietal cortex studying optic flow and stereoscopic processing as well as fMRI investigation of human visual and attentive processes. Dr. Phinney teaches upper level courses in cognition and learning. He will be lecturing on perception and cognitive processes.
		William M. Struthers, Ph.D. received his doctoral training in biopsychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and currently is involved in research projects on brain function in rats using the department’s laboratory facilities.  Dr. Struthers teaches undergraduate courses in behavioral neuroscience and a topical courses on men & addictions and psychopharmacology. In this course he will provide lectures on neuroscience, sensation, and learning. In addition to lecturing he will act as the class coordinator.
		Jennifer Gorham, Psy.D. is a licensed professional counselor. She earned her MA and PsyD at Wheaton College, with clinical training in private practice and community mental health centers, and currently provides psychotherapy and psychological assessment in a rural practice. Dr. Gorham will be lecturing on topics of clinical significance such as personality, psychopathology and psychotherapy.
C L A S S	As listed above in the section on general course information, class will meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 11:15 to 1:05 in Barrows Auditorium, except on college holidays (see your class calendar for these dates). On Tuesdays class will typically meet for only 50 minutes (i.e., 11:15-12:05); however, on Thursdays class will meet for the full 110 minutes scheduled (i.e., 11:15-1:05) with a 10-minute break around noon. The extra hour on Tuesday will typically be spent by participating in weekly labs (see section on labs below). Class time will be spent on a variety of activities, including lectures, video presentations, class discussions and tests. For each class session you are expected to have completed the readings assigned for that day prior to coming to class (see the course calendar below for reading assignments). This will enable you to follow the material presented in class and greatly facilitate your learning.
L A B S	In addition to the three hours each week typically spent in lecture, we have designed ten self-contained laboratory experiences to serve as integral parts of this course. Each lab provides an opportunity to see psychological concepts "come alive" and to discuss issues and ideas in more depth than is possible in the larger lecture sessions. In lab you will watch and discuss video clips, participate in experiments and group demonstrations, and get to know one of the instructors and other PSYC 101 students better as well. This hour of lab participation complements the three hours typically spent in lecture each week by allowing you to be part of a smaller group experience of many of the topics covered in the course and text. Because your active participation in each of the labs is worth credit, you are expected to attend lab each week. Missed labs cannot be made up, unless you are able to attend a lab that meets at another time in the week. A list of alternate lab sections may be found by clicking on this link. If you plan on or need to attend a lab section other than the one you are registered for, please make sure to obtain permission of the instructor prior to the beginning of that alternate lab time. Also, it is your responsibility to have that lab instructor sign an alternate lab attendance form and turn it in to your regular lab instructor. Two research labs have been designed to provide more in-depth experience with key topics in psychology. Each student will be required to participate in at least one of these laboratory research options. These studies are: 1) an animal learning lab where you will have the opportunity to train a rat using operant conditioning principles; 2) a computer lab with a series of simulations on perceptual representation. The lab and its report will count towards 100 points of your final grade.
B O O K S & W W W	The core text required for this course, Gazzaniga and Heatherton's Psychological Science, a newer text which is more science based than most other introductory psychology texts. It is in its second edition and one of the top books in the field. The publisher maintains a webpage for the Gazzaniga and Heatherton textbook and may be accessed at: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/psych/psychsci2/index.asp Many materials related this course will also be available on-line here at the PSYC 101 web site, including test study guides, answer keys and results, lecture handouts, extra credit information, and this syllabus. This site can be easily found by following the appropriate links on Dr. Struthers' home page or linking to this page directly at:  www.wheaton.edu/psychology/undergrad/psyc101/psyc101.html Student grading progress will be kept on WebCT. Students who wish to track their grade online should obtain a WebCT user id and add the course. Information about WebCT can be found at this link.
G R A D I N G P O L I C Y	Your grade in this course will be determined by your combined performance on tests, quizzes, labs, papers and weekly lab participation. Below is a brief description of each of these. Please see Dr. Struthers if you have any specific questions about course grading policies. TESTS (50% of final grade)-There will be a total of three tests given during the semester, which comes out to about one every five weeks. Each unit test will consist of 50 multiple choice items covering material presented in lecture and the assigned text readings. Tests 1 and 2 will be held during regularly scheduled class sessions; Test 3 will be held during Final Exam Week. Because these tests will be computer scored, please bring at least two sharpened #2 pencils—and a good eraser—to each test. Results of your exam will be returned through CPO approximately two weeks after tests are taken.  MINIQUIZZES (16% of final grade)-Spread across the semester will be a total of five unannounced MiniQuizzes. These miniquizzes may be administered at any time during lecture sessions (i.e at the beginning or end of class, immediately prior to or after an in-class break). MiniQuizzes will have multiple choice questions—typically from the reading assigned that day from Myers's Psychology and also from the previous lecture session. Each quiz will be worth ten points. Overall, you will have the possibility of accumulating 50 total points on MiniQuizzes. Missed MiniQuizzes cannot be made-up.  LABORATORY PARTICIPATION (17% of final grade)-You will receive course credit for actively participating in the labs scheduled. Make sure your attendance is recorded for each lab you attend and that you involve yourself in lab activities. Students may contact their lab instructor to verify that they have received credit for each lab or if they would like to know their attendance record. Although the primary way of receiving credit for a lab is based upon your attendance, lab instructors will withhold points if a student fails to actively participate in lab activities.  LABORATORY RESEARCH PROJECT (17% of final grade)-Each laboratory project will have specific guidelines that will be presented during a special lab session during the fourth week of class (see syllabus schedule below).  EXTRA CREDIT - In order to enhance your learning and performance in this course, you will be eligible to complete a maximum of 20 extra-credit points. Two ways in which this can be done are 1) through your participation as a subject in an approved undergraduate, graduate, or faculty research project; and 2) the completion of a written critique of a recent article (2005-2008) from the American Psychologist (available in Buswell Library).  Additional opportunities for extra credit may come up during the semester and will be announced in class (i.e. attending a guest lecture during the evening). Each extra-credit opportunity completed is worth five points, with a maximum of four total extra credit experiments/critiques (i.e., 5pts X 4 experiments/critiques = 20). YOU MUST TURN IN A COMPLETED EXTRA CREDIT VERIFICATION FORM FOR EACH EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY YOU COMPLETE. Do not rely on the experimenters to have copies of the forms at the study.  Click on this link to download the Extra Credit Guidelines for more detailed instructions regarding these options. EXTRA CREDIT WILL ONLY BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS HANDING IN A SIGNED IN EXTRA CREDIT SLIP. FINAL GRADES – Final grades will be computed by adding all of the points from exams, lab attendance, and lab project. On the last page of this syllabus you will find a grade log with which you can keep up with your grade if you choose. The criteria used for final grading are (in %): A = 100-95; A- = 94-93; B+ = 92-91; B = 90-87; B- = 86-85; C+ = 84-83; C = 82-79; C- = 78-77; D = 76-70; F = below 70. Please note that in assigning final grades, all percentages will be rounded to the nearest whole number. Please do not plan on any curve for the course grades, however, the course coordinator maintains the right to reduce grade percent cutoffs at his discretion based on the distrinbution of total point scores (prior to adding in extra credit) when submitting final grades.
C L A S S P O L I C I E S	CLASS ATTENDANCE -In order for you to get the most out of this course, regular class attendance is strongly recommended and expected. Not only will material not available in your text be covered in lectures but important course announcements and information will be made during class.  OFFICE HOURS - Each instructor's individual office hours are posted outside his or her office. All Psychology offices are located on the Mezzanine floor of the west wing of the Billy Graham Center. For general information regarding PSYC 101 (e. g., grading, missed tests, etc.), please contact Dr. Struthers, the course coordinator, at 752-7046 (Office: BGC M246) or via e-mail at William.M.Struthers@wheaton.edu. MAKE-UP TESTS & LATE ASSIGNMENTS - Any student not completing an assignment or test when scheduled will forfeit all relevant points. In the event that an unusual or unavoidable circumstance impacts your ability to complete an assignment or take a test, please contact Dr. Struthers at least 24 hours in advance if at all possible. Be aware that computer or printer malfunctions are not acceptable excuses for failing to turn in a written assignment on time. If you have to miss an exam for any reason, you must see Dr. Struthers about signing up for a make-up. This includes tests missed due to illness, course conflicts (e.g., field trips), or scheduled college activities (e.g., athletic trips or games). At that time a student can makeup a maximum of one missed exam provided they have received prior approval. Any others exams not taken will be assigned zeros. In addition, no exams will be given early, except in the case of three finals scheduled on the day of our exam. Make sure any travel plans you make during finals week do not interfere with your ability to take Test 3 or any make-up exam. If you find yourself needing to make-up a test or to move Test 3 during finals week, please notify Dr. Struthers as soon as possible.  ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: PLAGIARISM & CHEATING - In this course, plagiarism and cheating cannot be tolerated. This policy can be found in the Psychology Department's Student Handbook which defines plagiarism as the "theft of paragraphs, sentences, phrases or ideas without giving proper credit to the person who originated them" (p. 7). In this course, cheating--that is, representing others' work as your own—is most often committed in the copying of assignments or sharing information during a test. Remember that a course grade or even your undergraduate career could be jeopardized by cheating and or plagiarism. Also, please read over the section on Academic Integrity contained in the current Wheaton College Catalog.  Any student found to have committed academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade of zero (0) for the assignment. USING A COURSE SYLLABUS - What actually is a syllabus? This document was designed to provide you with a detailed description of what to expect in this course. It many ways a syllabus can be seen as a type of contract: it sets down the rules, requirements, and expectations for both instructor and student. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with this syllabus. Many-if not most-of the questions you have about the daily workings of this course can be answered here. Also, be aware that during the semester, changes may be made to the course calendar and other class policies. These will be announced in class (yet another good reason to be there every time we meet!).

Assignment	Possible  Points
Exams
Test 1	100
Test 2	100
Test 3	100
In-Class MiniQuizzes Total	50
Laboratory Research Experience	100
Lab Attendance
Neuropsychology	10
Learning Lab Session	10
Memory	10
Intelligence	10
Observing Development	10
Psychological Testing	10
Psychopathology	10
Psychotherapy	10
Cooperation and Competition	10
Group Decision Making	10
Optional Extra credit (20 points possible)	(20)
TOTALS	550

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Spring 2008 Course Calendar
Click on the lecture title for the in-class outlines and notes.

Tuesday	Thursday	Labs and Notes
January 15 What is Psychology? (Struthers) Reading : Course Syllabus	January 17 Psychology, Science and Faith (Struthers) Reading : G&H, Ch. 1&2	Lab: Getting Started
January 22 The Nervous System (Struthers) Reading : G&H, Ch. 3	January 24 The Brain (Struthers) Reading : G&H, Ch.4	Lab: Neuropsychology
January 29 Motivation (Struthers) Reading : G&H, Ch. 9 * See Notes->	January 31 Learning theory (Struthers) Reading : G&H, Ch. 6 * See Notes->	Tuesday is a full 2hr lecture period (1:15am-1:05pm )
February 5 NO CLASS – FACULTY DEVELOPMENT DAY	February 7 Learning theory (Struthers) Reading : G&H, Ch. 6	Lab: Animal Learning Orientation on Thursday 2/7 @ 12:15-1:05pm for all lab sections. Rats assigned Sat, 2/9 @ 10am Rat Lab Manual
February 12 TEST 1	February 14 Sensation. Perception & Attention (Phinney) Reading : G&H, Ch. 5	No Labs This Week Tuesday is a full 2hr exam period (1:15am-1:05pm )
February 19 Memory (Phinney) Reading: G&H, Ch. 7	February 21 Memory (Phinney) Reading: G&H, Ch. 7	Lab: Memory
February 26 Thinking and Intelligence (Phinney) Reading: G&H, Ch. 8	February 28 Thinking and Intelligence (Phinney) Reading: G&H, Ch. 8	Lab: Intelligence Testing
March 4 What is psychological development? (Buchanan) Reading: G&H, Ch. 11	March 6 Nature & Nurture (Buchanan) Reading: G&H, Ch. 11	NO LABS THIS WEEK Tuesday is a full 2hr lecture period (11:15am-1:05pm) **Rat Lab Closes at 12pm on 3/7** Animal Lab Paper Guidelines
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
March 18 Infancy and Childhood (Buchanan) Reading: G&H, Ch. 11	March 20 Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood (Buchanan) Reading: G&H, Ch. 11	Lab: Observing Development
March 25 TEST 2	March 27 Personality theory (Gorham)  Reading: G&H, Ch. 12	NO LABS THIS WEEK Tuesday is a full 2hr exam period (11:15am-1:05pm) Research Lab Papers Due (Fri, 3/28)
April 1 Personality theory (Gorham) Prayer and Temperment Handout Reading: G&H, Ch. 12	April 3 Psychopathology, Part 1(Gorham) Reading: G&H, Ch. 13	Lab: Personality Testing
April 8 Psychopathology, Part 2 (Gorham) Reading: G&H, Ch. 13	April 10 Psychotherapy (Gorham)  Reading: G&H, Ch. 14	Lab: Psychopathology Cognition Lab Paper Instructions
April 15 Psychotherapy (Gorham)  Reading : G&H, Ch. 14	April 17 Social psychology (Hannah) Reading : G&H, Ch. 15	Lab: Psychotherapy
April 22 Attitudes and attitude change (Hannah) Reading: G&H, Ch. 15	April 24 Social influence and groupthink (Hannah) Reading: G&H, Ch. 15	Lab: Cooperation & Competition
April 29 Social influence and groupthink (Hannah) Reading: G&H, Ch. 15	May 1 Course Wrap-Up (Hannah and Struthers)	Lab: Group Decision Making Cognition Lab Papers Due (Fri, 5/2) Last Day for Extra Credit (Fri, 5/2)
FINAL EXAM (EXAM 3) - Tuesday, May 6 @ 10:30am