Psychology 101
Psychology as a Social Science

Introduction

Course Overview

You have your own reasons for taking this introductory course in psychology. Since this course is a general introduction to psychology as a social science, it can satisfy many different needs. It is intended to introduce you to current research and theories, and questions that psychologists have asked and are asking. The questions are as broad as human nature, and the methods used to research them are varied. You will find that many questions remain unanswered, and that interesting issues researched for decades still elude a definitive answer—which is one reason psychology is challenging. Your own effort and thought are critical in forming meaningful syntheses of the material you will study.

This is a survey course. You will learn about many issues, but you will not delve into any one problem until all the questions about it are exhausted. You will be presented with the methods used by current researchers, but only introduced to some of the complexities of those methodologies. This course may well stimulate as many questions as it provides answers; I would consider such an outcome successful!

If you do the assignments as described, and actively engage the author of the text in the dialogue he suggests, you will receive a solid introduction to the general field of psychology. I hope the course will prepare and stimulate you to take advanced courses in psychology and to pursue related reading from your developing interest in the area. Finally, this course may provide you with a new and different angle from which to view yourself and your everyday behaviors. All of these objectives will make this course worthwhile to you.

About the Required Text

Psychology: A Modular Approach to Mind and Behavior by Dennis Coon is the required book for this course. All assignments are related to this text, and it is the only book you must use throughout the course. Be sure to get the tenth edition, published in 2006 in paperback.

I chose this text because it emphasizes social science approaches to psychology. While you will learn about some physiological concepts (e.g., the brain and sense functions), Coon presents only those concepts that are essential for a basic understanding of human behavior. I also selected this particular textbook for the course because it is especially suited to a self-directed, self-paced course. The material is up-to-date and scientifically sound.

The textbook also allows you to access the Student Book Companion Web site. To access this Web site, got to the following URL and click on "Student Book Companion Site" located on the right side of the page, under resources:

http://psychology.wadsworth.com/coon_psychology10e

This site contains chapter outlines, tutorials, practice exams, flashcards, Web links, and other course resources, some of which you will need to use to complete some of your assignments. I encourage you to use this Web site as an additional study resource.

SQ4R Method of Study

The book is structured through the "survey, question, read, relate, recite, review" (SQ4R) method to involve you as a reader and challenge you to actively pursue the material presented. You'll find a detailed explanation of this type of method in the introduction to your text. SQ4R is an attempt to apply to the learning process what psychologists have been able to determine about how people learn most effectively. Be sure to read this section, as it contains many valuable tips for studying in this course as well as for studying in general. You should consider the textbook as a dialogue in which the questions presented become your own, and the author responds to your queries. Use the "Knowledge Builder" sections at the end of each chapter module—they will help you determine how well you have mastered the previous material. If you don’t understand a concept, go back through the material immediately preceding the “Knowledge Builder" and reread the appropriate section.

The "Critical Thinking Exercises" in each chapter are another effective way to keep you actively involved with the reading. These extras are tailor-made for a distance learning course.

Finally, pay special attention to the "Survey Questions" in each chapter; they highlight important ideas in the study of psychology. The summaries at the end of each chapter restate these questions to help you organize your review of the major ideas presented in the text.

About the Online Environment

Your online course offers several advantages to the traditional classroom, including the comprehensive Online Student Handbook, the ability to communicate electronically with students and with your instructor, and links to a rich array of online resources.

Online Student Handbook

This handbook answers questions about your online learning course, such as how to purchase your text, schedule an exam, obtain a transcript, and get technical help if you need it. The handbook also provides additional resources, such as how to order books or journals from the library and how to study for an online course.

Communication with Your Instructor and Student Peers

• Online Discussion Forums, designed by the University of Washington award winning Catalyst team, allow you to communicate with other currently enrolled students and with your instructor. Your instructor will use the forum to post answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ), updates to course materials and resources, and make announcements of interest to students. You are encouraged to check the forum regularly for updates, and to interact with other students as appropriate. This unstructured forum is monitored by your instructor.
• Use e-mail to ask your instructor any questions that have not been addressed by the FAQ in the discussion forum.

Online Resources

As an online student, you have access to a wealth of Web resources compiled to provide fast, easy access to information that supports your online learning experience. Organized by subjects, Online Resources link you to sites with help for writing and research, study skills, language learning, and library reference materials. All links have been assessed for credibility and reliability, and they are regularly monitored to ensure their usability.

Approaching the Course

I suggest that you survey the material that you will be studying by scanning the table of contents of your book now. As you proceed through the course, this course guide will direct you to study every chapter of the book in sequence (with the exception of chapter 16, which will be covered earlier; and chapters 15 and 17, which will not be included as required reading). A preliminary overview will let you see titles of chapters about which you may already have much knowledge, as well as uncover some topics you might be surprised to find in a psychology text. No matter how foreign the material may seem at first, Coon's style will help you through the essential concepts with a clarity that makes studying a pleasure.

Psychology: More than Therapy

When you think of psychology, you may, like most people, think of the work of professional counselors and clinical psychologists who help people through difficult times by means of various therapies, or who treat people with serious mental, emotional, or behavioral problems. You'll find, however, that only chapters 13 and 14 ("Psychological Disorders" and "Therapies") of your textbook are devoted to such issues. The rest of the text is devoted to understanding the reasons for normal human reactions: how people learn and think; the human development process from infancy to elder years; and human aggression and altruism, intimacy, and self-reflection. These and many other topics presented in the text are regular, human functions. It is because these activities are central to human functioning that they attract the attention of psychological researchers.

Each chapter also includes a "Psychology in Action" section. I hope you find these to be a meaningful illustration of how the chapter's material directly affects human and social functioning. After finishing these sections, try to think up an additional application of the material. This is a challenge, and will help you really understand what you read.

Do not skip the "Human Diversity" and "Using Psychology" boxes spaced throughout each chapter. These sections afford you a glimpse of areas of special interest and may mark questions open to future research. These topics are at the cutting edge of the field and present issues that you may find increasingly discussed in the press.

Finally, be sure to try out many of the demonstrations presented in the "Discovering Psychology" boxes. These demonstrations allow you to gain insight into a number of different phenomena, and allow you to experience them first hand.

Further Study

If at any time you have additional questions concerning information in this course, you have several alternatives for resolution. You can always write them out and include them in an assignment to me (or send them to me via e-mail), and I will attempt to answer them as well as I can. Libraries of community colleges and universities also have many resources—the librarian can help you find them. Most major public libraries will have the essential references for psychological material readily available. But remember, this course is structured to be complete in and of itself, and you will only need outside references if you want to pursue a topic at greater length.

If you are interested in pursuing a subject in greater depth or if I suggest articles by a particular author, your UW computer account gives you access to many resources. You can find these at http://www.washington.edu/ by clicking on the "Libraries" section on the right side of the page. One of the best sources for finding references in Psychology is PsycINFO, a UW–restricted resource, so to access it you do need a UW computer account. To get to it, click on "Top 20 Databases," under the "Find It" menu, and scroll down to the "PsycINFO" section.

Course Design

The following table shows the correspondence between the lessons in this course guide, the assignments, exams, and the chapters of the book.

Required Reading and Assignments
Lesson	Assignment	Chapters
One	1	chapters 1, 2, & Appendix
Two	2	chapters 3, 4, and 5
Exam 1 (covers chapters 1-5 & Appendix)
Three	3	chapters 6 & 7
Four	4	chapters 8, 9, & 10
Exam 2 (covers chapters 6-10)
Five	5	chapters 16 & 11
Six	6	chapters 12, 13, & 14
Exam 3 (covers chapters 11-14, & 16)

Electronic Mail

You will be required to use electronic mail in this course. The advantages of using electronic mail are as follows:

• You can get personal answers to your questions more quickly than by regular mail.
• Electronic mail will increase the timeliness of my response to your assignments (note that the turnaround time for mailed assignments can be as much as two weeks; the turnaround for e-mail is about half that).
• Your UW account will provide access to library catalogues of major universities, Grolier's Encyclopedia, Webster's Dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary, Usenet, the UW Campus Calendar, and other resources.

Once you have an e-mail account, you can address questions about Online Learning in general to onlinelearning@extn.washington.edu.

Structure of Assignments

You will be required to complete 6 assignments in this course. Each assignment has four sections:

• Section A consists of twenty multiple-choice questions, listed under the chapter in the text that contains the material for the answers.
• Section B consists of ten multiple-choice questions that ask you to apply the ideas covered in the text to relevant issues and questions.
• Section C consists of five questions requiring a short written response in the space provided (not exceeding 100 words).
• Section D consists of two interactive demonstrations and/or exercises that you will allow you to experience many psychological phenomenon first hand.

Doing Assignments

To facilitate my grading and return of your assignments, please use the following procedures.

1. Submit your completed assignments using electronic mail. You can submit them in the form of an attachment (in a format that can be read by MS WORD, which is what I use as a word processor), or cut and paste the assignment directly into the body of the email.
2. Indicate your name and assignment number on the assignment itself as well as in the subject line of the email message.
3. Keep a copy of all work you submit.
4. Submit only one assignment per week. My feedback to your work and that of others in the class is a basic part of the learning process in this course. This feedback will suffer if I am overloaded with assignment evaluations.

Criteria for Grading Assignments

Each Assignment is worth 10 points. The grading criteria for each section will be as follows:

Section	Type of Question	Total points
Section A	20 Multiple-choice: Concepts/Facts (worth 0.15 each)	3 pts.
Section B	10 Multiple-choice: Applications of Key Concepts (worth 0.2 each)	2 pts
Section C	5 Short answer ( worth 0.4 each)	2 pt.
Section D	2 Exercises/Demonstrations (worth 1.5 pt. each)	3 pt.

Approaching Each Assignment

When you read a textbook, your first task is to know exactly what the text is saying. You must then be able to integrate the material into meaningful units. The questions requiring exact answers (section A) test your ability to read accurately. Those questions asking for application examine your ability to integrate the material (sections B, C, and D).

To get the most out of your assignment, I suggest you proceed in the following manner:

• First, get an overview of the material to be covered in the text by scanning the headings and subheadings within each chapter. (You'll find these in the table of contents on pp. vi–xxi.)
• Next, read each chapter carefully. Actively engage the author in the dialogue suggested by the questions that appear in italics throughout the text. That is, envision yourself actually asking the questions-then pay close attention as the author answers your questions.
• Complete the "Learning Checks" as you finish reading the related material. This immediate self-check will let you see how well you understood the material on first reading.
• As you read, take notes or underline areas that seem especially important to you. (Don't overdo this; be as selective as you can.) These notations should be helpful to you as a review before the written assignments as well as a review before each exam.
• Next, review your notes on the chapter. If your understanding of some points remains fuzzy, reread that material.
• Do the components of the written assignment in the order they are presented. That is, first do the multiple-choice questions for each chapter, and then do the short-answer questions and finally the exercises/demonstrations. If you do not know the answer to a question, page back through the chapter and reread the pertinent material.
• It is very important that you answer each of the short answer questions using your own words. Copying directly out of the book, not only constitutes plagiarism, but it also does not allow me to evaluate whether or not you understood the material. Please consult the following Web site to learn about what is considered acceptable and unacceptable paraphrasing: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets.shtml
• Check your work for accuracy. This is always a good rule, especially for the objective questions. Reread your essays for misspellings and poor grammar. Make appropriate corrections neatly.
• Finally, when you have completed all parts of a particular written assignment, submit it immediately. Start working on the next assignment right away to keep a steady pace. This will guarantee that you make timely progress through the course.

Examinations

In addition to the six written assignments, you will also have three proctored exams. If you conscientiously do the assignments and readings, these exams should not be difficult. Each exam will consist of fifty multiple-choice questions

Remember, the exams will give you a chance to show how well you have integrated the covered material.

See the online student handbook for information about how to schedule an exam, locate a proctor, and have an exam sent to a proctor. You can also direct inquiries to the Online Learning support staff (phone: 206-543-2320 or 800-543-2320,
206-543-0898 TTY; fax: 206-543-0887; e-mail: onlinelearning@extn.washington.edu).

Preparing For Your Exams

You will have two hours to complete your examinations. You will not be allowed to use your textbook, printouts of the course Web pages, or any notes during the exam. Each examination will only include material from the lessons that directly preceded it.

Each examination consists of fifty multiple-choice questions. These questions are a mixture of factual and application questions.

The best preparation for each examination is to review the lessons you have done and to skim the key concepts presented in the text. The lesson objectives should present you with a good study guide for the material that will be covered on the exams. If you have done well on the assignments, I urge you not to be too anxious about taking the examination. It is straightforward. You should look on this exam as an opportunity to demonstrate your grasp of the materials you have carefully studied.

I wish you the best in studying for the exams. Remember, if you are too anxious before and during the test, you are working against your best efforts. So relax, study carefully and calmly, and know that you have prepared yourself for this examination by doing the assignments.

Using the Text as a Study Help

Let me encourage you to read the introduction in the text (pp. 1-10). To make sure you are studying as efficiently as possible, pay special attention to the detailed explanation of the SQ4R method of learning. Coon constructed the book according to this theory of learning, so the method should be especially helpful in understanding the text.

If you have trouble remembering the material you have studied, a careful study of chapter 8 ( pp. 296–328, which explains what scientists know about our memory processes) may be helpful. We can all use the practical hints and mnemonics suggested in modules 8.5 and 8.6 to improve our memory. In other words, practice what you learn (real world application).

Grading Policy

Grading for this course will be based on the percentage of the total points earned. The exams are worth a total of 150 points and the assignments are worth 60 points. The percentage of the 210 possible points will be assigned a total grade point according to the breakdown below. NOTE: If you provide me with an approximate schedule for completing each assignment and examination, and you stick to that schedule, you will receive 5 extra credit points. This can potentially raise your grade by 0.2 grade points.

Percentage (points)	grade	Percentage (points)	grade
95% (199 points)	4.0	78% (164 points)	2.3
94% (197 points)	3.9	77% (162 points)	2.2
93% (195 points)	3.8	76% (160 points)	2.1
92% (193 points)	3.7	75% (158 points)	2.0
91% (191 points)	3.6	74% (155 points)	1.9
90% (189 points)	3.5	73% (153 points)	1.8
89% (187 points)	3.4	72% (151 points)	1.7
88% (185 points)	3.3	71% (149 points)	1.6
87% (183 points)	3.2	70% (147 points)	1.5
86% (181 points)	3.1	69% (145 points)	1.4
85% (179 points)	3.0	68% (143 points)	1.3
84% (176 points)	2.9	67% (141 points)	1.2
83% (174 points)	2.8	66% (139 points)	1.1
82% (172 points)	2.7	65% (137 points)	1.0
81% (170 points)	2.6	64% (134 points)	.9
80% (168 points)	2.5	63% (132 points)	.8
79% (166 points)	2.4	62% (130 points)	.7

Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to the following letter grades:

A = 4.0-3.9	C+ = 2.4-2.2	D = 1.1-0.9
A– = 3.8-3.5	C = 2.1-1.9	D– = 0.8-0.7
B+ = 3.4-3.2	C– = 1.8-1.5
B = 3.1-2.9	D+ = 1.4-1.2
B– = 2.8-2.5

Note: Please be aware that 0.7 is the lowest passing grade used at the University of Washington. Any grade below that is a 0.0 (the grades .1 to .6 are not used at the U.W.).

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