PSY 1012–General Psychology

3 Credit Hours

INSTRUCTOR: Robert Riester, PhD

Contact Phone Number:(727) 394-6225

Email: To email instructor through ANGEL: Go to and click on our PSY 1012 course. Then, go to the Communication Tab, click on “Send Course Email,” and highlight “All Faculty,” which goes directly and only to the instructor. Next, click “To,” and type in a subject.

Campus Email: (please use ANGEL if at all possible)

Expectation for Instructor follow-up:within 24 hours, typically same day

Office Location:SE-PW-702-A

Class Location: SE-PW-706

Office Hours:see Addendum

Availability of Course Content/Interaction: with instructor via message or with students as instructed in chapter Content Discussion tasks

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT

Dean of Social Sciences: Dr. Joseph Smiley

Department Chair Name: Sheryl Peterson

Office Location: SE-UP-337C

Department Chair Office Number: (727) 394-6948:

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to the field of psychology. It includes the history, scientific methodology, major theoretical schools of thought, various approaches to interpersonal functioning, and human development. The effects of ethnicity, age, race, and gender are integrated into the study of the discipline. This course partially satisfies the SBE 6A-10.30 writing requirements outlined in the General Education Requirements. Three hours weekly.

Link for Course Description:

COURSE GOAL

The primary goal of this course is student success in developing an understanding of the science of psychology and its applications.

Additional Course Goals

  • The student will demonstrate knowledge of the historical roots of the science of psychology.
  • The student will demonstrate knowledge of research methods used in psychology.
  • The student will demonstrate knowledge of the major theories of psychology.
  • The student will demonstrate knowledge of self as both a biological and social organism.
  • The student will demonstrate knowledge of universal stages of development and of individual differences.
  • The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of ethnicity, age, and/or gender, and/or race on psychological functioning.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this course, the student will demonstrate each of the course goals in the following performance terms:

  1. Identifying major theorists and schools of thought from the late 1800’s to the present and recognizing the contributions of major historical figures in psychology.
  2. Distinguishing among the descriptive (case study, naturalistic observation, survey), correlational, and experimental approaches to behavioral research.
  3. Understanding the psychoanalytic, personality, humanistic, behavioral, cognitive, and Gestalt approaches, including the contributions and research associated with each theory.
  4. Recognizing how biology and environment impact behavior in areas such as sensation, perception, states of consciousness, emotion, language, intelligence, motivation, memory, and learning. Recognizing the various approaches to interpersonal functioning and identifying the criteria for classifying abnormal behavior. Examining the medical and psychological models of therapy.
  5. Identifying stages of development as delineated by relevant theoretical approaches, including findings in the domains of physical, cognitive and social functioning. Recognizing issues of intelligence and personality that pertain to individual differences.
  6. Recognizing individual and group differences in behavior and cognitive processing. Identifying major issues emerging from research in areas such as intelligence, development, memory, states of consciousness, motivation, emotion, stress and health, personality, and abnormal behavior.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

Hockenbury D. H., & Hockenbury, S. E. (2011). Discovering psychology (5th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. ISBN: 9781429216500 (paperback only) or 9781429269278 (loose leaf bundled with Study Guide)

PREREQUISITES

Prerequisites for this course: ENC 0020 and REA 0002 or EAP 1695, or an appropriate score on the SPC placement test.

The instructor will assist or refer students, as needed, to develop the following skill set:

  • Proficiencies in ANGEL (Please consult the “Welcome to PSY 1012: Start Here” module via the Lessons Tab.)
  • Proficiencies in SPC’s Library Online, located at:

*Please Note:* For Library Online, your username is your student ID number. Your password is the last four digits of your Social Security Number or 9999 for international students.

  • Launching and closing various applications (i.e., Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer or Firefox)
  • Downloading and saving files to folders created on the hard drive or disk
  • Sending, receiving, and opening attachments
  • Using the Internet to locate and save information

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

  • Regular access to a computer that is connected to the Internet
  • A modem speed no less than 28.8 bps
  • Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) 7.x is the recommended browser. You can download the latest version of IE at no charge.
  • If you are using America Online, please be sure that you have Version 7.0 installed. If you are using an earlier version, download Version 7.0 from your AOL homepage.
  • WebTV is not compatible with the software used in online courses.
  • In order to complete course projects, Microsoft Office 97 or higher is required. If you do not have access to Microsoft Word, pleasevisit one of the college’s learning labs or another location where Microsoft Word is installed. Please do not send files in other formats, such as WordPerfect. If you are using a MAC, please use Firefox (instead of Safari). Safari is not fully and consistently compatible with ANGEL.
  • You will need Flash Player to view the videos. If you cannot view the videos, please go to to download the latest version.
  • If you have a “pop-up blocker” of any sort on your computer, please disable it to view quizzes and tutorials.
  • Students will need Quick Time 7.6.2 to view certain videos within tutorials, which can be downloaded for free at:

ATTENDANCE

Instructor will verify that students are in attendance once each week throughout the semester. Students classified as “No Show” for both of the first two weeks will be administratively withdrawn. Immediately following the 60% point of the term, the instructor will verify which students are actively participating.Active participation is defined as completing the weekly attendance activities that are assigned each week and attending class. The attendance activity may be an online discussion, written assignment, quiz, or exam. Two or more consecutive absences may result in inactive participation. Students classified with inactive participation may be administratively withdrawn with a “WF.”If illness or other emergencies prevent your active participation, please notify the instructor immediately to determine an academic plan. Students will be able to withdraw themselves at any time during the term. However, requests submitted after the 60% deadline will result in a “WF.” Students and the instructor will automatically receive an e-mail notification to SPC email whenever a withdrawal occurs.

*Please note*: The 60% point in the semester is: October 27, 2011

DROPPING THE COURSE

Withdrawing after the 60% deadline in a course can have serious consequences. If you withdraw from a course after the deadline posted in the academic calendar, you will receive a final grade of “WF,” which has the same impact on your GPA as a final grade of “F.” A grade of “WF”may impact your financial aid and cause you to have to repay some of your assistance. If you are thinking about withdrawing from a course, please consult your academic advisor and/or your financial aid counselor first to be sure you understand all the possible outcomes of your decision. Any student that has decided to withdrawal needs to do so in the MySPC registration area found at as well as contact the instructor. If this is your third time taking the course, you cannot withdraw from the course without receiving a grade of “WF.”

EXPECTATIONS

Regular online class participation is required and essential for the successful completion of this course. See Calendar for due dates of weekly assignments.If you are not going to be able to log in to the course for a week or more, please notify the instructor. Submission of all assignments is expected and required on the due date.

Studentswill need to spend the amount of time equal to a regular face-to-face class plus study timeoutside of class. It is reasonable to spend 5-6 hours per week for successful completion of this course.

Instructor will grade assignments within a week from the date it is due. Instructor will respond to email within 24 hours, 5 days a week.

COLLEGE POLICIES and SYLLABUS ADDENDUM

Please consult the following link for college policies: In addition, please carefully review the Academic Honesty policy:

GRADING

Your grade is based on the following *five* categoriesworth 630 points with an additional 10 points for Extra Credit assignment:

  1. Written Assignments (Worth 125 possible points)
  2. Quizzes (Worth 140 possible points)
  3. Exams (Worth 220 possible points)
  4. Pre-selected “Read and Review” Exercises (Worth 45 possible points)
  5. Team “Clicker” in class quiz scores (Worth 100 possible points)
  6. Extra Credit (Worth 10 possible bonus points)

Written Assignments (Worth 125 possible points)

The purpose of written assignments is to apply your understanding of the course content.

  1. Experiments (Chapter 1) – Note delayed due date for this assignment
  2. Operant Conditioning (Chapter 5) - Note the delayed date for this assignment
  3. Anger or Locus of Control (Chapter 8)
  4. Case Study (Chapter 13)
  5. Psychotherapies Video (Chapter 14)

*Each written assignment is worth 25 possible points.*

Quizzes (Worth 140 possible points.)

Students will complete a 10-question quiz per chapter (totaling 14 quizzes). These items are randomly chosen from a pool of 15 items. The quizzes are open-book, open-note, and must be completed independently. Students will have 30 minutes to complete each quiz. Please does not start the quiz until you can complete it; students *cannot* save a quiz to complete later. Students will have two attempts to successfully complete the quizzes and learn from the process. Note that the second quiz attempt will likely contain several items not on the first quiz.

*Each quiz is worth 10 possible points.*

Exams (Worth 220 possible points.)

There will be four tests. Test One (Ch 1-4) – 60 multiple choice items worth 60 points, Test Two (Ch 5-8) – 60 multiple choice items worth 60 points, Test Three (Ch 9-12) – 60 multiple choice items worth 60 points, and Test Four (Ch 13 and 14) – 40 multiple choice items worth 40 points. There will be no final comprehensive exam.

Tests are open-book, open-note, and must be completed independently. On the first three tests, students will have one and a half hours (90 minutes – 90 seconds per item) to complete each test. On the fourth test, students will have one hour (60 minutes – 90 seconds per item). Please does not start the exam until you can complete it; students *cannot* save an exam to complete later.

If a student wants to try to improve a test score, a second test may be taken. The highest score of the two attempts will be the exam score. Note that the test items are randomly chosen from a large pool of test items and that the second test attempt will likely contain many items not in the first exam.

*The first three tests are worth 60 possible points and the fourth test is worth a possible 40 points.*

Pre-selected Read and Review Exercises (Worth 45 possible points)

Prior to the beginning of the semester, the instructor has selected *five* exercises under “Read and Review.” If the student completes these pre-selected exercises, they will receive 9 completion points each. These exercises are found in Ch 1 (Research Methods), 3 (Sensation and Perception), Ch 5 (Social Learning Theory as 3rd task in Social Learning Theory folder), Ch 6 – (Definition of Memory and Two Levels of Processing Memory), and Ch 7 – (Performance Elements of Critical Thinking).

Students are strongly encouraged to complete *ALL* of the exercises under “Read and Review” as these exercises and tasks provide a good review of much of the chapter material.

*All scores in this category count.*

Team “Clicker” Quizzes- in class (Worth 100 possible points)

During eleven class periods, teams of 2-3 class members (determined by instructor) will have the opportunity to respond to timed quiz items and receive a point for each correct response. Each team member will receive thescore earned by his/her team. Team members not present will receive a “0” score. This will be demonstrated in class prior to the “real” quizzes.

*Ten possible points can be earned in ten different class periods.*

OptionalExtra Credit (Worth 10 possible points)

Students have the opportunity to complete one *optional* extra credit assignment. This assignment is found in Chapter 1. This bonus assignment is worth 10 possible points.

GRADING SCALE

The student’s final grade in this course is determined on the basis of his/her accumulated points:

A = 567 – 630 points (90 – 100%)

B = 509 – 566 points(80 – 89.9%)

C = 441 – 510 points(70 – 79.9%)

D = 378 – 440 points(60 – 69.9%)

F = 0 – 377 points(0 – 59.9%)

COURSE OUTLINE

Students should follow theCourse Calendar (Calendar Tab)for deadlines. The due dates for each required component are listed there. All assignments (including written assignments, content discussions, quizzes, completion of the pre-selected “Read and Review” exercises, and extra credit) are due at 11:55 PM on the due date.

A student who does not submit an assignment by 11:55 PM on the due date will receive a 0 for the unsubmitted assignment.No work will be accepted after its deadline.

All assignments are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. Please pay particular attention to our Homepage (Notices Tab) and your email (Communication Tab).

Addendum – Office Hours

SessionI 2011 - 2012 Office and Class Hours

Instructor: Robert Riester, Ph.D.

Office: SE-PW-702-A

email:

Phone: 727-394-6225

Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday
7:00 – 8:00
8:00 – 9:00 / Office
08:30 to 11:00
(2.50 hrs) / Office
08:30 to 9:30
(1.00 hr) / Office
08:30 to 11:00
(2.50 hrs) / Office
08:30 to 9:30
(1.00 hr)
9:00 – 10:00 / Class
9:30 to 10:45
PSY1012-954 in SE-PW706 / Class
9:30 to 10:45
PSY1012-954 in SE-PW706
10:00 – 11:00 / Office
10:45 to 02:00
(3.25 hrs) / Office
10:45 to 02:00
(3.25 hrs)
11:00 – 12:00 / Class
11:00 to 12:15
DEP2004-1493 in SE-PW706 / Class
11:00 to 12:15
DEP2004-1493 in SE-PW706
12:00 – 1:00 / Class
12:30 to 1:45
PSY1012-975 in SE-PW705 / Class
12:30 to 1:45
PSY1012-975 in SE-PW705
1:00 – 2:00 / Office
01:45 to 6:00 / Office
01:45 to 2:30
2:00 – 3:00 / (4.25 hrs) / (0.75 hrs)
3:00 – 4:00
4:00 – 5:00
5:00 – 6:00
6:00 – 10:00 / Class
6:00 to 8:40
PSY1012-955 in SE-PW706
Office
08:50 to 09:20
(0.50 hrs) / Total ECH_18
Class Hrs. _10.0
Online Hrs._6.0
Office Hrs._19.0

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