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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PS 101-1"
COURSE NAME: "General Psychology"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Spring 2025
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Carola Salvi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Introduces the study of psychology, the study of the human mind, in some of its many facets: epistemological issues, the brain, perception, learning, language, intelligence, motivation, development, personality, emotion, social influences, pathology and therapy, and prevention. These will be seen from the scientific and scholarly point of view, but with emphasis on their relevance to everyday life. An important focus of the course will be the significance of theories and how they influence the gathering of data, as well as the difficulty of objectivity when the object of study is also its primary tool: the human mind. One of the goals of the course will also be to prepare the student to read psychological literature with a critical eye, keeping in mind the difficulties involved in attempting to study human subjectivity in an objective way.
Minimum passing grade for students enrolled for the BA in Psychological science: C-
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course will cover the scientific foundation of the discipline as well as address a number of topics pertaining to the 5 pillars (i.e., main domain of knowledge) identified in the American Psychological Association’ (APA) guidelines for Introduction to Psychology courses, such as Research methods, biological bases of human behavior, perception, developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology, thinking and reasoning and psychology of Personality. Discussion will focus on theoretical ideas, empirical findings, and application to everyday life.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Identify key characteristics of major domains in Psychology, the methods used, and the questions addressed in such domains.
- Understand key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in Psychology. Begin using basic psychological terminology to explain mental processes.
- Describe examples of relevant and practical applications of psychological principles to everyday life.
- Understand common fallacies in thinking (e.g., confirmation bias, limited data problem, implying causation from correlation).
- Demonstrate information literacy in Psychology.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| General Psychology NOBA -free online | Multiple Authors | NOBA | NA | | http://noba.to/gfhudvp5 | Ebook | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Exams | During the semester, 3 exams will be administered roughly every 4 weeks, plus a final exam. The midterms will review the assigned textbook readings, lectures, and additional material covered in the preceding classes. Each midterm is non-cumulative and covers approximately 1/3 of the course material. Exams will include a variety of questions (e.g., multiple-choice, short answers, essay). The final will be cumulative, that is, it will cover anything discussed throughout the course. Each exam will be worth 30 points. Of the 4 exams, only your THREE highest scores will count towards your final grade. Your lowest (out of four) exam score will be dropped. You have to take at least 3 exams. The extra exam allows those who have to miss a test (i.e., excused absence) during the semester to be able to make up for it. This means THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS. If you miss any of the three tests, that will be your dropped score. No other arrangement will be made. | 90 |
| Assignment | Presentation. Students will make a group presentation on a relevant topic of the course. For example:
1. Analyse micro expression on videos
2. Describe examples of relevant and practical applications of psychological principles to everyday life.
3. Common fallacies on thinking (e.g., confirmation bias, framing effect etc.). | 10 |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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Tokens (Max 1 per exam): Tokens will be given to those students who show commitments to the class by doing extra work (e.g., research on a topic of interest during class, answering correctly at the exam prep classes). Tokens can be used to gain points at the quiz (1 token = 1 point).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:
The National Institutes of Health Library of Medicine (PubMed) provides an excellent tool for searching the scientific literature. Students can access this search engine at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.
You can also find the databases here (psyching should appear after July 1st)
https://johncabot.libguides.com/az.php)
APA Style
Most papers in psychology must be written in APA (American Psychological Association) format. Students are responsible for following APA style and citation format in all of their writing assignments for this course, when applicable. The most complete resource for APA style is the Publication Manual of the APA, but Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is an excellent, concise, and free online reference documenting APA style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10
There is a copy of the APA manual in the library for students to access as well.
(https://jculibrary.on.worldcat.org/search?queryString=APA%20manual&clusterResults=true&stickyFacetsChecked=true&groupVariantRecords=false
WHAT STUDENTS CAN EXPECT FROM ME
I am committed to making this course not only an educational experience, but a fun and positive experience as well. I am deeply committed to students learning here. In addition to the time that we will spend together in class, I will do my best to make myself available to students for help and consultation outside of class time.
It is not just a cliché to say that, as a professor, I will also be learning from each of them throughout the course.
This Syllabus represents my best estimate of the topics and requirements of this course. There is always the possibility that some assignments, deadlines, or topics may change. Any change will be announced in class and posted on Moodle. It is your responsibility to be updated about the course schedule and requirements.
YOU CAN FIND PROF SALVI'S TEXTBOOK HERE
http://noba.to/gfhudvp5
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PS101 COURSE SCHEDULE
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(Subject to change with advance notice.)
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WEEK
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TOPIC
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READINGS
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1
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Welcome and Overview
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1 History of Psychology.David B. Baker & Heather Sperry
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Intro to Psychology as a science
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2Why Science? Edward Diener
3 Thinking like a Psychological Scientist p.35.Erin I. Smith
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2
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Research methods
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4Research Designs. Christie Napa Scollon
5Statistical Thinking p.73.Beth Chance & Allan Rossman
6Conducting Psychology Research in the Real World Matthias R. Mehl
7The Replication Crisis in Psychology p.107.Edward Diener & Robert Biswas-Diener
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3
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Biological bases of Human Behavior
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8The Brain. Diane Beck & Evelina Tapia
9The Nervous System p. 138.Aneeq Ahmad
10 Neurons p. 158.Sharon Furtak
11Psychophysiological Methods in Neuroscience p. 176.Zachary Infantolino & Gregory A. Miller
12Hormones & Behavior p.190.Randy J. Nelson
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4
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Perception
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13. Sensation and Perception byAdam John Privitera
14Vision. bySimona Buetti & Alejandro Lleras
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EXAM 1
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5
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Emotions
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15 Functions of Emotions. Hyisung Hwang & David Matsumoto 16Affective Neuroscience.Eddie Harmon-Jones & Cindy Harmon-Jones
17Knowledge Emotions: Feelings that Foster Learning, Exploring, and Reflecting.Paul Silvia
18Emotion Experience and Well-Being.Brett Ford & Iris B. Mauss
19Culture and Emotion.Jeanne Tsai
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6
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Learning
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20Conditioning and Learning.Mark E. Bouton
21Factors Influencing Learning.Aaron Benjamin
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7
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Memory
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22Memory (Encoding, Storage, Retrieval).Kathleen B. McDermott & Henry L. Roediger
23Forgetting and Amnesia.Nicole Dudukovic & Brice Kuhl
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8
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False memories
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24Eyewitness Testimony and Memory Biases.Cara Laney & Elizabeth F. Loftus
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9
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EXAM 2
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10
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Reasoning and Decision Making
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25Judgment and Decision Making .Max H. Bazerman
26Creativity. Dean Keith Simonton
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11
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Social Psychology
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27An Introduction to the Science of Social Psychology. Robert Biswas-Diener
28Research Methods in Social Psychology. Rajiv Jhangiani
29Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping. Susan T. Fiske
30Social Cognition and Attitudes. Yanine D. Hess & Cynthia L. Pickett
31Conformity and Obedience. Jerry M. Burger
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12
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Psychology of personality
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33Personality Stability and Change. M. Brent Donnellan
34Personality Traits. Edward Diener & Richard E. Lucas
35Personality Assessment. David Watson
36Personality Disorders. Cristina Crego & Thomas Widiger
37Mood Disorders. Anda Gershon & Renee Thompson
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13
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Developmental psychology
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38Cognitive Development in Childhood. Robert Siegler
39Attachment Through the Life Course. R. Chris Fraley
40Social and Personality Development in Childhood. Ross Thompson
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14
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EXAM 3
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FINAL EXAM
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