TEXTBOOK: Discovering Psychology by Hockenbury & Hockenbury, fourth edition

GRADES:
A = 90 to 100           Semester exams 45%
B = 80 to 89              Final exam 20%
C = 70 to 79              Group projects
D = 60 to 69              In-class 10%
F = 0 to 59                 Out-of-class 10%
                                  Pop quizzes 10%
                                  Internet assignment 5%

GROUPS: You will form a group of about three other students on the first day of class. This will be your primary group for the semester. Ensure that you get the names and phone numbers of the other group members. These are persons with whom you will work on all group projects. If you should miss a class period, contact a group member to find out what you missed.

ATTENDANCE: Please note that an attendance record will be kept by your instructor. The record will NOT be used to penalize anyone. You are not required to attend any particular class period. HOWEVER, your chances to achieve satisfactory grades on your exams and in-class group projects will certainly be enhanced by regular attendance and participation. You are responsible for any information given in class. Check with a group member if you miss class.

PRESENTATION OF MATERIAL: Working in groups will be the primary method of learning. It is anticipated that only short lectures will be given in class. You will be provided a handout the first day of class which contains all of the topics to be covered during the semester. You are expected to read the material in your text covering the various topics prior to coming to class each day. Group members will generate discussions within their groups about the topics. The instructor will be available to answer questions and participate in discussions as needed. Group projects (to be completed in class) will be provided to enhance learning. These projects will be graded.

POP QUIZZES: There will be several pop quizzes meant to ensure that you are keeping up with your reading. The quizzes will consist of a few short answer or multiple-choice items. If you miss a quiz you will receive a score of zero. The lowest of the scores will be dropped when calculating your average for the quizzes.

SEMESTER EXAMS: There will be about six semester exams. Style will be primarily multiple-choice questions. Content will cover material contained in the textbook and material presented in class.
All exams will be administered during a regular class period. No make-up exams will be given. You must complete an exam before results are returned to the class, usually the next class day, or receive a grade of zero for that exam.
The lowest of the semester exam grades will be dropped.

Note: You will need a Scantron sheet (882 series) for all semester exams and the final exam.

FINAL EXAM: The final examination will be comprehensive.

GROUP PROJECTS (In-class): There will be several group projects completed during class time. These will most likely take the form of essay, short answer, true/false, and multiple-choice exams. You may participate with your primary group members, or you may choose to complete the project by yourself. If you should come to class after a project has already begun, you will have to complete the project on your own. The projects will have a time limit, so arriving late will reduce your opportunity for a satisfactory grade on the project.
If you should miss class on the day a project is completed, you will receive a score of zero. The lowest of the scores will be dropped when calculating your average for the projects.

GROUP PROJECTS (Out-of-class): You will be assigned three projects that your group is to complete outside of class time. A separate sheet containing instructions will be provided. Should you be satisfied with your scores on the first two projects, you will not have to complete the third project.  A score on the third project will replace the lowest of the previous two scores, even if the third score is lower than the other two.  Please note that these are group projects.  Individual reports will not be accepted.  A separate sheet containing instructions will be provided. The lowest of the six scores will be dropped.

INTERNET ASSIGNMENT: You are to complete an assigned psychology inventory on the internet. A full explanation will be given in class.

EXTRA CREDIT: Students who believe they are at risk of receiving a score below 70 on an exam will have the option of completing extra credit work. A list of topics in the form of questions is provided on the first day of class. The exams will consist of items relating to the topics. Students may write the answers to the topic questions relating to a particular exam on separate paper and submit these answers immediately prior to the exam. Only those students who score below a 70 on the exam will have their extra credit graded. A maximum of 15 points can be earned for each set of answers submitted. The points earned will be added to the exam score up to a maximum score of 70. It should be understood that the written answers must be thorough and accurate for maximum credit.  Also, your answers must be in original handwriting; no typing and no copy.  Submissions must be neat and legible.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Students requesting disability accommodations or information are encouraged to contact the Office of Special Services, 188 Harvin Center, 698-1298.

TOPICS FOR GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

Semester exams will cover the items listed below. Those items with a # sign in front of them will be included on the final exam. Items with an * sign in front of them will not be found in the text. Refer to your instructor or an outside source. Some minor changes may be made to the list during the semester.

Chapter 1 Introducing Psychology
1. #How do we presently define psychology?
a. On what do behaviorists focus their studies? According to Skinner, what role does the environment play on behavior?
b. In contrast to behaviorism, what does psychoanalytic psychology (Freud) claim to be the major influence on behavior?
c. Humanistic psychology focused on which of the following - unconscious influences, outside forces, or our ability to control our behavior (free will)?
d. What does cognitive psychology study?
2. *What is meant by the “nature-nurture controversy”? What information do twin studies provide concerning this issue?
3. #What are operational definitions? Why are they important? Give an operational definition for hungry, intelligent, immature, aggressive, angry.
4. Why are research studies replicated?
5. What are some advantages and disadvantages of case studies?
6. What are some advantages and disadvantages of surveys? Why is it necessary to use a representative sample? Why not just have people volunteer for the survey?
7. #What is a correlational study? What is a correlation coefficient? What does it mean that factors are correlated? How is correlation different from causation?
8. What correlation did Anderson and Dill (2000) discover between playing violent video games and aggressive delinquent behavior? Do the results of this study show that violent video games cause aggressive behavior? Why or why not?
9. #What is meant by "cause and effect"? Why is it said that only experiments can determine cause and effect?
10. #What is meant by the terms independent and dependent variable, placebo, and control group? Be able to determine each of these in a given experiment.
11. Regarding the violent video games experiment by Anderson and Dill (pgs. 27 - 30), read the material thoroughly and be able to answer questions such as:
a. What was the hypothesis and who were the subjects?
b. What were the dependent and independent variables?
c. What was the procedure?
d. What were the results and conclusions?
12. Regarding the gingko biloba study (p. 31), read the material thoroughly and be able to answer questions concerning the practice effect, placebo control group, expectancy effects, double-blind study, and the results of the study.

Chapter 3 Sensation and Perception
1. What is the difference between sensation and perception?
2. How does Weber’s law relate to perception? How could the law idea be used by salesmen?
3. What is an advantage of sensory adaptation?
4. Vision
a. *What is an argument against using red lights on emergency vehicles?
b. State the location and function of each of the following: iris; cornea; pupil; lens; retina; rods; cones; fovea; blind spot.
c. Why do we have difficulty distinguishing among colors at night?
d. *How do the retinas of nocturnal animals differ from those of humans?
e. What is meant by accommodation?
f. What is the name given to our color receptors? How many different types are there?
g. *What are the causes and behavioral results of the following: astigmatism, glaucoma, and cataracts.
5. Movement, position, and balance
a. What is meant by “kinesthetic sense”? Where are the sensory neurons for the vestibular sense located?
b. What is the purpose of the vestibular sense? Where is the source of vestibular sensory information located?
c. What is the result when visual information conflicts with vestibular information?
6. *How do we determine the location from which a sound originates? How accurate are we in determining whether a sound is coming from in front of us, from the rear, from above, or from below? Explain.
7. What is the figure-ground relationship? To which one, figure or ground, do we pay the most attention to and remember the best? What is figure-ground reversal?
8. What is meant by the term "monocular cues"? How might an artist use each of these cues when painting a picture?
9. What is meant by “convergence” and “binocular disparity”? How are stereograms related to binocular disparity?
10. What is meant by “induced motion”? If you were watching a bowling ball rolling down an alley, how could induced motion effect your perception?
11. What is meant by the term “moon illusion”? What is an explanation for the effect?
12. What role do perceptual sets play in perception?

Chapter 5 Learning
1. #How is the term "learning" defined? That is, what changes when learning occurs, and what is the cause of the change?
2. What are the fundamental assumptions of behaviorism?
3. Classical conditioning.
a. #How does classical conditioning occur?
b. What was it about dogs salivating that surprised Pavlov?
c. #What is meant by unconditioned stimulus, unconditional response, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response? Which one or ones would most likely be a reflex?
d. #How does the timing of the stimulus presentations affect the strength of the conditioned response?
e. #Describe what happened when Little Albert’s fear of a white rat “generalized”. What is meant by “stimulus generalization”?
f. What is meant by “spontaneous recovery”?
g. Most adults express fear and disgust when presented with a live (or even dead) cockroach. Is this a learned behavior, or is it innate (something present at birth)? What evidence can you give to suggest that it is one or the other? How would classical conditioning theory explain this behavior? That is, what would be the CS, UCS, CR, and UCR?
h. #What is "extinction"? Describe how it occurs. How is this procedure used to treat phobias?
i. Why is it said that taste aversion violates two basic principles of classical conditioning?
j. What evidence suggests that humans are biologically prepared to develop fears of some objects and situations but not others?
k. What is “systematic desensitization”? How does it relate to classical conditioning? (Note: Information on systematic desensitization is found in chapter 14.)
4. Operant conditioning.
a. What is meant by the statement, "Operant conditioning explains learning as a process in which behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences?"
b. If the stimulus precedes (comes before) the response in classical conditioning theory, where does it occur in operant conditioning theory?
c. What does the term "reinforcement" have to do with operant conditioning?
d. #How do positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement differ? Do they increase or do they decrease the likelihood of a behavior recurring?
e. #What is meant by "punishment"?
i. #How do we know that punishment is being used, rather than positive or negative reinforcement?
ii. How does punishment differ from negative reinforcement?
iii. What two forms does punishment take?
iv. *What in meant by “time out”?
v. It is said that punishment must be immediate, sufficient, and consistent if it is to be effective. What does this mean?
vi. Does positive reinforcement also have to be immediate, sufficient, and consistent? Explain.
vii. #What are some drawbacks to using punishment?
f. What is a "Skinner box" and how is it used?
g. #What is meant by "shaping" and why is it used?
h. #Describe extinction in operant conditioning. What are the results of extinction?
i. #How does partial reinforcement differ from continuous reinforcement? What would be an example of partial reinforcement? Does it lead to extinction, or does it result in a response that is not easily extinguished?
5. #How does observational learning (social learning theory) differ from operant and classical conditioning? Describe Bandura’s study of observational learning.

Chapter 6 Memory
1. #How long do visual and auditory sensory memories last?
2. Short-term memory
a. What are other terms for short-term memory?
b. #What is maintenance rehearsal and what purpose does it serve? Give an example.
c. #What is its capacity and duration?
d. #What is meant by the term "seven plus or minus two"?
e. #What is chunking? Give an example.
3. Long-term memory
a. #What is meant by each of the following terms?
i. #elaborative rehearsal
ii. #episodic information
iii. #semantic information
iv. #procedural information
v. #the serial position effect
vi. false memories
vii. the misinformation effect
b. The role of neurons
i. #Define and describe the functions of the following (refer to Chapter 2 of your text):
(1) #neuron
(2) #neurotransmitter
(3) #synapse
(4) #receptor sites
(5) #dendrites
(6) #axons
(7) #axon terminals
ii. Why are sea snails used to study long-term memory?
iii. #Concerning long term potentiation, what changes occur in neurons, neurotransmitters, and synapses when a new memory is acquired?
c. #What roles do the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum play in memory? (Refer to Chapter 2 for a full explanation of these terms.)
d. #What is meant by distributed practice and massed practice? Which of these ways of practicing results in better learning and memory?
4. *How can knowledge of the memory system help in reducing the feeling of pain?
5. *What is meant by "consolidate new memories"? How is sleep related to this term?

Chapter 7 Thinking, Language, and Intelligence
1. #What is the difference between achievement tests and aptitude tests?
2. #What is meant by the following terms and how does each of them relate to test construction?
a. #Standardization
b. #Reliability
c. #Validity

Chapter 8 Motivation and Emotion
1. Maslow's hierarchy of needs
a. #What are the five needs proposed by Maslow?
b. #What is meant by "hierarchy of needs"?
c. #Describe some characteristics of “self-actualization”.
d. *How could Maslow's theory be useful to a teacher of preschool children?
e. *How could the theory be used in a drug and alcohol treatment program?
f. *How could the theory explain the extreme emotions often exhibited by a person going through a divorce?

Chapter 10 Personality
1. #How does your textbook define "personality"?
2. #The psychoanalytic approach
a. #What are the three levels of consciousness proposed by Freud?
b. #What are the three structures of personality as Freud saw them? Which one would be strongest in a newborn child? Which one would be weakest in a person who has little sense of shame and guilt?
c. #What is the purpose of defense mechanisms? Give an example of how we use each of the following defense mechanisms: sublimation, repression, displacement, rationalization, projection, denial, and regression.

Chapter 12 Stress, Health, and Coping
1. #Stress
a. #What is it?
b. #What is “cognitive appraisal”, and why is it important?
c. #What are some sources of stress?
2. #Flight-or-fight response (See also Chapter 2.)
a. #What is it?
b. #Describe how the endocrine system is involved.
c. #Describe how the divisions of the nervous system are involved.
3. General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
a. #What is it?
b. #Describe what happens in each stage.
c. #Describe how the endocrine system is involved. (See also Chapter 2.)
4. #What does the field of psychoneuroimmunology study?
a. #What is the immune system?
b. #What are lymphocytes?
c. #What is the interaction between lymphocytes and both neurotransmitters and hormones? (Refer to Chapter 2 of your text.)
5. #What influence does whether we have control over situations have on stress, immune system, and illness? Describe some examples.
6. #What is the characteristic in the Type A personality that has been identified as increasing one’s risk of heart disease?
a. What is the impact of social support?
7. #Coping
a. #Describe the coping process.
b. #Explain problem-focused coping and give an example.
c. #Explain emotion-focused coping and give an example.

Chapter 13 Psychological Disorders
1. #How is “psychological disorder” defined?
2. #What is the DSM-IV?
3. Anxiety disorder
a. #How is anxiety defined?
b. #What three features distinguish normal anxiety from pathological anxiety?
c. #How does generalized anxiety disorder differ from panic disorder?
d. #What is a phobia? How do learning theories explain phobias?
e. #What are the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder?
f. #What are obsessions and compulsions? What role does serotonin seem to play in this disorder?
4. Bipolar disorder.
a. #What is it? How common is it?
b. #What evidence exists that suggests it is strongly influenced by genetic factors?
5. Schizophrenia
a. #What is it?
b. #What are hallucinations and delusions? Give an example of each.
c. #What explanations does your textbook give concerning the possible causes of schizophrenia?