In-Person P1106

 

Introduction to Psychology I
In-Person Lectures
Class Time: Mon/Wed 10am – 11:20am
Classroom: B200 (Weaver)
Instructor: Dr. Darren Campbell (He/Him)
Email: darrenc@nipissingu.ca
Office Hour: M/W 11:30 am – 12 pm + Others as needed

 

Land Acknowledgement: Nipissing University sits on the territory of Nipissing First Nation, the territory of the Anishnabek, within lands protected by the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850. We are grateful to be able to live and learn on these lands with all our relations.

 
 
Course Objectives and Content

Course Calendar Description Link

In this survey course, you can develop a broad understanding of Psychology. PSYC 1106 examines biological, cognitive, and environmental psychological explanations of people / creatures.

In PSYC 1106 and PSYC 1107, you explore theories and findings which provide an academic foundation for various university programs in addition to Psychology-specific specializations

 
PSYC 1106 lectures focus on psychological theories, research methods, neuroscience, development, the senses, classical and operant conditioning, personality, and psychological disorders.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. identify and differentiate among the foundational theories of psychology,

2. recognise core psychological findings,

3. contrast psychological explanations of human and animal behaviour, and

4. derive real-world implications of the psychological theories and findings.

 
Basic Workload Expectations for Success

Attend every lecture in body and mind, review your lectures/notes before the next lecture, complete the readings, and regularly self-test your recall and understanding of the material.

A general estimate is that these learning activities will require 3 hours per week outside of attending the class. In addition to these basic learning activities, completing the course assignments will further enhance your learning and success.

Success requires sustained effort and focused work. Being brilliant may make success easier, but brilliance is neither sufficient nor necessary! for real
 
 
Course Readings and Resources

The readings/lecture materials are available via Blackboard (BB).
Access: Login to BB –> select PSYC 1106 –> Content –> Topic folder
Optional BB-item content will not be on the exams.

 
Evaluation:

1 Syllabus & BB-content scavenger hunt	4% (knowledge demo)
3 Open-book assignments	21% (select content topics, 7% each)
Midterm I	15% (see below for details)
Midterm II	20% (see below for details)
Final Exam	40% (all course content)

+Bonus (Optional) 3% (SONA research or class-only research-like)

For letter-grade equivalents and grading standards, see Nipissing Uni. link here.
 
 

 

Scavenger Hunt and Open-Book Assignments

As soon as you have Blackboard (BB) course access, the scavenger hunt and 3 course assignments are available to you. I recommend a quick review of each. The reviews will highlight the types of content covered in the lectures and the types of exam questions asked. I also recommend that you complete each assignment section-by-section as you encounter/review the relevant course materials.

The due dates do not represent when you start; they represent when you need to be finished. After the due date, you will no longer have access to the assignment. Work on the open-book assignments gradually over time. Enter and Save your answers as you work on the questions for specific topics. But do not Submit your answers until all of the questions are complete because undoing premature submissions is problematic. With appropriate effort and attention to detail, you should score well and be better prepared for the course and each exam.
 
Syllabus/BB content scavenger hunt (4%)
Systematically examine the syllabus and course BB links to better understand: what to expect in the course, the grading system, and how to find what you need to be successful.
 
3 Open-Book Assignments (21% = 3 x 7% each)
The assignments encourage you to review the lecture materials in a timely manner. Each assignment includes questions which demonstrate the type of understanding and content assessed in each exam.
 

 
 
Exams (require detailed content knowledge and a clear understanding of content implications)

1. You are expected to be available for each of the scheduled exams.
 

2. Given the large class size and the need to keep the room quiet for other students taking the exams, there are minimal opportunities for questions during the exams. On the last exam page, there is space to write comments about specific test items. When I review the test results and your comments, if needed, I will adjust the scoring and/or eliminate problematic items.
 

3. Midterm I is worth 15% and Midterm II is worth 20%.

3.1 The Midterm questions will focus on all prior course content (readings, lectures, videos, etc.) covered up to the date of the test. The date of each Midterm is identified in the schedule below.

3.2 Once you start, you will have 60/80 minutes for Midterm 1/2, respectively. [For SAS registered students, your test time will be extended appropriately.] Please read and think about the questions carefully. Most people finish well under the time limit.
 

4. If uncontrolled circumstances cause you to miss a Midterm, please contact me as soon as possible. If you have provided me with a legitimate reason for missing and not too much time has passed, we will arrange an alternative examination. If too much time has passed, with sufficient justification, I will transfer the value of your missed Midterm (15% or 20%) to the value of your Final exam (↑ by 15% or 20%).
 

5. The Final Exam is worth 40% of your final grade. The questions will focus on all content covered throughout the course. *The University Registrar’s Office determines the Date and Time for the Final Exam. They provide you with this date-time information directly. You are expected to be available.
 

Strict university rules apply to writing exams (see Nipissing Exam Policies ).
 
 

Grading and Grade Postings

For each assignment and exam, I review the item results for potential problems. If needed, I will re-score or adjust the scoring. I post your grades in BB Grade Centre. If you believe that there is a mistake in one of your grades, please contact me.

In the relevant discussion-board thread, I post class-level scoring results to give you a broader view of student performance patterns for each assignment / exam.
 
Questions & Communications

For basic course information, the course BB website includes the Syllabus, Readings, Lecture materials, Assignments, and other resources.

For a non-personal course question, please post it on the course Q&A forum. This allows other students to see your question, participate in the discussion, and see my response. If you are confused about something, other students also are very likely confused. So, I definitely want and need to know!

I regularly post important information on the Q&A forum. So, please check the forum regularly.

For a personal question, please email me directly via darrenc@nipissingu.ca . I tend to respond quickly.

For in-person interactions with me, talk to me before or after class or come to one of my office hours.
 

Fair Behaviour and Respect for Others
We all prefer a positive environment that supports learning and fair evaluations. Disruptive or negative behaviour is not helpful. Please review the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
 

Student Support Resources
If you find yourself struggling academically or with mental health problems, Student Development Services (SDS) at Nipissing University has many supports available to you (go here or email sds@nipissingu.ca ).
 

Nipissing Library Resources
The library offers excellent resources and services which make completing assignments and writing papers easier, more efficient, and better in quality. I encourage you to use them (follow this link). 
 

Academic Integrity
The more effort you put into your education and experiences at Nipissing University, the more you will get out of them. Cheating and Plagiarism are not just unethical with serious consequences (see link), they undermine your ability to develop life-long time-management strategies, coping skills, and, of course, specific course knowledge and insights.
 

Intellectual Property
All materials developed for this course, including, but not limited to, lectures (in-person or video versions), lecture notes and slides, assignments, examinations and syllabi, that are provided in class or online, are the intellectual property of the course instructor. Posting, providing, sharing or selling unauthorized audio, video, or textual material violates an instructor’s intellectual property rights, the Canadian Copyright Act, and may violate the rights and privacy of others in the classroom. Failure to follow these instructions is in contravention of the university’s Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Participation in this course constitutes an agreement by all parties to respect the intellectual property and privacy of others during and after their association with Nipissing University.
 

Course Goals
I hope and expect that you will enjoy Psychology. But, just as importantly, I hope and expect that you will develop greater understanding and insight into the complexities of human (and animal) behaviour!
 

Lecture Schedule and Important Dates

Week# & Lecture Topic	Review Topic Content By	Task Dates
		Start	End @11am
Scavenger Hunt - 4%		Sep 6	Sep 16
1-2 Syllabus + Psychological Perspectives	Sep 14
Assignment 1 - 7%		Sep 17	Oct 3
2-4 Research Design Research Design Reading	Sep 26
3-5 Neuroscience Brain & Nervous System Reading	Oct 3
5 Midterm I - 15% Wed Oct 5 in B200 60 mins
Assignment 2 - 7%		Oct 6	Oct 31
Thanksgiving + Study Week Oct 10 to Oct 14
5-7 Development Cog. Dev. Reading Attachment Reading	Oct 24
7-8 Sensation & Perception Readings: Sensing + Perceiving Experiencing our world Seeing + Perception Principles Hearing Taste, Smell, & Touch Perceptual Biases	Oct 31
8-9 Learning Reading Skip the "Putting Classical and Instrumental Conditioning Together" section	Nov 11
10 Midterm II - 20% Mon Nov 14 in B200 80 mins
Assignment 3 - 7%		Nov 15	Dec 5
10-11 Personality Personality Traits Reading	Nov 21
11 Personality & Developmental Dis Reading: Psychopathy Autism Reading on Blackboard	Nov 25
11-12 Anxiety Disorders Anxiety & Related Disorders Reading	Dec 5

 

Bonus-Mark Options

In this class, the maximum numbers of bonus credits you can earn is 3%. The credit will be added to your final grade at the end of the term. The completion deadline is the December 9th.
 
Option 1: Participate in research
You may volunteer to participate in Nipissing University research projects listed in the SONA system. Each SONA study will describe what you will be doing and how many credits you will earn. Generally, longer research participation time gives you more SONA credits and more course bonus points. For example, 1 hour of research = 1 credit which represents a 1% bonus in this course. Research studies are accessed via an online system called SONA. To use this system, you first must enroll. Follow this link for details and instructions.
FYI: During the term, I am given no information about your SONA credits. After classes end, the SONA administrator sends me a table of student names with their number of SONA credits earned.

Option 2: Class-only research-like participation
For this option, online links will be posted in various lecture topic folders. These activities will highlight psychological methods or content relevant to the research covered in the given lecture topic. If enough students participate, the results will be shared with the class.