Psyc.html

NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF Allied Health and Life Sciences

Behavioral Sciences

Psyc 101 Introductory Psychology
Index page   Weekly Hand-outs
Course Syllabus

Robert S. Slotnick, PhD

Spring 2004
Calendar    Description Text Requirements Topics Internet Sites     Partial List of Assignments

Professor's office hours, telephone, e-mail, web page, and address:
Before and after class and/or by appointment.
(o) 212-261-1554; e-mail: rslotnic@nyit.edu
web page: http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic ;
NYIT, 1855 Broadway, Information Hall 227, New York, NY 10023
NYIT HelpDesk: Office of Information Technology
Tel:              516-686-7570
E-mail:        helpdesk@nyit.edu
Web Site:    http://hlpdesk.nyit.edu

Room and Course Calendar:
Psyc 101.M01, Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 to 12:20; MCMB, Room 602, Calendar: 1/26, 1/28, 2/2, 2/4, 2/9, 2/11, 2/16NoClass, 2/18, 2/23, 2/25, 3/1, 3/3, 3/8, 3/10, 3/15, 3/17, 3/22, 3/24, 3/29, 3/31, 4/5NoClass, 4/7NoClass, 4/12, 4/14, 4/19, 4/21, 4/26, 4/28, 5/3, 5/5, 5/10, 5/12, 5/17, 5/19LastClass, Finals Week 5/24 - 28.
Research Topic approved by: 3/24, Psychology Topic Paper Due 5/10. Approximate test dates are: Test 1, 2/25, Test 2, 4/14, Test 3, Finals Week 5/24.

Course Description: This courses provides an introduction to selected concepts, methods, and vocabulary of psychology. Focus of study will be on the individual and the conditions that influence behavior. Topics that will be covered include: growth and development, learning and thinking, emotions and motivations, personality and assessment, maladjustment and mental health, groups and social interaction, and social influence and society.
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Required Texts:
Kalat, James 2002. Introduction to psychology 6th ed. Wadsworth, Thomson Learning, Inc, Pacific Grove, CA
www.wadsworth.com, 1-800 423 0563;     ISBN 0 534 53988 2. Text is absolutely required. Used as basis for lecture and discussion.

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Course Requirements:

1. Attendance and class participation are required and contribute to your grade. Read text assignment, before class.
2.   Test 1
3.    Test 2
4.    Test 3
5.    Psychology research/writing assignment

Diversity
Students investigate individual differences in performance and identify possible contributing factors including physical, emotional, sociological, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic differences. In developing intervention models for the learner, students reflect on the implications of these variables and design instructional approaches which will maximize learner strengths. In selecting a research topic, students may incorporate the impact of race, ethnicity, emotional and physical challenges, and cultural and linguistic differences into their research. Diversity issues can enrich and make your topic more salient.

Grading Policy:
1. Attendance and class participation                                                                     20%
2. Three Multiple Choice Exams based on text and lecture                                    20% each = 60%
3. Psychology paper based on Readings or Web/Technology                               20%
Resources at end of chapter. Select a resource from any chapter,
conduct research on the topic and write a two - three page reaction.
4. Extra credit problems/activities will allow students to improve
their grade.

Ground Rules:
In order to receive an "A" grade, an average of 90 or higher is required.
Submit the writing assignment when due. A late submission will not be accepted or will receive a lower grade.
Using any other persons' work without acknowledgement or proper citation is plagiarism and is not permitted. (Plagiarize: 1. To use and pass off as one's own (the ideas or writings of another). 2. To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another).)
Please submit all written work, double-spaced, using a word processed format to make revisions easier.
Use the APA publication manual as a guide and follow the style used in your text.
Incompletes will be given only in extreme circumstances and, when the coursework is completed, the final grade
will not be higher than B, except in unusual cases.
You are allowed two excused absences. Additional absences may lead to a reduction in grade or a withdrawal from class.
Coming late is disburbing to other students and the professor. Please do not make it a habit or you will be
asked to leave for that class. If there is a neccessary reason to come late, please speak to me. Lateness will be counted as 1/2 absence.
If you miss class or do not understand some information ask a classmate to share notes. You are responsible for making up all work.
Please be considerate of your fellow classmates; do not leave trash, do not talk during class, do not disturb others.
Eating or drinking in the class is not permitted.
To receive your grade promptly after the instructor submits it, please provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope
or postcard. You may also request a grade via e-mail.
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Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to accomplish each of the following objectives:
1. Understand the major issues in psychology such as -- The Mind-Brain Problem, Free Will Vs Determinism and The Nature-Nurture Issue
2. Learn how to apply scientific methods in psychology such as observation, information gathering, hypothesis testing and evaluation
3. Read and critique psychology texts and articles
4. Become familiar with the major content areas in psychology such as learning, memory, and cognition
5. Learn how to use the Internet to search topics of interest in psychology
6. Analyze data and write a research report
6. Understand the role of psychology in classifying and treating psychological disorders
7. Learn the distinction between biological and psychological disorders
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Course Topics:
See the end of each chapter for:
Concept Checks
Key Terms
Further Reading
Web/Technology Resources
Topic 1.   What is Psychology? Text, Ch 1
Review Table of Contents
Preface to Students
Improving Study Habits
    SPAR -- survey, process meaningfully, ask questions, review
Citing references, reading figures 1 - 4, -- charts and graphs
Goals of psychologists
Major philosophical issues
    Free Will vs Determinism
    The Mind-Brain Problem
    The Nature-Nurture Issue
What psychologists do
    Psychologists in Teaching and Research
    Service Providers to Individuals
    Service Providers to Organizations
Should you major in Psychology
    Need a doctorate
    Teach in College
    Psychotherapy or Counseling
    Research
Psychology then and now
    Fig 1.7 Time Line Important Events in Psychology
    Impact of Darwin
    Behaviorism and Stimulus - Response Reinforcement
    From Freud to Modern Clinical Psychology
Modern perspectives
Topic: 2 Scientific Methods in Psychology, Text, Ch 2
Science and the evaluation of evidence
Parsimony and the scientific method
    Clever Hans -- The Amazing Horse
    ESP
Conducting psychological research
Research designs -- strategies for answering questions
    Observational Research Designs
        Naturalistic Observations
        Case Histories
    Experiments
    Ethics
Measuring and analyzing results
    Descriptive statistics
    Inferential statistics

Topic 3. Biological Psychology, Text, Ch 3
Genes and behavior
Direct and indirect influences
Evolution and behavior
Sociobiology
Genes, evolution, and behavior
Neurons and behavior
Nervous system cells
Neurotransmitters and behavior
Nervous system and behavior
Major divisions of the nervous system
Test 1, Ch 1, 2, 3.

Topic 4. States of Consciousness, Text, Ch 5
Sleep and dreams
Circadium rhythms
Stages of sleep
Dream states
Mysteries of sleep and dreams
Hypnosis
Methods of induction
Altered state??
Drugs and their effects
Survey
Chronic drug effects

Topic 5. Learning, Text, Ch 6
Behaviorism
Assumptions
As method
Classical conditioning
Pavlov
Explanations
(Association learning)
Operant conditioning
B.F. Skinner and the shaping of responses
Applications
Other kinds of learning
Conditioned taste aversions
Social learning

Topic 6. Memory, Text, Ch 7
Types of memory
Early studies
Information processing
Varieties
Memory improvement
Emotional arousal
Coding strategies
Memory loss
Normal forgetting
Amnesia ...
Memory as reconstruction
False memory controversy
Select Research Topic
Topic 7. Cognition and Language, Text, Ch 8
Thinking and mental processes
Categorization
Attention
Problem solving, expertise, and error
Insight
Common errors
Learning, memory, cognition, and the psychology of gambling
Language
Precursors to language
Human specializations for language learning
Language and humanity
Test 2, Ch 5, 6, 7, 8

Topic 8.   Human Development, Text, Ch 10
Early development
Fetus, newborn
Behavioral capacities
Development of thinking and reasoning
Jean Piaget
Moral reasoning
Cognitive abilities
Social and Emotional Development
Research designs
Erikson's ages of human development
Infancy
Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Old age
Temperment and development
The family
Gender influences
Ethnic and cultural differences

Topic 9.   Emotions, Health Psychology, and Stress, Text, Ch 12
Emotional Behaviors
Emotion, Decision Making and Emotional Intelligence
Excitement and Physiological Arousal
Range of Emotions
Happiness
Anger and Violence
Situations...
Characteristics of Violent People
Sex-Related Violence
Health Psychology
Stress and Psychosomatic Illness
Psycho = Mind
Soma = Body
Coping with Stress
Coping Styles and Strategies
Monitoring Strategies
Blunting Strategies
Research Assignment Due
Topic 10: Social Psychology, Text, Ch 14
Social Perception and Cognition
First Impressions
Stereotypes and Prejudices
Attribution
Attitudes and Perusasion
Attitudes
Change
Audience Variables
Cognitive Dissonance
Interpersonal Attraction
Lasting Relationships
Selecting a Mate
Marriage
Interpersonal Influence
Conformity
Responsibility
Group Decision Making
Power of the Social Situation
Escalation of Conflict
Prisoner's Dilemma
Commons Dilemma
Obedience to Authority
Topic 11. Abnormality, Therapy and Social Issues, Text, Ch 15 (Brief Overview)
Selective Sections of the Chapter
Overview
Defining, Classifying
Is Anyone Normal?
Psychotherapy
Psychoanalysis
Behavior Therapy
Cognitive Therapy
Humanistic Therapy
Family Systems Therapy
Trends
Comparing Therapies and Therapists
Social and Legal Aspects of Treatment
Deinstitutionalization
Involuntary Commitment
Insanity Defense
Prevention

Topic 12. Specific Disorders and Treatments, Text, Ch 16
Anxiety and Avoidance Disorders
Substance Related Disorders
Addiction
Opiate Dependence
Mood Disorders
Depression
Bipolar
Mood Disorders and Suicide
Schizophrenia
Symptoms
Types of ...
Causes
Therapies
Test 3, Finals Week: Ch 10, 12, 14, 16.

Additional Topics of Interest
Topic 3. Motivation, Text, Ch 11
General Principles
Views
Types of Motivation
Hunger Motivation
Physiological Mechanisms of Hunger
Eating Too Much or Too Little
Intentional Weight Loss
Sexual Motivation
Sexual Behavior
Sexual Arousal
Sexual Identity
Achievement Motviation
Measuring Need for Achievement
Age and Sex Differences
Topic: Personality, Text, Ch 13
Freud and Psychodynamics
Jung and the Collective Unconscious
Adler and Individual Psychology
Learning Approach
Humanistic Psychology
Personality Traits
Traits and States
Origins of Personality
Classifying Personality
Personality Assessment
Standardized Tests
Objective Tests
Projective Tests
Uses and Misuses

Topic: Intelligence and Its Measurement, Text, Ch 9
What is Intelligence?
IQ tests
Measurement
Evaluation of ...
Group Differences
Bias??

Additional Hand-outs and Articles of interest on specific topics
Hand-out #1           What is Psychology?
Hand-out #2           Scientific Methods in Psychology
Hand-out #3            Clinical Topics: Stuttering
Hand-out #4             New Version of Nature vs Nurture -- Matt Ridley
Hand-out #5             Genetic Enhancement -- Stephen Pinker
Hand-out #6              Bad Trip Down Memory Lane
Hand-out #7              Unmaking Memories
Hand-out #8              Opening Skinner's Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the 20th Century
Hand-out #9              Emotion and Memory

Research/writing Assignment = 20% of grade
Your psychology paper should be based on Readings or Web/Technology Resources at end of each chapter or psychology journals and magazines obtained from the library or from Internet searches. Select a resource from any chapter, conduct research on the topic and write a 3 - 4 page reaction. Use APA format. If you are not sure about APA style you can follow the style in your text or you can do a search on the Internet for APA Style Guide. When you submit your paper, include a copy of your references. This is not a research paper. It is a reaction paper to a topic that you identified and read a few articles.

Prior to selecting your topic, please submit your choice for approval. Follow the guidelines:
Date

Name

Class

Topic

Resources

Approved
Not approved -- Please revise and submit again.

Psyc 101
Dr. R. Slotnick
Homework Extra Credit
    1.    Classical Conditioning. Chapter 6. A person ill with cancer goes to a hospital for radiation treatments. The treatment has several side effects, one of which is nausea. At first he became nauseous only after the treatment. Now he becomes nauseous as soon as he sees the hospital. Please explain this situation in Classical Conditionining terms. Identify the UCS, UCR, CS, and CR.

    2.    Operant Conditioning. Chapter 6. Review the Schedules of Reinformcement in the text, p. 222 and discuss which schedule of reinforcement leads to the highest rate of responding and which leads to the greatest resistance to extinction.

    3.    Problem Solving. Chapter 8. A frog fell into a well 10 feet deep. The frog climbs up 5 feet during the day and slides back 4 feet during the night. How many days will it take the frog to climb out of the well.

    4.    Problem Solving. Chapter 8. An explorer is travelling in an unknown territory. He knows there are two villages ahead. One village is hostile and its inhabitants will kill the explorer; the other villagers are friendly and will protect the explorer. The good villagers are truthful and the hostile villagers always lie. Our explorer comes to a fork in the road and a native is standing there. S/he does not know if the native is from the good village or the bad village. What is the one good question or statement that the explorer can ask of the native to get directions to the safe village? Remember the good native always tells the truth and the hostile native always lies. Give the correct answer and explanation.

Psyc 101
Dr. R. Slotnick
Class Assignments for Wed, 3/31 and Wed, 4/14. Answer 2 for 3/31 and 2 for 4/14. Answer any 4 questions. Keep your answers short but relevant. Stick to the facts as much as possible. Maximum length is one typewritten page (double-spaced) per answer. All answers will count for attendance and good answers will receive extra credit. Type your name and write the question on each page.

1. What is the behaviorists position on the impact on human personality development of different schedules of reinforcement?
In other words do schedules of reinforcement shape human personality traits and behavior? How?
2. How does classical conditioning influence emotional behavior?
3. As Psychologists have studied memory they have identified several different stages. Discuss and give examples of semantic and episodic memory.
4. How is short term memory transferred to long term memory?
5. Review the evidence for eye-witness testimony.
6. Review the evidence for recovered memories.
7. What is the evidence that humans have a strong in-born capacity for learning language? Discuss the psychological factors and the structures in the brain.
8. What learning, memory and cognition factors affect the psychology of gambling?
9. Discuss some common errors in human cognition, for example, overconfidence, premature committment, and representative heuristic.
10. What does it mean to say that only human languages show the characteristic of productivity?

That's all. Have fun. Answer a total of 4 questions. One answer per page. Double-space. Type your name on each page.

Some interesting writings on Charles Darwin and Evolution
The Origin of Species (full title On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life) by British naturalist Charles Darwin is one of the hallmark works of biology. In it, Darwin argues that organisms gradually evolve through natural selection. It was first published on November 24, 1859 and immediately sold out its initial print run. The book was highly controversial when first published, as it negated the need for a biblical creation.
Darwin's theory of evolution
Darwin's theory of evolution is based on five key observations and inferences drawn from them. These observations and inferences have been summarized by the great biologist Ernst Mayr as follows: First, species have great fertility. They make more offspring than can grow to adulthood. Second, populations remain roughly the same size, with modest fluctuations. Third, food resources are limited, but are relatively constant most of the time. From these three observations it may be inferred that in such an environment there will be a struggle for survival among individuals. Fourth, in sexually reproducing species, generally no two individuals are identical. Variation is rampant. And fifth, much of this variation is heritable. From this it may be inferred: In a world of stable populations where each individual must struggle to survive, those with the "best" characteristics will be more likely to survive, and those desirable traits will be passed to their offspring. These advantageous characteristics are inherited by following generations, becoming dominant among the population through time (Fig. 2). This is natural selection. It may be further inferred that natural selection, if carried far enough, makes changes in a population, eventually leading to new species. These observations have been amply demonstrated in biology, and even fossils demonstrate the veracity of these observations.
Darwin imagined it might be possible that all life is descended from an original species from ancient times. DNA evidence supports this idea.
Sexual selection is the theory that competition for mates between individuals of the same sex drives the evolution of certain traits. It is distinct from ecological selection which is the competition for food within the species' ecological niche. Many traits, e.g. smooth skin or fur, strong muscles, fluid motions, appear not only to enable hunting or gathering but also to be important sexual attractors, especially in the more intelligent species. For these, ecological and sexual selection both operate on a trait.
As it is concerned with traits, e.g. dexterity of movement, on which both may operate simultaneously. If a particular variation makes the offspring which manifest it better suited to survival or to successful reproduction, that offspring and its descendants will be more likely to survive than those offspring without the variation. The original traits, as well as any maladaptive variations, will disappear as the offspring who carry them are replaced by their more successful relatives.
Therefore, certain traits are preserved due to the selective advantage they provide to their holders, allowing the individual to leave more offspring than individuals without the trait(s). Eventually, through many iterations of this process, organisms will develop more and more complex adaptive traits.

Mechanisms of natural selection
What makes one trait more likely to succeed is highly dependent on environmental factors, including the species' predators, food sources, abiotic stress Abiotic stress is caused in living organisms by nonliving environmental factors, such as drought, extreme temperatures, soil conditions, and high winds. Plants are especially dependent on environmental factors, and continued abiotic stress can have harmful effects on them.
... physical environment, and so on? When members of a species become separated geographically, they face different environments, and tend to develop in different directions. After a long period of time, their traits will have developed along different paths to such an extent that they can no longer interbreed, at which point they are considered separate species. This is why a species will sometimes separate into multiple species, rather than simply being replaced by a newer form of the species (from this fact Darwin suggested that all species today have evolved from a common ancestor).
Additionally, some scientists have theorized that an adaptation which serves to make the organism more adaptable in the future will also tend to supplant its competitors even though it provides no specific advantage in the near term. Descendants of that organism will be more varied and therefore more resistant to extinction due to environmental catastrophes and extinction events An extinction event (also extinction-level event, ELE) is a period in time when a large number of species died out. The normal background rate of extinctions is about two to five families of marine invertebrates and vertebrates every million years. Since life began on Earth, this background extinction rate has been punctuated by six major extinction events.
Taxonomy
Mammals Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Orders: Primates
Species: Homo Sapiens

Accordingly, the metaphor Red Queen represents the situation in nature where creatures must adapt quickly to changing environmental threats just to survive from generation to generation. In Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, from which the metaphor is originally derived, Alice complains that she has to run just to stay in the same place.
The members of many species of living things are divided into two or more categories called sexes. These categories refer to complementary groups that combine genetic material in order to reproduce. This process is called sexual reproduction. Typically, a species will have two sexes: male and female The female sex is defined as the one that produces the larger gamete (i.e., reproductive cell). Sexual reproduction might have evolved to help organisms adapt to deal with parasites.

Natural selection can be expressed as the following general law (taken from the conclusion of The Origin of Species
1. IF there are organisms that reproduce, and
2. IF offspring inherit traits from their progenitor(s), and
3. IF there is variability of traits, and
4. IF the environment cannot support all members of a growing population,
5. THEN those members of the population with less-adaptive traits (determined by the environment) will die out, and
6. THEN those members with more-adaptive traits (determined by the environment) will thrive
The result is the evolution of species
Species is a taxonomic concept used in biology to refer to a population of organisms that are in some important ways similar.
Note that this is a continuing process -- it accounts for how species change, and can account for both the extinction of one species and the creation of a new one.

PowerPoint Slide Show for Intro Psyc 101.M01 and M02
http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter01.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter02.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter03.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter04.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter05.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter06.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter07.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter08.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter09.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter10.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter11.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter12.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter13.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter14.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter15.ppt

http://iris.nyit.edu/~rslotnic/Psychology/chapter16.ppt

Kalat, 6th edition, Spring, 2004
Web site for additional information and resources:
The link below gives an excellent list of resources for the course, chapter by chapter. It gives electronic flashcards for new terms, review of information covered, and sample multiple choice questions. There is much more on the site. Check it out.
http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0534539998&discipline_number=24

Kalat, 7th edition, Fall 2004
Here are the links for the new companion sites for the text:
Student Site: http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0534624626&discipline_number=24

http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0534624626&discipline_number=24>

Instructor Site (username: psycsite password: mihael) http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20bI&product_isbn_issn=0534624626&discipline_number=24

http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20bI&product_isbn_issn=0534624626&discipline_number=24>