Psychological Science: Intro to Psychological Science (B)

About PSYS 1400 B

Introduction to the entire field, emphasizing the behavior of the normal adult human being.

Notes

Open to degree and PACE students course (e-textbook fee) of $65 System waitlisting enabled for this section.

Section Description

PSYS 1400 introduces students to the ways psychologists seek to understand behavior. We will pursue this objective through surveying major trends in the field, learning about representative research, highlighting psychology-related topics in the news, and honing critical thinking skills. In addition, we will focus on research-based techniques to help students become more efficient learners.

Department of Psychological Science Learning Goals and This Course
The Department of Psychological Science proposes several learning goals for students. In addition to the above course objectives, the following departmental learning goals specifically pertain to PSYS 1400:
• Learning Goal 1: Students should understand core concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in most of the core areas of psychological science that include: social, developmental, clinical, biobehavioral, learning-memory, and history of psychology.
o PSYS 1400 provides a broad introductory-level survey of topics in Psychological Science. Lectures, readings, and assignments for this course will cover material spanning all of the central areas of study in the field, including memory, learning, the brain and nervous system, consciousness, sensation and perception, emotion and motivation, intelligence, social and personality psychology, human development, and defining and treating psychological disorders, as well as an overview of the history of the field and research methodology. We will learn not only about prominent concepts, theoretical perspectives, and historical trends in psychological science but will review and evaluate empirical findings in each core topic area.
• Learning Goal 2: Students should be able to critically evaluate and interpret primary and secondary literature in the science of psychology.
o The initial weeks of lecture and course readings will cover core principles of psychological science research methodology, which we will utilize throughout the course to evaluate both classic and contemporary research examples. Included in the assigned readings is an empirical journal article. In addition to research studies described in the Acrobatiq platform and other sources throughout the semester, we will evaluate and discuss these primary sources in detail, focusing on the structure of the article, methodology, interpreting results, and implications of the findings.

Section Expectation

Meetings: Class meets in-person. Students are expected to attend class having read the assigned material, and should be prepared to engage in class discussion of this material.

Required text: In place of a traditional text, this course uses an online learning platform called Acrobatiq. Students who enroll in PSYS 1400 will automatically be provided with an Acrobatiq account, and the fee for access to Acrobatiq will be automatically deducted upon enrollment in PSYS 1400. Students do not need to purchase access on their own. Note that the course instructor will provide students with access to Acrobatiq (via Brightspace) on the first day of classes.

Other readings: In addition to readings in the Acrobatiq platform, students will be required to read one journal article, which will be available via the course Brightspace page.

Evaluation

Final grades will be calculated based on successful completion (scoring 90% or above) on 33 timed, multiple-choice Brightspace Tests. Tests are completed throughout the semester at students' own pace, and students must receive a score of 90% or above on each test in order to move on to the next test.

Important Dates

Courses may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Show your interest by enrolling.

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