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topics for the papers require you to think critically about some issue in psychology or to apply
psychological knowledge to practical situations。
EXTRA CREDIT WORK
Studying the text and writing the assigned papers are assumed sufficient work for this class and grades
will be assigned solely based on tests； papers； and activities that occur during class。
GRADING
Grades will be assigned based on the number of points accumulated during the semester。 The maximum
number of points for each midterm is 100。 From the four midterms； your three highest grades will be used in
calculating your final grade。 If you miss a midterm； your scores on the other three will be used。 If you miss
more than one midterm； you may want to drop the course because midterms cannot be made up。 The
maximum total points for midterms is 300。 The final examination will have 100 questions and contribute a
maximum of 200 points toward your final grade。
The maximum number of points for papers is 100； 25 points per paper。 If you get a low score on a paper； you
may rewrite it—see the handout on papers for more information on this。
A maximum of 50 points will be given for participation in class activities。
The maximum number of points is 650； and grades will be assigned as follows： If you get 600 to 650 points；
you will earn an A。 If you get 540 to 599 points； you will earn a B。 If you get 460 to 539 points； you will earn
a C。 If you get 400 to 459 points； you will earn a D。 If you get less than 400 points； you will earn an F。
CLASS CALENDAR
Reading assignment。 September 3 to September 24
Ch。 1 The Science of Psychology in Your Life
Ch。 2 Research Methods in Psychology
Ch。 3 The Biological Bases of Behavior
Chs。 4； 5 Sensation & Perception
Test 1 September 24
Paper 1 due September 26
Reading assignment。 September 26 to October 15
Ch。 6 Mind； Consciousness； and Alternate States
Chs。 7； 8 Learning and Behavior Analysis & Memory
Ch。 9 Cognitive Processes
Test 2 October 15
Paper 2 due October 17
Reading assignment。 October 17 to November 5
Ch。 10 Intelligence and Intelligence Assessment
Ch。 11 Human Development across the Life Span
Chs。 12； 13 Motivation & Emotion； Stress； and Health
Test 3 November 5
Paper 3 due November 7
Reading assignment。 November 7 to November 28
Ch。 14 Understanding Human Personality
Ch。 15 Psychological Disorders
Ch。 16 Therapies for Personal Change
Test 4 November 28
Paper 4 due November 30
Reading assignment。 November 30 to December 14
Ch。 17 Social Processes and Relationships
Ch。 18 Social Psychology； Society； and Culture
Final Examination。 December 17
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HOW TO PREPARE A LECTURE
Clarity is the most important quality in lectures。 Clarity can only be assessed by the audience。 Your students
are likely to vary in abilities； needs； interests； and reasons for taking the course。 Some take introductory
psychology because they are interested in psychology and plan to major in it； some take the course because
they hope to achieve insight into personal problems； others take it because it fulfills a requirement； or
because the class meets at a time that is convenient for them。 You cannot “please all the people all of the
time；” but your success in teaching will depend on the degree to which you deal with the wide range of
individual differences your students bring to your class。
Be aware of the intellectual level of your students； of special aspects of their backgrounds； their
sophistication as well as areas of na。veté。 Answer for yourself these basic questions：
。 Who am I talking to？
。 What two or three points do I want them to remember？
。 What other points would it be nice—but not essential—for them to recall？
Students e to class with their own agendas—areas of genuine interest as well as topics they expect to be
covered in an introductory psychology class。 Asking your students to submit questions periodically is one
way to assess their interests。 Zanich and Grover （1989） surveyed student interest in 80 specific topics
typically included in introductory texts and lectures。 Each topic was rated on a 5…point scale from very
interesting to not very interesting。 According to the students； the five most interesting topics were （1） the
possible function of dreams； （2） why people are attracted to each other； （3） hypnosis； （4） how to improve
your memory； and （5） sexual motivation and variations in sexual behavior。 In general； students had the
least interest in natural science aspects of psychology。 The five least interesting topics were （76） how the
auditory system works； （77） learning and nonsense syllables； （78） historical roots of modem psychology；
（79） theories of color vision； and （80） the endocrine system。 However； it must be noted that for all students；
psychology majors and non…majors； mean topic ratings reflected slightly greater than average interest for all
topics； with psychology majors giving slightly higher interest ratings than non…psychology majors。
BASIC MECHANICS OF LECTURES
The quality of instruction overrides content in determining student reactions to specific topics。 Teachers are
more than information dispensers。 They put information into perspective； give contexts so ideas may be
better appreciated； offer emphasis and clarification。 The task of preparing a lecture is not so much one of
loading as many ideas as possible into the firing chamber as one of carefully packaging a few delicate
thoughts for the difficult trip from mind to mind。 You should therefore attend very seriously to
“transportation and delivery” issues when you are preparing your lecture； not only to the load。 Sass （1989）
found that students repeatedly cite eight instructor characteristics as responsible for high motivation to
master the material： enthusiasm； relevance； organization； appropriate difficulty level； active involvement；
variety； rapport； and use of appropriate examples。
Within the lecture； use examples—lots of examples—to illustrate the many unfamiliar concepts introduced
in the course。 To maintain students’ attention； vary the pitch and loudness of your voice； use gestures and
facial expression； and move。 Review your lecture notes thoroughly before class so you will not be glued to
the lectern。 Periodically review your delivery method and voice tone by listening to a tape recording of your
lecture—an invaluable and humbling experience！
Use the lecture to amplify and enrich the material in the text； to illustrate difficult concepts； to relate
psychology to personal experience； or to motivate and stimulate students。 Avoid duplicating the text。 Too
much factual information in a lecture is likely to overwhelm students and result in little or no retention。
Lectures should usually begin with an attention…getting device such as a quick demonstration； personal
remark； question； anecdote； or a clear statement of a theme； problem； or paradox。 The balance of the lecture
should have a structure that is apparent to the students as well as to you。 For example； begin with a
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preview； in which the central points of the lecture are briefly indicated and reference is made to important
issues or types of evidence related to each； move into main points； each of which is stated and explored by
giving relevant evidence and explaining current controversies； conclude with a summary in which the
central points are again stated and supporting information briefly reviewed。 In effect； as a friend of ours is
fond of saying； “You tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em； you tell ’em； and then you tell ’em what you told
’em。”
START WITH AN ATTENTION GETTER
As a guide to lively lecture starters； we offer these suggestions：
。 Statement of thesis to be argued： “Today I would like to try to convince you that the greatest feat of
human intelligence occurs when a two…year…old child learns its native language。”
。 Question： “Research in the area of attitude change shows that a credible municator has
more persuasive impact than a noncredible one。 Can you think of any conditions when a
disliked municator can be more effective than a liked one in changing your attitudes？”
。 Paradox： “You see me as an upright； stationary three…dimensional figure； yet my image on your
retina is upside down； jiggling around； with only two flat dimensions。 How do you see the real
me； given your deceiving retina？”
。 Personal anecdote： “Have you ever known someone who suddenly and without any warning lost
his or her memory ＇became a different person＇？ Several years ago a cousin of mine。 。 。”
。 Argument： “Freud has done more than any other person to promote the psychological study and
treatment of mental illness by replacing the demons of exorcism with the respectability of
medical science and the reasoned analysis of psychoanalysis。 Nevertheless； as far as I am
concerned； his contribution is now backfiring。 The long…term consequences of the medical
model and of using unconscious dynamic explanations to explain a basically ordinary process
of maladaptive learning are nothing less than fraud。”