| week |
topics |
| Week 3: Sensation and Perception (Chapter 4) |
As evidenced in this week's lectures and discussion section, the brain combines sensations from the sensory world, expectations about events, and selective attention to produce conscious experience. What do you think would happen if the brain simply recorded information about the outside world, without selectively attending, and without having expectations about what we are sensing? In other words, how would perception change if the brain did not filter information or “fill in the gaps” between discrete stimuli? |
| Week 4: Research Methods (Ch. 2) |
As discussed in Kalat, scientists working on the topic of extra-sensory perception (ESP), or the ability to perceive information without using the five senses, have not found good evidence for ESP in controlled experiments. But one topic that students often report – but that cannot be easily tested scientifically – involves knowing about events even though we cannot hear, see, touch, taste or smell them. For example, sometimes people report that they have had a “feeling” that someone they knew was in danger, lost, or needed help in some way or that a person they are close to has died. Sometimes people report that they know what time an event happened to someone in a different location. For example, someone might say that they all of a sudden had a “bad feeling” We interpret this information to mean that there is another way of “knowing” information that we have not received through our five senses. Even if this has never happened to you, provide a scientific explanation for this kind of event – in other words, how might one come to “know” about an event that they do not witness or otherwise perceive with their five senses? |
| Week 7: Learning |
Now that you are familiar with the fundamental principles of operant conditioning, think about how we are socially rewarded and punished for different social behaviors. For example, if we smile at others, they smile back at us (a reward). When we brush our teeth, people will get close to us (a reward). When we don't brush our teeth, people will avoid us (a punishment). If we easily get into fights with people, people might start to fight back (a punishment – or is that a reward? Sometimes what is considered a reward or a punishment depends on the person!).
Think of an instance today in which you were socially rewarded or punished. What was your behavior? (It could be intentional or unintentional.) What was the consequence? Are you likely to continue doing that behavior or will you try to avoid it? Explain.
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Week 8: Memory |
Please go to the following link to read a story about (falsely) repressed memory. You will discuss this in discussion section and answer the questions in the document for your reflective essay.
Paul Ingram Sexual Abuse Case |
Week 9: Cognition and Language |
Today you discussed how the automatic processing of information in the environment can be both effective (e.g. quickly decoding danger cues in the environment) and can also cause us to make cognitive errors (e.g. not accounting for base rates in making important decisions). With that in mind, reflect on how people tend to automatically process social information. For example, we automatically and effortlessly encode information about others' age, social status and ethnicity. Please comment on the following: How is the automatic processing of social information useful or helpful? How is it not only unhelpful, but potentially dangerous? |
Week 10: Measurement |
This week a group activity counts as your points for discussion section. There is no quiz or essay to prepare for. |
Week 11: Personality |
Last week we discussed how psychologists use measurement to investigate psychological phenomena. Also, last week you took the “Q-PI” personality inventory. After your group activity today, please reflect on the following questions: Do you think the Q-PI is a valid measure of personality? Do you think it is a reliable measure? Does it have utility? |
Week 12: Intelligence |
Think for a moment and identify the smartest person you know in your personal life: What behaviors suggest that this person is smart? Which theory best fits their intelligence? Why? |
Week 13 |
Hi 1001 students: the social essay was not posted this week before section (my mistake - JS). |
Weeks 14 and 15 |
For weeks 14 there will be no quiz or essay. However, you need to show up to receive your points for participation.
During week 15 (last discussion section), you do *not* have a quiz BUT you *do* have an essay (see below):. Remember: your student development/academic enhancement requirement form is due duirng your last discussion section. You will write about this experience for your reflective essay. NOTE: if you participated in a Psych advising experience - like a study abroad meeting after lecture - where your name was recorded as a participant, we will have a record of that, and you do not need to bring the signed form to discussion section. |
