The primary method of instruction will be the lecture, but the course may involve various other methods of instruction such as small group activities, discussion groups, seminars, oral presentations, laboratory demonstrations, field trips, computer simulations, videos, film, or guest lectures.
- Foundations of Psychology
- What is psychology?
- Scientific attitudes and theories
- Psychology’s methods and aims
- Critical thinking
- The scientific method
- Statistical reasoning
- Biological Roots of Behaviour
- Neural communication
- The nervous systems
- The brain’s structures and functions
- The endocrine system
- Tools for examining the brain
- Consciousness
- Defining and measuring consciousness
- Daydreaming
- Sleep and dreams
- Hypnosis
- Drugs and consciousness
- The Nature and Nature, of Human Behaviour
- Biological influences over behaviour
- Environmental influences over behaviour, especially culture
- Development of gender
- Development Over the Life Span
- Developmental issues (e.g. nature or nurture)
- Prenatal development
- Infancy
- Childhood
- Adolescence and adulthood
- Sensation
- Sensing the world - basic principles
- Vision
- Hearing
- The other senses
- Effects of sensation on behaviour
- Perception
- Basic issues in perception (e.g. innate versus learned)
- Perceptual organization
- Perceptual interpretation
- Extrasensory perception
- Learning
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Observational learning
- Cognitive interpretations
- Memory
- Studying memory
- Forming memories: encoding, storage, retrieval
- Forgetting
- Memory construction
- Improving memory.
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
- Define psychology, and give examples of different kinds of phenomena that psychologists study.
- Identify areas of specialization and list and describe the major perspectives in psychology.
- Describe the experimental methodology and statistical approaches used in contemporary psychology.
- Outline the major divisions and subdivisions of the nervous system and their relation to behaviour.
- Describe the various theories and phenomena involved in sensation and perception.
- Define learning and memory and describe the various paradigms and procedures used in these areas of research.
- Identify various states of consciousness including sleep, hypnosis and the effects of various drugs on consciousness.
- Explain the complex nature of life span development and compare and contrast various theories in developmental psychology.
- Write a report demonstrating basic knowledge of APA (American Psychological Association) style.
The course evaluation will be in accordance with Douglas College and Psychology Department policies. Evaluations will be based on the course objectives. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:
| Four multiple choice tests at 15% each | 60% |
| One written final exam | 20% |
| Laboratory activities | 5% |
| Attendance and participation | 5% |
| APA-style written assignment | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students
Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:
Myers, D. (2013). Psychology. (10th ed.) . New York: Worth Publishers
Note: The textbook choice will be used in both PSYC 1100 and PSYC 1200.