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DATE
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TOPIC
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ASSIGNMENT
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Aug 23
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Introduction
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Read syllabus
Review Cantu and Blackboard web sites
Read Preface & "Tips for Studying Psychology"
(pp.31-32) of textbook
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Aug 25, 30
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Chapter
1
Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
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Briefly describe the seven contemporary perspectives in
psychology. Which of these perspectives appeals to you most, and which least.
Why?
Notes
Thinking Critically
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Sep 1, 6
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Chapter
2
Neuroscience & Behavior
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Having digested the research on the hindsight bias, why do you think we are
less likely to claim hindsight for negative outcomes that personally affect
us?
Notes Neuroscience &
Behavior
Draw two views of the Brain: one lateral interior
and one lateral exterior.
Label
structures.
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Sep 8, 13
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Chapter 3
Nature & Nurture of Behavior |
You have probably heard the following statement many times: "We use only
10 percent of our brain." Based on what you have learned about brain
functioning, do you think that this statement is true? In pondering the merits
of this expression, consider another type of human functioning: athletic
performance. Do athletes use only 10 percent of their muscles when competing?
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Sep 15
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Exam I
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Chapters 1, 2, 3
60
MC questions
Bring
scantron sheet
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Sep 20, 22
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Chapter
4
The Developing Person
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Why do you think it might be easier to encourage women to expand their
gender roles to include "work outside the household" than it is to
encourage men to expand their gender roles to include "domestic child
care" responsibilities?
How might the development of your personal identity be affected if you
live in a society where your ethnic group is devalued by the larger culture?
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Sep 27, 29
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Chapter
6
States
of Consciousness
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Have you ever had a dream that later seemed to come true? Many people who
have had this experience, or who hear of it from a close friend or family
member, believe that dreams can predict the future. What other potential
explanations could there be for a dream that comes true?
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Oct 4, 6
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Chapter
7
Learning
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Toilet Train Misha the
Cat
Write a 1-2 page typed essay applying operant conditioning principles to the
process of toilet training the cat. Include these terms in your essay:
operant conditioning, shaping, successive approximations, positive
reinforcement, primary reinforcers
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Oct 11
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Exam II
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Chapters
4, 6, 7
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Oct 13, 18
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Chapter
8
Memory
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The finding that deep processing leads to more effective encoding and
better retention of new information has many practical applications for you as
a student. In your own studying, how can you process new information at a
deep, rather than a shallow, level?
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Oct 20
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Chapter 10
Motivation
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Sometimes, when athletes are paid large sums of money to play their sport,
they seem to lose their "love for the game" and become less
motivated. How could this change in athletic motivation be explained by
extrinsic and intrinsic motivation?
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Oct 25, 27 |
Chapter 11
Emotions, Stress, & Health
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Imagine that you are going out on a date with someone and you would like
this person to fall in love with you. Up to this point in your relationship,
this person only likes you "as a friend." Based on your knowledge of
the two-factor theory of emotions, what sort of activities might you plan for
the date to increase the likelihood that the object of your affections will
experience a similar emotion towards you?
It is generally thought that problem-focused coping is maladaptive in
situations when a person has no personal control. Yet a situation that appears
on its surface to be uncontrollable may still have some controllable aspects.
Consider people caring for loved ones with terminal illnesses. During the
weeks leading up to death, what sort of problem-focused coping might
caregivers engage in to increase their positive moods and lower stress?
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Nov 1
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Exam III
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Chapters
8, 10,
11
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Nov 3, 8
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Chapter
12
Personality
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Is self-efficacy the same thing as self-esteem? Explain.
Access the site below. Take the ACT Profile under the
category "Free Premium Tests" and any one of the tests under
the category of "Just for Fun". Write an evaluation of each of the tests. Did it accurately describe your personality? Is there any evidence
of the inventory's validity or reliability? Are norms provided? Write a two
paragraph summary.
Personality Tests
Online
Note: You do not need to register to take the
tests.
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Nov 10
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Extra
Credit
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Complete one
of the following activities and write a 1-2 page reaction paper summarizing
what you learned. Attach proof of your attendance (certificate or signed
program or flyer). 5 points
1) View a Cinema
Club film
2) Attend a Professional Women Speak
seminar
3) Attend a campus workshop
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Nov 10, 15
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Chapter
13
Psychological
Disorders
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Why are there higher rates of schizophrenia among members of the lowest
socio-economic classes?
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Nov 17, 22
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Chapter 15
Social Psychology
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Visit the web site of the Stanford
Prison Study and write a one-page reaction paper.
Many of you will be - or currently are - parents. Based on what you have
learned about helping, what sort of cultural role models might influence the
"helping habits" of boys and girls? How might greater gender role
flexibility influence male and female helping tendencies?
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Nov 29
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Exam IV
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Chapters
12,
3,
15
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Dec 1
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Review
All
chapters for comprehensive final exam
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Study
Guide Final
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Dec 8
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Comprehensive
Final Exam
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Bring 5x8 card of handwritten notes to final.
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