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Individual and Social Behaviour
PSYCH 105 – Section A2
Fall 2024
Instructor: Dr. David Simpson. You can call me “David” or “Dr. Simpson”.
Office: P-533, Biological Sciences Building. There are directions in
eclass.
E-mail: dsimpso1@ualberta.ca
Web Page: https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/
Lecture Time & Room: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 AM to 12:20 PM,
ETLC E1-001
Office Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM,
in my office (P-533). If these times do not work for you, email
me and we will set up an appointment.
Teaching Assistant(s): Do not contact the TAs. Their job is helping me
with marking.
Questions:
I will do my best to respond to all student emails within 24 hours. Please
follow these guidelines for asking questions:
1. Check the syllabus before asking a question (use “control F”).
2. If you have a question about the course that pertains to everyone (e.g.
“what is an independent variable”), post it on the eclass forum called
“Course Questions”.
3. If you have a question that only pertains to you, use my email
(dsimpso1@ualberta.ca). Include “Psych 105” in the heading.
4. I strongly encourage in-class questions!
Personal Message:
Welcome to Psychology 105! Even though this is a large class, I want to be
available to help you in any way that you need. Psychology is one of the most
interesting subjects you can study in university. If you stay engaged, this
course will change the way you think about yourself, about other people, and
about the world around you.
Course Description: Introduction to the study of human individuality,
personality, social psychological processes, normal/abnormal human
development, and psychological treatment. Fulfillment of the 1/4 laboratory
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credit typically entails serving as a research participant but can be fulfilled
through the completion of alternative assignments.
Course Prerequisites: None.
Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes:
This course introduces the study of human individuality, personality, and
social psychological processes. It is one half of the department’s introductory
psychology sequence. It will provide a base understanding of scientific
methods, language, intelligence, development, stress, and psychological
disorders. The goal of this course is for students to develop critical thinking
skills, to learn about core psychological principles, and to connect aspects of
what they learn in class to their everyday lives.
Required Textbook: Psychology: Frontiers And Applications, 8th Edition. By
Michael W. Passer, Ronald E. Smith, Michael Atkinson, John Mitchell.
126485157X, 9781264851577
Lectures: During my lectures, I will use the white board and show video
clips. I will not use PowerPoint slides in my lectures (except for a few
pictures). Please note: if I show a video clip of someone, that does not mean I
agree with everything they’ve ever said.
Study notes: On eclass, there are PowerPoint notes for you to use. They
contain the key ideas from the lectures. There is also a word document that
contains all the key terms.
Optional video resources: Hank Green’s Crash Course Psychology (2, 15-
16, 18-24, 26, 28-40) and Paul Bloom’s Introduction to Psychology (3, 5-7, 9,
15-20).
Important Dates: See the current Calendar for the Academic Schedule,
Dates, and Deadlines, which include the Registration Add/Drop deadline and
Withdrawal date.
Lecture Schedule & Assigned Readings:
Week/Dates Topic Readings
1: Sep 3, 5 Studying Behaviour Scientifically Chapter 2
2: Sep 10, 12 Language and Thinking Chapter 9
3: Sep 17 Test Review Chapters 2, 9
3: Sep 19 Test #1 Chapters 2, 9
4: Sep 24, 26 Intelligence Chapter 10
5: Oct 1, 3 Development over the Lifespan Chapter 12
6: Oct 8 Test Review Chapters 10, 12
6: Oct 10 Test #2 Chapters 10,
12
7: Oct 15 APA Assignment Explained N/A
7: Oct 15, 17 Behaviour in a Social Context Chapter 13
8: Oct 22, 24 Personality Chapter 14
8: Oct 24 APA Assignment Due 11:59 PM N/A
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9: Oct 29, 31 Stress, Coping, and Health
Chapter 15
10: Nov 5 Test Review Chapters 13-15
10: Nov 7 Test #3 Chapters 13-
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11: Nov 12, 14 READING WEEK (BREAK) Read Ahead
12: Nov 19, 21 Psychological Disorders Chapter 16
13: Nov 26, 28 Treatment of Psychological Disorders Chapter 17
14: Dec 3, 5 Test Review Chapters 2, 9-
10, 12-17
15: TBD Test #4 (Final Exam) Chapters 2, 9-
10, 12-17
4 Study Tips.
1. Test yourself, especially on key terms (use the list on eclass).
2. Categorize the information into chunks/categories.
3. Don’t focus on memorizing the ideas, focus on understanding the ideas
(think about the meaning, connect the ideas to yourself, to other
things you know, to other ideas in the book, to movies, etc.)
4. Expose yourself to the ideas multiple times, and in multiple ways.
Grade Evaluation:
Distribution of Grades
Letter
A+ A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F
grade
% 90- 85- 80- 75- 71- 67- 63- 60- <5
95 55-59 50-54
Range 94 89 84 79 74 70 66 62 0
Grade
4.0 4.0 3.7 3.3 3.0 2.7 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.0 0
points
Descript Minimal
Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor Fail
or Pass
Grades are unofficial until approved by the Department and/or Faculty
offering the course.
There will be NO changes to final grades based on student requests at the
end of the semester. I do not care if you are 0.5 percentage points away from
your dream grade or whatever. Use the UAlberta GPA Calculator. Put in
random grades for 40 courses (that’s how many courses you need for a BA or
BSc degree). Change one grade from a B+ to an A- (or whatever the case
may be). See how much difference a single letter grade makes (I’ll spoil the
ending: it will make almost no difference at all). I encourage you to try your
best in this course, and let the chips fall where they may.
Components of Course Grade:
Assessments Weighting Date
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Test #1 15% Sep. 19
Test #2 15% Oct. 10
APA Assignment 10% Due Oct. 24
Test #3 20% Nov. 7
Test #4 (Final Exam) 30% TBD
Research Participation 10% Throughout*
*This can be done from January 15-April 12. Do NOT leave until the last
minute. Go to eclass, and go to “Research Participation” for instructions.
Format of Tests:
Test #1 (Chapters 2, 9)
● 40 multiple choice questions (12% of your final grade)
● 1 written question (3% of your final grade)
● Total= 15% of your final grade.
Test #2 (Chapters 10, 12)
● 40 multiple choice questions (12% of your final grade)
● 1 written question (3% of your final grade)
● Total= 15% of your final grade.
Test #3 (Chapters 13-15)
● 60 multiple choice questions (17% of your final grade)
● 1 written question (3% of your final grade)
● Total= 20% of your final grade.
Test #4 (Final Exam)
● 30 multiple choice questions from Chapters 2, 9-10, 12-15 (~13% of
your final grade)
● 40 multiple choice questions from Chapters 16-17 (~17% of your final
grade)
● NO WRITTEN QUESTION
● Total= 30% of your final grade.
Each test will be in class during normal class time (except for Test 4). You will
have 80 minutes to finish each test (except for Test 4, which lasts 90
minutes).
For Test 1 and Test 2, if you need the full 1 hour and 20 minutes, that means
you need to study harder. Test 3 will be longer, but you will have the same
amount of time. Aim to be done within 1 hour for Test 1 and Test 2.
Please bring a pencil and your student ID to each test.
APA Assignment:
You will have to summarize one article from a peer reviewed academic
psychology journal. It will only need to be 1-2 paragraphs long. Just write
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something that 1) makes sense, and 2) follows APA format. I will post a
template, so this assignment should be easy marks.
I will explain this assignment in more detail during the first half of class on
October 15. The assignment will be due at 11:59 PM on October 24.
This is worth 10% of your grade. You will lose 1% every day that it is late. If it
is handed in at 12:01 AM on November 1 (i.e. 2 minutes late), that counts as
one day, and the highest you can get is 9%. 12:01 AM on November 2,
another 1% off. Then the highest you can get is 8%. And so on. Upload early
to avoid being late because of a technical issue.
2 marks: paragraph is accurate and makes sense.
2 marks: the article you’re discussing is an academic journal article.
2 marks: heading and page number are formatted correctly.
2 marks: the paragraph is formatted correctly (including the in-text citations).
2 marks: the references page is done correctly.
You MUST follow APA format to get these marks. Since I am giving you a
template (and since I’m only assigning one paragraph of writing), I will be
strict about formatting mistakes. Don’t be creative with the format, just
follow the template. Also, don’t bother using direct quotes, just
paraphrase/put things in your own words.
If you were in my Psych 104 class, do NOT reuse your assignment from that
class. I have a good memory, that will be an automatic 0.
Research Participation:
Go to https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/. Go to the section entitled “Research
Participation”. You will find instructions on how to participate.
Recording Lectures: You can record the lectures if you want to.
Missed Term Exams and Assignments:
A student who cannot write a term test or complete a term assignment due
to incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling
reasons must contact the instructor AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Deferral of
term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral
will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious
breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
Since this is a very large class, I will be strict about documentation. Saying
you are not feeling well is NOT sufficient. I need some kind of documentation
(e.g. doctor’s note).
If you have sufficient documentation to miss an exam, we may shift the
weight onto the final exam, or we may reschedule the exam.
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Transferring the weight of missed work to the final exam could result in the
student not being approved for a deferred final examination.
Representative Evaluative Material:
The final exam (which is the only part of the course that is 30% of the grade
or more) will consist entirely of multiple choice questions. They will be
approximately as difficult as the multiple choice questions in Test #1, Test
#2, and Test #3.
Deferred Final Examination: A student who cannot write the final
examination due to incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other
compelling reasons can apply to their Faculty for a deferred final
examination. Such an application must be made to the student’s Faculty
office within two working days of the missed examination and must be
supported by appropriate documentation or a Statutory Declaration (see
Calendar for information on Attendance).
Students who cannot write a final exam due to non-medical protected
grounds (e.g., religious beliefs), must apply to the Academic Success Centre
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE for accommodations via their Register for
Accommodations website.
Deferred examinations are a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee
that a deferred examination will be granted. The Faculty may deny deferral
requests in cases where less than 50% of term work has been completed.
Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferred examination is a serious breach
of the Code of Student Behaviour.
Missed Term Work or Final Exam Due to Non-medical Protected
Grounds (e.g., religious beliefs):
When a term assessment or final exam presents a conflict based on non-
medical protected grounds, students must apply to the Academic Success
Centre for accommodations via their Register for Accommodations website.
Students can review their eligibility and choose the application process
specific for Accommodations Based on Non-medical Protected Grounds.
It is imperative that students review the dates of all course assessments
upon receipt of the course syllabus, and apply AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to
ensure the timely application of the accommodation. Students who apply
later in the term may experience unavoidable delays in the processing of the
application, which can affect the accommodation.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
Guidelines for Respectful Engagement:
Students from many different backgrounds participate in courses at the
University of Alberta. Sexist, racist, homophobic comments and other
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inflammatory remarks are not conducive to learning in our courses, and are
absolutely not permitted. All participants are governed by the Code of
Student Behaviour. Be mindful when discussions involve controversial topics
or issues, and consider the possibility that members of our community have
themselves experienced some of these issues and/or very different realities
because of these issues. Participate in a respectful and considerate manner.
If you are witness to or the target of abusive or offensive behaviour in any
course, please inform your instructor immediately. You may also contact the
Psychology Undergraduate/Graduate Advisor, Associate Chair of
Undergraduate/Graduate, or Chair.
Academic Integrity and Student Conduct:
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic
integrity and honesty, as well as maintaining a learning environment that
fosters the safety, security, and the inherent dignity of each member of the
community, ensuring students conduct themselves accordingly. Students are
expected to be familiar with the standards of academic honesty and
appropriate student conduct, and to uphold the policies of the University in
this respect.
Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions
of the Student Academic Integrity Policy and the Student Conduct Policy, and
avoid any behaviour that could potentially result in suspicions of academic
misconduct (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts,
participation in an offence) and non-academic misconduct (e.g.,
discrimination, harassment, physical assault). Academic and non-academic
misconduct are taken very seriously and can result in suspension or
expulsion from the University.
All students are expected to consult the Academic Integrity website for
clarification on the various academic offences. All forms of academic
dishonesty are unacceptable at the University. Unfamiliarity of the rules,
procrastination or personal pressures are not acceptable excuses for
committing an offence. Listen to your instructor, be a good person, ask for
help when you need it, and do your own work -- this will lead you toward a
path to success. Any academic integrity concern in this course will be
reported to the College. Suspected cases of non-academic misconduct will be
reported to the Dean of Students. The College, the Faculty, and the Dean of
Students are committed to student rights and responsibilities, and adhere to
due process and administrative fairness, as outlined in the Student Academic
Integrity Policy and the Student Conduct Policy. Please refer to the policy
websites for details on inappropriate behaviours and possible sanctions.
The College of Natural and Applied Sciences has created an Academic
Integrity for Students eClass site. Students can self enroll and review the
various resources provided, including the importance of academic integrity,
examples of academic misconduct & possible sanctions, and the academic
misconduct & appeal process. They can also complete assessments to test
their knowledge and earn a completion certificate.
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"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." -- C.S.
Lewis
STUDENT RESOURCES:
COVID-19 Information: Updates pertaining to university-related activities
can be found on the COVID-19 Information website
Student Services and Resources: General information about various
student services, including academic, financial, health and wellness, safety,
and career development, can be found on the website for Current Students.
Additional information can be found on the Campus Life website.
Academic Success Centre (1-80 SUB): The Academic Success Centre
provides professional academic support to help students strengthen their
academic skills and achieve their academic goals. Individual advising,
appointments, and group workshops are available year round in the areas of
Accessibility, Communication, Learning, and Writing Resources. Modest fees
apply for some services.
Students Eligible for Accessibility-Related Accommodations:
In accordance with the University of Alberta’s Discrimination, Harassment,
and Duty to Accommodate policy, accommodation support is available to
eligible students who encounter limitations or restrictions to their ability to
perform the daily activities necessary to pursue studies at a post-secondary
level due to medical conditions and/or non-medical protected grounds.
Accommodations are coordinated through the Academic Success Centre, and
students can learn more about eligibility on the Register for Accommodations
website.
It is recommended that students apply as early as possible in order to ensure
sufficient time to complete accommodation registration and coordination.
Students are advised to review and adhere to published deadlines for
accommodation approval and for specific accommodation requests (e.g.,
exam registration submission deadlines). Students who request
accommodations less than a month in advance of the academic term for
which they require accommodations may experience unavoidable delays or
consequences in their academic programs, and may need to consider
alternative academic schedules.
Writing Services (1-42 Assiniboia Hall): Writing Services offers free one-on-
one writing support to students, faculty, and staff. Students can request
consultation for a writing project at any stage of development. Instructors can
request class visits and presentations.
Office of Safe Disclosure and Human Rights: The Office of Safe
Disclosure and Human Rights (OSDHR) provides confidential disclosure
services as well as advising and consulting on any issue relating to Human
Rights, Discrimination, Harassment, and Accommodation issues. There are
several ways to contact them, including anonymous options.
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First Peoples’ House: The First Peoples' House provides an environment of
empowerment for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit learners to achieve personal
and academic growth.
Student Self-Care Guide:
This Self-Care Guide, originally designed by the Faculty of Native Studies, has
broader application for use during students’ learning. It provides some ideas
and strategies to consider that can help navigate emotionally challenging or
triggering material.
Health and Wellness Support: There are many health and community
services available to current students. For more information, visit the Health
and Wellness Support for Students website.
Feeling Stressed, Anxious, or Upset? It is normal for us to have different
mental health experiences throughout the year, particularly as we adjust to
returning to campus as we move through a pandemic. Know that there are
people who want to help. You can reach out to your friends and access a
variety of supports available on and off campus at the Need Help Now
webpage or by calling the 24-hour Distress Line: 780-482-4357 (HELP).
Office of the Student Ombuds: The Office of the Student Ombuds offers
confidential interviews, advice and support to students facing academic,
discipline, interpersonal and financial difficulties.
LEARNING AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, and Faculty of Science are
committed to ensuring that all students, faculty, and staff are able to work
and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination,
harassment, and violence of any kind. It does not tolerate behaviour that
undermines that environment. This includes virtual environments and
platforms.
The Department of Psychology believes that organizational diversity and
excellence go hand-in-hand. We are committed to identifying our limitations
as a department in terms of equity, diversity, and inclusion and making
actionable changes to overcome these limitations. We want all our
constituents to feel welcome, safe, and valued in the core activities of
teaching, research, and administration. Please visit our EDI in Psychology
website for more information.
The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6
territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of the First
Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence
continues to enrich our vibrant community.
Policy about course outlines can be found in the Evaluation Procedures and
Grading System section of the University Calendar.
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Disclaimer: Any typographical errors in this syllabus are subject to change
and will be announced in class and posted on the course website (e.g.,
eClass).
Copyright: David Simpson, Department of Psychology, Faculty of
Psychology, University of Alberta (2024).
