Week One

Describe the development of the discipline of psychology.

Compare and contrast research methods used to examine psychological phenomena.

Explain biological influences on the human brain.

Course Assignments

Readings

Read Ch. 1 & 2 of Visualizing Psychology.

Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Individual Assignment: Origins of Psychology and Research Methods Worksheet

Complete the Origins of Psychology and Research Methods Worksheet located on your student Web page.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions

Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation

All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 1 Deliverables

Week Two

Weekly Objectives

Awareness and Learning

Identify processes related to sensing and perceiving information from the environment.

Describe factors that influence states of human consciousness.

Distinguish between different types of learning.

Course Assignments

1. Readings

Read Ch. 4–6 of the text.

Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Individual Assignment: Critical and Creative Thinking I

Resources: Visualizing Psychology

Read questions 1, 2, & 4 located in Critical and Creative Thinking Questions in Ch. 4 of Visualizing Psychology.

Answer each question in at least 50 words.

Individual Assignment: Learning Experience Paper

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper describing a single, informal learning experience you have had.

You may include a time when you learned to fear something, love something, hate something, or to accomplish a task.

You may describe, for example, how you became afraid of heights, why a particular food or smell moves you emotionally, or why you dislike elevators. The experience must be concrete and can be a singular experience or an experience that occurred over a longer period.

Describe the experience by applying learning theories to the steps involved in the learning experience. Be sure to include the following in your paper:

Identify what you learned from the experience or experiences.

Describe how your learning could have occurred through classical conditioning. Identify the unconditioned stimulus, the unconditioned response, the conditioned stimulus, and the conditioned response.

Explain how your learning could have occurred through operant conditioning. Describe the behavior, consequence, and reinforcement. Indicate the schedule of reinforcement, if applicable.

Address how your learning could have occurred through cognitive-social learning.

Discuss the influences of media and prejudice on learning.

Conclude by comparing and contrasting classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive-social learning.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines. Include at least two references from University Library.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions

Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation

All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 2 Deliverables

Week Three

Weekly Objectives

Remembering, Feeling, and Thinking

• Describe influences on memory functions.
• Explain relationships among motivation, emotion, and behavior.
• Evaluate major theories of emotion.
• Summarize relationships among thinking, intelligence, and creativity.

Course Assignments

2. Readings

Read Ch. 7, 8, & 11 of the text.

Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Individual Assignment: Remembering, Feeling, and Thinking Worksheet

      Complete the Remembering, Feeling, and Thinking worksheet located on the student web page.

Learning Team Assignment: Influences on Behavior and Psychological Disorders Presentation Outline

Create an outline for Week Five’s Influences on Behavior and Psychological Disorders Presentation.

Include the following:

Introduction

• Include all introductory points.
• Include a thesis statement.

Body of presentation

• Address all main topics and subtopics in the body of the presentation.
• Cite original works within the body of the outline following APA guidelines.

Conclusion: Include preliminary concluding statements.

Reference list: List four references formatted using APA guidelines.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions

Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation

All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 3 Deliverables

Week Four

Weekly Objectives

Development: Physical and Self

• Describe influences on physical and cognitive development.
• Explain theories of social, moral, and personality development.
• Compare and contrast personality theories.

Course Assignments

3. Readings

Read Ch. 9, 10, & 12 of the text.

Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Individual Assignment: Lifespan Development and Personality Paper

      Developmental psychology seeks to address various aspects of human development, including physical, cognitive, social, moral, and personality development.

• Discuss the influences on all of these types of development in a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper. Select one of the following stages of development as the focus of your paper:

Infancy (birth to 1 year)

Childhood (3-12 years)

Adolescence (12-20 years)

Adulthood (20-65 years)

Senior (65+ years)

Address the following in relationship to the stage of development selected:

What factors affect physical development? Consider both hereditary and environmental influences. Provide examples.

What factors affect cognitive development? Consider both hereditary and environmental influences. Provide examples.

What factors affect social, moral, and personality development? Describe the factors by explaining at least two theoretical perspectives associated with moral, social, and personality development.

Format your paper according to APA standards. Include at least two references from University Library.

Weekly Reminders

Discussion Questions

Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.

Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.

Participation

All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.

Summary of Week 4 Deliverables

Week Five

Weekly Objectives

Psychological Health and the Social Context

• Explain the role of biological influences on physical and mental health.
• Evaluate the role of various therapies in treating maladaptive behavior or mental illness.
• Identify social influences on human thought, feelings, and behavior.

Course Assignments

4. Readings

Read Ch. 3 & 13–15 of the text.

Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Individual Assignment: Critical and Creative Thinking Questions II

Resources: Visualizing Psychology

Read questions 1-6 in Ch. 15 of Visualizing Psychology.

Answer each question in at least 75 words.

Learning Team Assignment: Influences on Behavior and Psychological Disorders Presentation

Some psychologists specialize in the study and treatment of psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia, mood disorder, eating disorders, and anxiety disorders. For your Learning Team presentation, research and explain various elements that influence physical and mental health and behavior.

Create a 15- to 20-slide Microsoft® PowerPointâ presentation on one of the following psychological disorders:

Depression

Bipolar disorder

Anorexia nervosa

Antisocial personality disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Schizophrenia

Borderline personality disorder

Include the following in the presentation:

Describe the general behaviors associated with the disorder.

• Explain how biological influences play a role.
• Are there biological reasons why an individual may exhibit behaviors related to the disorder? Explain your answer.

Describe how altered states of consciousness related to sleep, psychoactive drugs, or meditation and hypnosis affect individuals with the disorder.

Describe how the disorder could affect memory.

• Provide a brief description of any biological influences on the memory of individuals with this disorder.
• Are there any memory distortions commonly involved with the disorder?

Select two personality theories. Compare and contrast the theories, describing each theory’s application to your chosen disorder.

Evaluate the effectiveness of at least two therapies used to treat the disorder.

Format your presentation according to APA standards. Incorporate at least four scholarly references and include detailed speaker notes on each slide. For Local Campus students, these are oral presentations accompanied by PowerPoint® presentations; for Online Campus and Directed Study students, these are PowerPoint® presentations with notes.

Weekly Reminders

Final Week Requirements

Discussion question responses and participation will not be required during the final week of the course. The final week will be dedicated to completing the final assignments listed below.

Summary of Week 5 Deliverables