Psychology 12

Semester 2YCMHS

Mr. B. Goreham

Teacher Information

Mr. Brennan GorehamBachelor of Science, Acadia University, 2010Bachelor of Education, Acadia University, 2011

Previous Teaching9 Math and Science, Centre Consolidated School8/9 French and 9 Social Studies, Barrington Municipal High SchoolElementary Guidance Teacher, Barrington Family of Elementary Schools9 Math, 9 Science, 9 Social Studies, Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School

Teacher Contact Information

E-mail: brennan.goreham@tcrsb.caWebsite: http://sharepoint.tcrsb.ca/ycmhs/webpage/bgoreham/default.aspxPhone: 902-749-2810Room Number: 2028Extra Help: Thursdays from 12:20-12:55 or other times by previous arrangement

Course Objectives• Provide an overview of the history of psychology, research methods

used in psychological investigations, and compare major perspectives of psychological thought

• Link human physiology with psychology through the investigation of brain structure and function, methods used to analyze the brain, and the processing of sensory information

• Investigate human behaviour and its relationship to motivation, emotion, and social and cultural phenomena

• Introduce students to the processes of learning, memory, thought, and language acquisition

• Provide an overview of normal, abnormal, and disordered psychological behaviour and the underlying causes and types of treatments for abnormal and disordered behaviour

Units• Unit 1: Introduction to Psychology: Historical Background, Research Methods, Research Ethics,

Careers in Psychology, Major Psychological Perspectives

• Unit 2: Biological Processes: Brain Structure and Function, Senses, Nervous Systems, Brain Analyzing Techniques, Inter-relatedness of Body Systems, Stress

• Unit 3: Sensation, Perception, Consciousness: Thought processes, Interpretations of Sensory Information, Perceptions of Reality, Expectations, States of Consciousness, Sleep

• Unit 4: Learning, Memory, Intelligence: Creating and storing memories, Learned Behaviour, Classical and Operant Conditioning, Motivation and Rewards, Language Acquisition, Types of Intelligence, Measurements of Intelligence

• Unit 5: Social Psychology and Personality: Persuasion and Influence, Judgment and Attitudes, Self-concept, Group dynamics and Relationships, Types of Personality, Personality Disorders, Emotions, Personality Assessments

• Unit 6: Abnormal Psychology (Research Presentation): Normal, abnormal, and disordered behavior, Characteristics and treatments of disorders

Expectations

1. Come to class on-time and prepared.2. Submit assigned work on due date. If circumstances do not

allow for this, see the teacher well before the deadline.3. Keep an organized binder.4. Respect S.O.L.E. (Self; Others; Learning; Environment)5. Take pride in your work. This course is designed to prepare

you for future study in Psychology.6. You earn the grade you are assigned. If you deserve a 90%,

you will get a 90%. If you deserve a 30%, you will get a 30%.7. Marks are earned not given. Do not thank me for a good

mark, thank yourself.

Assessment Scheme

1. Tests/Quizzes- 20%6 Unit TestsPeriodic Small Quizzes

2. Classroom Observations/Conversation- 20%Presentations, Discussions, Debates, Oral Questionning

3. Research Assignments- 30%6 Journal Responses6 Part Research Design Experiment

4. Final Exam (Mandatory)- 30%

Journal Article AssignmentsExpectations:1. Journal articles are to be found online at Mr. Goreham’s website (http://sharepoint.tcrsb.ca/ycmhs/webpage/bgoreham/default.aspx) or by searching on the web address on the back of this page. I will not be providing print copies to all students. Should internet access be an issue, please see me well in advance of the assigned due date2. You are to submit your article review to me via e-mail at brennan.goreham@tcrsb.ca by no later than midnight on the assigned due date. I will return assessed work to you within one week of submission. 3. Articles are to be typed in size 12 font and properly formatted (Indentation of new paragraphs, citation of quotes if any, double-spaced)4. You are to include a bibliography (in most cases, referencing just the article assigned). This will give you practice in recording sources for your work.5. There will be six article assignments assigned, submitted, and evaluated this semester. There will be an option to complete a seventh response to counteract any previously incomplete/unsatisfactory results.7. Each article review is to be between 400-600 words and is to be double-spaced.8. You are to respond to the content of the article. You may choose to:

– Relate the content to your experiences both in and out of school. – Either agree or disagree with the statements and arguments of the author. – Find other research that contradicts that of the article author. – Relate the article content to in-class work and discussions that have taken place.– Discuss main points of the article and any new information that you find interesting– Please do not simply provide a summary of the article. The purpose of this writing is to investigate your thoughts

and learning as opposed to write about the main points of the article.

Journal Article ScheduleAssignment Number

Assigned Due Topic Article Title Author

1 February 4th February 25th Psychology as a Science

Is Psychology a Science?

Robert E. Silverman

2 February 25th March 18th The Brain The Brain Carl Zimmer

3 March 18th April 9th Perception False Eyewitness Douglas Starr

4 April 8th April 29th Dreams Dream a Little Dream…

Richard Fisher

5 April 29th May 21st Stress This is Your Brain in Meltdown

Amy Arnsten et al.

6 May 21st June 10th Memory Master Your Memory New Scientist

7th (Optional) Make-Up Assignment

Influence The Art of Influence Carlin Flora

All articles can be found on-line by searching for the article title at http://web.ebscohost.com/scirc/search/basic?sid=2cc4fc98-e8ad-4f55-9ceb-0887ff1833bb%40sessionmgr4&vid=9&hid=7

Research Methods AssignmentPsychology research is a fundamental component of the discipline of Psychology. Psychologists of all backgrounds and specialties conduct research on a regular basis to gain a better understanding of their work. This Semester, we will undergo the process of designing, conducting, and writing about psychological experiments. This will be an on-going component of the course and will be completed in stages. In order to successfully move onto one stage, you must have completed all previous stages (You cannot possible record results of your experiment if you haven’t developed the methods of conducting the experiment). Each stage will be introduced in class with necessary information provided. Regular check-ins will occur to ensure your experiments are on schedule and are proceeding properly. As the first five stages are merely draft stages, you will receive full value if you submit the requirement piece of work completed and fully attempted. For the Final Draft, your grade will be based upon inclusion of feedback from the previous submissions. This project is designed to provide you with experience in completing a research report, a valuable skill for your future.

Stages of Research Methods AssignmentStage Description Due Date1. Research Proposal

2% of Final Course GradeA 150-200 word description of your intended research project. Provide a brief overview of the methods you intend to use, and the overall scope of your research. What are you intending to show? This is where you still state your research hypothesis. Consider what other research has occurred in this field. Reference at least two other studies.

On or before March 4th

2. Experimental Design2% of Final Course Grade

A detailed overview of the methods you intend to employ for your research. Include details and examples of surveys, questionnaires, interviews, technology, etc. that you will be using in your study.

On or before March 25th

3. Results2% of Final Course Grade

Report the results of your research. Use tables, graphs, charts, statistics, paragraphs, etc. to summarize your findings.

On or before April 22nd

4. Conclusions/Sources2% of Final Course Grade

Summarize your results in relation to your conclusion. Did you find that your hypothesis held? What could you have done differently? What might you do next, should you continue this work? Compare your work to other research in the field.

On or before May 13th

5. First Draft3% of Final Course Grade

Incorporate all four previous submissions into once piece, making the noted revisions.

On or before June 3rd

6. Final Draft7% of Final Course Grade

Incorporate revisions to your first draft into a new version. On or before June 17th

Psychology

Write a one-page (double-spaced) piece on the following three prompts:1. What is Psychology?2. Why are you in this course?3. What do you hope to learn in this course?