City University of Hong Kong

Information on a Course
offered by Department of Applied Social Sciences
with effect from Semester A in 2014 / 2015

PART I

Course Title: Basic Psychology II

Course Code: SS2028

Course Duration: One semester

No. of Credit Units: 3

Level: B2

Medium of Instruction: English

Medium of Assessment: English

Prerequisites: (Course Code and Title): SS2023 Basic Psychology I or its equivalent

Precursors: (Course Code and Title): Nil

Equivalent Courses: (Course Code and Title): Nil

Exclusive Courses: (Course Code and Title): Nil

PART II

1. Course Aims:
This course aims to equip students with the ability to learn creatively through discovering the
knowledge and skills for a critical understanding of the applications of psychological theories,
enabling students to become critical consumers of research findings published in
psychological journals.

2. Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

No. CILOs Weighting

(if applicable)
1. Describe major theories and principles in selected areas of 30%
experimental and applied psychology.
2. Explain how major theories in psychology are applied to address 10%
practical issues.
3. Describe major design principles underlying research in experimental 30%
psychology and apply this knowledge to build and test hypotheses
related to psychological research.
4. Analyse evidence published in psychological journals. 20%
5. Work productively as part of a team in observation, data collection, 10%
and effective presentation of information.
3. Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs):
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to facilitate students' achievement of the CILOs. Final details will be
provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)

CILO No. TLA1 TLA2 TLA3 Hours / course

(if applicable)
CILO 1 √
CILO 2 √
CILO 3 √ √
CILO 4 √
CILO 5 √ √

Describe the TLAs:

TLA1: Lectures
Major theories and principles in experimental and applied psychology are described and
explained, with an emphasis on the utility of various psychological paradigms in testing
specific hypotheses in different areas of psychology. Students will be engaged in discussion
and interaction that serve to stimulate their creative thinking on selected issues related to
experimental and applied psychology.

TLA2: Tutorial
- Explanation of concepts of the experimental and scientific basis of psychological
research through the medium of online studies or laboratory experiments.
- Development of skills for building and testing hypotheses.
- Development of skills for analysing evidence published in psychological journals.
- Presentation of data collected in outside classroom activities.
- Promote students’ discovery of the association between research and real-life
experiences.
- Promote a thirst for students’ creative learning of basic experimental and applied
psychological knowledge.

TLA3: Outside Classroom Activities

Students are required to carry out naturalistic observation, data collection using survey and
experimentation.
4. Assessment Tasks/Activities:
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to facilitate students' achievement of the CILOs. Final details will be
provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)

CILO No. Type of Assessment Weighting (if applicable) Remarks

Tasks/Activities State CILOS in percentages
CILO 1-3 AT1: Quizzes 40%
CILO 3 AT2: Experimental Report 20%
CILO 4 AT3: Term Paper 30%
CILO 5 AT4: Tutorial Presentation 10%

Further description of ATs:

AT1: Quizzes (40%)

Two quizzes are designed to assess student’s ability to apply their knowledge of theories and
principles in experimental and applied psychology.

AT2: Experimental Report (20%)

Designed to assess students’ competence in their ability to apply and evaluate specific
psychological theories/concepts and experimental paradigms, and to critically and creatively
analyse empirical data through hypotheses testing.

AT3: Term Paper (30%)

This assignment is designed to assess students’ competence in critical and creative evaluation
of evidence published in psychological journals. Students are required to critically analyse
and discuss the major aspects of an assigned article.

AT4: Tutorial Presentation (10%)

Data collected in outside classroom activities aiming at training observation and data
collection skills are presented by students in small groups. This task aims to assess students’
abilities to evaluate the association between psychological research and everyday life
experiences.
5. Grading of Student Achievement:
Refer to Grading of Courses in the Academic Regulations.

Letter Grading Criteria in Relation to CILOs

Grade
A+ Demonstration of an excellent ability to compare and contrast theories of experimental
A and applied psychology and evaluate research methods and paradigms in psychology.
A- An outstanding ability to apply theoretical concepts to understand everyday cognitive
functioning through empirical discovery. Excellent grasp of teaching materials and
extensive knowledge of information processing in humans.
B+ Evidence of reasonable grasp of applying psychological theories to explain human
B behaviours; some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability and reasonable
B- understanding of observing and analysing the results of psychological experiments;
evidence of familiarity with literature in describing and demonstrating psychological
theories and empirical findings.
C+ Ability to understand the subject knowledge in a general way. Limited capability to
C analyse the issues and synthesize theoretical concepts. Findings of the experimental
C- report are descriptive in nature without much critical evaluation. The ability to develop
solutions to simple problems in psychological sciences.
D Sufficient familiarity with psychological theories and experiments to enable the student
to progress without repeating the course. Limited familiarity with the subject issue. The
experimental report does not focus on applied and experimental psychology, and
theoretical concepts and research findings are poorly integrated.
F Little evidence of familiarity with psychological theories and experiments; weakness in
critical and analytic skills in analysing and applying psychological theories in
explaining human behaviours; limited or irrelevant use of major theories and empirical
findings.
PART III
1. Keyword Syllabus:

Contemporary Perspectives in Psychology; Sensory Processes; Altered States of

Consciousness; Memory; Cognition & Language; Health Psychology and Stress; Abnormal
Behaviour; Approaches to Treatment of Psychological Disorders; Research Design.

2. Recommended Reading:

Textbook:

Ciccarelli, S. K., & White, J. N. (2011). Psychology (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.

Other Readings:

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American

Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

Feldman, R. S. (2011). Understanding Psychology (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Online Resources:

MyPsychLab: http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/psych