ne Secwepemcúl'ecw 

Psychology 1110-01: Introduction to Psychology

Instructor: Dr. Michael Woloszyn Office: AE 175

Phone: 250-377-6148 (voice only) Email: mwoloszyn@tru.ca
Class time/place: Mon & Wed., 4:00-5:15, CT-200 Course website: Moodle

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students explore how psychology has informed our understanding of human thought and behavior
from historical to contemporary times. They examine the ways in which psychological research
methods differ from other ways of knowing; investigate how psychological science can identify limits
to human knowledge including their own; explore common misconceptions about the causes of human
behavior; and consider the real-world consequences of not addressing such misconceptions. Students
skillfully apply insights from psychological research concerning heredity and experience,
neurobiology, consciousness, sensation and perception, learning, and memory to everyday situations
so that they are equipped to achieve their goals in adaptive ways.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES
The goals of this course are to allow students the opportunity to learn how to do the following:
 Explain why commonly held explanations of human behaviour are often deficient and describe
how psychological research methods can be effectively employed to overcome common
misconceptions about the causes of human mental states and behaviour.
 Reflect on their preconceived ideas about the brain, consciousness, evolution, genetics,
sensation, perception, learning, and memory and identify opportunities where psychological
science can be applied to expand understanding of these processes to their own benefit and to
the benefit of society.
 Draw upon and integrate knowledge from the fields of behaviorism, cognitive psychology,
developmental
 psychology, evolutionary psychology, history, and neurobiology in order to explain how a
variety of factors interact and contribute to the emergence of complex mental and behavioural
processes in both humans and animals.
 Gain insight into the causes of their own behaviour, as well as the behaviour of others,
according to the research findings and theories from a psychological perspective.

REQUIRED TEXT
Myers, D.G. & DeWall, C.N.(2021). Psychology, 13th Edition. Worth Publishers.
Note that I will not be using the online resources that accompany this text, so you do not need
anything but the textbook. I will not be supporting or contributing the “Achieve” platform. Aside from
the textbook, everything you need can be found on the Moodle page set up for this course. Go to
MyTRU and log in to Moodle, and you will see our course.

1
STUDENT GRADES

Student grades will be determined via the following formula:

Test 1: 15% of final grade
Test 2: 25% of final grade
Test 3: 30% of final grade.
Test 4: 30% of final grade.

Tests are NOT overtly cumulative and are based on information found primarily from the lectures,
and also readings. Test format will consist of multiple choice, short-answer, and fill-in-the-blanks
questions. Tests 1-3 will take place in class during class time. Students will have 75 minutes to write.

The final examination will take place in a to-be-determined location and time, set by the Registrar to
take place during the Final Exam period. Students who have an accommodation agreement in place
through Accessibility Services must notify them of each upcoming test and set up a time to write in
their offices. Note that the dates listed below are tentative, so that they might change. Students will
receive one-week’s notice to any changes in test dates to plan accordingly.

BONUS CREDIT
Students in Psychology 1110 and 1210 may have the opportunity to volunteer in psychological
research conducted by faculty and upper-level students in the Psychology Department. In exchange,
students can receive up to a total of 5% bonus marks that will be added to their final grade in the
course.

Please visit https://tru.sona-systems.com and create a student account. Students will need to provide
a username, password, student ID, phone, email, intro psyc class and section. Students can also
download the SONA app to sign up for studies more easily from their smartphone.

Students must arrive at the appropriate time and place for the study. The researcher will assign
bonus credit once the student has participated in the study. Once at the study, if the student has
concerns about the nature of the study and wishes to not participate, the researcher will then explain
the nature of the study in detail, after which the student is free to leave, still receiving the bonus
credit.

If a student signs up for a study but fails to arrive at the scheduled time, no credit will be awarded
and the researcher may choose to not let them re-schedule. If unable to keep a scheduled
appointment, the student must contact the researcher at least 24 hours before the start of the study.
Students can cancel their appointment directly on the SONA website.

Two no-shows may result in a student losing the privilege of participating in research in the current
semester.

2
CLASS SCHEDULE
The instructor reserves the right to change the order, dates and/ or content of this outline. Students will receive
notification at least one week prior to any alteration and will be notified at least 1 week in advance of upcoming tests (the
dates below are approximate and possibly subject to change). Each topic will take between one and three weeks to complete.

Topics Chapter
Introduction Prologue
-what is psychology, and basic critical thinking
Research Methods 1
-observational methods, correlation, experimental methods
Test 1
Biological Foundations & Evolution 2&4
-neurons, general organization of nervous system,
spinal cord, brainstem, limbic system, cortex
Test 2
States of Consciousness 3
-sleep, hypnosis
Sensation and Perception 6
-visual system, colour, depth perception,
auditory system and perception, tactile, chemical senses
Test 3
Conditioning 7
-classical, instrumental conditioning
Memory 8
-sensory, short-term/working, Long-term (episodic, semantic) memory, false memories
Test 4

It is your responsibility to ensure you are present at all lectures and test dates. The instructor’s
lecture notes are not available to students (and are messy and vague enough that they wouldn’t do
you much good anyway). I will, however, provide the PowerPoint slides to students (without any
images, as those are copywritten) via Moodle.
If a student cannot write a test at the specified date and time, they must:
-contact me either in person or by phone (email is insufficient) within 48 hours of the test time
to schedule a make-up test,
-have a valid reason for missing the test (e.g. illness), and
-have supporting documentation for the absence (e.g. Doctor’s note)
Failure to fulfill the above requirements may result in a zero being assigned as a grade for the test. It
is not the instructor’s responsibility to contact students to schedule a time to write the test. You do
not need to notify the instructor if you are missing a lecture on a day when there is no test scheduled.