Department of Applied Social Sciences

APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology

Subject Code APSS 111 / 1A07 Subject Title Introduction to Psychology

Credit Value 3 Level 1

Class APSS111/1A07_20223_A APSS111/1A07_20223_A

(LEC001) (LEC001)
Class Venue BC203 BC203
Class Date / Time Wed/Fri 18:30-20:20 Wed/Fri 18:30-20:20
Instructor Dr. Kevin CHAN Dr. Mac MA
Email sskevin@polyu.edu.hk mac.ma@polyu.edu.hk
Phone 2766-7743 2766-5766
Office EF 735 (By appointment) GH 329 (By appointment)

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 1

 Pre-requisite / Co- Exclusion:
requisite/
For students taking APSS111, the exclusion subject is APSS1A07.
Exclusion
For students taking APSS1A07, the exclusion subject is APSS111.
For students taking APSS298, the exclusion subjects are APSS111 &
APSS1A07.

Objectives 1. Gain systematic knowledge in the field of psychology with both

historical and current perspectives;
2. Understand the research methodology commonly used by
psychologists;
3. Become familiar with the major trends of development in
psychology;
4. Develop critical thinking skills and use psychological method of
enquiry to evaluate claims and ideas in popular media; and
5. Apply the acquired psychological concepts and theories in everyday
life.

Intended Learning Upon completion of the subject, students will be able to:
Outcomes
a. gain an understanding of the fundamentals of psychology;

b. survey and appreciate research in psychology;

c. develop their interest and critical thinking in human thought and

behavior;

d. relate the applications of psychology to their everyday life;

e. exercise their presentation, academic research and writing skills in

collaboration with their peers.

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 2

 1. Discovering psychology: Is psychology a science?
Subject Synopsis/
- Psychology, pseudoscience, and common sense
Indicative Syllabus
- Historical foundations (Structuralism, Functionalism, Gestalt, Behaviorism)
(Note 2) - Current perspectives (Biological approach, Cognitive approach, Behavioral approach,
Psychoanalytic approach, Humanistic approach, and Cross-Cultural approach)
- Critical and scientific thinking in psychology
- Research methods in psychology
- From the laboratory to the real world

2. Stimulating your brain: A tour to the brain and the nervous system
- The Nervous system
- Communication in the Nervous system
- Mapping the brain
- A tour through the brain
- Brain and behavior
- Contemporary issues in brain research
- Neuropsychological problems

3. Examining your senses: Do you believe what you perceive?

- Our sensational processes
- Vision
- Hearing
- Other senses
- Perceptual powers: Origins and influences
- Puzzles of perception

*4. Knowing your body: How can you get a good night’s sleep?
- Biological rhythms: The tides of experience
- The rhythms of sleep
- Exploring the dream world
- The riddle of hypnosis
- Consciousness-altering drugs: Their physiological and psychological effects

5. Learning your environment: What can you do to modify your own and other's behavior?

- Classical conditioning in the lab: Pavlov’s dog

- Classical conditioning in real life
- Operant conditioning in the lab: The Skinner box
- Operant conditioning in real life
- Learning and the mind

6. Sharpening your mind: Do you want to improve your memory?

- Reconstructing the past
- Memory and the power of suggestion
- In pursuit of memory
- The three-box model of memory
- How we remember
- How we forget
- Autobiographical memories

7. Shaping your thoughts: Is human thinking unique?

- Thought: Using what we know
- Reasoning rationally
- Barriers to reasoning rationally
- Intelligence
- The origins of intelligence & modern intelligence

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 3

 8. Developing through the life span: Are adults prisoners of childhood?
- From conception through the first year
- Cognitive development
- Moral development
- Transition into adolescence, adulthood & the third age

*9. Managing your emotions: Can revealing your unresolved emotions help your health?
- The nature of emotion
- Emotion and culture
- The nature of stress
- Stress and emotion
- Emotions, stress, and health: How to cope

*10. Living a better life: What are the major motives of life?
- The social animal: Motives for love
- The erotic animal: Motives for sex
- The hungry animal: Motives to eat
- The competent animal: Motives to achieve
- Motives, values, and well-being

11. Looking around your world: Is it the person or the situation?

- Social thought: Thinking about others
- Social influence: Conformity, compliance, and obedience
- Social relations: Interacting with others
- The anonymous crowd
- Us versus them: Group identity
- Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination

12. Understanding yourself: Is personality a convenient myth?

- Freud and psychodynamic theories
- The neo-Freudians theories of personality
- Behavioral and social cognitive approach to personality
- Traits and the empirical approach to personality
- Humanistic perspective
- The genetic contribution
- Objective and subject assessment of personality

13. Improving your mental health: How do you distinguish between normal and abnormal
behaviors?
- Classification of psychological disorders
- Major psychological disorders
- Biomedical and psychological approaches to therapy for mental disorders
- Treatment evaluation and prevention strategies

*Optional teaching modules

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 4

 Both lectures and web-assisted lecture notes are directly delivered and
Teaching/Learning
prepared by the subject teacher. The web-assisted learning and teaching
Methodology
activities are designed to encourage students’ self-study after lectures. The
(Note 3) subject lecturer is committed to strike a flexible balance of interactive activities
through direct student-teacher contact, web-assisted self-assessment, in-class
exercises, small group discussions, role-play and case illustration. Multi-media
materials are used to facilitate learning.

Web-assisted quizzes are arranged to enhance students’ understanding of the

psychological concepts acquired from the lectures, web-assisted deliverables
and assigned readings. These methods are considered as both a supplement to
lectures and a self-learning tool for reinforcing students’ integration and
internalization. Prompt feedback can be provided for each student after taking
the web-based assessment and practice quizzes. The on-line forum may also
provide a platform for interactive discussions among students, and for
exchanging views with the subject lecturer.

Flipped Classroom sessions are incorporated to promote constructivist and

collaborative learning in this subject. Students will engage in 2-3 sessions on
the learning units through the flipped classroom approach, in which they will
view learning materials before classes and engage in problem solving and
experiential learning activities in physical class sessions.

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 5

Assessment Specific assessment % Intended subject learning outcomes to be
Methods in methods/tasks weight assessed (Please tick as appropriate)
Alignment with
Intended Learning a b c d e
Outcomes 1. Practice Quizzes 10 %
(Note 4)
2. Class Time and Online 50 %
Learning Participation

3. Reflective Journal 40%

Total 100%

Tools for Assessment

Most of the assessments in this subject will be administered in the
Learn@PolyU:

https://learn.polyu.edu.hk/

Practice Quizzes (10%)

Continuous assessment is adopted, and methods include practice quizzes
(10%) assigned through the PolyU Blackboard learning system lectures,
which should cover the subject syllabus and essential reading requirements.
They may be designed in the form of multiple-choice and/or short- question
formats. The web-assisted interactive methods are used to assess students’
learning at the recall, comprehension, analysis and application levels, that are
adaptable for a wide range of course contents and learning outcomes.

Classroom and Online Learning Participation (50%)

Learning participation is based on continuous assessment which includes
online reading and annotations, online contents usage, and classroom
participation. The assessments are designed for all students who are required to
demonstrate their level of psychological knowledge learned from this introductory
subject.

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 6

 Learning artefact engagement & in-class lecture participation (40%)
Participation in learning activities including preparation by reading class
materials online via Perusall (30%) and in-class engagement through
responses via Students’ Response System (SRS) (10%) will reflect students
ongoing progress and engagement in class learning activities.

Engagement in Flipped Classroom Sessions (10%)

To evaluate the effort in flipped classroom sessions, students’ preparation on
learning materials before class via Learn@PolyU and their subsequent
engagement in problem solving and experiential learning activities in physical
class sessions will be assessed towards flipped classroom sessions
participation.

Written Assignments (40%)

Reflective Journal (40%)

Students will write reflective journals to demonstrate their level of
psychological knowledge and reflections on learning. There would be 2
reflective journals, drafts and revisions. Teachers will provide feedback to
students on the first draft of the reflective journal. Students are required to
read and address the comments from their teachers for their second
reflective journal submission.

Assessment 100% Continuous Assessment Individual Assessment Group Assessment

Methods Reflective Journals / Practice Quizzes 50% --
Classroom Participation 50% --

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 7

Student Study Effort Class contact:
Expected ▪ Lecture 24 Hrs.
▪ Assessment Tests / Online Interaction 15 Hrs.
Student’ study efforts:
▪ Self-study, including revision, and preparation
31 Hrs.
for tasks
▪ Group forum discussion / Practice Quizzes /
50 Hrs.
Research Participation
Total student study effort 120 Hrs.

Reading List and

Textbook
References
OpenStax College. (2020). Psychology 2/E. Houston, TX: OpenStax CNX.
Available under Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 ©. Available at
https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e

References

Introduction to Psychology. Open source textbook provided by Lumen Learning. Available under
a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license. © 2017 Available at
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-psychology/

Diener, E., Biswas-Diener. (Eds.) (2017). Introduction to Psychology: The Full Noba Collection. Noba
textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. DOI: http://noba.to/d95jpvm7

Bond, M. H. (Ed.). (2010). The Oxford handbook of Chinese psychology. New York: Oxford
University Press. (HKPolyU call no. GN635.C5 O94 2010).

陳烜之、梁覺（編）（2000）。邁進中的華人心理學。香港：中文大學出版社。(HKPolyU call
no. BF108.C48 M34 2000)。

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 8

Assessments

Type Task % Coverage Week

Quizzes Practice Quizzes 10% All Units All
Reflective Journal Draft 10% All Units 3-4

Revision 30% All Units 6-7

Class Participation BB/ SRS / Flipped 50% All Units All
Activities

Practice Quizzes (10%):

Students learning attainment in this course will be assessed with practice quizzes on each learning module;
these practice quizzes will account for a total of (10%) in your overall assessment. These quizzes will be in
the format of primarily Multiple-Choice questions that are relevant to, but not limited to, classroom
lectures, course materials on Learn@PolyU, and the assigned textbooks.

Class Participation (50%)

Class Reading of Instructional materials via LMS with Perusall (30%)

For your preparation, students are required to log in to the Learn@PolyU (Blackboard) system and view
the instructional materials assigned for each teaching unit BEFORE attending each lecture. Students are
encouraged to read and make annotations on the prescribed readings via Perusall, contributing to the
evaluation of the Online Learning Participation (30%).

Annotation scores on Perusall are derived by the system with artificial intelligence based on previous
annotations of other learners on the platform. A constructive annotation could be a question you raise
about a particular theory or application in the text, your reflection about the strength and limitations of a
theory, or your own observations of confusion, with elaboration on what is confusing you, upon reading
about a particular concept or theory.

Students are expected to read the textbook and make annotation online through the Perusall
system. Annotation scores on Perusall are derived by the system with artificial intelligence based
on previous annotations of other learners on the platform. A constructive annotation could be a
question you raise about a particular theory or application in the text, your reflection about the
strength and limitations of a theory, or your own observations of confusion, with elaboration on
what is confusing you, upon reading about a particular concept or theory.

Annotations will be classified as POOR, ADEQUATE, or GOOD in Perusall automatically by the

system. Students may refer to:

The official Perusall scoring guide:

(https://support.perusall.com/help/how-scoring-works)

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 9

Perusall Scoring Example:
(https://perusall.com/downloads/scoring-examples.pdf)

for further details on how the system would evaluate your annotations.

Students are expected to read at least ONE chapter and make 5 good annotations within that
chapter via Perusall to earn your scores for EACH BLOCK.

Block Reading Chapters Scores Due Date & Deadline

Block 01 Ch. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 9% Class Time for Unit06
Memory
Block 02 Ch. 7 6% Class Time for Flipped Class
on Unit07 Thinking
Block 03 Ch. 11 6% Class Time for Flipped Class
on Unit09 Personality
Block 04 Ch. 9, 12, 15, 16 9% Class Time for Unit12 Social
Psychology

In-Class Responses (10%)

For assessing your in-class participation (10%), students are required to respond to questions in class with
Students Response System (UReply - Student@PolyU) in the “Show ID” mode for the teaching team to
recognize your participation properly from responses collected in classes.

https://ed2.polyu.edu.hk

Flipped Learning Activities (10%)

Students will be assessed with 10% participation marks on the TWO flipped units (Unit 07 Cognition and
Unit 12 Personality), including pre-class and in-class exercises related to these 2 units.

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 10

Reflective Journals (Draft: 10% + Revision 30% = 40%):

Keep a reflective journal (one entry per half-semester, to a total of 2 gradable entries) in order to (a)
facilitate the learning of psychological concepts, and (b) apply the course concepts to your daily
experiences to promote self-knowledge. You may apply four cognitive operations (labelling, explaining,
making inferences, and self-assessing) to each of the three different aspects of the self (thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors). You can write your reactions and responses to lectures and readings, give real-life
examples of your own to explain the concepts and theories, or indicate how this knowledge could be
applicable to your work setting or daily life. Relevant concepts from current empirical psychological
research are also welcomed for the basis of your reflective journals. All reflective journals must be
submitted through the Turnitin / Blackboard system.

We are expecting all students to submit their reflective journals on time on or before the prescribed
deadlines. Late submissions will be adjusted with a penalty of 10% assignment grade deduction of mark
per day. In case of any special circumstances, you should provide valid documentation (medical notes or
other proofs) in advance of the prescribed deadlines to apply for special consideration. Otherwise,
postponement of deadline will NOT be evaluated individually.

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 11

Academic Integrity:

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University cherishes academic integrity and considers cheating and plagiarism
a serious offence with no tolerance. All students are required to observe the principles and guidelines as
prescribed in the Online Tutorial on Academic Integrity by:

• Log in to LEARN@PolyU (理學網): https://learn.polyu.edu.hk using your Net ID and password

• Go to "My Course" and click on the link containing the title of “Online Tutorial on Academic Integrity”
• Students are also advised to consult the guide prepared by the Educational Development Centre, accessible at
http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ogur/academic_integrity/Student_Guide.pdf

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 12

Class Timetable: (APSS111_APSS1A07_20223_A: Wed / Fri 18:30-20:20)

Week Date Unit Unit Title Textbook Task / Remark

Chapter
1 2023/05/24 1 Discovering psychology 1. Introduction
to Psychology
N/A 2023/05/26 N/A Buddhist Birthday N/A
Holiday - (No Class)

2 2023/05/31 2 Is psychology a science? 2. Psychological

Research
2 2023/06/02 3 Stimulating your brain: A 3.
tour to the brain and the Biopsychology
nervous system
3 2023/06/07 4 Examining your senses: 5. Sensation & Start: Reflective Journal -
Do you believe what you Draft
Perception
perceive?
3 2023/06/09 5 Learning your 6. Learning
environment: What can
you do to modify your
own and other's
behavior?
4 2023/06/14 6 Sharpening your mind: 8. Memory Due: Perusall Block 01
Do you want to improve
your memory? Wrap-up: Reflective Journal –
Draft Writing
4 2023/06/16 N/A Reading Week - (No N/A Due: Reflective Journal -
Class) Draft

Prepare: Flipped activities on

Unit 7 Thinking & Cognition

5 2023/06/21 7 Shaping your thoughts: 7. Thinking and Due: Perusall Block 02

5 2023/06/23
Is human thinking Intelligence
unique? (Flipped class)
8 Developing through the 9. Lifespan Due: Practice Quizzes Block
life span: Are adults 01
Development
prisoners of childhood?
Prepare: Flipped activities on
Unit 9 Personality

6 2023/06/28 9 Understanding yourself: 11. Personality Due: Perusall Block 03

Is personality a
convenient myth?
(Flipped class)
6 2023/06/30 10&11 Improving your mental 15. Start: Reflective Journal -
health: How do you Revision
Psychological
distinguish between Disorders
normal and abnormal
behaviors?
16. Therapies
and Treatment
12 2023/07/05 N/A Reading Week - (No N/A
Class)

13 2023/07/07 12 Looking around your 12. Social Due: Perusall Block 04

world: Is it the person or Due: Practice Quizzes Block
Psychology
the situation? 02
Due: Reflective Journal –
Revision

Semester 3 2022-2023 Academic Year APSS 111 / 1A07 Introduction to Psychology 13