Faculty

of Health
Department of Psychology
PSYC 1010 6.0 Section F: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Wednesday 4-7pm - Online via Zoom & Moodle
Full Year 2020-2021

Welcome to PSYC1010! We’re doing things a bit differently this year, but I promise you that
we’re going to do everything we can to make this a great learning experience for all of you.
I’m excited to offer this course to you in a largely asynchronous format, which offers you
some flexibility in terms of when do the readings, watch the videos, and take the practice
quizzes. That said, there are some components of the course that have fixed deadlines and
there are some live components as well. There are two term tests in this course, one at the
end of term 1, and the other at the end of term 2. These will be done online on Moodle
during our regularly scheduled class time (Wednesdays from 4-7pm). You must be
available on those dates to complete the tests – no exceptions! There are also two written
assignments with fixed due dates (listed below) and weekly discussion forum posts that
you must complete before the start of the next week’s class time.

I will be pre-recording video lectures, in addition to posting PowerPoint slides, all of which
will be available on Moodle. You should watch the videos, use the PowerPoint slides as a
guide, and make notes on the accompanying textbook chapters.
As described in more detail further into the syllabus, you will have weekly practice quizzes
that will help you keep engaged with the course, and offer you the chance to see which
concepts you need to review before the term tests.
The teaching assistants and myself will host weekly Question and Answer (Q & A) sessions
live on Zoom for students who submit their questions on Moodle in advance of the Q & A
session. These will be held during the scheduled class time, but I will also record these Q &
A sessions and post them to Moodle, for those of you who are unable to take part live.

Instructor and T.A. Information

Instructor: Dr. Kathleen Fortune
Office Hours: Online via Zoom, by appointment
Email: [email protected]

T.A. TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

Email
Office

Hours

Course Prerequisite(s): Course prerequisites are strictly enforced: None

Course Credit Exclusions

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Please refer to York Courses Website for a listing of any course credit exclusions.

Course website: Moodle

All course materials will be available on Moodle. The site will be your central access point
for course materials. PowerPoint slides, short video lectures, and additional readings or
website links will all be posted on the Moodle site in advance of each week’s lecture
topic/chapter. These materials will be organized by week and follow the schedule that is
outlined in detail at the very end of this document.

Course Description
This course introduces students to psychology, the scientific study of behaviour and
cognition, by examining the basic principles of psychology and their application to
everyday experience. The course surveys some core areas of psychology including research
methods, biological bases of behaviour, sensation and perception, memory, and cognition.

Program Learning Outcomes

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

1. Define psychology and explain how it meets the criteria of science.

2. Recognize key concepts, methods, theories and assumptions in psychology.
3. Describe basic characteristics of the scientific method in psychology.
4. Discern differences between personal views and scientific evidence.

Specific Learning Objectives

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

1. Identify basic concepts and research findings and give examples of psychology's
integrative themes.

a. Psychological science relies on empirical evidence adapting as new data develop.

b. Psychology explains general principles that govern behaviour, while recognizing
individual differences.

c. Psychological, biological, social, and cultural factors influence mental processes

and behaviour.

d. Our perceptions filter experience of the world through an imperfect personal lens.
e. Applying psychological principles can change our lives in positive ways.
2. Apply psychological principles to everyday life.

3. Draw appropriate, logical, and objective conclusions about behaviour and mental
processes from empirical evidence.

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4. Evaluate misconceptions or flawed claims based on evidence from psychological science.

5. Design, conduct, or evaluate basic psychological research.

6. Describe ethical principles that guide psychologists in research and therapy

Required Textbook
Weiten, W. & McCann, D. (2019). Psychology: Themes and Variations (5th Canadian
Edition). Toronto, Canada: Thomson-Nelson.

NOTE: Make sure to get the 5th Canadian Edition with a publication date of 2019. This is
the only textbook that will be referred to in this course. The bookstore is offering a loose-
leaf package version of this text, complete with the MindTap resources that I highly
recommend you purchase. This is the most affordable way to get the textbook and MindTap
resources that I will refer to throughout the course.
Course Requirements and Assessment:
Assessment Date of Evaluation Weighting
Practice Quizzes Short quizzes, 0.5% each, weekly 11%
Test 1 December 2 20%
Test 2 April 7 20%
Written Assignment 1 November 11 15%
Written Assignment 2 February 24 15%
Discussion Board Participation Throughout the year 15%
Research Participation (URPP) Throughout the year 4%
Total 100%

Description of Assignments
Quizzes: You will complete short practice quizzes on Moodle, every week except for those
two weeks in which you have a test scheduled (see dates above). The purposes of these
short practice quizzes is to keep you on track with the course readings and lectures, and
also to give you a chance to practice completing multiple-choice questions on Moodle
before you get to the tests which are worth significantly more marks. In order to receive
the 0.5%, you must get all of the questions correct, but you can take the quiz as many times
as you like until you achieve a grade of 100%, and receive the 0.5% for the week. Each quiz
will be comprised of approximately 10 practice questions, and unlike the real tests at the
end of each term, these practice quizzes will not be timed. You must complete the practice
quizzes before the end of each week.
Tests: You will complete two online multiple-choice tests in this course, one at the end of
each term. These tests will cover all of the previous chapters from that term, and will be
comprised of approximately 80 multiple-choice questions. NOTE: You will have
approximately 80 minutes to complete these tests and they will be held during our
regularly scheduled class time, so you must be available to complete them.

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Written Assignments: You will complete two written assignments throughout the year,
with one in the first term, and one larger assignment due in the second term. Details about
these assignments will be posted to Moodle well in advance of their respective due dates.
Each assignment will focus on application of some of the core concepts learned in the
weeks leading up to their due dates. You will submit these written assignments through
Turnitin on Moodle, which is plagiarism detection software. Thus, these are independent
assignments, and are not to be completed in pairs or groups.
Discussion Board Participation: Every two weeks I will post an interesting video,
podcast, or short reading and ask you to answer a couple of questions about your thoughts,
feelings, and reactions to that material. You will also be asked to post responses to your
classmates. The purpose of the discussion board is to give you an opportunity to interact
with your classmates, to expand and apply your understanding of core concepts from the
course, and to award marks for critical reflection, rather than just correct answers. The
TA’s and myself will assign marks for responses that show a level of effort and thoughtful
consideration of the topic. The discussion forum will remain open for one week and you
must submit your responses within that week. The forum will close to new posts right
before the start of the class time for the following week, when a new forum will open.
Research Participation: Part of your grade in this course involves participating in online
research studies that are conducted by faculty and students from the psychology
department. This is known as the Undergraduate Research Participation Pool. The details
of how to sign-up for these studies will be posted on Moodle in advance of the course. You
must complete a certain number of studies in order to receive your full 4% for research
participation. If you feel strongly about NOT participating, you will be provided with
alternative written assignment. All of this is done under the direction of the URPP
coordinator, not myself or the TA’s. You will receive an email with a video that explains all
aspects of the URPP program and your participation in it. You can contact URPP at
[email protected]. If you have any concerns regarding urpp points or participation, email
them, not your instructor or TA.

Class Format and Attendance Policy

While this course will primarily be delivered asynchronously, the two online tests must be
completed during our scheduled class time. Moreover, the teaching assistants and I will be
available for live question and answer sessions also to be held during our scheduled class
time. These are valuable opportunities for you to ask for clarification on concepts that
you’re finding more challenging, and to engage with the instructor and TA’s. Therefore,
you should not register for another course that runs at the same time as ours.

Grading as per Senate Policy

The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in
undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ = 7, C+ = 5, etc.). Assignments and
tests* will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g. A+
= 90 to 100, A = 80 to 89, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.)
For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate
Calendar - Grading Scheme for 2020-21

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Missed Tests/Midterm Exams/Late Assignment:
For any missed quiz or late assignment, students MUST complete the following online form
that will be received and reviewed in the Psychology undergraduate office.

HH PSYC: Missed Tests/Exams Form. Failure to complete the form within 48 hours of the
original deadline will result in a grade of zero for the missed quiz or late assignment.

At this time, due to COVID-19 an Attending Physician’s Statement (APS) is not required,
however, a reason for missing an evaluated component in the course must be provided.

If you miss one of the two scheduled tests in this course (see schedule above), you will be
given an all short-answer question alternative test. There are no exceptions to this, as
there are only two tests in this course that require you to be available online during our
scheduled class time.
If you submit one of the written assignments late, you will receive a late penalty of 10%
per day. Again, there are only two written assignments in this course will fixed due dates,
so it’s really important that you submit them on Moodle on due date and time listed.
Add/Drop Deadlines
For a list of all important dates please refer to: Fall/Winter 2020-21 Important Dates
Fall (F) Year (Y) Winter (W)
Last date to add a course without permission of Sept 22. Sept 22. Jan. 25
instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)
Last date to add a course with permission of Oct. 6 Oct. 27 Feb. 8
instructor (also see Financial Deadlines)
Drop deadline: Last date to drop a course without Nov. 6 Feb. 5 March 12
receiving a grade (also see Financial Deadlines)
Course Withdrawal Period (withdraw from a Nov. 7- Feb. 6 – March 13-
course and receive a grade of “W” on transcript – Dec. 8 April 12 April 12
see note below)

Add and Drop Deadline Information

There are deadlines for adding and dropping courses, both academic and financial. Since,
for the most part, the dates are different, be sure to read the information carefully so that
you understand the differences between the sessional dates below and the Refund Tables.

You are strongly advised to pay close attention to the "Last date to enroll without
permission of course instructor" deadlines. These deadlines represent the last date
students have unrestricted access to the registration and enrolment system.

After that date, you must contact the professor/department offering the course to arrange
permission.

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You can drop courses using the registration and enrolment system up until the last date to
drop a course without receiving a grade (drop deadline).

You may withdraw from a course using the registration and enrolment system after the
drop deadline until the last day of class for the term associated with the course. When you
withdraw from a course, the course remains on your transcript without a grade and is
notated as 'W'. The withdrawal will not affect your grade point average or count towards
the credits required for your degree.

Information on Plagiarism Detection

To promote academic integrity in this course, students will be normally required to submit
their written assignments to Turnitin (via the course Moodle) for a review of textual
similarity and the detection of possible plagiarism. In so doing, students will allow their
material to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database, where
they will be used only for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that apply to the
University’s use of the Turnitin service are described on the Turnitin.com website.

Electronic Device Policy

This course will be delivered in an online format and therefore electronic devices (e.g.,
tablets, laptops) are permitted during class time for course-related purposes. It is expected
that you would complete tests/exams in a manner that does not require consulting an
unauthorised source during an examination unless the tests/exams are open-book.

Academic Integrity for Students

York University takes academic integrity very seriously; please familiarize yourself with
Information about the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.
It is recommended that you review Academic Integrity by completing the Academic
Integrity Tutorial and Academic Honesty Quiz

Test Banks
The offering for sale of, buying of, and attempting to sell or buy test banks (banks of test
questions and/or answers), or any course specific test questions/answers is not permitted
in the Faculty of Health. Any student found to be doing this may be considered to have
breached the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. In particular, buying and attempting to
sell banks of test questions and/or answers may be considered as “Cheating in an attempt
to gain an improper advantage in an academic evaluation” (article 2.1.1 from the Senate
Policy) and/or “encouraging, enabling or causing others” (article 2.1.10 from the Senate
Policy) to cheat.

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

While all individuals are expected to satisfy the requirements of their program of study and
to aspire to do so at a level of excellence, the university recognizes that persons with

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disabilities may require reasonable accommodation to enable them to do so. The
university encourages students with disabilities to register with Student Accessibility
Services (SAS) to discuss their accommodation needs as early as possible in the term to
establish the recommended academic accommodations that will be communicated to
Course Directors as necessary. Please let me know as early as possible in the term if
you anticipate requiring academic accommodation so that we can discuss how to
consider your accommodation needs within the context of this course.
https://accessibility.students.yorku.ca/

Excerpt from Senate Policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with

Disabilities:
1. Pursuant to its commitment to sustaining an inclusive, equitable community in
which all members are treated with respect and dignity, and consistent with
applicable accessibility legislation, York University shall make reasonable and
appropriate accommodations in order to promote the ability of students with
disabilities to fulfill the academic requirements of their programs. This policy aims
to eliminate systemic barriers to participation in academic activities by students
with disabilities.
All students are expected to satisfy the essential learning outcomes of courses.
Accommodations shall be consistent with, support and preserve the academic integrity of
the curriculum and the academic standards of courses and programs. For further
information please refer to: York University Academic Accommodation for Students with
Disabilities Policy.

Course Materials Copyright Information

These course materials are designed for use as part of the PSYC1010 course at York
University and are the property of the instructor unless otherwise stated. This includes my
video recordings and my PowerPoint slides. These must not be shared on websites like
CourseHero, as this is a violation of my intellectual property rights. Third party copyrighted
materials (such as book chapters, journal articles, music, videos, etc.) have either been
licensed for use in this course or fall under an exception or limitation in Canadian
Copyright law. Copying this material for distribution (e.g. uploading material to a
commercial third-party website) may lead to a violation of Copyright law. Intellectual
Property Rights Statement.

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Email Policy
When composing an email to me or to a teaching assistant, you should think carefully about
the kind of impression you want to create. Most of you are likely eager to make a lasting,
positive impression and to receive a favourable response. However, sending such an email
may be new to you, so below are some helpful tips to review before sending an email.
1. Any emails sent to the professor or teaching assistant MUST indicate the course number
and section in the subject line of the email. Our course and section are PSYC1010, SEC F.
2. Make sure to include your full name and student number in the body of the email. If your
preferred name differs from the name listed on the course roster, please let your professor
and TA know that early in the term.
3. Before sending an email, make sure you’ve done a thorough job of trying to find the
answer to your question in the course materials posted to Moodle. That means carefully
reading through the course syllabus and other pieces of information posted on Moodle to
see if the answer is already provided. The professor and TA’s receive a high volume of
email and will not respond to emails asking questions that are clearly addressed in the
posted course materials.

4. A proper email to your professor or TA begins by properly addressing them by their full
name and/or title. In this case, you should refer to me as either Dr. Fortune or Professor
Fortune. You can address your emails to your TA’s by their full names. The body of your
email message should be proofread for spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors, and
should be written in a polite tone. Respect goes both ways, and you should treat your
professor and TA’s with the same respect with which you would like to be treated.
5. Send your emails well in advance of when a response is required. While the volume of
emails received will vary throughout the year, you should expect to receive a response with
3 days of sending an email. If you have not received a response within that time period,
you can follow-up politely.

Discussion Board Etiquette

One of the aspects of this course that I’m most excited about are the discussion board posts,
which will allow you to share your thoughts, feelings, and questions about interesting
aspects of the course with one another. However, this only works when everyone
understands some general rules around appropriate behaviour on these boards. They must
be a safe space for everyone, and the TA’s and myself will ensure that they remain so. Read
through the guidelines below, to familiarize yourself with our expectations around
discussion board behaviour.

! Respect others. It is important to remember that you, your peers, and the teaching
team are real people who are affected by what you write. It is important to be mindful
of the feelings and opinions of others, even if they differ from your own. As a general
rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, don’t say it online either.

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! Proofread. Before sending an email, sending a message to a chat or responding to a
discussion, review your response to ensure that it is clear, concise and respectful.
! Avoid strong language, all caps, and excessive exclamation points. It is very easy
for written text to be misread and misunderstood. Have you ever sent a text or email
message with good intent, but your peer or other recipient thought you were being
rude or condescending? If so, then you have experienced this firsthand. By being aware
of strong language, you can identify and avoid potential confusions before sending
messages.
! Avoid slang, use proper English. Avoid slang terms such as “wassup?” and texting
abbreviations such as “u” instead of “you.”
! Be careful with emoticons. Limit and possibly avoid the use of emoticons.
! Pick the right tone, be careful with humour or sarcasm. Since your communication
will be in a written format then it is very important to choose the right words when you
are trying to get your meaning across. Be cautious when using humour or sarcasm as
tone is often lost in an email or discussion post and your message might be taken
seriously or sound offensive. Do not assume everyone understands where you are
coming from or knows internet slang for sarcasm (e.g., /s).
! Personal information and confidentiality. Do not post confidential information about
yourself or others in the discussion boards. You are, of course, free to share some
personal anecdotes about your life if they are relevant to the question being posed, but
keep in mind that the board is viewed by your classmates and potentially others.
! Don’t post or share, publicly or privately, inappropriate material. Posting or
sharing this type of information will go against the code of conduct expected of students
at this university.
! Be forgiving. Be mindful that for many students this will be a new way of interacting
and that some may struggle with written communication. Be kind, patient, and
understanding with your peers as they become familiar and comfortable with the new
format and the guidelines.

Course Schedule

DATE TOPIC REQUIRED READINGS

SEPT 9 Introduction, Brief history of Chapter 1: The Evolution of

psychology, pseudoscience Psychology

SEPT 16 Research Methods and Research Chapter 2: The Research

Ethics Enterprise in Psychology

SEPT 23 Brain and Behaviour Chapter 3: The Biological

Basis of Behaviour

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SEPT 30 Brain and Behaviour Chapter 3: The Biological
Basis of Behaviour

OCT 7 Sensation and Perception Chapter 4: Sensation and

Perception

OCT 14 READING WEEK NO ASSIGNED READING

OCT 21 Sleep, dreams, and psychoactive Chapter 5: Variations in

substances Consciousness

OCT 28 Sleep, dreams and psychoactive Chapter 5: Variations in

substance continued Consciousness

NOV 4 Principles of Classical & Operant Chapter 6: Learning

Conditioning, latent and observational
learning

NOV 11 Human Memory Chapter 7: Memory

NOV 18 Human Memory Chapter 7: Memory

NOV 25 Language, decision-making, and Chapter 8: Language and

problem solving Thought

DEC 2 TEST #1 Covers Chapter 1-8 &

accompanying lectures

JAN 13 Intelligence and Psychological Testing Chapter 9: Intelligence and

Psychological Testing

JAN 20 Human Motivation and Emotion Chapter 10: Motivation and

Emotion

JAN 27 Lifespan development: from birth to Chapter 11: Human

death, an overview of development Development Across the
trajectories Lifespan

FEB 3 Personality or what makes you – you! Chapter 12: Personality:

Theory, Research, and
Assessment

FEB 10 Social Perception and Influence Chapter 13: Social Behaviour

FEB 17 READING WEEK NO ASSIGNED READING

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FEB 24 Attitudes, Stereotypes, and Prejudice Chapter 13: Social Behaviour

MAR 3 Stress, coping skills, and their Chapter 14: Stress, Coping,
relationship to physical and mental and Health
health

MAR 10 Overview of psychological disorders Chapter 15: Psychological

Disorders

MAR 17 Overview of psychological disorders Chapter 15: Psychological

continued. Disorders

MAR 24 Treating Psychological Disorders Chapter 16: Treatment of

Psychological Disorders

MAR 31 Treating Psychological Disorders Chapter 16: Treatment of

continued Psychological Disorders

APR 7 Test 2 Covers chapters 9-16 and

accompanying lectures

Useful links for Computing Information and York Resources

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

Additional Resources Available to You

Calumet and Stong Colleges’ Student Success Programming

Calumet and Stong Colleges aim to support the success of Faculty of Health students
through a variety of free programs throughout their university career:

• Orientation helps new students transition into university, discover campus resources,
and establish social and academic networks.

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• Peer Mentoring connects well-trained upper-year students with first year and transfer
students to help them transition into university.
• Course Representative Program aims to build the leadership skills of its course
reps while contributing to the academic success and resourcefulness of students in core
program classes.
• Peer Assisted Study Sessions (P.A.S.S.) involve upper-level academically successful and
well-trained students who facilitate study sessions in courses that are known to be
historically challenging.
• https://ccscss.info.yorku.ca/peer-tutoring/Peer Tutoring offers one-on-one academic
support by trained peer tutors.
• Calumet and Stong Colleges also support students’ Health & Wellness, leadership and
professional skills development, student/community engagement and wellbeing, career
exploration, Indigenous Circle, awards and recognition, and provide opportunities to
students to work or volunteer.
• Please connect with your instructor about specific academic resources for this class.
• For additional information about our student success programs, please consult our
website, email [email protected], and/or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

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