College of the Canyons: Fall 2016
Psychology 102: Physiological Psychology
Course Syllabus for Section #23046: Tues, Thurs 3:30 – 4:50 p.m.
Valencia Campus SCOH-206 (Seco Hall, Room 206)
Instructor: Neil Walker, M.S.
Office: Bonelli 312
E-mail: [email protected]
Office hours = Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:55-6:25 Bonelli Rm 312
Phone: DNC ext 26076
Website: http://canyons.edu/faculty/WalkerN
Required Textbook & Materials:
Brain & Behavior, An Introduction to Biological Psychology: 4th Edition by Bob Garrett
SAGE Publications: ISBN 10 1452260958
5 Scantron Answer Sheets (#882-E) and a #2 Pencil for exams
Other Resources Recommended by the Instructor:
Study Guide to Accompany Brain & Behavior, 4th Edition. (only $5 when bundled with book)
Sage Publications Inc. ISBN-10: 14833161817177854
Companion Website: https://edge.sagepub.com/garrett4e
Course Description:
This course details the functional and anatomical aspects of the nervous system in order to interpret behavior in
terms of physiological processes. Topics include the cellular and organizational structure of the nervous system, the
effects of psychoactive substances on the nervous system, the means by which sensory systems detect and process
environmental events, and the biological basis of a variety of complex behaviors and mental processes.
College-level courses, such as this one, are designed to require 2-3 hours of outside studying for every hour that
the class meets. This means that, in addition to attending class meetings, each student should be studying about 6-9 hours
per week to do well in this course. Completing reading assignments prior to the in-class discussion of the material is one
way to enhance success. Additional study strategies will be discussed during the first week of the course.
Note: Subject matter discussed in this course is mature, sensitive and controversial in nature. Some topics
covered in physiological psychology such as: the mind/body debate, animal experimentation, human sexuality, sexual
orientation, and psychological disorders may be objectionable to some students. This should be considered prior to
enrolling in this course. Continued enrollment in the course verifies your readiness to analyze and discuss these mature
topics.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course a student will be able to assess the influence of a variety of biological
factors including neural and hormonal mechanisms that impact behavior and mental processes such as perception, sleep
and dreaming, reproductive behaviors, memory, language and psychological disorders.
Classroom Policy:
Attendance--You are expected to attend each meeting of the course, on time, fully prepared and ready to
participate. Attending every class period is important because the material is challenging to learn and some topics
covered in lecture will not appear in your textbook. On assignments, exams and quizzes, you will be responsible for the
information presented in lecture as well as the textbook chapters assigned. When you miss a class, you are responsible for
obtaining the information that was presented, including possible changes in assignments or test dates.
Attendance is mandatory on examination days {-refer to “Examinations” on pg. 2 for more information-}.
Attendance will be recorded by completing in-class reviews and submitting them at the end of each class session.
Students arriving to class late or leaving early, without receiving authorization from the instructor prior to the
class period, may be marked absent. To change an absence to a tardy/early departure, a student must meet with the
instructor that day at the end of lecture. Two recorded tardies or early departures will count as one absence (each
tardy/early departure is counted as 1/2 an absence). If you have more than two (2) unexcused absences prior to the drop
deadline, you may be automatically dropped from the course by the instructor.
Ultimately you are responsible for adding or dropping this course. If you are not able to finish or choose not to
finish the course, you must officially withdraw by the drop deadline through the Admissions and Records Office. A
grade must be given to each student who does not officially drop a course.
Classroom Behavior-- College level behavior is expected. Maintaining a positive classroom learning
environment is important, so anyone engaging in any inappropriate behavior during class will be asked to leave &/or
referred to the Dean.
**Phones must be put away, turned off or on “vibration” mode, and inaccessible throughout the entire class
period. Cell phone use during the class period is not permitted. Texting, e-mailing, and
other activities on the phone are not permitted during the class period. When students
text, e-mail, and/or talk on the phone during class, it is a major distraction to everyone,
and potential concern (if occurring during a closed-book quiz or exam, since cell phones
are essentially mini computers and could be used to facilitate academic dishonesty).
While it may feel like you can participate in class AND play Angry Birds/Words with
Friends, studies have consistently shown it is not possible to do both effectively.
Additionally, it is very distracting to the instructor to see audience members immersed in
their phones.
Hats, hoods, and sunglasses must be removed when you take an exam. Additionally, your desk must be
cleared, except for a scantron form and #2 pencils. Please put away all other materials including, but not limited to,
PDAs, calculators, MP3 players, laptop computers, cell phones, textbooks and notebooks. These materials must
remain put away until after the quiz or exam session has concluded and all testing materials have been collected.
Exams and completed scantron forms must be submitted in class when the instructor signals that time is up.
Examination materials cannot be removed from the classroom for any reason. No photographing or copying of any
exam materials is permitted.
If classroom behavior becomes a problem and is determined to consistently diminish student learning, the
instructor may utilize a number of techniques to improve the classroom environment including, but not limited to, asking
disruptive students to leave (without opportunity for making up missed work), requiring disruptive students meet with the
Dean prior to returning to class, constructing a seating chart &/or locking the door at the beginning of the class period.
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Student Services--A student with a verified disability may be entitled to appropriate academic accommodations.
Please contact me and/or the Disabled Students Program and Services Office (SCOH-103) at ext. 3341/3342 for further
information. If you currently have documentation from the DSP&S Office and are requesting academic accommodations
for this course, please speak with me at your earliest convenience to make arrangements. It takes some time to set up
academic accommodations, so please don’t wait until the last minute to do so.
Academic Honesty--All students are expected to conform to the college policy on
academic honesty. It is not fair, or academically honest, for a student to earn points for work
he/she did not complete himself/herself. Academic and academic-related misconduct includes,
but is not limited to, representing the work of others to be one's own, tampering with projects of
others, using external information or unauthorized collaboration during tests/quizzes, or
facilitating dishonesty by others. Unless otherwise specified by the instructor, all homework
assignments, in-class assignments, extra credit assignments, quizzes and exams must be your
own work to be eligible for credit. Cite outside resources, including your textbook. No
assignments submitted by separate students should contain the same written answers.
Additionally, the instructor may use resources such as Google and Turnitin.com to determine if
academic misconduct has occurred. A student engaging in academic misconduct is subject to
disciplinary action by the instructor and by College of the Canyons. At a minimum, academic
misconduct will result in a grade of zero for the assignment in question.
Components of Your Grade:
Examinations-- Four exams, worth 75 points each, and one (last) exam worth 50 points will be given throughout
the semester. Each exam may contain of any combination of multiple choice or true-false questions. Examinations will
consist of information presented in the required textbook readings, as well as material discussed in lectures. You must use
a scantron #882-E answer sheet and #2 pencils to complete each exam. Only answers submitted on an #882-E scantron
form using a #2 pencil will be accepted for credit.
Attendance for examinations is mandatory. Make-up exams may be given only in unforeseen, extreme emergency
situations including cases of severe illness (e.g. hospitalization) and undue hardship that is verified by an outside
authority (e.g. death in the immediate family). Should one such conflict occur, requests for any make-up exams must be
made to the instructor prior to the examination hour or as soon as humanly possible. Official written documentation of
your hardship (e.g. from hospital, police) is required for any consideration of a make-up exam at the discretion of the
instructor. Original copies (& not photocopies or scanned copies) of documentation materials are required.
In-class Assignments: In order to engage you further in the material and encourage your presence in class,
there will be review / quizzes given in class that will be collected for credit. They will correspond with the lecture
and will be presented during every class period (except on Day 1 and Exam days). The intention of the assignments
is to help you make connections with the book material, lecture topics, and your own experiences. The more effort
you bring to the assignments, the more connections you will make and the more you will learn and remember. If
you miss class for any reason you will NOT recover the points missed.
Research Article Project: Over the course of the semester you will be required to write 2 papers (5-6 pages,
typed, double spaced) with a total of three components. The activity will involve you (1) finding a suitable research
article related to physiological psychology, (2) writing an article summary (1-2 pages), and (3) writing a paper (3-4
pages) that links the article to the relevant concepts from the textbook and demonstrates a deep level of understanding.
The article itself does NOT count toward the total number of pages. A more detailed description of these papers is
provided toward the end of this syllabus.
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Grade Distribution:
Your final course grade will be determined by the following:
Examinations........................................................ 50% of total points
5 Exams
375 points
Assignments.......................................................... 17% of total points
25 In-Class Review / Quizzes
125 points
Research Article / Review Paper……………… 33% of total points
250 points
____________________________________________________________
TOTAL
750 points
Final Course Grade Distribution
90-100% of total points (675 - 750 points) =
80-89% of total points (600 - 674 points) =
70-79% of total points (525 - 599 points) =
60-69% of total points (450 - 524 points) =
Less than 60% total points (449 - less pts) =
A
B
C
D
F
Tentative Course Schedule:
Chapter assignments
(Reading Assignment)
Date
Class Discussion Topics
Aug
23
Welcome
Syllabus, Q & A, success tips, etc.
Aug
25
Chapter 1
Intro to Biological Psychology
Aug
30
Chapter 1, 2
Intro + Communication Within the Nervous System
Sept
01
Chapter 2
Communication Within the Nervous System
Sept
06
Chapter 2, 3
Communication + Organization & Functions of the Nervous System
Sept
08
Chapter 3
Organization & Functions of the Nervous System
Sept
13
EXAM # 1
Covers Chapters 1, 2 and 3
Sept
15
Chapter 4
Methods and Ethics of Research
Sept
20
Chapter 4, 5
Research + Drugs, Addiction & Reward
Sept
22
Chapter 5
Drugs, Addiction & Reward
Sept
27
Sept
29
Chapter 5, 6
Drugs etc. + Motivation & Regulation of Internal States
** RESEARCH ARTICLE DUE**
Chapter 6
Motivation & Regulation of Internal States
4
Oct
04
EXAM #2
Covers Chapters 4, 5, and 6
Oct
06
Chapter 7
The Biology of Sex and Gender
Oct
11
Chapter 7, 8
Sex + Emotion and Health
Oct
13
Chapter 8
Emotion and Health
Oct
18
Oct
20
Chapter 9
Hearing and Language
Oct
25
EXAM # 3
Covers Chapters 7, 8 and 9
Oct
27
Chapter 10
Vision and Visual Perception
Nov
01
Chapter 10, 11
Vision + The Body Senses and Movement
Nov
03
Chapter 11
The Body Senses and Movement
Nov
08
Chapter 11, 12
Movement + Learning and Memory
Nov
10
Nov
15
EXAM # 4
Covers Chapters 10, 11, and 12
Nov
17
Chapter 13
Intelligence and Cognitive Functioning
Nov
22
Chapter 13, 14
Cognitive Functioning + Psychological Disorders
Nov
24
No School
Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov
29
Chapter 14
Psychological Disorders
Dec
01
Chapters 14, 15
Psych Disorders + Sleep and Consciousness
Dec
06
Chapter 15
Sleep and Consciousness
Dec
08
EXAM # 5
Covers Chapters 13, 14, and 15
Chapter 8, 9
Emotion + Hearing and Language
** RESEARCH ARTICLE SUMMARY DUE**
Chapter 12
** LINK PAPER DUE **
Last day to drop with Refund: 09/04/16
Add Deadline: 09/04/16
Learning and Memory
Last day to drop without a 'W': 09/04/16
Drop Deadline: 11/13/16
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REMINDERS: This is a TENTATIVE schedule. Examination and reading assignment dates may change periodically
throughout the semester. You are responsible for obtaining the information presented in class, including possible changes
in assignments or test dates, either in person or from one of your classmates.
Continued enrollment in the course assumes you have a thorough understanding of the course syllabus,
expectations and acceptance of policies regarding grading, exam dates, assignment requirements, & “make up exams”
policy.
Research Article Project
Over the course of the semester you will be asked to complete one research related project with a total of
three components. The project will involve you 1) finding a suitable research article related or relatable to
physiological psychology, 2) writing an article summary, and 3) writing a paper that links the article to the relevant
concepts from the textbook/lecture which demonstrates a deep level of understanding. The objective of this project is
to enhance your research skills by finding a suitable and relevant research article, demonstrate your critical thinking
and analysis skills by summarizing the article you found, and exhibiting your knowledge base of physiological
psychology by connecting the article to topics and concepts found in the course. You will have different
“checkpoints” throughout the course to both make sure you are on track time-wise, but also to identify the
importance of each component of the project. Be very careful not to fall behind, as the due dates are not flexible and
if you miss one, you may find it very easy to miss the next, and so on. Any part of the assignment that is submitted
late will suffer a reduced grade. No emailed documents will be accepted. Let’s look at each component more
thoroughly:
1) Article Search: DUE September 27th
What do you do?
Start searching scholarly, peer-reviewed research articles online through the campus’s library database. It
does not necessarily have to be from a Physiological Psychology journal, but you will still need to make the
connection later in the project. Don’t be fooled by the title, you want to read the abstract or even the introduction
before you commit to your article. Make sure it’s something you understand and are interested in looking more
deeply into. There is no date restriction; in other words, the article can be brand new, or more “historic” (say from
the beginning of Physiological Psychology). There is no page minimum or limit. It’s about quality, not quantity.
Searching. Via Computer: Use the following link to go to COC’s library page.
http://www.canyons.edu/offices/library
Then select the "Find Articles" icon and scroll down. The databases that are generally most useful are
'Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection' and 'Proquest Direct'. If you use Proquest, you may wish to limit
the search parameters to Peer Reviewed Journal Articles (otherwise you'll get newspaper and magazine articles, and
dissertations and such). If you are using a computer off campus, use the username and password below to log in. If
you have trouble, you may call the reference desk at 661-362-3358 for help.
Username: golden
Password: state
After you have access, you can use any database that can give you access to the articles you may want. The
KEY is to make sure it is a peer-reviewed and scholarly research article, not a popular publication such as
People, or Psychology Today, or a Dissertation or Thesis. Once you find the article, print it out.
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What do you turn in?
A copy of the article. You are required to give me a copy of the article, and ** NOTE ** I will not be giving
it back to you, so make sure you make a copy for yourself. The article submission is worth 50 points. If you select a
popular publication (magazine, newspaper, blog report, etc) or someone's thesis or dissertation instead of a peer
reviewed scholarly research article I will deduct 10 points and tell you to initiate your search again until you come
up with an appropriate article. If you have any questions or doubts about the appropriateness of your article, show it
to me in advance of the submission date.
2) Article Summary: DUE October 18th
What do you do?
Summarize the main points of the article in a one to two page, typed, double-spaced, stapled paper. Do NOT
copy from the article itself. Put the writing in your own words and identify what was most important, what was the
conclusion, how did they reach it, how might it have been handled differently, or what other research questions can
be asked as a result of the findings. Summarize in your OWN words.
What do you turn in?
Submit your typed summary. Once it is evaluated you will be credited up to 100 points, depending on the
quality of writing, critical thinking, and organization. Also note that I will not be returning these to you.
3) Link Paper: DUE November 10th
What do you do?
Connect the information from the research article to concepts that are addressed in the textbook and/or
lecture. Back up what you saw in the article by discussing it with language from Physiological Psychology to
demonstrate your deeper level of understanding and knowledge of the topic. It may require you to do some
independent research to be more thorough in your explanations, don’t be scared. It is your opportunity to
demonstrate that you GET IT, even if it’s only one topic within the course. Don’t reiterate the article or your
summary. Use it as a jumping off point to become more involved in the topic that the article is related to. You will
do this and turn in to me a three-to-four page, typed, double-spaced, stapled paper. By three pages, that means three
complete pages of writing, not some writing on the third piece of paper.
What do you turn in?
Your typed paper linking the article to the concepts of Physiological Psychology, This final part of the
project is worth a total of 100 possible points. Please note again that I will not be returning these to you.
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE:
ARTICLE: 50 points
SUMMARY: 100 points
LINK PAPER: 100 points Total: 250 Points
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Great Useful Information
This class is going to be 16 weeks long. That's plenty of time for things to go awry, and plenty of time to fix things
if they start off badly. Most psychology majors don't have a strong background in anatomy, physiology, chemistry
and biology, and this course is all about those things. As such, you may find it challenging to learn and remember a
lot of unfamiliar terminology. You may also find it difficult to understand how all the various components in the
nervous system interact with one another.
The topics we are going to cover can be very complicated. I will do my best to explain things as simply as I can. If
you don't understand something as I'm going over it in class, let me know right then.
Things that you can do to increase your odds of succeeding in this class
1) Show up for class every day, and pay attention to me in class. Also, take notes.
2) Buy or rent the textbook. You should have it already. I know you are broke.
3) READ each chapter in the textbook BEFORE we cover it in class.
4) Use the Power Point slides and your in-class notes to study for exams (presumes you'll study).
5) Complete ALL the research/written assignments on time (a zero really sucks).
6) Take ALL the exams on time (a zero sucks here too).
7) Don't cheat or lie or make up sad stories to sway something in your favor.
8) If you've got an issue or problem that interferes, let me know. Maybe I can help.
9) Check Canvas to see how you are doing at least once a week (coc.instructure.com)
10) If you are struggling, let me know EARLY. Probably I can help.
11) If you've got a disability issue of any sort, let me know. I will accommodate.
12) Don't expect any unwarranted special treatment. No last minute extra credit either.
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