| Introductory Psychology I
P101 | 3343 | Hoffman C.
Preparation: Psychology at IU is taught in two semesters: P1 01 and
P102. P101 addresses experimental, cognitive, and biological psychology -
areas that share much in common with the natural sciences, especially
biology. P102 addresses topics that relate more closely to the social
sciences, including developmental, social, and clinical psychology. There
are no prerequisites for P101, but some background and/or interest in
biology is helpful.
Course Description: Many students believe that the field of psychology is
primarily about studying people who have difficulty coping with stress or
who have mental illness. Psychologists do study these issues and can offer
help to people who are so challenged. Psychology is, however, also about
understanding how healthy people perceive the world around them, how they
learn, remember and forget; and how they get motivated to take action.
Students are often surprised to learn that psychologists study questions
that they might expect a biologist to study. Do genes determine behavior?
Where in the brain are memories stored? How does learning change the
anatomy and the activity of cells in your brain? What parts of the brain
are active when you listen, look, read or speak? What is the biological
basis of rage or hunger? These questions will be addressed in the portions
of the course that cover the biological bases of behavior, learning,
motivation, and emotion. How you learn and think and feel and behave
depends on your brain and your body ... therefore the questions that
psychologists ask about biology are relevant to everyone.
P101 will briefly overview all of the areas of psychology and introduce
you to the science of psychology. How do psychologists conduct
correlational and experimental research? This information can help you
succeed in upper level courses in psychology and in all other sciences.
What methods do cognitive psychologists use to discover how we attend to,
think about and remember events? This information provides a background
for courses in cognitive psychology and in education. P101 will provide
you with an understanding of how and why psychologists study biology to
understand human behavior and the human mind. This material is background
that you will need to understand the developmental and clinical psychology
that you can study in P 102 and other upper level psychology courses like
behavioral neuroscience. P101 will also provide you with an understanding
of how our sensory systems take in information and how our mind influences
what we perceive from that sensory input. P1 01 is an important first step
in succeeding in psychology courses and what you learn in P1 01 can help
you succeed in courses outside of psychology, especially those that relate
to biology and neuroscience. There is a lot to learn in P101!
Textbook (required): Psychology by Peter Gray, 3rd edition, 1999.
Study Guide (recommended): Focus on Psychology by Mary Trahan, 3rd
Format: Lecture with in-class demonstrations, audiovisual accompaniment,
occasional handouts, and student questions.
Grading: Students will take multiple-choice quizzes on each textbook
chapter using QuizSite, a program that can be accessed from computers
linked to the World Wide Web. There will be 4 multiple-choice exams which
will cover both lecture and textbook material.
Availability of the instructor: Office hours will be held Thursday and
Friday afternoon, or by appointment at other times. Assistant instructor
will hold office hours at complementary times.