Students are expected to meet the following course requirements:

1.   Read the textbook.  “A” students tend to read at a pace that follows the syllabus outline.

2.  Regularly check announcements on Blackboard.

3.  Exercise self-discipline. Try to keep pace with the suggested daily course timeline. Make an effort to attend  online test review sessions.  If in the instructor’s opinion, you have fallen significantly off the suggested pace of the course, an effort will be made to contact you before withdrawing you from the course.

4.   Successfully complete four (4) examinations.

5.   Read a self-help/popular psychology type book and turn in a one page, single-spaced, typewritten book review. 

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.  

Text:  Myers, D. and DeWall, C.N., & Gruber, J. (2025) Exploring Psycholog, Thirteenth Edition.   New York:  Worth Publishers.

The text is divided into chapters and modules.  The topics addressed in the syllabus are based on the modules.

Read a self-help/popular psychology type book and turn in a one page, single-spaced, typewritten book review. The book review should include:  (a) a bibliography (b) information about the author (c) a decision regarding what main points (thesis) the author had for writing the book and (d) evidence as to whether or not the author supported the thesis.  Students must have Dr. Grangaard approve their book title by the date of the first exam.  Everyone in the class must read a different book.  There are links to a sample book review and a sample book review grading form on Blackboard.  

The course is designed to be an introduction to the science and profession of psychology.  The course will assist the student in the development of a foundation of basic knowledge in order to pursue further studies in specific areas of psychology.  The course will survey introductory topics such as learning, memory, sensation and perception, personality, lifespan development, physiological basis of behavior, stress and health, psychological disorders, social psychology, and research methods.  The topics of states of consciousness and psychotherapy will also be covered. Relevant case examples and stimulating learning activities will be employed to make the study of psychology come alive to help students better understand themselves and the people around them. 

Suggested Monday / Wednesday Study Schedule

Important Date:  11/20  Last day to withdraw from course.  Last day a student withdrawn by the professor may be reinstated.

Students should be prepared for regularly scheduled tests.  Tests will be in the multiple-choice, true-false format.  There will also be a bonus essay question.  Tests will be open notes, open book, and taken on Blackboard.  There are no provisions for retests or “extra credit.”  Students will have one week from the day a test becomes available to complete the test.  Bonus essays should be emailed to dgran@austincc.edu on the day the test is submitted.  The last test must be completed by the last day of the semester, December 12.  Students with documented disabilities who require special test accommodations (i.e., extended time,  a reader, etc.) should give Dr. Grangaard their accommodation letter at the beginning of the semester and far in advance of the first test.

Student behavior, including academic dishonesty, should reflect the policies outlined in the ACC Course Catalog.  Academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade on the assignment or test.  Factors associated with academic dishonesty are described in the ACC Course Catalog as: 

“Students have the responsibility to submit coursework that is the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression. Students must do their own work and submit only their own work on examinations, reports, and projects, unless otherwise permitted by the instructor. Students are encouraged to contact their instructor about appropriate citation guidelines…Actions constituting violations of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Plagiarism: Defined as taking another person’s intellectual work and using it as one’s own; for example, this includes quoting without giving proper credit to a source, expanding another person’s work without giving credit to that person, or submitting another person’s work under the pretense that it is one’s own.

b. Cheating: The use of unauthorized materials, information, or study aids; an act of deceit by which a student attempts to misrepresent academic skills or knowledge; or unauthorized copying or collaboration.

c. Fabrication: Intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.

d. Collusion: Knowingly helping another individual violate any provision of the Academic Dishonesty guidelines. Collusion includes assistance with assignments or tests that are not authorized by the instructor.”

e. GAI – Use of generative artificial intelligence is not required or accepted. Course learning objectives do not include learning how to use GAI and any attempts to submit work which has used GAI tools will be rejected.  All written assignments should be the result of your own thought and self-expression.  The purpose of higher education includes teaching you to think, not simply look things up.  This also applies to objective test questions.

Grading Key:  A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (<60)

Individual test scores and class statistics will be posted as an announcement on Blackboard once everyone has completed the test.  Students who do not perform well are encouraged to schedule an appointment to go over their individual tests with Dr. Grangaard via Zoom.  

Grades will be based on the average of the student's performance on four (4) tests and a book review. Students with a missing grade will have their final course grade dropped one letter grade for each missing score.   A grade of incomplete (I) will only be granted to students presenting unusual personal circumstances.  In such situations, the student should have already completed 3/5 of the course requirements.

Case Example:

• Have fun!  If the professor is not enjoying class, then the students probably aren’t either.  
• Infuse lectures with real life examples of psychology in practice.
• Involve students in live demonstrations to portray concepts introduced.
• Maximize use of media to illustrate main points of discussion.
• Provide an environment wherein students will be free to share their opinions, personal experiences, and ideas.*
• Facilitate student debates (pro & con) about almost any issue related to psychology.*
• Encourage student discernment in dealing with self-appointed experts.
• Make the material relevant to student vocational and personal aspirations.
• Evaluate the students' ability to comprehend and apply the concepts taught rather than just assessing their knowledge.
• Identify ways that psychology permeates virtually every aspect of our lives.
• Ignite in the students an appreciation for research.
• Facilitate group dynamics within the classroom.

*  Debates assume an environment of academic freedom.  Input by students and faculty will likely reflect differing viewpoints.  It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.  An honorable goal of higher education is to develop postformal thought, which recognizes that one’s own perspective is only one of many potentially valid views and that life entails many inconsistencies.   It also promotes dialectical thinking, which involves considering both sides of an idea simultaneously and then forging them into a synthesis of the original idea and its opposite.

Learning Objectives - Part 1

Introductory Objectives (Modules 1, 2, 36, Appendix A, B, D)

• Define psychology and trace its historical development.
• Explain types of degrees in psychology
• Discuss types of specialties in psychology and work settings where such individuals are employed.
• Outline the experimental method.
• Discuss the difference between the independent and dependent variables.
• Explain how experimental and control groups differ.
• Describe both positive and negative correlations, and explain how correlation research can aid the process of   prediction.
• Explain why correlation research fails to provide evidence of cause-effect relationships
• Discuss how people form illusory correlations and perceive order in random sequences.
• Describe selection and experimenter bias and techniques employed to control them
• Give examples of the placebo effect.
• Discuss why psychological research must be replicated.

The Biology of Mind (Modules 3, 4, 5, 6, 49 drug therapies)

• Explain why psychologists are concerned with human biology.
• Identify the parts of a neuron.
• Describe how nerve cells communicate, and discuss the impact of neurotransmitters and drugs on human  behavior.
• Identify the major divisions of the nervous system and describe their functions.
• Discuss the crucial functions handled by the brain stem.
• Explain the functions of the cerebellum, role of the thalamus, processes handled by the hypothalamus, and the role of the limbic system.
• Discuss the functions of the cerebral hemispheres, cerebral cortex, and corpus callosum.
• Describe the functions of the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes.
• Discuss tests used to evaluate brain function (i.e., EEG, MRI, PET).
• Explain the endocrine system and its relation to brain function.

Developing Through the Life Span (Modules 11, 12, 13, 14)

• Outline the stages of prenatal development and the destructive impact of teratogens.
• Examine Harlow’s research regarding maternal deprivation and attachment in monkeys.
• Outline the characteristics of Piaget’s stages of development.
• Discuss Baunrind’s research on the possible effects of different parenting styles on children.
• Explain Kohlberg’s levels of moral reasoning.
• Review Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, particularly those related to adolescence, middle age, and later adulthood.

Learning Objectives - Part 2

Sensation and Perception (Modules 17, 18, 19 ESP)

• Contrast the processes of sensation and perception.
• Distinguish between absolute and difference thresholds.
• Define, give examples of, and discuss the viability of subliminal persuasion.
• Outline the structure of the eye and explain the role various parts play in the process of vision.
• Outline Gestalt principles of perceptual organization.
• Discuss factors that affect perception including depth cues.
• Debate the concept of extrasensory perception and attempts to scientifically validate it.

Consciousness and the Two Track Mind (Modules 8, 9, 19 hypnosis)

• Explain circadian rhythms and their relevance to the study of sleep.
• Outline physical characteristics of REM and NREM sleep.
• Outline the stages of sleep and describe how a person progresses through them.
• Discuss changing sleep patterns during the life span.
• Debate the relevance of dreaming by comparing five  theories of why we dream.
• Define and present examples of types of sleep disorders including night terrors, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, and insomnia.
• Discuss uses of hypnosis.

Learning (Modules 20, 21, 22)

• Describe the process of classical conditioning (Pavlov).
• Discuss how extinction occurs during classical conditioning.
• Explain the processes of acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, and discrimination.
• Explain how responses are acquired through operant conditioning.
• Explain the relationship of shaping to the conditioning of a response.
• Differentiate between positive and negative reinforcement.
• Contrast the four partial reinforcement schedules and their relationship to extinction of operant learned behaviors.
• Describe the process of observational learning as demonstrated by Bandura’s experiments and discuss the impact of antisocial and prosocial modeling.
• Discuss the role of mirror neurons in observational learning.

Learning Objectives - Part 3

Memory (Modules 23, 24, 25)

• Explain memory in terms of information processing and distinguish between sensory, short-term, and long-term memory.
• Explain why the capacity to forget can be beneficial and discuss the role of encoding failure in the process of forgetting.
• Contrast recall, recognition, and relearning measures of memory.
• Outline the contributions of Ebbinghaus to memory research.
• Describe the importance of retrieval cues and the impact of environmental contexts and internal emotional state on retrieval.
• Identify the most effective study strategies.

Intelligence (Modules 28, 29)

• Discuss the contributions of Binet and Wechsler to measuring intelligence.
• Outline the concept of IQ and how it was originally calculated.
• Define and give examples of types of reliability and validity.
• Outline IQ ranges and characteristics of individuals in those ranges.
• Outline the contributions of Thurstone, Spearman, Guilford, Gardner, Sternberg, and Goleman, to intelligence theory.
• Debate controversial views on race, genetics, and intelligence and whether or not IQ tests are culturally biased.

Motivation (Module 30)

• Define motivation and explain the instinctual, drive-reduction, and arousal theories.
• Explain the relationship between Maslow's hierarchy of needs and motivation.
• Distinguish between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.
• Discuss Murray's contribution to the study of motivation, particularly as it is related to McClelland's study of achievement.

Emotions, Stress, and Health (Modules 32, 33, 34, 35)

• Describe the physiological changes that occur during emotional arousal and the relationship between arousal and performance.
• Define and give examples of types of conflict (approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance).
• Debate the validity and reliability of polygraph tests.
• Describe the effects of facial expressions on emotional experience.
• Discuss the catharsis hypothesis and identify some of the advantages and disadvantages of openly discussing anger.
• Outline potential causes and consequences of happiness.
• Contrast the James-Lange and Cannon-Baird theories of emotion.
• Describe Schacter’s two-factor theory of emotion and discuss evidence suggesting that some emotional reactions involve no conscious thought.
• Discuss the health consequences of catastrophes, significant life changes, and daily hassles.
• Discuss the effects of a perceived lack of control and a pessimistic outlook on health.
• Discuss the role of stress in causing coronary heart disease and contrast Type A and Type B personalities.
• Discuss how stress increases the risk of disease by inhibiting the activity of the body’s immune system.
• Identify and discuss different strategies for coping with stress.

Learning Objectives - Part 4

Personality (Modules 39, 40)

• Outline approaches to personality assessment and discuss the reliability and validity of each approach.
• Present examples of projective and objective personality tests.
• Outline Freud's psychodynamic theory.
• Discuss the concepts of the id, ego, and superego.
• List and define types of defense mechanisms.
• Identify Freud's psychosexual stages of development, and describe the effects of fixation on behavior.
• Discuss trait theories of personality development.
• Explain how personality inventories are used to assess traits, and discuss research regarding the consistency of behavior over time and across situations.

Psychological Disorders (Modules 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)

• Outline the DSM-5-TR diagnostic and classification system for mental disorders.
• Debate criteria used to differentiate normal from abnormal behavior.
• Define and give examples of various types of mental disorders including:  depression, anxiety disorders, thought disorders, and dissociative disorders.
• Define and give examples of common personality disorders.
• Discuss the usefulness of DSM-5-TR in making treatment decisions.
• Outline factors contributing to suicide and steps that can be taken to prevent suicide.

Therapy (Module 47, 48)

• Compare the basic aims of psychoanalysis with those of humanistic therapies including Roger’s person-centered (client-centered) approach.
• Compare the basic concepts involved in Gestalt therapy (Perls), logotherapy (Frankel), time-limited psychotherapy (Mann), reality therapy (Glasser), cognitive behavior therapy (Beck), and rational emotive behavior therapy (Ellis).    Discuss how they are similar and how they differ.
• Illustrate behavior therapy including systematic desensitization (Wolpe).
• Describe the rationale and benefits of group therapies, including family therapy.
• Outline types of psychotropic drugs and discuss their effectiveness.
• Describe the use of electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of depression.

Social Psychology (Modules 36, 38)

• Describe the importance of attribution in social behavior and the dangers of the fundamental attribution error.
• Explain the foot-in-the-door phenomenon and the effect of role playing on attitudes in terms of cognitive dissonance theory.
• Debate the ethics of classic studies by Milgram, Zimbardo, and Festinger, and discuss implications for understanding our susceptibility to social influence.
• Discuss how group interaction can facilitate group polarization and groupthink, and explain how a minority can influence the majority in a group.
• Define and give examples of altruism.