Psychology 2030A-001

The Maladjusted Mind

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

1.0    CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

This course will survey various categories of maladjusted behaviour and consider different explanatory models and treatment strategies for the control of such behaviour. Theories of human adjustment and maladjustment will be reviewed.

 

Antirequisites:  Psychology 2050, 2310A/B and 3310F/G

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

 

3 lecture hours, 0.5 course


2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

       Instructor:                 David Vollick, Ph.D.                           

       Office:                     SSC 7440

       Office Hours:           By Appointment           

       Email:                      dvollic@uwo.ca                                  

 

       Teaching Assistant: Catalina Sarmiento

       Office:         Westminister Hall 60K           

       Office Hours:    Friday 11 pm - 12 pm      

       Email:     csarmie2@uwo.ca                

 

       Time and Location of Classes:  Mondays, 7:00 pm to 9:50 pm; NS 1                     

  

Note:   Dr. Vollick does not lend out either his notes or his Power Point slides


If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  Please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

       Required:                       Beidel, D. C., Bulik, Cynthia M., Stanley, Melinda A., & Taylor, Steven (2018).      

                                      Abnormal Psychology (Canadian edition). Pearson.

 

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES


   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

 

Recognize the main symptoms of the range of psychological disorders. Measured through Multiple-Choice Exams.
 
Apply DSM-V criteria to provide the most plausible diagnosis for a set of psychological symptoms. Measured through Multiple-Choice Exams.

Differentiate 
between emotional/behavioural states that are diagnosable versus not diagnosable. Measured through Multiple-Choice Exams.

Contrast current scientific theories (e.g. biological, psychological) on the etiology and treatment of psychological disorders . Measured through Multiple-Choice Exams.

Identify various components of assessment (e.g., interviewing, administrating various tests, neuroimaging, and physical and behavioural examinations). Measured through Multiple-Choice Exams.

 

Distinguish between, and identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of, the various research designs used to identify the causes  of psychological disorders and evaluate the effectiveness of their treatment. Measured through Multiple-Choice Exams.

 

5.0     EVALUATION

Student evaluation will be based on two in-class exams and a final exam based on the

text and material presented in class.  Each of the three exams will be worth 1/3 of your

total mark on the course, and will consist of 80 multiple choice questions.

 

If, on medical or compassionate grounds, you are unable to write term tests or final

examinations or complete course work by the due date, see Section 9.0 below for more information

about  the "Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness".


Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:


70%     1000-level and 2000-level courses
72%     2190-2990 level courses
75%     3000-level courses
80%     4000-level courses
   
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):

A+  90-100      One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A    80-89        Superior work that is clearly above average
B    70-79        Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C    60-69        Competent work, meeting requirements
D    50-59        Fair work, minimally acceptable
F    below 50    Fail



6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

In-class Exam  #1Oct. 2, 2017: In NS 1 during regular class time. It will                                           consist of 80 Multiple-Choice Questions and cover all material,                                         from both lectures and text (chapters 1,2,3,10) (1/3 of total mark).

 

In-class Exam  #2Nov 13, 2017: In NS 1 during regular class time. It will                                                                                  consist of 80 Multiple-Choice Questions and cover all material,                                                                         from both lectures and text (chapters 4,5,6,8) (1/3 of total mark).

 

Final Exam:              During Final Exam Period. It will consist of 80  Multiple-Choice Questions

                                  and cover all material, from both lectures and text (7,9,11,14) (1/3 of total                                                  mark)

 

Note: Exams are not accumulative


7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

  • The lecture schedule may change, however, the exam dates are final.
  • You will glean more from the class if you read the lecture material prior to class.
  • Lectures will contain material not in the text; I will not be covering all material in the text.
  • Remember, you will be tested on all relevant material in the text, as well as that presented in class lectures

 

Sept. 11      1          Abnormal Psychology: Historical and Modern Perspectives

Sept. 18      2          Research Methods in Abnormal Psychology

Sept. 25      3          Assessment and Diagnosis

                   10        Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

 

Oct. 2                     Midterm Test

         

Oct.  9-13              Fall Reading Week

 

Oct.  16      4          Anxiety, Obsessive-compulsive, and Trauma-and-Stress-Related Disorders

Oct.  23      5          Somatic Symptoms, Dissociative, and Factitious Disorders

Oct.  30      6          Bipolar and Depressive Disorders   

Nov.   6      8          Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Dysfunctions, and Paraphilic Disorders

 

Nov.  13                 Midterm Test

    

Nov. 20      7          Feeding and Eating Disorders

Nov. 27      9          Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

Dec. 4        11        Personality Disorders

                   14        Health Psychology   

 

Final Exam            During Final Exam Period


8.0     STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link:  http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.



9.0    POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2017/pg954.html 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html


10.0        OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site:  http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

    http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2017 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.