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Psychology 2990B-650

Applications of Psychology

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

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the ways in which psychological evidence and techniques can be applied to the practice of law, business, education, the health sciences, etc.

Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course

0.5 course

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Stelian Medianu                          

Office:   SSC 6300

Email: smedian@uwo.ca         

Office Hours: Because this is an internet-based course, the best way to contact me is by email. I will do my best to respond to your emails as quickly as possible. If you would like to meet in person, please email me to set up a meeting. Please include "Psych 2990B" as part of the subject of your emails.

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

***Please be sure to purchase the fourth edition of this text!***

Additional Readings (required):

Additional readings (1-2 readings per week) have been prepared for each topic. The additional readings will be available as PDF files from the course website. The readings for each topic will be available at least one week prior to that topic's listed date on the Psychology 2990B (650) Schedule. The material from these additional readings will be tested on the exams.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course covers a number of areas of applied psychology, including sports psychology, consumer psychology, forensic psychology, engineering psychology, environmental psychology, health psychology, and psychology applied to the courtroom and the classroom. The intent of this course is to expose students to the use of psychology in a wide range of occupations.

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

• Describe theories, research methods and findings regarding a wide range of topics in applied psychology, including sports psychology, consumer psychology, forensic psychology, engineering psychology, environmental psychology, health psychology, and psychology applied to the courtroom and the classroom. Measured through exams.
• Apply theoretical principles and research findings covered in this course to everyday examples. Measured through online discussions with colleagues.
• Locate and critically evaluate information. Measured through online discussions.

5.0     EVALUATION

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

Student evaluation will be based on 2 exams and participation in discussions.

Component	% of final grade
Exam 1	40%
Exam 2	40%
Discussions	20%

Discussions will take place during the following weeks:

	Start Date	End Date	Topic
Online Discussion 1	January 23	January 29	Psychology and Health
Online Discussion 2	February 6	February 12	Psychology and Education
Online Discussion 3	February 27	March 5	Psychology and the Workplace
Online Discussion 4	March 13	March 19	Consumer Psychology
Online Discussion 5	March 27	April 2	Psychology and the Environment

Each discussion will be open for 7 days: from 12:01am on Monday until 11:59 pm the following Sunday. Once the discussion closes, no more posts can be made.

6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Exam 1 is tentatively scheduled for Saturday February 11, 2017 (time to be announced) and will cover all of the material in Part 1 of the course.

Exam 2 will be held sometime during the April final exam period (Sunday, Apr 9 – Sunday, Apr 30, 2017; date and time to be announced) and will cover all of the material in Part 2 of the course.

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Week	Topic	Readings
PART 1
Jan 6	Psychology and the Law	• Chapter 1 in text • Bornstein & Greene (2011)
Jan 16	The Psychology of Police Investigations	• Chapter 2 in text • Porter et al. (2000)
Jan 23 Online discussion 1 begins	Psychology and Health	• Chapter 3 in text • Glock et al. (2013)
Jan 30	Sports Psychology	• Chapter 4 in text • Caldwell & Burger (2011) • Frank & Gilovich (1988)
Feb 6 Online discussion 2 begins	Psychology and Education	• Chapter 5 in text • Jackson & Moreland (2009)
Exam 1: Saturday February 11, 2017 (time to be announced). Covers all textbook chapters and additional readings in Part 1 of the course.
PART 2
Feb 13	Psychology and the Workplace (Part 1: Motivation, Satisfaction, & lnvolvement)	• Chapter 6 in text • Latham & Baldes (1975)
Feb 20  -  Reading Week
Feb 27 Online discussion 3 begins	Psychology and the Workplace (Part 2: Leadership)	• Luthans Chapter 13 (2011)
Mar 6	Consumer Psychology (Part 1)	• Chapter 7 in text
Mar 13 Online discussion 4 begins	Consumer Psychology (Part 2)	• Dijksterhuis et al. (2006)
Mar 20	Engineering Psychology	• Chapter 8 in text
Mar 27 Online discussion 5 begins	Psychology and the Environment	• Chapter 9 in text • Steg & Vlek (2009)
Exam 2: Sometime during the April 2017 final exam period (Sun Apr 9 - Sun Apr 30, 2017). Exact date and time to be announced. Covers all textbook chapters and additional readings in Part 2 of the course.

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://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2016/pg117.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
- 2016 Calendar References

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