Psychology 2990A-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
Email: smedian@uwo.ca
Office Number: SSC 6300
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
Textbook (required):
Hazlewood, D., & Janes, L. (2013). Topics in applied psychology. 4th Edition. Pearson Custom Publishing
***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.
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 |
|
Mid-term |
40% |
|
Final Exam2 |
40% |
|
Discussions |
20% |
Mid-term and Final Exam (2 x 40%)
Students must write a mid-term and final exam (each worth 40% of your final grade). The exams will last for 2 hours and will consist of multiple choice questions. The exams are not cumulative. Please see the Psychology2990B (650) Schedule for a list of topics and readings covered on each exam.
The mid-term and final exams will be closed book -- no books, notes, calculators, cell phones, dictionaries, or aids of any type will be allowed. Please bring a couple of pencils, a good eraser, a watch, and your student identification to the examinations.
It is recommended that you do not bring items such as laptops, backpacks, textbooks, notes, etc. with you to the examinations. At the beginning of every examination you will be asked to place all such items in a common area in the exam room and neither the instructor nor Western can be responsible for the theft, damage, or loss of such items.
Discussions (5 x 4%)
There will be 5 online discussions (each worth 4% of your final grade). Receiving a good mark will require creative, insightful posts that show accurate knowledge of the textbook material, elaborate on information posted earlier in the discussion, and involve a meaningful dialogue with classmates. More information about the discussions will be available on the course website.
Discussions will take place during the following weeks:
|
|
Start Date |
End Date |
Topic |
|
Online Discussion 1 |
May 23 |
May 29 |
Psychology and Health |
|
Online Discussion 2 |
June 6 |
June 12 |
Psychology and Education |
|
Online Discussion 3 |
June 13 |
June 19 |
Psychology and the Workplace |
|
Online Discussion 4 |
June 27 |
July 3 |
Consumer Psychology |
|
Online Discussion 5 |
July 11 |
July 17 |
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
Mid-term exam is tentatively scheduled for Saturday June 11, 2016 (time to be announced) and will cover all of the material in Part 1 of the course.
Final exam will be held sometime during the July/August final exam period (July 31 - August 3, 2016; date and time to be announced) and will cover all of the material in Part 2 of the course7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Week |
Topic |
Readings |
|
PART 1 |
||
|
May 9 |
Psychology and the Law |
• Chapter 1 in text • Bornstein & Greene (2011) |
|
May 16 |
The Psychology of Police Investigations |
• Chapter 2 in text • Porter et al. (2000) |
|
May 23 Online discussion 1 begins |
Psychology and Health |
• Chapter 3 in text • Glock et al. (2013) |
|
May 30 |
Sports Psychology |
• Chapter 4 in text • Caldwell & Burger (2011) • Frank & Gilovich (1988) |
|
June 6 Online discussion 2 begins |
Psychology and Education |
• Chapter 5 in text • Jackson & Moreland (2009) |
|
Mid-term exam Saturday June 11, 2016 (time to be announced). Covers all textbook chapters and additional readings in Part 1 of the course. |
||
|
PART 2 |
||
|
June 13 Online discussion 3 begins |
Psychology and the Workplace
|
• Chapter 6 in text • Latham & Baldes (1975)
|
|
June 20
|
Consumer Psychology (Part 1) |
• Chapter 7 in text |
|
June 27 Online discussion 4 begins |
Consumer Psychology (Part 2) |
• Dijksterhuis et al. (2006) |
|
July 4
|
Engineering Psychology |
• Chapter 8 in text
|
|
July 11 Online discussion 5 begins |
Psychology and the Environment |
• Chapter 9 in text • Steg & Vlek (2009) |
|
July 18
|
Military Psychology |
• Chapter 10 in text • Lim & Klein (2006) |
|
July 25 |
Prepare for exam |
|
Final Exam: Sometime during the July/August 2016 final exam period (July 31 - August 3, 2016). 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
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/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
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
