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, and other areas.
Prerequisite: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol 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.
0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Graeme Haynes
Office: SSC 7440
Office Hours: TBA
Email: ghaynes@uwo.ca
Given that the university is closed during the current pandemic, I will not be holding office hours in person for the time being. E-mail is the best way to contact me, and if need be, I can be available to meet with you over Skype or Zoom. Should the restrictions be lifted before the end of the course, I will post an announcement about in-person office hours.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Additional Readings (required):
Additional readings have been prepared for some topics. These readings will be made available as PDF files on the course website at least one week prior to that topic's listed date on the Psychology 2990A Schedule. The material from these additional readings will be tested on the exams.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course covers various 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. Whether you choose to pursue a professional career in these areas, or are simply curious about these areas in your everyday life, it is hoped that you will discover how the scientific study of human behavior can be used to enhance your understanding of these areas.4.1 SUPPLEMENTARY COURSE MATERIAL
Supplementary material is intended to complement the textbook. Thus, I will present some slideshows on OWL containing material that is not in the textbook, and will be tested on the exams.
I encourage you to meet with me during office hours (or set a virtual appointment) to discuss any questions or concerns. E-mail is the best way to contact me.
4.2 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
~ identify major concepts and theories in applied psychology (including examples); measured through multiple choice exams
~ interpret the results of research that has examined these concepts and theories; measured through multiple choice exams
~ apply these concepts and theories to professional (and everyday) life; measured through multiple choice exams and on-line discussions with classmates
~ locate and critically evaluate information relevant to topics in applied psychology; measured through on-line discussions with classmates
5.0 EVALUATION
To ensure fairness, please be aware that final grades in this course are based exclusively on students’ performance on the three exams and three on-line discussion forums. Exams and discussion posts may not be rewritten, nor will the exams or discussions be reweighted in calculating final grades. Grades will not be adjusted on the basis of need or a subjective evaluation of effort, and students will not be able to improve their marks by completing additional assignments.
- Exams (25%, 30%, and 30%)
For the exams, you are responsible for material assigned in the textbook, as well as material covered in supplementary online lectures.
Given the current pandemic situation, all exams will be written online. It is expected that all students will complete the exams independently with no communication between classmates. Although you will have open access to your notes and the textbook, we advise you to study ahead of time to ensure you will be able to adequately answer all questions within the time allotted.
For each of the three exams, you will be given a 60-hour period of time within which to write the exam. You will have 90 minutes to complete the exam from start to finish (plus additional time for students who have documented accommodations which allow for extra time). Once you start, you cannot stop or pause. Therefore, you should prepare to finish the exam within 90 minutes of starting. You will access this exam and submit your answers through the Tests and Quizzes tab on our OWL site.
Each exam is non-cumulative, will consist of multiple choice questions, and will be worth 25-30% of your final grade.
The first midterm exam will need to be completed between Monday, May 25th at 12:00 P.M. and Wednesday, May 27th at 11:59 P.M.
The second midterm exam will need to be completed between Friday, June 26th at 12:00 P.M. and Sunday, June 28th at 11:59 P.M.
The final examination will take place during the Summer exam period (Aug. 4 – 7, specific hours TBA).
***Please refer to Section 9.0 for the policy regarding make-up exams.***
- b) Discussion Forums (15%)
Online discussions related to issues from three of the weekly topics will be held on OWL, within pre-assigned groups of 5-7 students. Please make sure that you have thoroughly read the discussion forum rules below (starting on page 5). Each discussion thread will remain active for only one week, so it is your responsibility to know the deadlines for making your posts.
Students are expected to participate in all of these discussions, both by posting their own thoughts or observations and by commenting constructively on other students’ comments. Your grade will be earned based on the quantity and quality of your contributions to these discussions. A successful student in online education is one who takes an active role in the learning process. You are therefore encouraged to participate actively in the discussions to enhance your learning experience throughout the course.
A substantive posting usually will reflect on a course concept or idea and will demonstrate a critical appraisal of the material or application thereof. Generally, postings should be between 200 and 300 words. A posting should lead the discussion in a meaningful direction. Examples of quality posts include:
- providing clear, coherent responses that directly address the topic at hand;
- presenting explanations of concepts or methods from the textbook or lecture materials to support your points;
- presenting reasons for or against a topic in a persuasive fashion;
- sharing your own personal experiences that relate to the topic;
Expect a variety of views to be expressed, and feel free to express your own view. Debates are encouraged, but please remember that your communications must be respectful to others. Note that the instructor will not respond to each point added to the discussion board. Instead the instructor will read and evaluate the posts on the discussion board, and will add comments when appropriate to keep students on track if the discussion has gone off topic.
For each post, you will be assigned a grade out of 5. Grades will be assigned as follows:
0–2.5 = Unsatisfactory Post is brief and uninformative, does not contribute any insight to the topic, the question is not answered fully.
3-3.5 = Satisfactory Post is somewhat informative, demonstrates basic understanding of the material, but merits a more clear or further explanation.
4-4.5 = Very Good Post is informative, demonstrates strong understanding of the material, and contributes substantial insight.
5 = Excellent Post goes beyond basic requirements, demonstrates excellent critical appraisal, shows evidence of considerable reading beyond course text.
To earn the full five points, you must demonstrate that you have given the topic serious thought, resulting in interesting observations and/or questions. You don’t have to be right (in fact frequently there won’t be a “right” answer) but you do have to demonstrate that you have thought in depth about the issue.
The Discussion Forum Rules
There will be three week-long periods during which a discussion forum will take place. Forum #1 will take place during the week of May 11 – 18; Forum #2 during the week of June 1 – 8; Forum #3 during the week of July 20 – 27.
Rule #1: I will always post the discussion forum topic on the Monday morning when a new unit begins. The discussion forums will be open for 7 days, from Monday morning until the following week’s Monday at 12:00 noon (EDT).
Rule #2: In order to give students time to reply to the posts of other members, you must make your first post no later than Thursday night – any first posts made later than this will be given a late penalty of 0.5 per day. I recommend setting aside a specific block of time each Tuesday or Wednesday to compose your post.
Rule #3: Your first post should be at least 200–300 words. You can go over this, but try your best to be concise. Subsequent posts (e.g., responding to a fellow group member’s post) do not need to be as long as this, but their quality will still be factored into your grade.
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Sun. |
Mon. |
Tues. |
Wed. |
Thurs. |
Fri. |
Sat. |
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Forum opens;
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Make first post |
Make first post |
First post due by 11:59 P.M. |
Respond to other member’s post |
Respond to other member’s post |
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Respond to other member’s post |
Forum closes at noon
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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 Western's 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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
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Date |
Value |
|
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Midterm #1 |
Mon. May 25 @12:00 P.M. – Wed. May 27 @ 11:59 P.M. |
25% |
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Midterm #2 |
Fri. June 26 @ 12:00 P.M. – Sun. June 28 @ 11:59 P.M. |
30% |
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Final Exam |
Aug. 4 – 7, Time TBA |
30% |
6.1 DISCUSSION FORUM SCHEDULE
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Date |
Topic |
Value |
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Discussion #1 |
Mon. May 11 – Mon. May 18 |
The Canadian Legal System |
5% |
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Discussion #2 |
Mon. June 8 – Mon. June 15 |
Health PSAs |
5% |
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Discussion #3 |
Mon. July 20 – Mon. July 27 |
Conserving the Environment |
5% |
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
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Week of |
Topic |
Read |
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May 4 |
Intervention and Evaluation |
Chapter 4 |
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May 11 |
Psychology and the Law
Discussion Forum #1 |
Chapter 11 |
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May 18 |
The Psychology of Police Investigations |
Reading on website |
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May 25-27 |
Midterm # 1 |
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June 1 |
No module |
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June 8 |
Psychology and Health
Discussion Forum #2 |
Chapter 8 |
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June 15 |
Applying Psychology to the Media |
Chapter 7 |
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June 22 |
Sport Psychology |
Chapter 6 |
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June 26-28 |
Midterm # 2 |
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June 29 |
Consumer Psychology |
Reading on website |
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July 6 |
Workplace Psychology |
Chapter 10 & 14 |
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July 13 |
Community Psychology |
Chapter 12 |
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July 20 |
Psychology and the Environment
Discussion Forum #3 |
Chapter 13 |
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August 4-7 |
FINAL EXAM |
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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2019-2020 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
