
PSYCH100-20A (HAM)
Brain, Behaviour and Cognition
15 Points
Staff
Convenor(s)
Samuel Charlton
9225
J.1.26
samuel.charlton@waikato.ac.nz
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Lecturer(s)
Aleea Devitt
9220
J.1.25
aleea.devitt@waikato.ac.nz
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Nicola Starkey
9230
K.1.09
nicola.starkey@waikato.ac.nz
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Oleg Medvedev
9212
K.1.23
oleg.medvedev@waikato.ac.nz
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Rebecca Sargisson
9580
UWTA.1.02
rebecca.sargisson@waikato.ac.nz
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Tina Bourke
3538
TCBD.4.03
tina.bourke@waikato.ac.nz
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Vincent Reid
9593
K.1.13
vincent.reid@waikato.ac.nz
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Administrator(s)
Librarian(s)
You can contact staff by:
- Calling +64 7 838 4466 select option 1, then enter the extension.
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Extensions starting with 4, 5, 9 or 3 can also be direct dialled:
- For extensions starting with 4: dial +64 7 838 extension.
- For extensions starting with 5: dial +64 7 858 extension.
- For extensions starting with 9: dial +64 7 837 extension.
- For extensions starting with 3: dial +64 7 2620 + the last 3 digits of the extension e.g. 3123 = +64 7 262 0123.
Paper Description
During this course you will:
•Acquire a basic understanding of the central topics in psychology and of the relationships between them.
•Understand, and be able to use, the language and concepts of psychology.
•Be able to collect and analyse data relevant to psychological questions, and to draw appropriate inferences from the data.
•Experience and appreciate psychological research, as both a researcher and as a participant.
•Communicate your knowledge in concise, grammatically correct sentences.
Paper Structure
We’ve put together a great team of lecturers this year, here is a list of some of them:
The laboratories are where you will conduct psychology experiments on yourself and your fellow students. You will also take some short quizzes on some weeks. You need to attend one 1-hour laboratory most weeks (there are 8 laboratory sessions in total). The procedure for signing up to laboratories will be explained during the first lecture. The schedule of laboratory experiments is shown in the lecture and laboratory timetable.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the course should be able to:
Assessment
You will be assessed in multiple ways for PSYCH100: Quizzes, Laboratory reports, a Mid-term Test, and the Final Exam.
There are two types of quizzes: Laboratory quizzes which are very short and cover material from both lectures and laboratories. Altogether they will contribute 5% towards of your final mark and you will complete them on-line in your laboratory sessions. The second type of quiz are the on-line analysis quizzes. These cover some basic questions on research design and analysis of data and they will be available on moodle. Altogether they will contribute 5% towards of your final mark.
In order to provide you with exposure to current psychological research, you will have the opportunity to participate in on-going research experiments. You can earn up to 3% towards your final mark by participating (1 hour = 1%) or completing alternative research summaries. You can mix and match these options. More information about these options are presented in the Additional Information section below, and details will be presented on moodle.
The laboratory reports are written descriptions of the experiments you conduct on yourselves and your classmates in the labs. There are four experiments you will be running in labs, and you can choose to write a report on any three of them. You will hand these in on moodle via TurnItIn. Together, these three reports will contribute 27% towards your final mark.
There will be a Mid-term Test containing multiple choice questions drawn from the material covered in your lectures. It will contribute 30% towards your final mark.
The exam is externally assessed and will be worth 30% of your final grade. It will mostly contain questions on the lecture material from the Mid-term Test onward but questions from some of the important concepts from the early lectures will also be included. The exam is organised by the Examinations and Assessment Office and they will post details regarding the time and place on the Online Exam Timetable toward the end of the semester. If you foresee any difficulties in attending the exam, feel that your performance will be impaired, or you miss the exam, you need to contact the Academic Services Division: Examinations and Assessment.
Sitting the exam is compulsory. Because of university regulations, if you do not sit the exam you will receive an IC (fail) grade for this paper regardless of your internal marks.
Assessment Components
The internal assessment/exam ratio (as stated in the University Calendar) is 100:0. There is no final exam.
Required and Recommended Readings
Required Readings
Psychology – Fifth Australian and New Zealand Edition, by Lorelle Burton, Drew Westen, and Robin Kowalski, 2019.
Published by Wiley & Sons, available from Bennetts in hard copy and E-text versions
(Note: this book is used for both PSYCH100A and PSYCH101B)
Recommended Readings
We recommend the following textbook:
Burton, L. (2018). An Interactive Approach to Writing Essays and Research Reports in Psychology for psychology (4th ed.). Victoria, Australia: Wiley. It is available at Bennetts bookstore or online as an e-book (https://cengage.co.nz/product/title/writing-for-psychology/isbn/9780170214681).
This book covers APA referencing, report and essay writing, and other general scientific writing guidance.
Online Support
Moodle is a web-based online learning system here at the University and is available on campus and from any device connected to the Internet. PSYCH100 has its own web-page where the teaching assistants post the lecture notes, important announcements about things such as tests, laboratories, research participation, your marks, and other information that will be helpful to your studies (such as lecture notes and recordings). It is your responsibility to ensure that you check moodle and your emails regularly (at least twice a week), as much of the important information for PSYCH100 is disseminated in this way. If an announcement or important information is posted on moodle it will be assumed that all students have received this information. The login page is: http://elearn.waikato.ac.nz/ and you will need your username and password to gain access.
If you have enrolled, you should already have a username and password and you should see a link to PSYCH100 Brain, Behaviour, and Cognition when you log into moodle (you were automatically added to the user list when you enrolled). If you are having problems with your username or password, contact Information and Technology Services (ITS) at 838 4466 ext. 4008 or http://its.waikato.ac.nz/. If you can log into Moodle, but you do not have a link to PSYCH100 Brain, Behaviour and Cognition, make sure that you are enrolled and that your fees are paid by ringing Student and Academic Services Division at 838 4466 ext. 6088 or http://www.waikato.ac.nz/sasd/.
When you log on to moodle for the first time, please go to your “profile” and check your contact details (email and phone numbers) are correct. This is the information the Teaching Assistants will use if they need to contact you, so it is your responsibility to ensure these details are up to date at all times.
Workload
The amount of work expected of a typical student in a 15-point paper (offered over one semester) is approximately 8-10 hours per week. This figure is only approximate, as papers vary in their requirements and students vary in both the amount of effort required and the level of grades they wish to achieve. To do well in this paper we think you should expect to do at least three to four hours of study on your own each week (in addition to the scheduled lectures and laboratory sessions).
Linkages to Other Papers
Restriction(s)
Restricted papers: PSYC103