We will introduce you to some of the major issues and discoveries in psychology. These topics include how we perceive the world around us, the mechanisms of learning, the mental processes we use to think and talk about the world, and how these processes develop throughout our lifetimes. Along the way we will also introduce you to some of the research methods we use in psychology and give you some of the research skills necessary for conducting research and understanding psychology.

During this course you will:
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of important research topics in psychology and the relationships between them.
• Understand, and be able to use, the language and concepts of experimental 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 their knowledge in concise, and interesting reports.

The paper consists of two major pieces: lectures and laboratories.

For the lectures, we will have live presentations where you will hear us tell you about psychology, and introduce you to some recorded material from experts in the School of Psychology. We will keep these lively and entertaining, and we can answer your questions. Because the assigned rooms are not quite large enough to maintain physical distancing, we will also livestream the lectures in a webinar format, as well as record them in case you miss one. Attendance in the lecture theatres is on a first-come basis, and so if you miss out on a seat, you can watch from your computer or mobile device anywhere on campus and still participate. There will be two on-line tests covering the lecture material (each test is worth 30% of your marks).

The laboratories are where you will conduct psychology experiments on yourself and your fellow students. These will be concentrated in the weeks surrounding the mid-trimester break. Part of these laboratories will be held during the lecture times and for part of them you will want to attend a laboratory session using the university computers. (Although it is possible to access the laboratory computers from off-campus using the DUO app, this can be challenging due to intermittent software difficulties.) You will be preparing a short written report on each of the two experiments and submitting them via Moodle (each report is worth 10% of your marks).

FAQs -- Read Us

Can I just watch the recordings? Well yes, but you won’t get as much out of the paper if you do. The information will just wash over you and you won’t be nearly as engaged or motivated. You also won’t be able to ask questions and get answers. Learning is interactive and fun, simply watching other people having fun can be disappointing (and there are heaps of better things on Netflix).

Is there math? Definitely math exists. There are also statistics, but don’t worry overly about them. Maths are one of the ways we describe the world around us (and another good reason for fingers and toes). This paper is about experimental psychology, and experimental psychologists use statistics to help communicate what they find. We will teach you what you need to know to understand and use statistics in psychology. We’ve put together some great short videos for you to watch, and each one is followed by a short quiz. You need to complete five of these on-line over the course of the trimester to earn 5% of your marks. There won’t be any math questions on the tests.

What about the tests and stuff? All of the assessment for this paper will be conducted on-line. The tests will be multiple choice and available on Moodle. They are “power” tests with a limited time to answer the questions. Some of you may find that you won’t have time to answer all of the questions, unless you’ve studied and learned the material. There definitely won’t be enough time for you to look up all the answers during the test. We’ve got a lot of experience doing this in a fair and equitable way. People needing special help should consult with the Accessibility Services team. There are also two written assignments, reports on the experiments we will run in class. These you will submit on-line through TurnItIn, which checks to make sure the writing in your report is your own and not copied from somewhere else.

It looks like there is a lot to read, do we need to read it all? The answer is yes again. The chapters from the textbook are pretty short with lots of study aids in them. There are also five short on-line quizzes which are made up of questions from previous years’ tests. These will help you keep up with the readings and give you a sneak preview of what the test questions will be like. These quizzes are worth another 5% of your marks.

What about masks & COVID? We expect you to wear masks over your noses and mouths during lectures and laboratories. We also want you to wear shirts or tops, and pants or skirts to cover up other important parts of your body. Your lecturer will not wear a mask while they are lecturing, so you will be able to hear them (but they will definitely be wearing shirts and pants and so on). Think of masks as part of your clothing for 2022. If you would prefer to participate while wearing less (or be in a friend’s hot tub or in bed or something), that’s fine, just tune into the webstream – you can still ask questions using the Chat function. For the labs this is a little more difficult, but not impossible using some special software on your phone and laptop.

Can we email you with our special questions and individual problems? Well, no-ish. We have set up some discussion forums on Moodle. If we had to answer all of the emails from 600 students, we simply would not have time for anything else. Remember the forums are like a public place, so be kind. If you have a question there’s a good chance that someone else will have the same question. Reading through the questions and answers posted in the forums is a great way to get information. But also remember, it's for Psychology information, not about whether the vaccine will make you magnetic, or whether the Queen is really a lizard from outer space.

Moodle is a web-based online learning system used here at the University of Waikato, and is available on campus and from any device connected to the Internet. PSYCH100 has its own web-page where the convenors, lecturers, and 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 we will use if we need to contact you, so it is your responsibility to ensure these details are up to date at all times.

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).