12/22/06

       For anyone still checking, I am having problems posting the final gradebook to the Vault.  However, you should be able to see your final course grades on MyHanover.  I will do my best to get the rest of the details posted sometime next week.  Either way, if you have questions, please contact me during office hours once classes resume.  Your papers will be sent back to you early January.

       Thanks for a great class everyone! Have a wonderful holiday and a peaceful break!

12/19/06

    Final Exam scores are now posted, as are your Participation scores.  The final exam had a range of 65-93% with a mean of 81.6%.  The Participation grades ranged from 8-10; mean = 8.6%.  The averages you see take the P scores into account.  Essay scores and Self-Assessment (final paper) grades will be posted Tuesday, at which point averages will be accurate.

12/13/06

     JA 3s are now all posted and awaiting pick up outside my office, if you want to review them before tomorrow's exam.  Interestingly, the mean is the same as last time: 8.4, the range is 7-9.5.   The final average for your three journal submissions is now correct in the gradebook: mean = 83.0%; range: 71%-92%.  These are the percentages which will be counted 20% toward your final course grade.  The course average so far takes the updated journal average into account, but still only covers 50% (2 exams + journals).  As I grade the final exam, your papers and Participation, you will see adjustments and this average will change.

12/11/06

      The Exam III (the final) will have 44 M.C. questions and 1 essay out of 2 options.  The MC will be weighted 80% and the essay is worth 20% (graded out of 10 points).  I will write you individually as your JA3s are available for pick up.

12/9/06

      ATTENTION ALL!:

       THE FINAL EXAM IS IN OUR CLASSROOM!

     I have clarified with the registrar that there was an error in the listing.  Please come to the right room for your final.   Here is the file with the options for the essay.  I will be choosing only 2 of these 4 and you will be writing one of those two.

12/6/06

     Ok, the submissions from yesterday look pretty good.  

      Please remember to check your attendance, scantron scores, etc in the gradebook if you have not already done so.   If you have documentation for an absence that you have not given me, get it to me by Friday.  At this point I believe all excused absences that were documented have been entered as 0.9, so you are not being penalized for those.   If you think I neglected to change yours, contact me immediately.   Note that the right-most columns of the attendance page will not be accurate until after Friday.  At that time, you will be able to see your total unexcused absences so you know how much will be deducted, according to the policy laid out in the syllabus.  While I record lateness (0.8) in the attendance sheet, they are NOT deducted from your final average the way absences are.  Instead, I factor patterns of lateness into your Participation grades.  Participation grades will be up close to when grades are submitted (which is 12/19).  In the  meantime, you will see your JA3 scores, final project scores, and final exam scores posted as I finish them during finals week.

11/20/06

      I realize a series of slides is not the same as attending a workshop, but for those of you who cannot make it to the Learning Center on Tues 11/28, 7pm, to hear my talk, I thought I'd post the handouts I have.  You will notice the ideas relate to some of the concepts in ch. 16.  The last one is blank - ignore it.  If you have PowerPoint, you should be able to see this:

Public Speaking Anxiety Workshop slides.

11/14/06

     Sorry, due to technical error I cannot post the gradebook until tomorrow.  At that time you can check for accuracy, see your current average and see the stats on Exam II.   Don't forget to let me know if you foresee problems with the Relaxation Training we discussed for this coming Tuesday.

11/8/06

     In addition to the raw and percentage multiple choice scores from Exam II which are posted; I have completed the JA 2 grading and those scores are now posted.  If you have not yet received yours back, I'll have them in class tomorrow.  I am currently grading the Exam II Essays, and will have them posted and returned as soon as possible.  I look forward to receiving your outlines tomorrow in class and intend to have them back to you before Thanksgiving break.  Notice that the final Journal Assignment (#3) which is posted, is due 11/28/06.

11/3/06

     For those of you who find yourself occassionally struggling with issues of time management and/or study skills problems, please consider attending next Tuesday’s Spotlight on Academics talk at the Learning Center.  The topic is “It’s Never Too Late: Ten Tips for Getting Academically Back on Track.”  The talk will focus on specific, concrete strategies for improving academically that can be put into practice immediately. It’s designed to help students re-engage and re-focus on classes that are difficult in a meaningful way. The talk will be held TU, 11/7, in room 102 of (old) Science Hall at 7:00 p.m.

11/1/06

     There is an event I meant to announce in class - The Psych Club, People for Peace and a bunch of other organizations are sponsoring a film tomorrow night followed by a panel discussion.  "Invisible Children" is a powerful film about the plight of children who are being abducted into war in Uganda and Sudan.  The film is at 8pm in CFA Auditorium 11/2.  Do try to make it if you can. There are some obvious psychological aspects to the phenomenon.....

10/31/06

    For anyone interested, but particularly psych majors, there is a Job Talk this Thursday, 11am in SC-147 by Jia Wu who is a candidate to teach the Neuro class next term.   Please come hear her talk and give the faculty feedback about her as a potential professor.

10/27/06

             Possible essay questions are listed below to aid your preparation for Exam II.  I have decided to shift my approach to the exam essays slightly.  Rather than have you address two or three questions briefly, I would like you to write in as much depth and detail as you can.  Therefore, I am designing the exam so there is only ONE essay.  I will select 2 of the following 4 questions to put on the exam, and you will choose one of those two to answer.  The essay will be worth 15 percent of your exam grade.  There will be approximately 30 multiple choice questions which make up the other 85 percent.

              Although these are fairly close to what you’ll see, I reserve the right to alter the questions slightly, so be sure to read what is actually on the exam carefully.  Since you will have two hours and the questions have been distributed ahead of time, your essay should be complete, clear and coherent.   Look at the types of comments I made on your earlier writing for the sort of thorough response I expect.  You should know the terms, concepts and critiques of each theorist in detail.  Wherever possible, integrate material from lecture and from the readings, rather than using only one source.  While I will not be as strict about APA format in hand-written essays, try to indicate where you are drawing your ideas from with citations when appropriate. 

                   You should outline or draft all four essays as preparation for the exam, since such preparation will also help you study for the multiple choice portion.  As with last time, please consider writing a rough draft during the exam so you can edit and re-write it neatly afterwards.   However, you may not use drafts / notes during the test.  Having written it out once, it is likely to help you during the exam.  Please bring a pencil for the scantron sheet and a pen for the essay. 

• Discuss B. F. Skinner’s view of personality and his method of behavior modification.  Be sure to describe different types and schedules of reinforcement and discuss any factors which impact their effectiveness.  Explain how behavior modification has been successfully employed in reality [as opposed to Skinner’s utopian fantasies].  Do you agree with Skinner’s approach?  Why or why  not?  Use at least two of Engler’s five philosophical dimensions to evaluate his Radical Behaviorism.

• Compare and contrast S. Freud’s and E. Erikson’s theories of development.  Be sure to describe each of Erikson’s psychosocial stages in terms of the Freudian psychosexual stage it reflects, the emotional duality that it involves, and the particular ego strength that emerges from it.  Describe how J. Marcia’s work expanded Erikson’s stage theory.  Lastly, compare Erikson and Freud on at least two of Engler’s philosophical dimensions.

• The role of reinforcement is quite different in Skinner’s radical behavior theory and in newer social learning theories or Bandura and Rotter.  First, describe each theorist’s approach, then, discuss the different views of reinforcement held by Skinner, Bandura and Rotter.  Where do each of these theorists fall along the Freedom (1) vs. Determinism (5) philosophical dimension?

• Explain the basic premise behind Object Relations theory.  Discuss concepts from at least three of the following theorists’ work: Melanie Klein, Margaret Mahler, Heinz Kohut and Otto Kernberg.  Where applicable, discuss how they address problematic personality formation (i.e., psychopathology).  Where do the three you discussed fall along the philosophical continuum of Heredity (1) vs. Environment (5)?

10/26/06

      For anyone who needs it, Kylie's mailing address is as follows:

Kylie Mauer

10105 W. Co. Rd. 1100

S. Westport, IN 47283

     I will keep you posted if she writes again with further information. 

Some business for anyone who missed it:

1.  The essay options for Exam II will be posted here next week.  I should know by  Monday when exactly you will see them.   Stay tuned.

2.   I am reviewing your Shapiro JAs now.  Due to the conference I attended over break and my illness before that, I am delayed on the grading.  I will get to these just as soon as I can, but please be patient.

3.  Remember, your next Final Project assignment is to have the outline submitted to me by 11/9.  You should be working on your  notebooks and deciding which theorists you want to use.  The most important task is to start structuring your paper and using the outline to show me what you plan to put in it and how.

Lastly, the grid we reviewed in class is here, in case it helps with studying ch. 8:

10/6/06

      For anyone who was checking earlier, I apologize for the delay - today got very busy!  Your MC scores are now posted in the gradebook.  Remember, final scores for the exam may be significantly higher or lower once we add in Short Answer and Essays. 

      In addition, you will see I have posted the write up for JA 2.  Please look at that as you begin to read Shapiro's book.  Coming up we have: McAdams (and ch. 6) due 10/10, Ch. 7 due Thurs 10/12, Shapiro and JA 2 due 10/17.  This is probably our busiest week of the term, so please do keep up with the reading. 

10/1/06

The structure of Exam I is as follows:

Multiple Choice (30 questions) = worth 60% of exam grade

Short Answer (several identification-type questions) = 15%

2 Essay questions = 12.5% each = 25%

In order to maximize your final day of studying and to minimize anxiety which sometimes accompanies essay exams, I am posting five essay questions ahead of time.  You will see only 3 of these 5 options on the exam and you will then choose two to answer. 

• Describe fully (a) what Engler (2006) calls the three functions of personality theories; (b) say why it is important to distinguish among the different functions; (c) use clear examples to make your point.

• In as much detail as you can, explain how Freud’s theory foreshadowed later theories that both (a) nature and (b) nurture are important to the development of personality?  (c) Describe one other key concept in depth from Freudian theory which continues to be relevant today.

• Describe (a) H. S. Sullivan’s theory fully.  Be sure to include key concepts and to (b) discuss the role of anxiety, as well as (c) his developmental stages and how they lead to the mature personality.   

• Describe (a) Adler’s theory fully including key concepts.  Describe (b) Horney’s theory fully including key concepts.  Using the philosophical continua, as well as specific concepts from their theories, contrast Adler to Horney (c): where did they agree or take a similar approach?  Where did they diverge or utilize differing assumptions?

• Briefly describe each of Engler’s five dimensions of philosophical assumptions (a); choose one of those assumptions (continua) and describe how Freud differs from Adler on that dimension (b).  Be sure to indicate (c) what concepts you are basing your views upon and give a clear example in which their differences would impact the understanding of personality.

9/13/06

Just FYI, the following information was forwarded to me by Margaret Krantz at the Career Center.  It is from a local social worker and entails a possible job / good experience for someone with the right interests, etc.:

    My husband, Mike Brown from the Office of Admission, had given me your name and e-mail as a possible resource.  I am a care coordinator working with children with special health care needs at Madison Pediatrics.  We currently have a three year old patient, who has been newly diagnosed with autism.  His parents are pursuing doing a home-based therapy, applied behavioral analysis (ABA), with him.  It is a very intensive therapy, which is done 40 hours each week.  It involves four two hour shifts each day, Monday through Friday.  His mother, who is a stay at home mom, will be able to only do one shift each day due to also having two other young children in the home.  They are in need of volunteers, who may be paid if funding is approved, to assist with providing therapy.  The volunteers would be trained by an ABA consultant from the Lovaas Institute, who will do an initial evaluation and then provide monthly follow-up consultations.  We are inquiring if there may be students, who would be interested in working with this family.  This opportunity would be a valuable experience for students interested in psychology, pre-med, education, occupational and speech therapy.  I thought that I would begin with you in exploring the possibility of students assisting this nice family, who live in Hanover.  I would be happy to give more information regarding ABA therapy and the treatment plan for this young boy to you and/or professors, who may consider this opportunity for their students.  The boy's mother would also be happy to meet with you or interested faculty to answer any questions you may have.  I can be contacted via e-mail, brownn@kdhhs.org or phone, 273-5437, ext 294.  Thank-you for your time and consideration.

 

Nancy Brown, MSW, LSW

Pediatric Care Coordinator

Madison Pediatrics

King's Daughters' Hospital and Health Services

9/12/06

     For you History of Psychology buffs - the Clark U. photos of Freud and Jung are below, you will need Powerpoint to view them.  

Clark U. Archives

    In them,  you will see not only Freud and Jung, but also G. Stanley Hall, the first President of the American Psychological Assn who was also president of Clark.  In addition, there are photos of Anna Freud and some others from his 'inner circle.'  

9/7/06

     The write-up for your first Journal Assignment is now posted.  Please let me know if you have any trouble accessing it (or understanding it).  Start reading Freud's book now so you can go back over it again as you write the assignment next week. 

     In addition, the gradeboook is now up.  Please review it, let me know if you see any problems.

9/5/06

To help with managing all the work in this course, I suggest you attend the first learning center workshop: