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| Decision Making PSYC 3050-01, Spring 2003 Meets TTh 01:30-03:10pm in Sullivan-Harrell Hall, Room 321 Instructor: Xavier Sonnerat Office: Sullivan-Harrell Hall, Room 385 Office Hours: MWF afternoons; drop by or schedule an appointment Phone: 974-1384 Email: xav_son_psy@hotmail.com Required Text: Hastie, R., & Dawes, R. M. (2001). Rational Choice in an Uncertain World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Additional readings may be assigned in class throughout the semester Course Description and Objectives: This course will introduce you to research on judgment and decision making. As conscious beings, we often think that we make rational choices. However, we are often unaware of the many biases associated with our thinking and decision making abilities. Indeed, memory, perception, attitudes, and phrasing often influence our thinking in implicit ways, and they prevent us from making optimal decisions. Throughout the semester we will study these biases so that you can gain insights into your own decision making abilities and this will hopefully lead you to make better choices in your daily life. Course Format: This is your class. True learning can only occur by processing new information actively. In other words, passively listening to a lecture and taking notes does not lead to a good understanding of information. Thus, your book and other assigned readings will provide you with basic “factual” information, and class time will be used to discuss this material, compare different points of view, integrate the information with prior knowledge, and participate in activities that illustrate important concepts. Your role in building a good learning environment is crucial. You will be expected to have read all assigned materials prior to class and to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with the class in an open-minded fashion so that we can all learn from each other. You will also be expected to come to class with questions regarding what you read, so that we can spend time going over concepts that are difficult to understand, and focus on issues that the class thinks are most important. Course Requirements: 1. Attendance It would be a mistake not to attend every class, as, due to the class format discussed above, you would miss many important aspects of the course. Although reading the book is necessary to learn information, it is in no way sufficient to gain a satisfactory understanding of the material. The exams will be structured to test your understanding of psychological processes and your ability to apply this knowledge. Not attending class will prevent you from participating in discussions and activities, which could greatly impair you and affect your participation grade. Every time you miss class without excusing your absence, 2 points will be taken off your participation/attendance grade. If you were to miss class for any reason, it would be your responsibility to see me and inquire about what was done in class and whether you missed an assignment. You should also ask your classmates for their notes. Please warn me in advance if you know you are going to miss a class. Also, please be courteous of everybody in the class by arriving promptly and not disrupting class. Being consistently late would also impact your attendance grade. 2. Exams A. Regular Exams A midterm and a final exam will be given during the semester. Each of them will focus on materials covered in the assigned chapters. Exams will consist of multiple-choice items, short-answer questions, as well as essay questions designed to test your critical thinking skills and how well you can apply your knowledge to practical situations. Questions will focus on basic information covered in your book, lecture materials, and major themes brought up in discussions. Details about how to study efficiently for these exams will be discussed in class throughout the semester. Please feel free to see me if you have any concerns regarding the tests. B. Make-Up Exams If you know you are going to miss an exam, please see me as soon as possible so that we can make the necessary arrangements for you to take the test early. If you do not notify me of your absence early enough, or if you miss the exam altogether, you will be given the opportunity to take a make-up test if and only if you bring me the written proof of an extreme case of emergency. If you miss the exam and do not take the make-up test you will be given a 0. In any case, a make-up test must be taken before the next test is given. 3. Activities/In-Class Exercises/Participation Throughout the semester you will have the opportunity to take part in several kinds of activities such as watching videos, discussing key issues in small groups, and writing on critical thinking questions related to the materials presented in the book and discussed in class. Active participation in these activities will affect your final grade. 4. Research Paper An APA (American Psychological Association) research paper will be required. The paper will follow the format used in most psychological journals and will be based on research that you conduct. Although the experiments will be designed and conducted as a group of up to 4 people, each person in the group will turn in their own paper. The format required for the paper and the group assignments will be discussed in class in detail. All paper topics must be approved by me and you should therefore schedule an appointment the first week of the semester to discuss what you want to do. On February 20, the Introduction and Method sections of the paper will be due, and you will then start collecting data (If you do not hand in the paper by this date, you will lose 25 points per day on this section). I will provide feedback on this section and it will be graded. Data collection must be completed by April 1, and you should schedule another appointment to discuss the way you will analyze your data. The final paper (including the revised version of the introduction and method, and the new results and discussion sections) is due on April 22. If you do not hand in the paper by this date, you will lose 25 points per day. There will be no exceptions to the above policies. Please feel free to talk with me about your paper or experiments at any point in the process, and to show me some drafts before you turn in any section of the paper. The goal of the exercise is not to let you write a paper out of thin air and to criticize you about it at the end but to assist you step by step in the writing of a good research paper. Thus, I'll always be open to offer any guidance or advice, even for the graded sections of this project. For your information: Take advantage of the Writing Center for your paper! They can help. The Writing Center is located in John Stone Hall. Its hours are Monday through Thursday 2-5 and 6-9, Thursday and Friday 10-1, and Sunday 6-9. For more info go to http://www.millsaps.edu/dean/writing/center_info.htm 5. Assignments for Extra Credit You will be given the opportunity to participate in experiments done in the psychology department throughout the semester. You will earn 1 extra credit point for each experiment you participate in. Alternatively, you can write a 1-2 page reaction paper on any of the chapters assigned. You will earn 1 point for good papers, 0.5 point for average papers, and 0 point for poor papers. You can have a maximum of 5 extra credit points per half semester, and these will be added to your exam scores. Email Account: Every student at Millsaps College has a user-ID. For this course you are required to activate this account and check your email. I often email the class due dates for assignments, reminders, or class changes through email. It is your responsibility to check your email for this information. Course Grade: The grade for the course will be determined as follows: Participation/Attendance 10 % of final grade Introduction & Method 10 % of final grade Research Paper 20 % of final grade Exams 60 % of final grade (30% each) Grading Scale: No curve will be used to compute your grades. Grades will be rounded to the nearest whole number (decimal value of .50 and above will be rounded up, and decimal values of .49 and below will be rounded down). A 93-100 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66 A- 90-92 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 D- 60-62 B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69 F 59 & below Format for writing assignments: All assigned papers should be typed in ‘Times New Roman’ 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins at the top and bottom and 1- to 1.25-inch margins on the left and right (default setting on Word and Word Perfect). Using another format will result in loss of points on the grade. Academic Misconduct: Millsaps College takes the Honors Code very seriously. Academic misconduct, such as cheating on exams or plagiarizing papers, will be promptly reported to the Honors Council. Special Needs: If you need special assistance in the classroom due to a disability of any kind, please inform me of what I could do to assist you as soon as possible. Academic Honor Code of Millsaps College: Millsaps College is an academic community dedicated to the pursuit of scholarly inquiry and intellectual growth. The foundation of this community is a spirit of personal honesty and mutual trust. Through their Honor Code, the students of Millsaps College affirm their adherence to these basic ethical principles. An Honor Code is not simply a set of rules and procedures governing the students' academic conduct. It is an opportunity to put personal responsibility and integrity into action. When students agree to abide by an Honor Code, they liberate themselves to pursue their academic goals in an atmosphere of mutual confidence and respect. The success of the Code depends on the support of each member of the community. Students and faculty alike commit themselves in their work to principles of academic honesty. When they become aware of infractions, both students and faculty are obligated to report them to the Honor Council, which is responsible for enforcement. The pledge signed by all students upon entering the College is as follows: As a Millsaps College student, I hereby affirm that I understand the Honor Code and am aware of its implications and of my responsibility to the Code. In the interests of expanding the atmosphere of respect and trust in the College, I promise to uphold the Honor Code and I will not tolerate dishonest behavior in myself or in others. Each examination, quiz, or other assignment that is to be graded will carry the pledge: "I hereby certify that I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment. (Signature)" The abbreviation "Pledged" followed by the student's signature has the same meaning and may be acceptable on assignments other than final examinations. It is the responsibility of students and faculty to report offenses to the Honor Code Council in the form of a written report. This account must be signed, the accusation explained in as much detail as possible, and submitted to the Dean of the College. Note: Although I did my best to provide accurate information in this syllabus, I reserve the right to make changes at any time if they become necessary. The following tentative schedule may also be modified in the future to allow flexibility for the class’ special needs and interests. I will give you as much notice as possible if any changes are made, and an updated version of this syllabus will always be posted on the class website at http://www.oocities.org/xavsonnerat/PSYC3050. Although I put a lot of thought into preparing this course, please feel free to share your ideas with me about ways to improve it at any point during the semester. As stated above, this is your class and you should see me as an instrument you can use to enhance your learning experience. Any constructive feedback will always be appreciated. Tentative Schedule Date Assignments January Tues 14 Course overview Thur 16 Chapter 1; Form groups; schedule appointment to discuss your paper topic. Think about a topic before you come! Tues 21 Chapter 2 Thur 23 Chapter 2 Tues 28 Chapter 3 Thur 30 Chapter 3 February Tues 4 Chapter 4 Thur 6 Chapter 4 Tues 11 Chapter 5 Thur 13 Chapter 6 Tues 18 Chapter 7 Thur 20 Introduction and Method sections due Tues 25 Review Thur 27 Test March Tues 4 Chapter 8 Thur 6 Tues 11 NO CLASS: Spring Break Thur 13 NO CLASS: Spring Break Tues 18 Thur 20 Chapter 9 Tues 25 Chapter 10 Thur 27 Chapter 10 April Tues 1 Chapter 11; Schedule appointment to discuss results Thur 3 Chapter 11 Tues 8 Chapter 12 Thur 10 Chapter 12 Tues 15 Chapter 13 Thur 17 Tues 22 Chapter 14; Research Paper due Thur 24 Review Fri 25 Extra credit opportunity: Attend Jay Nussbaum's talk in AC 215. May Thur 1 Final Exam @ 2pm |
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