Tentative Lecture & Lab Schedule
Psychology 104 “Science, Pseudoscience, and Belief”
Fall, 2007
(Updated: 8/29/07)
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Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
1 |
9/3 |
1 |
Opinion questionnaire. Hand out & discuss syllabus. Goals. |
Chap 1: Stanovich |
|
LAB 1 |
No meeting, just complete MBTI assignment and email your results to Dr. Reid |
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|
9/5 |
2 |
The Freud problem. Characteristics of science. Handout: Hume's Maxim |
Chap
2: Stanovich |
|
|
9/7 |
3 |
Testing explanations. Evaluating extraordinary claims. Hume's Maxim. Handout: Next on Oprah |
Chap 3: Stanovich |
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|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
2 |
9/10 |
4 |
Scientific method circle. Hypothetico-deductive method. Evaluating historical claims. | Chap 4: Stanovich |
|
LAB 2 |
Psychic lab: Learn the techniques of psychic ability. Video clips. Practice these techniques over the week. Describe narrative. | Write narrative. (due next lab) | ||
|
9/12 |
5 |
Testimonials and case study evidence. Placebo effects. | Chap 5: Stanovich | |
|
9/14 |
6 |
Correlation and causation. 3rd variable problem. Pellegra. | Chap 6: Stanovich | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
3 |
9/17 |
7 |
Facilitated communication. 2 handouts: Dowsing newspaper clip and letter to editor assignment (due Wed) | Chap 7: Stanovich Letter to editor |
|
LAB 3 |
Student presentations of psychic ability. Then, Dowsing lab. Video clip. Double-blind controls. |
Write up study. (due next lab) | ||
|
9/19 |
8 |
Discuss letters. Intuitive physics. Artificiality. Hand out study guide. What will the exam expect of you? | Study for Exam 1 | |
|
9/21 |
9 |
Review for exam | Study for Exam 1 | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
4 |
9/24 |
10 |
Exam 1 Covering Chap 1-7 in Stanovich and notes. |
Chap 8: Stanovich |
|
LAB 4 |
Astrology lab. | no assignment | ||
|
9/26 |
11 |
Can you believe what you personally experience? -- Perceptual Illusions | Chap 9: Stanovich | |
|
9/28 |
12 |
Can you believe what you personally experience? -- Cognitive Illusions | Chap 10: Stanovich | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
5 |
10/1 |
13 |
Various cognitive errors: Person-who statistic; base rate problem; inverting conditional probabilities | Chap 11: Stanovich |
|
LAB 5 |
Streak-shooting lab. Purpose of infer. statistics. Statistical test. | Write up study. (due next lab) | ||
|
10/3 |
14 |
Video: Divided memories: Evaluating extraordinary claims involving memory and hypnosis | Chap 12: Stanovich | |
|
10/5 |
15 |
Can you believe what you personally experience? -- Memory Illusions. Hand out study guide. | Study for Exam 2 | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
6 |
10/8 |
16 |
Review for exam | Study for Exam 2 |
|
LAB 6 |
Jigsaw classroom -- review for exam | |||
|
10/10 |
17 |
Exam 2 Covering Chap 8-12 in Stanovich and notes. | Read Part 1 of History of Science handout. Create PowerPoint slides. | |
|
10/12 |
18 |
Early interactions between church and science, Part 1 Students present main characters. |
Read Part 2 of Handout | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
7 |
10/15 |
19 |
Early interactions between church and science, Part 2 Students present main characters. |
Miller: 1-17 |
|
LAB 7 |
Memory lab #1 | |||
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10/17 |
20 |
Lunch together -- Chinese buffet!!!! | ||
|
10/19 |
|
Darwin's dangerous idea? Introduction to evolution.ppt |
Miller: 18-36 | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
8 |
10/22 |
22 |
Scientific materialism. Relations between species.ppt. | Miller: 36-56 |
|
LAB 8 |
Memory lab #2 | |||
|
10/24 |
23 |
Evolution as a creative force |
Miller:
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|
10/26 |
|
Fall Academic Holiday – no class |
|
|
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
9 |
10/29 |
24 |
How can we know how old the Earth is? | Miller: 81-103 |
|
LAB 9 |
Film: Evolution: What about God? | |||
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10/31 |
25 |
The Sorcerer's Apprentice | Miller: 103-128 | |
|
11/2 |
26 |
Micro versus macro evolution? | Miller: 129-144 | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
10 |
11/5 |
27 |
God the Mechanic | Miller: 145-164 |
|
LAB 10 |
The evolution of humans from lower forms. Video: Humans: Who Are We? (2 hours) | |||
|
11/7 |
28 |
Blowing Behe's thesis. Review. |
|
|
|
11/9 |
29 |
Exam 3 Covering Chap 1-5 in Miller and notes. | Miller: 165-191 | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
11 |
11/12 |
30 |
"Nothing but blind, pitiless indifference?" | Miller: 192-219 |
|
LAB 11 |
TBA | |||
|
11/14 |
31 |
Beyond materialism: Quantum mechanics gives free will? | reread pp. 192-219 | |
|
11/16 |
32 |
Belief, because of evolution? | Miller: 220-243 | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
12 |
11/19 |
33 |
Sheer luck, versus part of plan? |
Miller: 243-259 |
|
LAB |
Video: Evolution: The evolutionary arms race. Selection pressures that produce competition, mutualism, reciprocal altruism, kin selection, etc. Can deadly viruses be tamed by domestication? Also: Personality lab w/ MBTI. |
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11/21 |
|
Thanksgiving Vacation
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|
|
11/23 |
|
Thanksgiving Vacation |
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|
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
13 |
11/26 |
34 |
Why should God intervene? | Miller: 260-275 |
| LAB 13 | TBA | |||
|
11/28 |
|
Discuss contribution of emotion to religious belief. Capgras Illusion video clip. Can nature be self-sufficient? | Miller: 276-end | |
|
11/30 |
|
What are miracles, then? | Start preparing for exam | |
|
Week |
Date |
Class |
Tentative Class Plans |
Assignment |
|
14 |
12/3 |
37 |
Is science an obstacle to religious belief? | Read article |
|
LAB |
Study session for Final Exam. | Study for exam | ||
|
12/5 |
38 |
Discuss: Cognitive psychology of belief in the supernatural |
Study for exam |
|
|
12/7 |
39 |
Tying things together and review. |
Study for exam |
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|
|
12/13 |
40 |
Final Exam: 2:00-5:00 (Comprehensive) |
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