Psyc 104: Learning
Spring, 2006
TR, 10:30-11:45 am; AMD-151

Professor: Dr. Wickelgren
E-mail: wickelgren@csus.edu
Office: AMD 363D
Phone: 278-6871 (but e-mail is the best way to contact me)
Office Hours: Wednesdays 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Teaching Assistant: Lindsey Olds
E-mail: soccergrl6757@yahoo.com
Office: AMD 117 (go through the doors marked "Authorized Personnell Only)
Office Hours: Tuesdays from 12:00 - 1:00 pm

Required Texts:

• Powell, R.A., Symbaluk, D.G., & MacDonald, S.E. (2005). Introduction to Learning and Behavior. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth Publishers. (a copy of this text is on reserve at the library)
• Alloway, Wilson, & Graham (2005). Sniffy, the Virtual Rat, Pro Version 2.0 (with CD-ROM). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth Publishers. (this program allows you to condition a virtual rat on the computer). You will need access to a compuer on which you can install the sniffy program.

Class Web Page:

http://www.csus.edu/indiv/w/wickelgren/psyc104/psyc104.html

The class web page contains:

• lecture outlines: Copies of the lecture outlines will be available on the class web page. You should print these out before coming to class when possible. I will try to get these up as much before class as possible, but sometimes due to time constraints you may have to take notes on normal paper and then relate it back to the printouts sometime after class. Note that these are not the complete lectures in their entirety; you will need to take notes on them during class. I say many things that are not necessarily written on those sheets, so relying on someone else's notes without coming to class will put you at a disadvantage. If you do have to miss class, you should find a friend in the class to copy the notes from, and then ask me questions about the material. I will not have lecture notes available to copy during my office hours.

• any announcements I have for the class
• exam study guides
• in-class lab and/or homework assignments
• grades

Grading:

Exams: This course is divided into four sections. There will one exam after each section of the course, and will cover only the material from that section. These four exams will include true/false, multiple-choice, and short answer questions. Each exam will be worth 15% of your final grade (100 points each). There is no extra credit in this class and there are no curves on individual exams.

You will be allowed to drop the lowest of your first 4 exams (over the four sections of the course). Due to this, make-up exams will not be given for any reason (illness, being unprepared, accidents, etc.) If you miss one of the first four exams it will count as your lowest grade (a zero) and be dropped. If you miss a second exam due to an emergency (accidentally over sleeping or bad traffic doesn't count) and have supporting documentation, you will be allowed to make up that exam. You must contact me within a day of the exam that was missed, however, to reschedule or you forfeit your right to take it late. The final is mandatory and will count towards your grade (no substitutions). A make-up for the final will only be given if a documented emergency arises. There must be documentation proving the emergency overlapped the time slot for the final.

Old exams will be turned back in class for students to look over, but must be turned back before the students leave the room. If an exam is not turned back, it will automatically turn to a zero and will not be counted as the grade that will drop (i.e. the second lowest grade will instead be dropped, and the zero will be factored into your grade).

Final Exam: During finals week there will be a comprehensive final exam over material from the entire course. The final exam will consist of true/false multiple choice, and short answer questions.

Assignments: Throughout the course there will occasionally be in-class and out-of-class assignments. Homeworks will be posted on the class web page. Some homeworks will be based on the Sniffy the Virtual Rat program. You should leave yourself plenty of time to complete these assignments as some can be lengthy to run. Some homeworks may require attendance in class to complete them. If you miss an activity due to absence (for any reason), it cannot be made up (and no other work can substitute for that missed activity). Assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class, and no late work will be accepted (for any reason--even computer problems). Homework may be turned in early if you know you'll miss a class. Unless otherwise specified, all homeworks must be typed when turned in. If they are not typed, it will automatically be reduced by 10%. If you choose to email your assignment to me, it must be received in my email before the start of class. If I receive it after the start (no matter when you mailed it), then it will be counted as late and will not be accepted.

Extra Credit: There is no extra credit available in this course, with no exceptions, so make sure you plan ahead and keep track of your progress. If you find that you are not doing as well as you would like, make sure you come and talk with me so that we can discuss techniques to help get you back on track.

Point distrubution:

You final grade will be determined by the percentage of points you receive out of the 600. Conventional rounding procedures will be used to determine your final percentage (i.e. .5 is rounded up, while a .4 is rounded down). If the class average is exceptionally low, then the distribution of grades will be shifted up until a C average is achieved. I will notify you if this procedure is used.

*An A+ is recorded as an A on your transcript since the university doesn't have the distinction between an A and A+.

• Day-by-Day Schedule of Events (topic dates approximate; exam dates fixed).

Class Policies:

Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct- Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Plagiarism involves using another person's ideas or written text without crediting or citing the source properly. Presenting another person's work as your own without citation or reference is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism on the assignments and/or cheating on exams will result in an automatic zero on the assignment and an F in the class, and you will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs.

Incompletes: Incompletes will only be given if you meet the requirements of the policy as stated in the course catalog.

Disclaimer: Information in this syllabus is subject to change at any time. Any changes will be announced in class and posted on the announcements portion of the class web page. Although such announcements will be made in advance, it is your responsibility, not the professor's, to attend to these announcements. If you do not attend class and/or don't view the web page frequently, you assume the responsibility for missing changes in the course such as due dates.

Etiquette: I have always been impressed by the high degree of mutual respect shown by students in my classes. Nevertheless, here are a few obvious standards of classroom etiquette. Do not talk with another student while the professor or other students are addressing the class. Do not come in late and do not leave early (or discuss it with me first if you must). Do not walk in front of the class once lectures have started. Cellular phones and beepers should be turned off during class, unless your phone is for urgent/emergency calls only. No walkmans or discmans are permitted during exams or lectures. Please do not read newspapers or other materials unrelated to class during lecture, as it is distracting to other students (and to the professor).