Psychology 2550A 650
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2021
Psychology 2550A Section 650
Introduction to Personality Theory and Research
Summer Distance (May 3 – July 23, 2021)
- CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
A survey of the history, methodology and content of the study of individual differences. Topics to be covered include: evaluation of typical personality assessment methods and a consideration of modern empirical research in personality theory and assessment.
Antirequisite: Psychology 2050 if taken before 2016.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. If you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisite: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Course Weight: 0.5
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Anita Feher | Email: afeher2@uwo.ca
Office Hours: By appointment via Zoom
Time and Location of Classes: Asynchronous online course (course material will be available on OWL).
NOTE: Each week, lecture materials will be made available Monday morning at 9:00 am (EDT).
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
The following textbook will be used for this course:
Title: Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature
Authors: Randy J. Larsen, David M. Buss, David King, Carolyn Ensley
Edition: 2nd Canadian Edition (this edition is required)
Link to textbook on UWO Bookstore:
https://bookstore.uwo.ca/textbook-search?campus=UWO&term=N2021&courses%5B0%5D=650_UW/PSY2550A
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course covers the history, methodology, and content of the study of personality and individual differences. Topics that will be covered in the course include an introduction to personality theories, an examination of frequently studied personality and individual difference variables, and a consideration of current research and assessment methods. Throughout the course, students will develop knowledge, understanding, and the ability to critically evaluate personality-relevant material.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
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Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.
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Knowledge of Methodologies.
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Application of Knowledge.
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5.0 EVALUATION
Midterm 1 (covers Weeks 1-4) = 25%
Midterm 2 (covers Weeks 5-8) = 25%
This course contains 2 asynchronous online Midterm exams:
- Midterm 1 will be available to complete asynchronously on June 1
- Midterm 2 will be available to complete asynchronously on June 29.
You will have a 24-hour window (from 12:00 am to 11:55pm EDT) to log into OWL and complete your Midterm exam. Once started, both Midterm 1 and Midterm 2 will have a time limit and cannot be paused or stopped, and students will not be able to return to questions that have already been presented. All students are required to compete the Midterms independently. Midterms will consist of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Both Midterms will be completed online through OWL. The Midterms are open-book format and will not be proctored.
Midterm 1 and Midterm 2 are designed to be non-cumulative and will cover lecture content and readings leading up to the Midterm. Midterm 1 will cover material from Week 1 to Week 4, and Midterm 2 will cover material from Week 5 to Week 8. However, due to the nature of the field of psychology, there may be overlap in concepts, ideas, and continuity of theory.
If students miss a Midterm exam, they will receive a grade of zero unless they have received approval from Academic Counselling/Dean’s Office regarding their absence or correctly used a Self-Reported Absence (SRA).
For students who have approval/used an SRA to miss the midterm: if students miss either Midterm 1 or Midterm 2, their grading will be redistributed (a re-weight on the final), so that their final exam will be worth 65% of their course grade.
If a situation arises where a student missed Midterm 1 (which will result in a re-weight on the final) and also missed Midterm 2, then a makeup exam will be offered for Midterm 2 only. Please refer to Section 9.0 in the syllabus for the university policy regarding make-up exams. Students who have received approval/used an SRA regarding their absence may reach out to the instructor to schedule a makeup exam time. Please note that the makeup midterm may consist of different types of questions than the original midterm (e.g., may contain short answer questions).
Final Exam (cumulative with a heavy emphasis on material from Weeks 9-12) = 40%
The final exam will be completed during the final exam period (please check the Exam Schedule/Class Announcements for the date and time). The final exam will be completed online through OWL. The final exam will have a time limit and cannot be paused or stopped, and students will not be able to return to questions that have already been presented. All students are required to complete the final exam independently. The final exam will consist of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. The Final Exam is open-book format and will not be proctored.
The final exam is designed to be cumulative, covering material from Week 1 to Week 12 (with a heavy emphasis on material from Week 9 to Week 12).
Makeup final exam: To avoid receiving a grade of zero, the final exam must be written on the assigned day and time, unless there is a legitimate and documented excuse for someone’s absence. Please refer to Section 9.0 in the syllabus for the university policy regarding make-up exams. Students who have received approval from Academic Counselling/Dean’s Office regarding their absence may reach out to the instructor to schedule a makeup exam time. Please note that the makeup exam may consist of different types of questions than the original final exam (e.g., may contain short answer questions).
Discussions = 10%
Discussions in the course will be assessed through participation in online discussion forums on OWL. Each week the instructor will create a discussion forum on OWL and post a discussion question.
Students are required to participate in five discussions throughout the course (worth 2% each). You can choose which weeks to participate, however only the first five discussions submitted will be graded. Please ensure you have properly completed five discussions before the end of term, as there are no make-up discussions.
Participation in discussions consists of providing two responses:
(1) a response to that week’s discussion question.
(2) a response to a classmate.
Students will be asked to respond by writing 250 - 350 words in response to the discussion question and to also write 250 – 350 words in response to one of their classmate’s answers. Discussion posts will be graded (assigned a grade out of 2) according to the quality of the discussion posts and held to an appropriate average. A grading rubric will be provided before the first discussion opens.
Each week, the discussion forum will open Monday morning at 9:00am (EDT) and close Friday evening at 11:55pm (EDT). Responses submitted after the forum has closed will not be graded.
Final grades in this class reflect student achievement. Per Department policy, grades that are close to the next grade level (e.g., 79%, 89%) will not be rounded up.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines, which are as follows (see: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf)
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Midterm 1: 25% (June 1)
Midterm 2: 25% (June 29)
Final Exam: 40% (Final Exam Period)
Discussions: 10% (throughout course)
Page Break
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
The following schedule is a guideline only and may be subject to change. Please ensure you monitor announcements on OWL in order to receive updates about any revisions.
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Lecture Topic |
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Week 1
Reading: Ch. 1
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Introduction to the Course and Personality
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- Discussions Week 1 |
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Week 2
Reading: Ch. 9 |
Psychodynamic Theories
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- Discussions Week 2 |
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Week 3
Reading: Ch. 12 (pages: 392-395) |
Behaviorist and Social-Cognitive Theories |
- Discussions Week 3 |
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Week 4
Reading: Ch. 11 (pages: 351-366) |
Humanistic Theories |
- Discussions Week 4
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Week 5
Reading: Ch. 3 |
Trait Theories
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- Discussions Week 5
- Midterm 1: June 1 |
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Week 6
Reading: Ch. 4/5 (select pages TBA) |
Personality Questions Answered
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- Discussions Week 6
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Week 7
Reading: Ch. 2 |
Research/Measurement
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- Discussions Week 7 |
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Week 8
Reading: Ch. 14 |
Personality & Self
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- Discussions Week 8
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Week 9
Reading: Ch. 15 (select pages TBA) |
Personality & Others |
- Discussions Week 9
- Midterm 2: June 29
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Week 10
Ch. 18 & 19 (select pages TBA) |
Personality & Health |
- Discussions Week 10
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Week 11
Ch. 12/13 pages: 396-399 & 430-436 |
Intelligence/Emotional Intelligence Guest Lecture: Dr. Tony Vernon
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- Discussions Week 11
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Week 12
No readings |
Applications of Personality
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- Discussions Week 12
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Final Exam: During Final Exam Period |
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8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offences. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
- For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
- must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.
10.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the term that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor.
11.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
12.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2021-2022 Calendar References
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
