Psychology Course Introduction and Semester Overview

Instructor Background and Academic History

• Doctor Carr is originally from Jamaica, which was once a British colony. Due to this background, the name is pronounced as Carr. A photo of Negril, Jamaica, is used as a backdrop for Zoom meetings.

• Academic credentials include:

  • Undergraduate degree from the University of West Indies in Jamaica.
  • Master’s degree completed in New York.
  • PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Alabama (Roll Tide).

• Professional experience includes:

  • Over $15$ years of teaching experience, beginning in Michigan at Michigan State while in graduate school.
  • Two years as a postdoc at the University of Florida before transitioning to a teaching role.
  • Residential history in Gainesville for approximately $9$ years.

• Family details related to the University of Florida:

  • Spouse is also a Doctor Carr, a faculty member in the Political Science department who previously attended Michigan State.
  • Two children attend PKL (P.K. Yonge), located near the sorority houses, and are considered gators.

Course Navigation and Communication

• Canvas and Syllabus: The course shell contains the Simple Syllabus and a tentative schedule timetable. The syllabus is regarded as the definitive guide (life/Bible) for the semester. Although the Canvas shell was only published within $20$ minutes of the start of the first class due to technical issues with eLearning, it is now live.

• Office Hours: Official hours are held Thursdays from $2:30$ to $3:30$ via Zoom. However, meetings can be scheduled via Calendly in $15\,minute$ reservations at various times depending on mutual availability. Face-to-face meetings may occur in the office building or at local coffee spots such as Opus.

• Schedule Flexibility: The timetable is tentative and subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, such as hurricanes which have affected fall semesters in Florida in previous years.

Grading and Evaluation Components

• The course possesses a total of approximately $275$ points.

• Weekly Discussion Posts:

  • There are approximately $7$ posts throughout the semester.
  • Students must watch a video, write an initial post ($4$ to $5$ sentences) regarding resonates with them, and respond to a classmate’s post.
  • Posts must be succinct; content extending to $2$ paragraphs should be edited down.
  • Discussion posts are considered low-stakes writing assignments.

• Online Chapter Quizzes:

  • There are $10$ quizzes total, and the $2$ lowest grades are dropped; only $8$ quizzes contribute to the final grade.
  • Each quiz contains $10$ multiple-choice questions.
  • Quizzes are open-note and open-book but are restricted to one attempt. They are untimed and not proctored by Honorlock since they constitute less than $10\%$ of the final grade.
  • Quizzes are typically due on Fridays by the end of the week, though they are usually opened the Monday prior.

• In-Person Exams:

  • There are $2$ multiple-choice exams covering the first and second halves of the semester, respectively.
  • Exam guides are released $3$ weeks before the exam date. These guides include topics in chronological order per chapter and practice questions with justifications for the correct answers.
  • A review session is held in class one period before the actual exam.

Mini Intervention Project Details

• This major writing assignment involves performing a behavioral intervention on oneself using quantitative data tracking and modification techniques (either reinforcement or punishment, though reinforcement is preferred).

• Project Components:

  1. Planning Assignment: Outlines the plan of action for the chosen behavior.
  2. Data Submission: Students must submit tracked data before the final paper.
  3. Final Assignment: A comprehensive report formatted according to APA standards.

• Behavioral Examples:

  • Reducing phone screen time (targeting a reduction from $3$ hours or $8$ hours per day).
  • Increasing daily water consumption.
  • Completing assignments $1$ week before the deadline.
  • Increasing exercise frequency.

Psychology Department Research Requirement (SONA)

• All students are required to gain research experience by participating as subjects in studies conducted by faculty members.

• SONA Credit Requirements:

  • Students must earn $15$ SONA credits (worth $15$ points).
  • The SONA system opens on September $2$ at $9:00\,AM$.
  • Credits must be earned by a specific deadline at the end of the semester.

• Age Restrictions and Alternatives:

  • Students under the age of $18$ cannot participate in SONA studies and must complete a critical analysis of $3$ research papers.
  • Students over $18$ may choose the critical analysis option but cannot "mix and match" between SONA credits and papers. The choice must be one or the other.

• Study Variety: Participation varies from online surveys to lab-based experiments involving EEG caps to measure brain activity or studies requiring specific profiles (e.g., smokers or individuals comfortable with graphic imagery).

Study Abroad: UF in Sweden

• A four-week hybrid study abroad program to Sweden is scheduled from May $10$ to June $4$ in $2027$.

• Academic Focus:

  • The program focuses on gerontology (the study of aging) and developmental psychology across the lifespan.
  • Students spend $3$ weeks in Gothenburg and $1$ week at the University of Jönköping (referred to as John Colton or John Copen).
  • The program examines how socialist state-driven social services (e.g., state-paid childcare, $2\,year$ paternal leave, elder care policies) impact cross-cultural development.

• Logistics and Costs:

  • Requirements include a $2.5$ GPA and completion of the current course.
  • Estimated cost is slightly under $6,000$ dollars, which includes accommodations (water cabins in Gothenburg), ground transportation, and some group meals.
  • Bright Futures can cover this $6\,credit$ course. Additional funding is available through Beyond$120$ ($1,500$ dollars minimum) and Psychology department scholarships.

Classroom Policies and Engagement

• Attendance and Slides: Attendance is strongly encouraged. Lecture slides are posted after class on Fridays to maintain student engagement (preventing the myth that attendance is unnecessary). Notes embedded in the PowerPoint files are only visible if the file is downloaded and viewed in presenter mode.

• Study Strategies: Students are advised to read the summary at the end of each textbook chapter first to identify main points before reading the full, dense chapter to fill in details. For every credit hour, students should dedicate at least $3$ hours of study outside of class.

• Pseudoscience and Myths: The course will address misconceptions, such as the myth from the movie Limitless stating humans only use $10\%$ of their brains.

• Class Meetings: Many Fridays do not have in-person meetings once discussion posts and quizzes are due online, giving students the class time ($15\,minutes$ of a period) to complete their work. However, the first few Fridays of the semester will meet in person.

Questions and Audience Interaction

• Miles: Asked if the research participant requirement must be psychology-related. The response clarified that all studies on SONA are conducted by faculty and are rooted in psychology, regardless of the specific topic (e.g., scuba diving or EEG brain activity).

• Henry: Inquired whether parents can sign off on SONA participation for minors (they cannot) and if SONA credits and the critical analysis paper can be combined (they cannot; it is not "a la carte").

• Cadence: Identified a typo in the timetable, noting it listed September $11$ (a Saturday) instead of Friday. The instructor confirmed the timetable should be followed and the PowerPoint would be corrected.

• Ian: Asked for clarification on the first quiz date. The first quiz on chapters $1$ and $2$ is due August $28$, with no discussion post due that week.

• Hayden: Requested permission to take audio recordings of lectures. The instructor noted that laws regarding recording have changed recently and promised to check the syllabus and current regulations before providing a definitive answer.

• Julia: Asked if the study abroad program is open to current freshmen. The instructor confirmed that by the summer of the program, current freshmen would be sophomores and thus eligible.

• Lucy: Asked if SONA studies are open to everyone. Profile requirements vary; some studies target specific demographics (e.g., gender, smokers) while others are broad.

• Liz and Diane: Discussed their majors (Public Health) and personal interests. Liz mentioned an interest in being an NFL talent scout and her favorite book, the Wicked series, noting it is far more detailed than the movie. They discussed the fantasy and "romantasy" genres, mentioning book series like ACOTAR and Sloth and Kellys. They also discussed their hometowns in Florida and New Jersey, with the New Jersey student expressing a dislike for the local drivers there.