Introduction to Psychology

Lesson Plan

Week 1 – Introduction 👋

Welcomed students to the recitation, went over the syllabus and expectations, and discussed study resources (Dennis Learning Center). Students learned the SMART goal framework and set a study goal for the semester. Closed with an icebreaker questionnaire to surface their intuitions about psychology topics.

Week 2 – Research Methods 🔬

Students worked in groups to design a psychology experiment from scratch: choosing a topic, writing a hypothesis, identifying variables, and planning data collection and analysis. Groups presented their designs to the class and gave each other feedback.

Week 3 – Biological Foundations 🧠

Students reviewed neuroanatomy in groups using their textbooks and notes, then competed in a Brain Game where they had to identify brain regions based on symptom descriptions and label structures on unlabeled diagrams.

Week 4 – Sensation and Perception 👁️

Each group was assigned a sensory illusion (visual, auditory, tactile, or multisensory) to research and explain. They added a slide to a shared PowerPoint illustrating the illusion and the neuroscience behind it, then presented to the class.

Week 5 – States of Consciousness 💊

Groups each researched a specific drug (from the book Buzzed), covering how it moves through the body, its effects on the brain and behavior, overdose risks, chronic exposure, dangerous interactions, therapeutic uses, common myths, and harm reduction strategies. Each group presented their findings.

Week 6 – Health Psychology 🌱

Groups were assigned a well-being domain (sleep, diet, stress, time management, social relationships, or finance) and designed a small, specific habit change for college students. They identified barriers and solutions, and described how they’d communicate the habit to someone at each stage of the Stages of Change model.

Week 7 – Happiness Research 😊

Students each selected a research paper on happiness from a curated list, summarized its motivation, methods, results, and main takeaway, and then reflected on how to apply the findings to their own lives including identifying potential obstacles and “if…then…” strategies to overcome them. They shared findings in a group discussion.

Week 8 – Learning 📱

Groups analyzed a specific technology (e.g., Instagram, Duolingo, Fitbit, Netflix) through the lens of operant conditioning — identifying the behaviors it reinforces, the reinforcement schedules it uses, and its ethical implications. They then proposed design changes to better align with users’ actual goals.

Week 9 – Memory 🗂️

Students participated in live classroom demonstrations of key memory strategies: deep vs. shallow processing, the self-reference effect, the spacing effect, the testing effect, imagery, mnemonics, and the generation effect. Groups were split into conditions to experience the memory differences firsthand.

Week 10 – Moral Psychology 🤔

Students took the moral foundations questionnaire and discussed in groups how different moral foundations (fairness, care, loyalty, authority, purity) shape moral judgment. They then explored the trolley problem through an interactive experiment, worked through scenarios from the Moral Machine Experiment, and discussed the research paper behind it.

Week 11 – Personality 🤖

Students took the Big Five personality test, then predicted a peer’s scores and used ChatGPT to predict their own scores from a writing sample. They calculated RMSE to compare which prediction source (peer or AI) was more accurate, and discussed the ethical implications of AI-based personality assessment.

Week 12 – Social Psychology 📰

Focused on media literacy and disinformation. Students played the Bad News game to experience six disinformation strategies firsthand, reviewed common propaganda techniques from Propaganda Critic, and then found real social media examples illustrating each technique. They learned how to spot fake news and bots.

Week 13 – Disorders 🪜

Students applied concepts from anxiety and exposure therapy by identifying a personal mild fear, building a fear hierarchy of scenarios ranked by anxiety intensity (0–100), and designing a step-by-step exposure plan with strategies like deep breathing and positive self-talk. Plans were shared and discussed with a partner.