MacIntroPsych Study Guide

Welcome to MacIntroPsych! We offer two introductory psychology courses at McMaster: Psych 1X03/1F03 and
Psych 1XX3/1FF3. Psych 1X03 and 1XX3 follow a blended learning model. This means you will experience a
combination of online learning technology with traditional face-to-face instruction. Psych 1F03 and 1FF3 cover
the same content as their counterparts, but do not have an in-person component. They use the same online
modules and textbook, but do not have a lecture or tutorial component.

On your way to the weekly quizzes, midterm and final exam, there are several resources available to help you
master the curriculum:

Course Handbook: Your course handbook contains valuable information regarding course structure, outlines,
and guides for the web modules. It has tons of practice questions, key slides, note guides, concept maps, and a
full set of flash cards! It can be purchased at the McMaster Campus Store.

Course Textbook: We use a digital textbook provided through TopHat. You can purchase your access code from
the McMaster Campus Store. The textbook contains required readings with testable material for the course.

Avenue to Learn: Your primary course content will be delivered through the Avenue learning management
system located at http://avenue.mcmaster.ca. Avenue allows you access to weekly web modules, course
announcements, discussion forums, and grade records. To access Avenue, use your MacID and password. Below
are some of the features of Avenue.

Web Modules: The most unique feature of MacIntroPsych is the way you receive your primary course content—
it’s all online! You can access the web modules from the library, your room, or anywhere you have an internet
connection. The interactive web modules feature audio, video animations, and vivid graphics. Check out the
many advanced features that allow you to interact with the content according to your personal learning
preferences. Use the navigation tools and integrated search function to move about the module. You can test
your knowledge with checkpoints, participate in class polls, and learn more about faculty related research. If you
are taking Psych 1X03 or 1XX3, be sure to view the assigned web modules before you attend your weekly lecture
and tutorial to stay on schedule, get points on the bonus quizzes, and actively participate.

Discussion Boards: More extended topic discussions are available on the Avenue Discussion Board. Join an
existing discussion or start a new thread. Our discussion boards are consistently the most active in comparison
to any other course on campus, so jump right in with your questions! They are monitored daily by TAs so it is a
fast way to get your content related questions answered.

Tutorials: If you are in Psych 1X03 or 1XX3, you will have a tutorial every week. You will join a small tutorial
section (capped at 26 students) led by a Teaching Assistant (TA) who is enrolled in or has completed PSYCH
3TT3: Applied Educational Psychology, a course designed specifically to help TAs lead effective tutorials and
guide you through MacIntroPsych. Each year, our TAs receive top ratings from students across campus so don’t
be shy to ask questions. If you think your TA is especially amazing, consider nominating them for the Kathy
Steele Award, which honours the top intropsych TA of the year. Your TA will guide discussions, lead activities
and demonstrations, and answer any questions you might have. Tutorials are updated each year by feedback
from students and TAs.

Lobby Hours: Have a question? Still confused about a specific concept? Need some one-on-one time? Drop by
during our office hours to speak with a TA. The times are posted on Avenue. If you have administrative questions
please visit Dr. Michelle Cadieux, the course coordinator, or send her an email ([email protected]). Her
office hours are updated on Avenue weekly.

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Taking Notes
Students often wonder (and worry) about how extensive their notes should be. The course handbook provides
outlines with key points and slides reproduced from the web modules to guide your own note taking. There
really is no substitute for doing this yourself to learn the material. If, however, you can refer to your notes and
answer the practice questions that follow the handbook outlines, you should find yourself in good shape for the
weekly quizzes and the exam to come.

Writing Tests
With practice questions in the handbook, pre-quizzes and quizzes, you might be wondering “why are there so
many tests?!”. The simple answer is that testing has been shown to be the most effective way to learn
information in the long term.

Retrieval-Enhanced Learning
Many students likely view testing as a negative necessity of their courses and would prefer to have as few tests
as possible. Thinking about testing this way is due to years of experiencing tests as a high-stakes assessment of
learning. This is unfortunate given the fact that testing improves learning. Over the past hundred years, research
on the characteristics of human learning and memory has demonstrated that practice testing enhances learning
and retention of information (e.g., Dunlosky et al., 2013; Roediger & Karpicke, 2006a). Practice testing can take
many forms. It can refer to practicing your recall of information by using flashcards, completing practice
problems or questions in a textbook, or completing low-stakes tests as part of a course requirement. This
principle was the primary motivation for redesigning the MacIntroPsych course to have weekly, low stakes
quizzes.

An excellent example of the power of testing memory comes from a study by Roediger and Karpicke (2006b),
wherein undergraduate students were presented with short, educationally relevant texts for initial study.
Following initial study, students either studied the material again or took a practice test. A final test was taken
after a short retention interval (5 minutes) or long retention interval (2 days). After a short retention interval,
restudying produced better recall than testing (81% vs. 75%). However, with the long retention interval, testing
produced significantly better recall than restudying (68% vs. 54%). Thus, after two days, performance declined
27% for students who restudied the material, but only 7% for students who practiced recall.

Interestingly, providing students with the correct answer feedback after a test enhances the positive effect of
testing. With feedback, learners are able to correct errors, and maintain their correct responses. Moreover,
taking a test and reviewing feedback can enhance future study sessions. Research shows that when a student
takes a test before restudying material, they learn more from the restudying session than if they restudy
without taking a test beforehand (e.g., Karpicke, 2009). This is called test-potentiated learning.

Why does testing improve retention of information and how can I use it?
Explanations for the positive effects of testing focus on how the act of retrieval affects memory. Specifically, it is
suggested that retrieving information leads to an elaboration of memory traces and the creation of additional
retrieval paths. Together these changes to memory systems make it more likely that the information will be
successfully retrieved again in the future. This suggests that testing is not just an assessment tool, but also an
effective learning tool.

As a student in this course, you can take advantage of retrieval enhanced learning each week in preparation for
your weekly Quiz. This begins with studying web module content early in the week (e.g., Sunday or Monday).
You can then engage in retrieval practice as a form of review after your initial study session. At this point you
should be ready to complete the pre-quiz and review the feedback (by Wednesday or Thursday). This gives you
the opportunity to take advantage of test-potentiated learning when you review content again before
completing your Quiz on Friday. This suggested schedule of studying, and incorporation of retrieval practice will
help you learn and retain the course content. Engaging in this process each week enhances your long-term

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memory for course content and therefore advances your preparations for the final exam!

Suggested further reading:

1. Dunlosky, et al., (2013). Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58.
2. Karpicke, J. D. (2009). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 138, 469–486.
3. Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006a). Psychological Science, 17, 249–255.
4. Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006b). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1, 181–210.

Multiple Choice Questions and Flashcards

Test questions can challenge you to demonstrate your mastery of course content through 3 levels of increasing
difficulty:

1. To remember psychological terms, concepts, theories, and methods.

2. To understand information that has been remembered.
3. To apply understood information to novel situations (this is called transfer and demonstrates true
mastery of learned material).

Let’s take a look at an example of a psychological concept you will learn:

Confounding Variable: An extraneous variable whose presence affects the variables being studied so that the
results do not reflect the actual relationship between the variables.

Here is a simple question that challenges your ability to remember the term:

1. Which of the following best describes a confounding variable?

a. A dependent variable whose absence affects the variables being studied so that the results do reflect
the actual relationship between variables.
b. An independent variable whose absence affects the variables being studied so that the results do not
reflect the actual relationship between variables.
c. An extraneous variable whose presence affects the variables being studied so that the results do reflect
the actual relationship between variables.
d. An extraneous variable whose presence affects the variables being studied so that the results do not
reflect the actual relationship between variables.

The correct answer is D, and knowing this requires the ability to remember (or look up) a word-for-word
definition of confounding variable taken directly from the course material

2. If a confounding variable is unnoticed, it can lead a researcher to:

a. Make a more accurate connection between an independent and dependent variable.
b. Make a more accurate connection between two independent variables.
c. Make an erroneous association between an independent and dependent variable.
d. Make an erroneous association between several confounding variables.

The correct answer is C, and knowing this requires the ability to understand information that has been
accurately remembered, because you must be able to recognize a definition of confounding variable that is
composed of different words than the original definition.

3. A researcher gives the same IQ test questions to a group of children and discovers that arm length is
positively correlated with number of correct responses. He concludes that longer arms lead to increased
intelligence. What confounding variable may account for this finding to weaken this conclusion?
a. Some children may have been purposely answering test questions incorrectly.
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 b. Arm length increases with age, so this study may demonstrate that older children outperform younger
children.
c. IQ is a hypothetical construct that may not accurately reflect intelligence.
d. IQ test questions may lack validity and reliability.

The correct answer is B, and knowing this requires the ability to apply understood information in a novel
situation.

Using flashcards effectively can be a solid method for efficiently building your knowledge to prepare for the
three types of test questions. On the back of each flashcard is a ready-prepared definition for the term to help
you remember. When studying, you should try to rework this definition into your own words to help you
understand. Finally, create an original example that illustrates the term to help you learn to apply.

To provide some additional help for effective use of the flashcards, we have included an additional set of cards
on the following page. These flashcards will require you to go deeper with the concepts thus increasing your
understanding and retention.

Bonus tip: One of the most robust findings in research on the science of learning is the distributed practice
effect, which shows the benefits of spreading out study sessions over time. Let’s say Thomas and Kristal both
spend 4 hours studying the same material for a test. Thomas distributes his practice by studying 1 hour a day for
4 days and Kristal crams all 4 of her study hours in one long study marathon the night before the test. Even with
time-on-task equated, Thomas will show significantly improved long-term benefits.

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Describe a movie/television scene Pick two cards and make a
that depicts this concept connection between the concepts

Describe this concept without using

any of the key words written on the Draw this concept
flashcard

How would you explain this concept What is the opposite of this
to a child? concept?

What situation in your life has Create a concept map with all of
depicted this concept? the cards from a module

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Campus Resources
The following are some of the resources available to McMaster University students. Read over each description
and familiarize yourself with what is available!

Student Accessibility Services

Student Accessibility Services offers various supports for students with disabilities. They work with full-time,
part-time, and prospective students. SAS assists with academic and disability-related needs, including learning
strategies, note-taking, assistive technologies, test & exam administration, accommodations for courses, groups,
and events.
Website: http://sas.mcmaster.ca/
Phone: 905-525-9140 ext. 28652
Teletypewriter (TTY): 905-528-4307
Email: [email protected]
Office: McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) - Basement, Room B107

Student Wellness Centre

The Student Wellness Centre offers medical & health services, personal counselling, and mental health services.
Medical & Health: The Student Wellness Centre provides a wide range of health services for students and will
act as their personal health care provider throughout their studies at McMaster. Appointment bookings should
be made ahead of time.
Personal Counselling & Mental Health: At some point, almost everyone experiences major concerns that may
interfere with their success, happiness, and satisfaction at university. Common concerns are relationships, mood
disorders, learning disabilities, body image, anxiety, and depression. The Student Wellness Centre provides
experienced counsellors for bookings and emergency appointments.
Website: http://wellness.mcmaster.ca/
Phone: 905-525-9140 ext. 27700
Email: [email protected]
Office: PGCLL 210/201

Emergency First Response Team (EFRT)

The McMaster Students Union Emergency First Response Team (EFRT) is a group of approximately 30 student
volunteers who provide emergency medical services to the McMaster Campus, with an average response time
of 2-3 minutes. All responders are certified Emergency Medical Responders, with more senior members being
trained in International Trauma Life Support (ITLS), and Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS). The EFRT is
available 24/7 throughout the academic year except Thanksgiving, Easter, the Holiday Break, and both Reading
Weeks.
Website: https://www.msumcmaster.ca/services-directory/7-emergency-first-response-team-efrt
Phone: “88” from any campus phone or 905-522-4135 on any cell phone

The MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching

This institute is designed to enable success in teaching and learning. Their activities include both general and
discipline-specific approaches to the promotion of successful learning in all its forms and contexts.
Website: mi.mcmaster.ca
Phone: 905-525-9140 ext. 24540
Office: Mills Library L504

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Academic Advising in PNB
Jennifer Nettleton is the academic advisor for anyone in the PNB department at McMaster. She has a lot of
knowledge about upper-year courses and can help you make the best decisions about what courses to take.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 905-525-9140 ext. 23005
Office: PC 109

Note: For academic advising for other departments, visit your faculty’s website (Social Science, Science,
Engineering, etc.) for more information.

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A Note from Dr. Joe Kim
We have many talented and passionate members of the Instructional Staff and Development Team that work
hard to bring you an outstanding course experience. MacIntroPsych was honoured with the 2010 President’s
Award for Excellence in Course and Resource Design. Our unique IntroPsych Program has been the topic of
academic study and received widespread media attention in the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CHCH News, and
Maclean’s (not to mention Mac’s own Daily News). Importantly, the continual development of the
MacIntroPsych Blended Learning Environment model is supported by ongoing research. As the Director of the
Education & Cognition Laboratory (EdCog Lab), I am actively interested in teaching, learning, and technology
from both an academic and a practical perspective. For more information, visit https://edcog.ca/index.html

University can sometimes seem like an impersonal and strange place, especially for Level 1 students who are
dealing with many adjustments. I hope that in exploring the course resources, you will not forget that there is a
real live faculty member responsible for the MacIntroPsych Program—me! I have regular office hours (posted
weekly on Avenue) set aside solely to give me a chance to meet and talk with you. If you have a question,
comment, complaint, concern, or just want to see and chat with a live faculty member, do come. Many students
are reluctant to talk to a faculty member outside of class. Don't give in to the feeling! I have had many great
conversations with students that have started off with a supposedly “silly” question.

As a Teaching Professor, my primary responsibilities are teaching and interacting with students; even my area of
research interest concerns pedagogy—the formal study of teaching and learning. My goal is to help you
understand and appreciate some of the really interesting and important things that we know (or think we know)
about human thought and behaviour. In most fields—and as you will see, certainly in psychology—the simplest
questions are often the most important and difficult to answer.

One last piece of advice—get involved in the course! MacIntroPsych is a fascinating world waiting to be explored
by you! Keep up with the web modules, actively participate in tutorials, join the discussion forums, and watch
the PNB talks on MacIntroPsych.com. It really will make all the difference. Following each web module, I would
also encourage you to participate in the feedback surveys. Many of the most popular interactive features were
suggested by students just like you. I really do read every single comment and they have contributed
enormously to minor and major changes made to all aspects of the course, and this includes the very course
handbook you hold in your hands.

On behalf of all the wonderful people that work hard on the frontlines and behind the scenes, best of luck and
have a great year!

Dr. Joe Kim