Assessment

Tests. There will be three tests during the semester, plus a final exam. Your grade will be determined by the three best scores. At the final class, you will be given a provisional grade. If you are satisfied with that grade, you need not take the Final.

The questions on the tests and the final exam will consist of a mixture of multiple-choice and short-answer questions (click here for some examples). Each test will cover a separate section of the course. Questions on the final exam may come from any part of the course. Letter grades will be given for each test as a guide to your performance. Each test counts for 30% of your final grade.

Assignments. During the semester, we will design three class experiments relevant to issues raised in the lectures. The purpose and design of these experiments will be outlined in class. It is critical that you attend these classes since the design and purpose of these experiments will be explained in class (click here for dates).  You will be asked to design a set of materials, and to test two volunteer subjects (friends, family, etc). A brief report of each experiment is required.  This report must include a summary of the data, a brief description of the procedure, and copies of the materials used in the experiment. Click here for details.  Satisfactory completion of this requirement counts for 10% of your final grade. However, if you fail to complete all three assignments, you will receive an Incomplete.

Optional Extra Credit Report. Students may choose to write up one of the assignments as a formal report, using standard APA format (click here for an example). This must be handed in before the Final Exam. This report will be taken into account after your grade based on the tests, the final exam, and the assignments has been determined.  Click here for details.

Note: There is no penalty for not writing an optional extra credit report.

Weighting
Each test (including the Final): 30%
Assignments -- 10%

Grading policy. Grading will be carried out according to a curve, but the actual percentages of students in each category are not rigidly fixed. These are based in part on performance of students in previous classes, and an attempt is made to achieve comparability across years.

Based on previous years, approximately 15-18% of students will receive a grade of A, 20-25% will receive a B, 30-40% a C, 10-15% a D, and 4-6% an E. However, this can vary, and there is no reason why everyone in the class could not pass.