Personality Theory

Last Updated: Mon, 12/29/2025
Course prefix:
PSYC
Course number:
2240
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

This is a course on the psychology of personality. It covers the major theoretical approaches to the study of human personality and encourages an evaluation of these approaches in the light of relevant empirical research. It is an upper-division course for which a course in introductory psychology is a prerequisite, and a course in psychological statistics is useful but not required. For maximum efficiency, you’ll need to do two things 1) BE ACTIVE AND ENGAGED. Some of the information discussed in lectures will be reinforced by the outside readings, but the majority will not. You’ll need to participate daily to grasp an understanding of this growing field of psychology. 2) ATTEND LECTURE. The material is dense and you will be expected to know it. You will need to develop a command of the topics, not just a general understanding. This course is going to challenge you to think critically; to integrate what you are learning about personality psychology and the rigor of experimental psychology. We will be talking about real human dilemmas.

Course learning outcomes:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Evaluate empirical personality research by identifying research questions, methods, findings, and limitations in peer-reviewed studies.
  2. Analyze personality from multiple theoretical perspectives, including trait, situational, biological, developmental, and social-cognitive approaches.
  3. Apply personality research to real-world contexts (e.g., work, health, relationships, culture) while recognizing ethical boundaries and risks of misuse.
  4. Integrate evidence across studies to form qualified, evidence-based claims about personality, rather than relying on intuition or single studies.
  5. Revise and refine interpretations of personality as new evidence is introduced, demonstrating intellectual flexibility and scientific reasoning.
  6. Communicate psychological analysis clearly and professionally in both written (portfolio entries, worksheets) and oral (analytical presentations) formats.
  7. Collaborate effectively in small groups to discuss, evaluate, and present scientific evidence.
Required course materials:

There is not a required textbook for this course (reference text posted to Canvas), however you are required to read several empirical articles in addition to other assigned readings. 

Grading policy:

Grading
Assessment    How Many?    Points    Total
Content Quizzes    5    15 pts each    75
Analytical Presentation    2    15 pts each    30
Group Article Analysis    5    12 pts each    60
Character Analysis    1    30 pts    30
Exams    3    75 pts each    225
TOTAL            420

Course Points    Letter Grade
420 - 378    A
377 - 336    B
335 - 294    C *needed for P/F
293 - 252    D
< 251    F
 

Attendance policy:

Institute approved absences: This absence is usually for a GT event (conference, sports event, etc). You must submit this form at least 5 days prior to the absence and get me the approval ASAP: https://registrar.gatech.edu/info/institute-approved-absence-form-for-students

Personal emergencies: Students may need to miss classes due to personal emergencies such as being hospitalized or being in a car accident. The Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students can assist students with documented emergencies by contacting professors on behalf of the student. For more information, please call the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students or complete this form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?GeorgiaTech=&layout_id=3

Religious holidays: Please contact the Instructor ASAP to reschedule missed work.

Illness: If you are sick, you are responsible to get class notes from a student in class. Because all group article analyses are done in-person, there is no way for you to makeup this collaboration later. Luckily, one of these activities is dropped from your grade without penalty (i.e. there are a total of 6 group submissions, with only 5 required to calculate your final grade). 

Evidence of your requested approval letters from either the Registrar or the Deans Office must be in my inbox on the same day or earlier of the assignment/class due date. Once the approval is granted, missed work must be made up within 5 business days of the date on the approved documentation. Otherwise, there is no late work accepted for any unverified reason. 

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Social Sciences area.

  

Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.  

  

This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question: 

  • How do I understand human experiences and connections?  

  

Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome: 

  • Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.  

  

Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies: 

  • Intercultural Competence 
  • Perspective-Taking 
  • Persuasion  
Instructor First Name:
Christopher
Instructor Last Name:
Stanzione
Section:
A
CRN (you may add up to five):
33444
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Psychology

Research Methods

Last Updated: Sun, 12/21/2025
Course prefix:
PSYC
Course number:
2015
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

The official description of this course is: “Introduction to methods used in conducting research on human behavior. Experimental research is emphasized, but the course covers other methods and some statistics.” 

This course involves a lecture component and a lab component. 

During lectures, students will learn about the scientific methods as it is applied to behavioral research. This involves an overview of the research process as well as a review of the ways that this process changes depending on different research questions. Students will complete activities, assignments, and exams covering topics discussed during lectures.  

During labs, students will develop technical skills that can be applied across diverse research topics as well as developing in-depth knowledge related to only a specific topic. In groups, students will develop a research project on a topic of their choosing from start to finish. In addition, students will complete activities to reinforce knowledge and skills gained during lab. 

Course learning outcomes:

After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

  • Locate, evaluate, and extract information from past research
  • Generate and refine high quality research questions
  • Frame questions using proper research methodology
  • Design ethical and practical experiments to test research questions
  • Utilize technical skills to create data collection materials
  • Collect and properly analyze data and interpret the outcomes
  • Communicate research outcomes orally and in writing
  • Work in teams to balance roles and apply individual strengths
Required course materials:

There is no required textbook for this course. All materials for this class will be provided to students through Canvas. 

Grading policy:

LECTURE ASSIGNMENTS

ACTIVITIES: Most lectures will include an activity related to the current course material. Activities can involve working as an individual or in groups and will take 5-15 minutes to complete. The content of each activity will not be announced ahead of time.

MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS: Throughout the semester, students will complete six in-depth assignments related to the current course material. 

The major assignments will cover the following topics:

  • Extracting specific information from research publications
  • Refining experimental design
  • Summarizing applications of a specific methodology
  • Selecting analysis type and interpreting outcomes
  • Summarizing and presenting a chosen research publication
  • Developing detailed plans to address research questions

EXAMS: Students will complete two exams – one in the middle of the semester and one at the end. Both exams will take place during normal lecture periods. The exams will be non-cumulative and hand-written. Students are allowed to bring printed notes into the exams. Exams will include a combination of true/false, short answer, and essay questions. 

LAB ASSIGNMENTS

ACTIVITIES: Some labs will include an activity related to the current course material. Activities can involve working as an individual or in groups and will take 10-30 minutes to complete. The content of each activity will not be announced ahead of time. 

MILESTONES: Throughout the semester, students will work in groups to develop their own research projects. Milestones are assignments that keep students on track to complete these projects by the end of the semester. 

The milestones include: literature review, research question, materials, introduction, method + appendices, results, discussion, final draft, and poster.

Attendance policy:

Attendance is mandatory for both lecture and lab. Attendance will be taken 10 minutes after the scheduled start time. Students who show up late will receive a 50% deduction in attendance points for that day. If a student shows up after attendance has been taken, but before an activity begins, then they can still earn full points for the activity. 

If a student feels unwell or cannot attend class, they should notify the instructor in advance. Most absences can be made up easily, and students should prioritize their well-being. 

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This course is a part of the Core IMPACTS Social Sciences area.

Core IMPACTS refers to the University System of Georgia’s General Education curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help students master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals. 

This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:

  • How do I understand human experiences and connections? 

Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:

  • Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change. 

Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:

  • Intercultural Competence
  • Perspective-Taking
  • Persuasion
Instructor First Name:
Jack
Instructor Last Name:
Mostyn
Section:
C
CRN (you may add up to five):
30395
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Psychology

General Psychology

Last Updated: Thu, 01/08/2026
Course prefix:
PSYC
Course number:
1101
Semester:
Fall
Academic year:
2025
Course description:

This semester will be a whirlwind of an introduction to the science of psychology.  We will touch on everything from the structure of individual neurons to the nature of social interactions and social influence.  Throughout the semester we will see how social scientists collect and analyze data, and use these data to draw inferences about psychological processes. 

Course learning outcomes:

By the end of the semester, you will be able to how explain how data might be used to test psychological theories and provide examples of how psychological theories account for individuals behavior, thoughts, and emotions.

Required course materials:

Electronic Textbook:  Psychology, 6th edition, Schacter, Gilbert, & Nock.  
Macmillian Publishing. 

You need to purchase a text with access to the Macmillian Achieve site. To do so, go to our Canvas page and follow the Macmillian link. 

NOTE: You need access to this text for the entire semester. Many introductory offers or rentals will give continuous access through December 2025. Make sure you have continuous access.  

Other materials will be made available on Canvas.

 

Grading policy:

Exams

There will be two midterms and one final exam.  These exams will consist of multiple choice and short answer/short essay questions.  Prior to the exams, I will distribute a study guide to limit any uncertainty about the material covered by the exam. Exams are conducted during class time, in the designated classroom, and are closed book and closed notes.  

Quizzes

Throughout the semester, there will be a quasi-randomly distributed in-class quizzes consisting of 1 or 2 questions distributed at the start of class. There are no make-up quizzes will be provided. You will be able to drop one of your quiz scores, hence missing one quiz will have not impact on this component of your final grade.  We will have a minimum of 8 of these quizzes.

End of Chapter Quizzes

At the end of each chapter of the text, you will answer a series of multiple choice questions covering that chapter. You may take these quizzes up to four times and we will take your final score.

Research Experience

Everything discussed in this class is based on research findings of scientists in some area of psychological science. While research in psychology is similar to research in many other disciplines, the nature of the topic (e.g., thought processes, social behavior, attitudes) also poses special challenges to carrying out rigorous scientific study. To gain exposure to research in psychology, you will be asked to complete 4 ‘credits’ of research experience.  These credits can be completed using any combination of the following:

Research Participation.  During the semester you will participate in research conducted by Faculty in the School of Psychology.

Research Alternative.  During the semester we will host research review sessions during which you select individual journal articles to summarize and discuss the theory, methods, and results.  

The goal of both options is to provide you with exposure to original and current research in areas of psychology.  

Full details about fulfilling either options can be found here.

Grade weighting and grading scale

There are 6 components of your final grade, below are the component and the associated weight.

Component                                       Weight
Midterm 1                                           .20
Midterm 2                                           .20
Final Exam                          .20
End of Chapter Quizzes          .20

In Class Quizzes                            .10
Research Exp.                   .10

To calculate, each component is converted to a percentage of the possible points and multiplied by the associated weight and summed across components.  You should assume a straight grading scale (e.g., 91-100, 81-90, etc…) but I reserve the right to lower the grade cutoffs. Any adjustments that I make will be announced after the first and/or second midterm and will apply to the final grade calculations.

Please note that grades displayed by Canvas are often inaccurate due to special arrangements or calculations that only occur at the end of the semester (e.g., dropping a quiz).  

Attendance policy:

No attendance is taken beyond the occasional in class quiz.

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.

Instructor First Name:
Daniel
Instructor Last Name:
Spieler
Section:
I
CRN (you may add up to five):
88754
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Psychology

Abnormal Psychology

Last Updated: Wed, 01/07/2026
Course prefix:
PSYC
Course number:
2230
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

This course surveys the spectrum of psychiatric disorders (symptoms, epidemiology, etiology, and treatment) and provides a perspective on adaptive functioning and psychological resilience.

The course is designed to give you an overview of the field of Abnormal Psychology based on current perspectives and scientific research. With compassion for the human suffering involved, we will explore the diagnosis, causes, and treatment of psychological disorders, focusing on the interaction of genes, the brain, the person and the environment. The course will draw on scientific studies to understand disorders at all these levels of functioning.  We will also focus on case studies that illuminate the clinical aspects of psychological disorders in the lives of everyday people, as well as the variety of current and historical treatments used to help alleviate suffering and dysfunction.

Prerequisites: General Psychology (PSYC 1101or equivalent, which will not be waived), and familiarity with the different psychological models, learning theories, and functioning of the brain & nervous system. 

Course learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, you should be able to

  1. Describe the major concepts, theoretical approaches, criteria for diagnosis, and empirical findings related to psychological disorders.
  2. Recognize and explain therapies for psychological disorders and identify evidence-based treatments.
  3. Demonstrate familiarity with ethical issues in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of psychopathology.
Required course materials:

The digital bundle includes Comer, R. J. & Comer, J. S. (2025) Fundamentals of Psychopathology. New York:
Worth (11th edition) with Achieve, plus Gorenstein, E.E. & Comer, R.J. (2022) Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology (3rd edition). New York: Worth.

A free trial is available online, allowing you to start working right away. For continued access, you’ll need to pay online before the end of the trial, using a credit card or with a code purchased from the bookstore.

Grading policy:

The traditional percentage grading scale will be used.

  • A:   90 - 100%+ excellent
  • B:   80 - <90%   very good
  • C:   70 - <80%   satisfactory
  • D:   60 - <70%   passing
  • F:   under 60%   failing
  • A grade of C or higher is required to pass if you’re taking the course Pass/Fail.
  • If your grade misses the cutoff, you’ve missed the cutoff. All grades are final.

Graded Assignments

Tests will comprise 60% of the course grade. We’ll have two midterm tests and a semi-cumulative final exam. Each test will have 50 questions and is worth 200 points. Most test questions will be multiple-choice, with a focus on applications, and will cover material from class, the textbook, videos, and assigned case studies. Each test will have up to four questions that are not multiple-choice (e.g., fill-in-the-blank, select all that apply, or short-answer).

Tests will be taken on Canvas Quizzes using Honorlock.

In-Class Assignments (ICAs) count for 10% of the course grade. We will have a variety of in-class assignments (ICAs) on an unscheduled basis, with varying point values, to encourage class participation and student engagement with the material and with one another. Some will be group assignments; others will be individual activities. We will use the iClicker system for in-class polling and quiz-like questions that you can respond to with your phone or laptop. 

Another 10% is based on an adaptive self-quizzing activity (LearningCurve) that helps you master the textbook material. 

Achieve assignments account for 20% of the course grade through a variety of enrichment activities relevant to each topic. There are videos to watch (your choice) with associated quiz questions (worth 10%). A feature called Clinical Choices gives case studies and lets you simulate being the clinician interviewing, assessing, and diagnosing each patient (8%) with associated questions. There are chapter quizzes for each topic to help you prepare for test questions on the textbook material. You can take each chapter quiz twice, with the higher grade being counted (2%).

Extra Credit

You can earn up to 3% extra credit in this course: 2% from your individual effort (surveys, research studies with questions) and 1% from group effort.

See the Grading Document for details on how the grading is calculated.

 Select “Syllabus” on the course navigation menu or click the button on the Home page labeled “Grading” for the Excel spreadsheet, which includes space for you to fill in the points you have earned. You can track your progress throughout the semester by downloading the document and calculating your grade as needed. (No, it doesn’t have approved formulas that do it automatically.)

Late Policy: As a general rule, work submitted late is subject to a penalty of 10% per day.

Attendance policy:

Students are expected to attend class and participate in In-Class Activities (ICAs). We will have individual assignments or group tasks at various times during class throughout the semester. The assignments will be due on that same day, encouraging you to attend class to earn ICA points. Missed In-Class Activities can only be made up with an Institute-approved absence or an official letter from the Dean of Students and must be completed within 7 days of the original in-class activity day or by prior arrangement. 

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity and result in consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy. Please familiarize yourself with the following sites for more detailed information.

Honor Challenge — https://osi.gatech.edu/students/honor-code

Office of Student Integrity — http://www.osi.gatech.edu/index.php/

 

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course helps students master course content, and supports students’ broad academic and career goals.

This course directs students toward a broad orienting question: How do I understand human experiences and connections?

Completion of this course enables students to meet the following learning outcomes: 

Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.

Course content, activities, and exercises in this course help students develop the following career-ready competencies:

  • Intercultural Competence
  • Perspective-Taking
  • Persuasion
Instructor First Name:
Dianne
Instructor Last Name:
Leader
Section:
A
CRN (you may add up to five):
31790
20841
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Psychology

Introduction to General Psychology

Last Updated: Wed, 01/07/2026
Course prefix:
PSYC
Course number:
1101
Semester:
Spring
Academic year:
2026
Course description:

This is a broad survey course in scientific psychology, presenting an overview of the field and its methods of inquiry. As a prerequisite for more advanced psychology courses, PSYC 1101 is designed to provide a solid foundation for further study in the field. It also provides opportunities to develop new insights into yourself and others, while honing your scientific and critical thinking skills. 

You’ll learn how brain activity underlies human behavior and our perception of reality. We’ll explore the basic psychological processes of learning, memory, thinking, and human development. And we'll discover what personality theories reveal about the individuality of each unique one of us.

 

Course learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

  1. Describe the major concepts, theoretical approaches, historical trends, and empirical findings in psychology.
  2. Identify and explain the basic methodologies used in psychological research, including experimental, observational, and survey methods and the general principles and techniques of research design.
  3. Use critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate information, to solve problems, and make informed decisions regarding psychological principles and research.
  4. Apply psychological concepts, theories, and research findings to real-world situations and personal experiences.
  5. Recognize ethical standards in psychological research and practice and understand the importance of ethical behavior in diverse settings.
Required course materials:

The required digital package includes: Phelps, E.A., Berkman, E.T., and Gazzaniga, M.S. (2022), Psychological Science. New York: Norton (7th edition), with InQuizitive (online quizzing homework) and ZAPS (online experiential labs). 

A 21-day free trial is available online, allowing you to start working right away. For continued access, you’ll need to pay before the end of the trial using a credit card or a code purchased from the bookstore.

A hard copy of the textbook bundled with the digital package is available from the publisher or the bookstore at a higher price.

Grading policy:

The traditional percentage grading scale will be used

  • A:   90 - 100%+ excellent
  • B:   80 - <90%   very good
  • C:   70 - <80%   satisfactory
  • D:   60 - <70%   passing
  • F:   under 60%   failing
  • A grade of C or higher is required to pass if you’re taking the course Pass/Fail.
  • If your grade misses the cutoff, you’ve missed the cutoff. All grades are final.

Graded Assignments

 Tests will comprise 64% of the course grade. We’ll have three midterm tests and a cumulative final exam. Midterm tests will each be 50 questions and worth 200 points. Your lowest midterm test score will be dropped, giving you both an opportunity and an incentive to make up for any disappointments. The final exam will have 60 questions and is worth 240 points. Most test questions will be multiple-choice, with a focus on applied questions, and will cover material from class and the textbook. Up to four questions on each test will not be multiple-choice (e.g., fill-in-the-blank, select-all-that-apply, or short-answer).

Tests will be taken on Canvas Quizzes using full Honorlock proctoring.

There are four other grade components that contribute 36% to the course grade. InQuizitive and ZAPS are two types of online homework assignments. 

  InQuizitive Homework (8% of the grade) is a form of adaptive self-testing over the textbook material that familiarizes you with the ideas, concepts, and research findings you need to master. If you keep working on an InQuizitive activity until you have answered the minimum number of questions required and have also achieved the target score by the deadline, then you will earn 100% for that activity. 

ZAPS Homework (12% of the grade) is a lab simulation of various psychological studies. You will sometimes be the researcher (e.g., training a virtual mouse via classical conditioning techniques). Other activities require you to do various tasks as the subject of the study (e.g., the first ZAPS assignment on the Stroop Effect asks you to call out the color of each word). You are required to do twelve of the 22 ZAPS assignments covering the chapters covered during the course. If you do more than twelve ZAPS, then the top twelve scores will be counted toward the homework. Unlike InQuizitives, some ZAPS activities may need more than perseverance to earn 100%, depending on the task and your specific abilities.

A variety of In-Class Assignments (ICAs) (10% of the grade) will be unscheduled and worth a variable number of points, to encourage attendance, class participation, and student engagement with the material and with one another. Some ICAs will be individual assignments, and some will be group assignments via Zoom breakout rooms. 

Departmental Research Requirement (10% of the grade)

The psychology we teach is based on scientific research, so our students must experience how psychological research is conducted. To this end, the psychology department requires that all students taking General Psychology (PSYC 1101) be exposed to the methods used to explore human behavior. Students must earn four research credits by participating in research studies or alternative assignments. Research participation in our department is via the SONA website. Researchers post available studies, and students sign up to participate for credit. Each hour of participation earns 1 credit; 4 credits are required to meet the departmental requirement

Information about alternative assignments will be posted on our Canvas site for students who are unable or unwilling to participate in SONA studies. 

Extra Credit

You can earn up to 3% extra credit in this course, 2% by your individual effort ("earned extra credit" assignments), and 1% as a group effort.

See the Grading Document for details on how the grading is calculated.

 Select “Syllabus” on the course navigation menu or click the button on the Home page labeled “Grading” for a spreadsheet where you can enter your earned points.  You can track your progress throughout the semester by downloading the document and calculating your grade as needed. (No, it doesn’t have approved formulas that do it automatically.)

Attendance policy:

Students are expected to attend class and participate in In-Class Activities (ICAs). We will have individual assignments or group tasks in Zoom breakout rooms at variable times during class throughout the semester. The assignments will be due on that same day, encouraging you to attend class to earn ICA points. Missed ICAs can only be made up with an Institute-approved absence or an official letter from the Dean of Students and must be completed within 7 days of the original in-class activity day. 

 

Academic honesty/integrity statement:

Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity and result in consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy. Please familiarize yourself with the following sites for more detailed information.

Honor Challenge — https://osi.gatech.edu/students/honor-code

Office of Student Integrity — http://www.osi.gatech.edu/index.php/

Core IMPACTS statement(s) (if applicable):

This is a Core IMPACTS course in the Social Sciences area. 

Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course helps students master course content and supports students’ broad academic and career goals.

This course directs students toward a broad orienting question: How do I understand human experiences and connections?

Completion of this course enables students to meet the following learning outcomes: 

Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.

Course content, activities, and exercises in this course help students develop the following career-ready competencies:

  • Intercultural Competence
  • Perspective-Taking
  • Persuasion
Instructor First Name:
Dianne
Instructor Last Name:
Leader
Section:
H
CRN (you may add up to five):
33110
View PDF
Department (you may add up to three):
Psychology
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