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Personality Theories (PSY 3430 – 26140), Fall 2021
Class Format = Asynchronous Online Course
Professor: Cade Mansfield Virtual Office Hours: W. 2-3:30PM; R. 12:00-1:30PM; F. 12:30-2:00 PM
Office: Lindquist Hall Rm. 373 Email: cademansfield@weber.edu (best way to contact me)
Note: I can meet face-to-face as needed. Please email if you need to meet that way.
Canvas support 801-626-6499 and computing support 801-626-7777
Course Description
This class will provide you with an introduction to the study and science of personality—consistencies in people’s
thoughts, feelings, and behavior over time and across situations. Topics will include personality assessment and
development; biological and contextual influences on personality; emotion and motivation; the self; personality and
culture; psychological adjustment; and clinical disorders of personality. We will focus on current empirical research and
modern theories of personality.
Course Goals
Through reading, completing assignments, reflecting on insights from the course, and participating in class students will
work toward 3 of the 5 APA learning goals.
Goal 1: Knowledge Base. Students will 1) describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in
personality psychology, 2) develop a working knowledge of the content of personality psychology as a specific
domain of study, and 3) describe applications of personality psychology in the real-world.
Goal 2: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking. Students will 1) develop psychological literacy by using
terms within personality psychology, 3) engage in integrative thinking and problem solving.
Goal 4: Communication. Students will 1) demonstrate effective writing, and 2) interact effectively with others.
Required Textbook
• The Personality Puzzle 8th ed. David C. Funder, PhD. New York: Norton.
(https://www.weber.edu/financialservices/DayOneAccess.html) & Canvas integration with Norton Publishers.
• The book is provided as part of First Day Access so you do not have to do anything to “buy” the book other than
pay your tuition.
• You will need to buy, or rent, or get a library copy of one of the books from the term paper list. See term paper
assignment below.
Course Design
• Pacing - This is an online, somewhat, but not entirely self-paced, asynchronous course. Asynchronous
means that we do not have a set time to meet for class. Nevertheless you are expected to create a schedule
that you can follow that allows you to thoughtfully complete all components of the class, including taking
notes on the video recorded lectures in order to maximize your learning.
• To succeed in this class, it is essential that you watch the lectures and complete the notes for each
chapter that are posted in each module in canvas. Students who do so get the most out of the class
and report the highest levels of enjoyment from the class. Students who fail to do this are often
frustrated by the assignments and exams, and the course overall.
• If you try to batch, or cram, a bunch of reading, InQuizzitive assignments, and lectures in to a small
window of time you will not do well in this class. As you will see the material is intensive with a lot of new
language and complicated concepts, research findings, and theories. Please do not fall behind. REALLY,
PLEASE DO NOT FALL BEHIND - and if you feel like you are beginning to do so please reach out to me
by email right away so that we can discuss how to keep you on track.
• The learning activities for the class are presented in canvas in 4 modules. Each module’s information
corresponds to one of the exams. For example, the first module contains learning activities for the first 3
chapters that we cover; chapters 1, 2, and 4.
• Organizational plan for each module in canvas- Each chapter will have a video lecture for you to watch or
in rare cases potentially an audio lecture for you to listen to. You are expected to watch and take notes on
the lectures as if you were in an in-person class (albeit one that you are mostly pacing yourself). If you
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open the first module you will see a drop down listing of materials that you need to work through to prep
for Exam 1. Information within each module is organized by weeks in the semester. I expect that
organizing things this way will help you effectively use your time, and in doing so, will make your life
easier and help you learn. In the past students have told me that this layout works well.
Canvas
• Go to https://weber.instructure.com/login and log-in with your Wildcat username and password. From the
“Courses” tab, click on “PSY 3430”. You will be able to access the syllabus, handouts, assignments, chapter
learning objectives, and relevant web links. You also will be able to stay current with course announcements,
your grades, and to email your professor and peers. The material in Canvas is provided as a courtesy to facilitate
comprehension of course material: it is NOT a substitute for attending class. You will be provided with
information in class that is not sufficiently elaborated in the handouts, is not in your text, and is critical to your
success in this class. For assistance with Canvas, email wsuonline@weber.edu or call 877-215-0831.
Learning Activities and Course Grading:
Syllabus Quiz
• You will complete a short quiz on the syllabus during the first week of class. This quiz is designed to ensure that
you are familiar with key details in the syllabus. You cannot complete any other tasks in the class until you get a
perfect score on the syllabus quiz. However, you can take it as often as you need before the due date.
Discussion board assignments
• Each week of the class presents a different discussion board assignment. Each of those assignments reviews one
or more concepts that is important for understanding personality. I will break the class into two groups, A and B.
o If you are in Group A you are assigned the following 9 chapters/discussion activities: Introduction, Ch.
1, Ch. 4, Ch. 7, Ch. 10, Ch. 12, Ch. 14, Ch. 16, Ch. 18.
o If you are in Group A you are assigned the following 9 chapters/discussion activities: Introduction, Ch.
2, Ch. 6, Ch. 8, Ch. 11, Ch. 13, Ch. 15, Ch. 17, Ch. 18.
o Canvas will be set to drop your 6 lowest discussion board scores. Although I will put a 0 into the grade
column on your off weeks, it will NOT negatively impact your final grade. Please remember this. On
weeks that you do participate you will receive a grade that is based on the quality of your
participation/answers. See rubric in canvas.
• I work discussion boards a bit differently than other professors. Although you are only assigned certain chapters
you are HIGHLY encouraged to think about and read all of the discussion board activities because doing so will
help you learn the material. As you will see in the assignments you are only required to read a certain number of
student posts, but you are encouraged to read all fellow students’ posts to help you learn the material.
• These assignments are NOT busy work. Each one is designed to get you to think more deeply about a particular
concept or two from the week and to get you to apply the concept or concepts.
• Addresses learning goals 1, 2, and 4.
InQuizitive e-book Activity Scoring
• To reinforce weekly preparation, and to help you consolidate the course material, you will complete an
InQuizitive activity corresponding to each assigned chapter of your textbook as well as one Inquizitive training
activity due in week 1 titled “How to Use InQuizitive”. Complete it by the end of the first week of class. It will
teach you how to work with the program.
• InQuizitive Scoring: You must answer at least 13 questions to receive a score for each InQuizitive activity, and
you will receive points for each correct answer (you can “wager” more points, or fewer, depending on your
confidence that you know the answer). Once you gain 1000 points in the InQuizitive program, no matter how
many questions it takes you to get there, you will receive a grade of 100%. Your score in canvas will be based
on this percentage score from Inquizitive: 100% = 10 points; > 75% but < 100% = 7.5 points, etc.
• InQuizitive questions are displayed from a larger pool in a semi-random, adaptive manner depending on your
answers, and you have the option to continue to answer questions until you reach the maximum number of
points. If you have concerns or questions about any question, you can provide feedback to the publishers by
clicking on the “Question Help/Challenge” button. This will also allow you to “skip” that question and advance
to the next one. A great way to study is to continue to answer the InQuizitive questions even after you have
received 100%. Your score will not be negatively affected at that point.
• Deadlines: To receive full credit you must complete the activity by the posted due date. There are 15 assigned
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InQuizitive activities. Questions that appear in the InQuizitive activities may also appear on your exams, so it is
in your interest to make sure that you learn this material even if you do not complete that particular activity.
• Remember, if at the due date you have only attained a 50% on a particular chapter, you will have 50% recorded
as your final score for that chapter. See the course schedule and keep up with your readings please!
• Addresses learning goals 1 and 2.
Exams
• You will have 4 exams, each worth 150 points. Each will cover material from the relevant chapters’ learning
objectives, topics, and activities. Exams may have multiple choice or short answer questions.
o Exam 1 covers chapters 1, 2, and 4.
o Exam 2 covers chapters 6, 7, and 8.
o Exam 3 covers chapters 10, 11, 12 and 13.
o Exam 4 covers chapters 15, 17, and 18. Because Ch. 18 is a review of all that we have learned, Exam 4
has a “cumulative” element. Exams will primarily be multiple choice questions but I reserve the right
to include short answer / brief essay questions (I will notify you prior to the exam if there are these
types of questions).
• All exams are administered via Chitester online software (https://chitester.weber.edu/chi.cfm) and are
available in the following testing centers: Student Services, Davis, Library, Lindquist Hall, West, Tracy
Hall, and Morgan. Exams are proctored and require a student ID check. To take an exam, you must check
in at the testing center with your student ID on the correct date (see Course Schedule) at the appropriate
times for the testing center you choose.
• You will not be allowed to take an exam without your ID or if you show up after hours (tests are issued
until the closing time listed; you may remain for one hour after that time to complete your exam). Testing
center hours are listed at http://www.weber.edu/TestingCenter/
• Exams are untimed so please do not become stressed out about time, you can take as long as you want.
• If a student cannot complete exams for an approved reason at a testing center (for example she is in quarantine)
the student will be required to take the exam using proctorio and chi tester. Proctorio requires that students have
a web-cam and the student’s internal space (e.g., room) and activities are video recorded during testing. In
addition, all internet traffic is monitored during testing. The only sites visited during testing should be the
chitester webpage for the particular exam that the student is taking. You must notify at least two weeks in
advance of the exam if you are not able to take the exam at a testing center.
• It is your responsibility to prepare yourself for the exams and to complete them on time (see course schedule). If
you have a legitimate conflict (e.g. a family member is having surgery) with the exam schedule, you may take
one exam early at no penalty. To do so, discuss your legitimate conflict with me so we can make arrangements.
• YOU CANNOT TAKE THE FINAL EXAM LATE.
• IMPORTANT: You are responsible for all assigned readings even if they are not discussed in class, and you are
responsible for anything discussed in lecture even if it is not covered in the readings.
• Addresses learning goals 1, 2, and 4.
Exam Item Reviews (Optional Extra Credit. This is pretty much IT for extra credit)
• My goal is to help you learn the course material. To this end, it is important for you to reflect on and learn from
your mistakes. If you choose to truly learn the material on this exam and you seek to improve your exam score
and perhaps gain some insight into your test preparation, you may do the following:
• With your textbook and notes available as a reference, log-in to Chitester to review your exam.
• For each missed item, write down:
o the item # as it appears for you and for your professor. If this is not present you lose 2 points.
o the correct response (figure it out – use your textbook & notes!). Do not write out the questions or the
responses; simply provide the letter (a, b, c, d) of the correct response.
o a statement of exactly where you found the correct response (page # in text, slide from lecture
notes...)
o a 2-3 sentence HONEST explanation for why you chose one of the incorrect responses. Perhaps
you misread the question, didn't study or misunderstood the concept, didn't read the textbook, second-
guessed yourself, and/or you just spaced out! This is an opportunity for you to learn from your
mistakes!
• You may earn 0.50 points for each missed multiple choice item that you successfully review. For example, if
you missed 15 multiple choice questions (and got all of the fill in the blanks) you would have earned 95/125
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(76%). If you successfully reviewed each of the 15 missed items, you would earn back 7.5 points (15 * 0.50), for
a revised exam score of 102.5/125 (82%), moving you from a C to a B- on the exam.
• Submit your item reviews via the assignment in Canvas by 11:59 pm on the due date (see course schedule).
Early reviews are encouraged; late reviews are not accepted. Reviews that do not include the required elements
are not considered.
• Exam item reviews cannot be completed for the final exam.
• I strongly advise you to take this opportunity to make the most of what may have been a personally
disappointing performance on this exam. I believe in your ability to succeed in this course and I am willing to
help you learn from your mistakes and learn about psychology in the process.
Term Paper
• You will read one book from a set that I have chosen. Then, you will analyze a main character and his or her
experiences from the perspective of a student with an emerging knowledge of personality research and
theory. In doing so you will write a paper that answers the question: What do we know when we KNOW a
person’s personality?
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• You should aim to complete the book by November 1 at the latest. To help with this you will finish an
assignment that asks you to create a “reading plan”.
• The paper will be about 2000 words long. There is more information in Canvas about this assignment.
• The book options are listed here:
o The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
o The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
o King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero by David Remnick
o Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
o Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
o Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago
• Addresses learning goals 1, 2, and 4.
Grade Sources Summary
Source Points per assignment Total Possible Points
Syllabus Quiz 1 @ 10 pts 10
InQuizitive Assignments 15 @ 10 pts 150
Discussion Board Activities 9 @ 10 pts 90
Term Paper 3 @ 10 pts, 1 @ 120 pts 150
Exams 4 @ 150 pts 600
Total Possible Points 1000
Class Grading Scale
Grade Percentage Cutoff Grade Percentage Cutoff
A 93 – 100% C 73 – 76.9%
A- 90 – 92.9% C- 70 – 72.9%
B+ 87 – 89.9% D+ 67 – 69.9%
B 83 – 86.9% D 63 – 66.9%
B- 80 – 82.9% D- 60 – 62.9%
C+ 77 – 79.9% F Below 59.9%
See Course Policies in the Canvas homepage. It is your responsibility to review the policies page before continuing on
with the class. The late policy and the respect for person’s policies are there as well as others. Let me know if you have
any questions about course policies. Go to our homepage in canvas → Start here → Course Policies.
See Academic Dishonesty Policy in the Canvas homepage. It is your responsibility to be familiar with what plagiarism
is, how to avoid it, and how to get help from me if you are confused about anything related to plagiarism. Read the policy
please. Got to our homepage in canvas → Start here → Academic Honesty and Dishonesty.
Tips for Success
