PSYC 100g Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Class Conflict, Malingering, Clinical Psychology
Frequently Asked Questions I've Heard in This Class and My Answers
(and some not-so-frequently asked questions and answers)
The following questions and answers come from actual cases that I have encountered for this course. My precise
wording is a literary license. The questions and answers here are not listed here in any particular order.
Am I doing ok in the class?
Question: How do I know if I am having a problem in the class?
Answer: Past distributions of grades for this class show that most students earn a form of an A or a B on every quiz.
Anything less than a B on a quiz is cause for concern. Very few students get a C, and far fewer yet earn a D
or F. Fs are so rare that they usually denote you missed more than the allowed three quizzes you are allowed
to make up. If you ever receive a B- or any form of a C, D or F, then you need to take corrective action
immediately. A letter grade of B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- or F on any quiz is a discriminative stimulus (SD)
indicating to you that something is seriously wrong.
Dropped Quizzes
Question: Are any of the quizzes dropped for the final grade?
Answer: No, you have to take all of the quizzes. Quizzes not taken earn 0 points and a grade of F.
How Many Missed Quizzes?
Question: How many missed quizzes can I make up?
Answer: You can miss up to three (3) quizzes that you will be allowed to make up on the day of the final. Any more
than three missed quizzes will automatically earn 0 points and a grade of F. Under very unusual conditions
that must be fully documented for each and every missed quiz I may (or may not) allow an additional missed
quiz to be made up -- for example, documentation for a serious medical problem that occurred in this
semester only. As an example, let’s say you missed 5 quizzes and you are now arguing that you should be
allowed to take a make-up for the fifth quiz because you have a really good reason, like your appendix burst
and you were rushed to the hospital which you can document. You will now have to provide documentation for
all five missed quizzes to ensure that you had legitimate reasons for those absences as well and were not
squandering your resources and malingering. If I was not strict about this rule then the number of missed
quizzes would explode by students taking advantage of me, the class, and the course. Save your missed
quizzes for good reasons. Better yet, do not miss any quiz so you stay up on the material and do not have to
study for more than one quiz on the day of the final exam (the final exam period is used for taking the very last
quiz and any quizzes you are allowed to make up).
Final Exam and Make ups
Question: When do I make up the missed quizzes?
Answer: All missed quizzes, up to a total of three, are made up during the period for the final exam. The final exam
period starts out by your taking the very last quiz (Quiz 14; that way, students who have taken all their quizzes
can leave immediately), and then you will be given your missed quizzes one at a time to make up. You can
request a particular quiz or we will just give you the missed quizzes in their order. Between quizzes, you can
study or take a break. The constraints are that you have to take the last quiz (Quiz 14) first, you can only
make up three missed quizzes (the first three quizzes you missed in the course), you can only have one quiz
in your possession at any one time, and you have to do everything in the two hours of the final exam period.
Where is the Final Exam?
Question: The time for the final exam is different than the time the class usually meets? So where is the final exam
held?
Answer: The final exam is in the same room where we hold the class.
Which Missed Quizzes?
Question: I missed five (or more) quizzes and I know I can only make up three of them. Do I get to decide which
three quizzes I get to make up?
Answer: No. You can make up the very first three missed quizzes, but after that any missed quiz cannot be made up
and it (they) automatically becomes 0 points and a grade of F. You have no choice.
Permission to Miss a Quiz
Question: I cannot take the quiz because of religious observances/athletic schedule/doctor's appointment/etc.
Answer: I do not need to know the reason why you miss a quiz or give you permission to miss a quiz. You can make
up to three missed quizzes at the end of the semester, no excuses needed. We keep track of which quizzes
you have taken and thus, which quizzes you have missed. Use those opportunities to make up quizzes
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
wisely. One student squandered her three chances and then missed a fourth quiz because of an accident.
The fourth quiz counted as 0 points and an F because she could not document that all her missed quizzes
were legitimate. If I had allowed a fourth missed quiz without proof of their legitimacy then the three-quiz limit
would be meaningless. If she could have documented all missed quizzes then I would have considered her
request as a reasonable exception. In the rare event that you know ahead of time that you will miss more than
three quizzes for good academic, athletic or religious reasons then we can make special arrangements as
well. So far, that has never happened.
Another Missed Quiz
Question: I've already missed three quizzes, and I know that I am allowed to make up to three quizzes, but today I
was in a car accident/I was too sick and went to the hospital/I was stuck in traffic/my mother died so I missed a
fifth quiz. I know that anything beyond three missed quizzes automatically becomes a zero and an F. Can I
make up just one extra quiz?
Answer: If you bring in evidence that every time you missed a quiz it was for a legitimate reason then I might
consider an exception this time, but you will have to document all your missed quizzes, and if you miss any
more quizzes then the deal would be off and you will only be allowed to make up the first three quizzes. The
lesson here is: Do not squander your opportunities for make up quizzes by needlessly missing quizzes. It is
not wise to use up your allocation of missed quizzes early in the semester by sleeping in/going to
concerts/going to the beach/going home/etc. and then miss a fifth quiz because you were actually sick but that
you cannot now make up. The whole point of near-weekly quizzes is for you to keep up with the material.
Which Type of Answer sheet?
Question: The bookstore has run out of Answer sheet forms. Can I use any old Answer sheet-type of form?
Answer: Beginning Spring 2011, use only AccuScan Benchmark # 29240 for taking the quizzes. You can identify
these Answer sheets by the form number, they are brownish, they are "half-sheet" in size, and they have
space for 100 answers. The department AccuScan machine only scores Accuscan products.
Recently a few students said the bookstore did not appear to have any Answer sheet forms. However, that is
unlikely, rather it may simply be a matter of figuring out where they are located: Answer sheets normally can
be purchased at the registers on the first floor. The lesson is simple: If you cannot find the correct Answer
sheets in the bookstore, then by all means ask a clerk for help.
Forgot Answer sheet
Question: I forgot to bring a Answer sheet to the quiz, what do I do?
Answer: There are several options, some more desirable than others. You can run over to the bookstore and buy a
Answer sheet, wasting valuable test time. You can ask a neighbor in the class if you can have a Answer
sheet, or if you are too shy we can ask if anyone in the class is willing to give you an extra Answer sheet.
Finally, you can leave until the quiz is over, counting this as one of your missed quizzes that you will make up
during the period of the final exam (up to the maximum allowable).
Getting an Answer sheet from another student should be a rare occurrence. It does sometimes happen so
that will not be held against you. But please do not take advantage of other students by expecting them to
provide you with an Answer sheet for each and every test. With the number of quizzes in this course it will
quickly become obvious that you are taking advantage of other students and they will resent you for it, causing
unnecessary conflict in the class. I should not have to deal with your interpersonal issues.
If it is an issue that you cannot afford to buy Answer sheets, which seems unlikely at USC but could
theoretically happen, then I might buy you Answer sheets purchased from my own pocket. The department
does not provide Answer sheets to students for their tests.
Pen and Answer sheets
Question: I do not have a pencil. Can I use pen on the Answer sheet instead?
Answer: No, pencil must be used to fill in the answers so the Answer sheet machine can read it. A score of 0 points
and a grade of F will be given for students who use pen to fill in the Answer sheet answers. If you do not have
a pencil, ask to borrow one from a neighbor in the class. If you are too shy to ask, we will ask the class as a
whole for you. If we spot that you have used pen when you turn it in we will give you the opportunity to redo it
using pencil if there is time left in the quiz, but don't count on us to detect your error, especially when we are
busy collecting and sorting tests and Answer sheets. Remember, it is your responsibility to make sure you get
credit for your work. You would then turn in both Answer sheets, the pen-filled Answer sheet and your pencil-
filled Answer sheet. For test security purposes we collect the pen-filled Answer sheet; for scoring we collect
the pencil-filled Answer sheet.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Wrinkled Answer sheets
Question: I can use a wrinkled Answer sheet, right?
Answer: No, don't be silly. If you use a wrinkled Answer sheet it will not even go through the Answer sheet machine
and you will get a score of 0 points and a grade of F. If we catch that you have turned in an Answer sheet that
is in poor condition we will tell you to redo it using a decent Answer sheet if there is time left in the quiz, but
don't count on us to detect your error, especially when we are busy collecting and sorting tests and Answer
sheets. We will not redo your answers on an acceptable Answer sheet ourselves, and we will not hand-score
your wrinkled Answer sheet. Remember, it is your responsibility to make sure you get credit for your work. If
all you have is a wrinkled Answer sheet before the quiz, then by all means get a proper Answer sheet before
you begin (ask a neighbor or we can asked the class for you).
Answer sheet Information
Question: What information do I have to fill in on the Answer sheet?
Answer: You need to print your name, the quiz number, and your answers. That's all. That's essential. Remember,
it is your responsibility to make sure you get credit for your work.
If we cannot read your name you are not going to get credit. I am always amazed when I cannot read the
name because it is so poorly written. It's your loss if we cannot read your name. I strongly advise you take
your time and print legibly. That's right, print your name legibly so someone with poor eyesight like me
cannot help but read it correctly. If you tend to print using squiggles or modified cursive/printed writing, then I
recommend you use first-grade-like block letters so there is no mistake.
If you do not write the quiz number you are not going to get credit. The number tells us which answer key to
use and which quiz to credit you.
If you do not fill in the bubbles correctly you are not going to get credit.
It will not hurt if you also fill in date, test number, etc. but we will not be looking at that information.
Letter Grade
Question: How do the points on the quizzes translate into letter grades?
Answer: My assumption is that if you get 90% of the material correct on a quiz then that corresponds to a letter grade
of an A. On the 20 point quizzes, 18 points or above earns an A. The remaining letter grades are one point
less than the previous letter grade. The scale is
A 18, 19 or 20 points
A- 17 points
B+ 16 points
B 15 points
B- 14 points
C+ 13 points
C 12 points
C- 11 points
D+ 10 points
D 9 points
D- 8 points
F 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 points
Note that guessing on the quizzes would be 4 or 5 points (questions have 4 or 5 choices, a, b, c, d and
sometimes e).
This scale is referred to as the "default scheme for grading" or "grading default".
Curve
Question: I noticed that I got 15 points on the last two exams. The default grading for 15 points is B, but Blackboard
shows I got a B on one quiz and a B+ on the other quiz for the same number of points. Not that I am
complaining about getting a higher grade, but what's up?
Answer: I look at the performance of the class (or classes in semesters where there is more than one section) on
each quiz, and I look to see that the number of As is typical for the class’s previous performance. If the
number of As is unusually small then I will lower the cutoff for each of the letter grades to compensate for what
I presume is a poorly written test or test question. You can always tell if the curve has been lowered by
comparing your score and letter grade with the table above. If, for example, you earned 15 points and
Blackboard says you earned a B+, as asked in this question, then the curve must have been lowered for that
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Frequently asked questions i"ve heard in this class and my answers (and some not-so-frequently asked questions and answers) The following questions and answers come from actual cases that i have encountered for this course. The questions and answers here are not listed here in any particular order. Answer: past distributions of grades for this class show that most students earn a form of an a or a b on every quiz. Anything less than a b on a quiz is cause for concern. Very few students get a c, and far fewer yet earn a d or f. fs are so rare that they usually denote you missed more than the allowed three quizzes you are allowed to make up. If you ever receive a b- or any form of a c, d or f, then you need to take corrective action immediately.
