Department of Psychology PSYC 3460H-A: Sensation and Perception FA 2012 PTBO

Transcription

1 Department of Psychology PSYC 3460H-A: Sensation and Perception FA 2012 PTBO Instructor: Liana Brown Teaching Assistant: Karolina Beben Trent Trent Office Location LHS C116 Office Location: LHS C110 Telephone: x 7238 Office Hours Monday 1-2:30 pm, Office Hours: Thursday 12-1 pm Psychology Dept. LHS C104, ext Course Description: Course Prerequisites: An extensive examination of how humans (and other species) perceive information presented to the senses. Topics include mechanisms of perception, detection, discrimination, and pattern recognition. Psychophysical measurement, colour and spatial vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell may be covered. Anatomical and physiological structures that support the senses will be discussed. Eight (8) university credits including Psyc 2016H and 2017H (or 215), and 0.5 credit from A2 category. Excludes Psyc 306 and 366H. Course Format: Lecture: Friday 9:00 to 10:50 in OCA 205 Seminar 001: Starts Friday, September 7, 12-1 pm, OCA 204, and continues biweekly (see schedule) Seminar 003: Starts Friday, September 7, 1-2 pm, OCA 204, and continues biweekly (see schedule) Seminar 002: Starts Friday, September 14, 12-1 pm, OCA 204, and continues biweekly (see schedule) Seminar 004: Starts Friday, September 14, 1-2 pm, OCA 204, and continues biweekly (see schedule) Weblink to academic timetable Weblink to course material: Required Readings: Chaudhuri, A. (2010). Fundamentals of sensory perception. Toronto: Oxford University Press Canada. Companion Website: American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Learning Outcomes Withdrawal Deadline Students successfully completing this course will be able to: 1. Describe the basic components of each of the visual, auditory, and tactile physiological systems and understand their role in perception 2. Understand the major theories about how sensory information is interpreted (i.e. perception); 3. Competently carry out a prepared lab-based experimental study; 4. Present and interpret experimental data; 5. Prepare a lab report that lays out the study rationale, reports the method and data, and provides a comprehensive interpretation of the findings. 6. Apply results of perception research to everyday scenarios; 7. Critique primary source research in perception science. Students will have 40% of their grades by the final date for withdrawal without penalty - Nov. 6, 2012.

2 Evaluation Event Grade Due Date 1. Midterm 2. Lab reports 3. Paralympics Presentation 4. Final Exam 25% 35% 10% 30% October 12, 2012 Biweekly in seminar Due Date TBD by registrar It is the responsibility of each student to read and accept the due dates outlined on the syllabus. Explanation of Assignments Midterm Exam (25%): The midterm exam will be one-hour and 50 minutes in length and will be comprised of multiple-choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions. The midterm exam will focus on readings, lectures, and seminar material covered in Weeks 1-5. See text companion website for practice multiple-choice test questions. Final Exam (35%): The final exam will be two (2) hours in duration and will be comprised of multiple-choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions. The final exam will NOT be cumulative. See text companion website (link above) for practise multiple-choice test questions. Lab Homework (30%): In each fortnightly seminar you will be given a homework assignment that will be described in detail in seminar. This may involve summarizing a research article, writing a report on a lab activity, or answering provided questions. Each homework assignment will be worth 10% and will be due at the beginning of the next lab session. You must attend your regularly scheduled lab in order to submit the accompanying homework. In other words, if you fail to attend your lab, you will not be permitted to submit the homework that was assigned in that lab without a documented reason. You may not switch labs without prior permission from the instructor and without a valid, documented reason. Paralympics Presentation (10%): Paralympic athletes are perceptual experts as well as performance experts. Choose an athlete or team who competed in the Summer Paralympics. Describe the sport, identify the key perceptual skills needed to perform the sport, and the compensation strategies that elite paralympic athletes must master to compete in the Paralympics. Working in groups of 3-4 persons, prepare a 5-7-minute presentation for the class. More detail will be provided in an early seminar. Presentations will be made in the final seminar Course Policy on Late Submissions Late papers and homework will receive a penalty of 5% per working day unless an extension has been arranged prior to the due date (see next paragraph). Homeworks and papers that are more that one week late will receive a grade of 0. Documentation will be required to support requests for extensions (see policy below). When it comes to asking for extensions or deferrals, timing is important. Contact me (lianabrown@trentu.ca) as soon as you know that you are in need. I cannot help you after the assignment is due or the course is over. As a rule, I do not offer opportunities to any one student that I cannot or am not willing to offer to everyone. Course Policy on attendance in class/labs Contacting the instructor Lecture attendance will not be recorded but is highly recommended. Your grades on exams will be significantly higher if you attend lecture. Lab/Seminar attendance is mandatory and will be recorded. Liana Brown, Ph.D., LHS C lianabrown@trentu.ca 1. is the best way to contact me. Please use your Trent account. During the week, please allow 24 hrs for a response. Do not expect a response on weekends. Finally, always acknowledge that you received a response and let me know if your question was answered. If your question wasn t answered, try again! 2. If you have a question that requires more than one or two sentence response, come see me during my office hours or after lecture. 3. I will not preview your work. Do not ask me or the TA to read and give you feedback on your written work before it is graded.

3 PSYC 3460H-Fall 2012 Date Topic Reading Seminar Topic Chapter 1 and Friday, Sept. 7 Introduction to Perception pp , pp Intro to Touch If you have not taken Psyc Lab 1: Scent Identification 2200H, read all of Ch. 2. Friday, Sept. 14 Touch and Proprioception Chapter 3 Lab 1: Scent Identification Friday, Sept. 21 Hearing 1 Chapter 5 Friday, Sept. 28 Hearing 2 Chapter 6 Lab 2: Hearing Lab 2: Hearing Friday, Oct. 5 Hearing 3 Chapter 7 No Seminars - Thanksgiving Friday, Oct. 12 MIDTERM No Seminars Midterm Friday, Oct. 19 Vision: Eye Chapter 8 & 9 No Seminars Friday, Oct. 26 READING WEEK No classes No Seminars Reading Week Friday, Nov. 2 Vision: Brain Chapter 10 Friday, Nov. 9 Vision: Colour Chapter 11 Friday, Nov. 16 Vision: Depth Chapter 12 Lab 3: Vision Lab 3: Vision Paralympic Presentations Friday, Nov. 23 Vision: Motion, Eye Movements and Action Chapter 13 Paralympic Presentations Friday Nov. 30 Visual Attention Computers / Internet & LearingSystem/Blackboard If you encounter difficulties accessing the Blackboard site for this course, please use the browser check tool along with other tools available at the Blackboard introduction/ interface page ( If problems persist, then please contact the Trent information technology help desk ( University Policies ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Academic dishonesty, which includes plagiarism and cheating, is an extremely serious academic offence and carries penalties varying from a 0 grade on an assignment to expulsion from the University. Definitions, penalties, and procedures for dealing with plagiarism and cheating are set out in Trent University s Academic Integrity Policy. You have a responsibility to educate yourself unfamiliarity with the policy is not an excuse. You are strongly encouraged to visit Trent s Academic Integrity website to learn more

4 ACCESS TO INSTRUCTION: It is Trent University s intent to create an inclusive learning environment. If a student has a disability and/or health consideration and feels that he/she may need accommodations to succeed in this course, the student should contact the Disability Services Office in Peterborough (BH Suite 132, ) or in Oshawa (Room 111, (905) ), for Peterborough and Oshawa disabilityservices@trentu.ca, as soon as possible Departmental Policy on Tests, Exams, and Assignments A. MIDTERMS & FINAL EXAMINATIONS Midterm examinations for half courses within the Psychology Department are scheduled by the instructor of the course. Midterm examinations for full courses and final examination for all courses are scheduled by the Registrar s Office. Students are strongly urged NOT to make any commitments (i.e., vacation, job related, or other travel plans) during either the term as a whole or the final examination period. Students are required to be available for all examinations during the periods for which they are scheduled (as published in course syllabi). B. DEFERRAL OF MIDTERM / FINAL EXAMINATIONS and/or TERM WORK Extensions of deadlines for completion of assignments or writing of midterms/final examinations may be granted to students on the basis of illness, accident, or other extreme and legitimate circumstances beyond their control. Consideration for deferrals will not normally be granted on the basis of vacation/travel plans or job-related obligations. C. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION Students should expect that supporting documentation will be required and must be submitted before a deferral is approved. For illness or accident, supporting documentation will take the form of: (1) the Trent University Medical Certificate from Health Services: ( or (2) a certificate or letter from the attending physician clearly indicating the start and end dates of the illness and the student s inability to write an examination, complete assignments, and/or attend classes, as relevant to the particular request. For other circumstances, students should consult the individual Psychology faculty member about acceptable forms of documentation. Notes 1. Academic Integrity: For the purpose of interpreting and applying the University policy on academic dishonesty, the Department of Psychology has adopted the following: When a student submits a piece of written work in fulfillment of an assignment, he/she implicitly acknowledges the following: a) that she/he is the sole author of the work; b) that the wording and organization of the work, apart from acknowledged quotations, is her/his own; and c) that she/he has not and will not submit this work, either as a whole or in part, to satisfy another course requirement. These basic assumptions will be reasonably interpreted. They do not preclude collaboration between students upon a single project, by prior arrangement with the instructor, for shared academic credit (either for written or oral presentation). For an elaboration of the Department s policy on, and for specific examples of, plagiarism, students should consult p. 178 in the APA (2010) and the sections on academic honesty (pp. 6-8), and appropriate citing and referencing (pp , 169) in Mitchell et at. (2010) on reserve in the library. Students who have doubts about what might be considered academic dishonesty are urged to consult the instructor of the course. Ignorance of the University or Department policy does not excuse academic dishonesty. Submissions that fail to meet one or more of these considerations will be subject to procedures laid down in the policy on academic dishonesty as stated in the University calendar. 2. It is the policy of the Department NOT to accept faxed assignments. 3. The same assignment cannot be submitted in more than one course without the prior written permission of all instructors concerned. The written approval must be attached to the work when it is submitted.

5 4. Students are required to use American Psychological Association style (6 th edition). 5. Please see the Trent University academic calendar for University Diary dates, Academic Information and Regulations, and University and departmental degree requirements. 6. Last date to withdraw without academic penalty for fall-term courses is Nov. 6, 2012; for full-year Fall/Winter courses is Feb. 7, 2013.