Department of Psychology PSYC 2400H-A: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology Fall 2013 PTBO

Transcription

1 Department of Psychology PSYC 2400H-A: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology Fall 2013 PTBO Instructor: Liana Brown Teaching Assistant: Greg Tracey Trent Trent Office Location LHS C116 Office Location: LHS C110 Telephone: x 7238 Office Hours Tuesday 11:30 1 pm Office Hours: Thursday 1-2 pm Psychology Dept. LHS C104, ext Course Description: This 12-week course examines research on human cognitive processes, including perception, attention, memory, reading comprehension, reasoning, decision-making, problem-solving, and the interaction of all these. The course will give you an overview over past and current research and theory in cognitive psychology, a basic understanding of the empirical methods used, and an understanding of the ways in which knowledge of these processes has been applied to real-world problems. Course Prerequisites: 60% or higher in PSYC 1020H (102H) and 1030H (103H) (or in PSYC 1010Y or 101). Excludes PSYC 225H, 306, Course Format: Lecture: Monday 2:00 to 3:50 pm in CC 307 Seminar is mandatory: Section PSYC-2400H-A-F01: Starts September 9, 2013, 4-4:50 pm, BL 314, and continues biweekly Section PSYC-2400H-A-F03: Starts September 9, 2013, 5-5:50 pm, BL 314, and continues biweekly Section PSYC-2400H-A-F02: Starts September 16, 2013, 4-4:50 pm, BL 314, and continues biweekly Section PSYC-2400H-A-F04: Starts September 16, 2013, 5-5:50 pm, BL 314, and continues biweekly Web link to course material on LearningSystem/Blackboard : Required Readings: Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (3 rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. COGLAB is NOT required! Companion Website: American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Learning Outcomes Successful students will be able to: 1. Synthesize vocabulary, main theories, and concepts in cognitive psychology; 2. Competently carry out a prepared lab-based experimental study; 3. Present and interpret experimental data; 4. Prepare a lab report that lays out the study rationale, reports the method and data, and provides a comprehensive interpretation of the findings. 5. Critique primary source research in cognitive psychology; 6. Apply results of cognitive psychology research to everyday scenarios.

2 PSYC 2400H-A Fall 2013 PTBO, Liana Brown 2 Withdrawal Deadline Students will have 30% of their grades by the final date for withdrawal without penalty - Nov Evaluation Item Value Due Date 1. Midterm (25%) 2. Final Exam (35%) 3. Seminar/Lab Homework (20%) 4. Presentation (10%) 5. Thought Papers (10%) 25% 35% 20% 10% 10% October 7, 2013 Determined by Registrar Biweekly Final Seminar Weekly It is the responsibility of each student to read and accept the due dates outlined on the syllabus. Explanation of Assignments Midterm (25%): The midterm will be comprised of multiple-choice and/or short-answer questions. It will focus on textbook readings, lectures, and seminar material covered during the first 4 weeks of class. Midterms are not cumulative. They will include material covered since the previous midterm only. The Final Exam (35%), scheduled by the registrar, will be one-hour and 50 minutes in duration and will be comprised of multiple-choice and/or short-answer questions. The Final Exam is not cumulative. That is, it will focus on textbook readings, lectures, and seminar material presented on material covered after the midterm (Weeks 8-13). Seminar/Lab Homework (20%): You will be given three homework assignments that will be described in detail in seminar. This may involve summarizing a research article, writing a report on a lab activity, and/or answering provided questions. Each homework assignment will be due at the beginning of the next seminar and will be worth 5% or 10% of your final grade. Choice Presentation Assignment: You can complete one (1) of the following two presentation assignments 1. Cognitive Psychology in Everyday Life (10%): The goal of this assignment is for you (in groups of 3-4) to ask a research question inspired by some aspect of your life that is relevant to cognitive psychology and figure out how to answer it. Example questions: Is my own memory getting worse because I rely too much on the internet for information? Will playing connect-the-dots (or any other game ) on Lumosity.com really improve my attention or memory in other situations? Why do I keep hitting the squash ball with the rim of my racquet? OR 2. Explain It to Me Like I m a 10-Year-Old (10%): The goal of this assignment is for you (in groups of 3-4) to learn about a specific topic in cognitive psychology in more detail and then explain it as if you are speaking to a group of 5 th graders. Do not underestimate the difficulty of this assignment. Real 5 th graders may be in attendance. Choose an assignment with your group and prepare a 5-minute presentation for your classmates. All members of your group must participate in the 5-minute (3 minutes + 2 minutes for questions) presentation. Your grade will be partially based on peer evaluations. A more detailed assignment sheet will be provided in seminar. Presentations will be made in our last seminar. Thought Papers (10%): To do well in this (or any other) course, it is important that you come to lecture and seminar, pay attention to the material presented, and keep up with your reading. In most lectures, I will ask you to write a short thought paper on a topic announced in lecture. The topic will be announced without warning and you will have up to 5 minutes to write your answer to the question without consulting your notes. The topic may come from material discussed in class (in the current week or the week just prior) or from the current week s readings. For example, I may ask you to write a factual piece from the lecture or textbook (e.g. provide a definition and example of a concept just described to you) or I may ask for your informed opinion on an item that is related to cognitive psychology. There will be ten (10) opportunities for you to write a thought paper and you need to submit nine (9) thought papers to receive full marks. You may not submit more than one thought paper per lecture. Your answers will be graded on a pass/fail basis. You will receive a grade of 1 if your answer is submitted in lecture and is thoughtful and on-topic. You will receive a grade of 0 if your thought paper is submitted after lecture or if your answer does not address the question. NO MAKE-UP OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE OFFERED FOR THOUGHT PAPERS FOR ANY REASON. You will have 10 opportunities to submit 9 papers.

3 PSYC 2400H-A Fall 2013 PTBO, Liana Brown 3 Course Policy on Late Submissions Late 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). There will be no make-up opportunities for thought papers, for any reason. 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 be recorded and graded via thought papers. Your grades on exams will be significantly higher if you attend lecture. Seminar attendance is mandatory and will be recorded. You MUST attend the seminar you selected when you registered for the course. I will not entertain rescheduling requests. If you wish to attend a different seminar, you must reschedule through the registrar s office. Requests to make-up a seminar must be supported by documentation for your absence. Liana Brown, Ph.D., LHS C lianabrown@trentu.ca 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! If you have a question that requires more than one or two sentence response, come see me during my office hours or after lecture. We are happy to answer your questions about the assignments but we will not preview your work. Do not ask us to read and give you feedback on your written work before it is graded. PSYC 2400H-A Fall 2013 Schedule Date Topic Reading Seminar Topic Sept. 9 Introduction and Methods Chapter 1 F01 & F03: Perception/Attention Sept. 16 Cognitive Neuroscience Chapter 2 F02 & F04: Perception/Attention Sept. 23 Sensation & Perception Chapter 3 F01 & F03: Learning/Memory Sept. 30 Attention Chapter 4 F02 & F04: Learning/Memory Oct. 7 Midterm Exam No seminar Oct. 14 Statutory Holiday: Thanksgiving Day No seminar Oct. 21 Reading Week Chapter 5 No seminar Oct. 28 Action Rosenbaum (2013) F01 & F03: Problem Solving Nov. 4 Memory I STM & LTM Chapter 6 F02 & F04: Problem Solving Nov. 11 Memory II Encoding & Retrieval pp & Chapter 8 F01 & F03: Final Project Preparation Nov. 18 Memory III - Knowledge & Imagery pp & Chapter 10 F02 & F04: Final Project Preparation Nov. 25 Language Chapter 11 F01 & F03: Presentations Today Dec. 2 Reasoning and Decision Making Chapter 13 F02 & F04: Presentations Today Dec SCHEDULED EXAM PERIOD

4 PSYC 2400H-A Fall 2013 PTBO, Liana Brown 4 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 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 as soon as possible in Peterborough (disabilityservices@trentu.ca, BH Suite 132, ) or in Oshawa (Student Accessibility Services Office Room 111, corinnphillips@trentu.ca, (905) , ext. 5024). 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. 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 Nov. 5, 2013 for Fall half courses and Feb. 6, 2014 for FA/WI full-year courses.

5 PSYC 2400H-A Fall 2013 PTBO, Liana Brown 5