Psychology 3130B-001
Psychology of Thinking
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Theoretical and empirical studies on problem solving, reasoning, concept formation, thinking and cross-cultural variations in thinking processes.
Prerequisites
Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810, and one of Psychology 2115A/B, Psychology 2134A/B, Psychology 2135A/B.
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
3 lecture/discussion hours. 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
|
Instructor: |
Dr. John Paul Minda, jpminda@uwo.ca |
|
Office & Phone: |
WIRB 5158, x84689 |
|
Office Hours: |
Wednesday 1pm - 3pm, or by appointment |
|
Teaching Assistant: |
Joshua Hatherley, jhatherl@uwo.ca |
|
TA Office & Hours: |
SSC 7301, Monday, Wednesday 11am - 1pm |
|
Time & Location of Lectures: |
Tuesday 9:30 - 12:30, WIRB 1170 |
Office Hours and Email
For all questions relating to the course content, preparing for exams, or for any scheduling questions, please contact the TA, Joshua Hatherley. Josh has weekly office hours and email (at jhatherl@uwo.ca.) and he should be your first option for reviewing course material.
My set office hours are Wednesdays from 1-3 in my primary office, room 5158 in the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB). The common areas of the building are open but my floor is card access only. If you are planning to come to my office hours to discuss course material, exams, or even for general advice about psychology and graduate school, please come to the 5th floor and let me know when you arrive, and I can let you in. I can also be reached by appointment.
For email enquiries, I can be reached by email (jpminda@uwo.ca) and will try to respond within a 48-hour window.
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
There is one required textbook for this course. The Psychology of Thinking: Reasoning, Decision-Making, and Problem-Solving, by John Paul Minda is available at the University bookstore, Amazon, and elsewhere.
Readings
There are some additional readings for some of the lectures. These include scientific journal articles, blog posts, and popular articles. These additional readings will be available on the course website.
Course Notes
Notes and slides from each class will be available before each lecture on the course website. These notes are a guideline and are not a substitute for attending the lecture. I cannot guarantee that these notes cover exactly what happened in a lecture. Students may share their own notes on the OWL site or other note sharing sites like CouseHero. Your notes are your intellectual property, you can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course covers thought and knowledge. We will study how people think and how psychologists study thinking and reasoning. The course will be taught as a combination of lecture and class discussion. Please be advised that you must read the assigned readings before class. I will be asking questions about the material during the class time and I expect you to be familiar with the main ideas in the readings.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
Describe
key concepts, principles, and overarching themes relevant to the psychology of thinking. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Articulate
the concepts and current states of knowledge in both the natural science and social science aspects of the psychology of thinking. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Engage
in a critical scholarly discussion on a psychological topic using evidence to support claims. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Critically evaluate
the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Apply
psychological principles to the understanding of everyday problems. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
5.0 EVALUATION
Quizzes
There are 4 short quizzes that will be given at the beginning of a class as noted in the schedule. The quiz will cover content from the previous weeks. Each quiz is worth 5% of the final grade, and together the quizzes will account for 20% of the final grade. The quiz will be given during the first 10–15 minutes of class. If you are late, you may not be able to take the quiz. If you miss a quiz for any reason, you will not be able to make it up later. But if you have an approved absence from class (see section 9.0), I will add 5% to future quiz. If you miss the final quiz, I will add 5% to your final exam mark.
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will take place on Feb. 12 from 9:30-12:30 in WIRB 1170 and will cover material from Weeks 1–5 / Chapters 1–5. The exam will consist of short answer questions, longer answer questions, and multiple-choice questions. No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams. This exam will be worth 40% of the final grade.
Final Exam
The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar April 11-30. It will take place during finals week and will cover material from Weeks 8–13 / Chapters 6–11. The exam will consist of short answer questions, longer answer questions, and multiple-choice questions. No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams. This exam will be worth 40% of the final grade.
Final Grade
The final grade in this class will be a combination of your grade on the quizzes (20%), the midterm exam (40%), and the final exam (40%).
Exam Review
Grades will be released on OWL. Exams may be reviewed by making an appointment with the TA. Neither the TA nor the instructor will re-grade questions or award points after the grades have been released
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
The Quizzes and Exam 1 will be written in the classroom (WIRB 1170) and during the class period. The final will be scheduled by the registrar for finals week.
|
Exam/Quiz |
Date |
Location |
Content |
Contribution |
|
Quiz 1 |
Jan. 22 |
WIRB 1170 |
Classes 1–2 |
5% |
|
Quiz 2 |
Feb. 5 |
WIRB 1170 |
Classes 3–4 |
5% |
|
Exam 1 |
Feb. 12 |
WIRB 1170 |
Classes 1–5 |
40% |
|
Quiz 3 |
Mar. 12 |
WIRB 1170 |
Classes 8–9 |
5% |
|
Quiz 4 |
Apr. 2 |
WIRB 1170 |
Classes 10–12 |
5% |
|
Exam 3 |
Finals week |
as scheduled |
Classes 8–13 |
40% |
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Week 1: Jan. 8 – Introduction
We will go over the course, the course outline, and expectations, as well as an introduction to the topic. Please read Chapter 1 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Week 2: Jan. 15 – Similarity
This unit is on the topic of similarity which is a psychological construct that underlies many of the other topics in this course. Please read Chapter 2 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Week 3: Jan. 22 – Knowledge and Memory
This class covers theories of short and long term memory, as well as theories of knowledge organization. Please read Chapter 3 in The Psychology of Thinking. Quiz 1 will be given in class and will cover material from weeks 1–2.
Week 4: Jan. 29 – Concepts and Categories
This class covers theories of conceptual organization and category learning. Please read Chapter 4 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Week 5: Feb 5. –Language and Thought
This class covers the relationship between thought and language and the linguistic determinism theory. Please read Chapter 5 in The Psychology of Thinking. Quiz 2 will be given in class and will cover material from weeks 3–4.
Week 6: Feb. 12 – Mid Term Exam 9:30-12:30
This exam will be given in the lecture classroom and will cover material from weeks 1–5.
Week 7: Feb. 19 – SLACK WEEK
No class this week
Week 8: Feb. 26 – Inference and Induction
We will discuss inductive reasoning, categorical induction, and drawing conclusions from evidence. Please read Chapter 6 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Week 9: Mar. 5 – Deductive Reasoning
This class covers deductive reasoning, logic, and card selection tasks. Please read Chapter 7 in The Psychology of Thinking
Week 10: Mar. 12 – Casual Reasoning
This class covers reasoning and thinking about causes and causality. There is a reading posted on the OWL site from the Cambridge Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning. Quiz 3 will be given in class and will cover material from weeks 8¬–9.
Week 11: Mar. 19 – Context, Motivation, and Mood
We will cover the effects of context and mood on thinking, reasoning, and decision making. We will also discuss the Dual-Process theory of thinking. Please read Chapter 8 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Week 12: Mar. 26 – Decision Making
We cover how decisions are made, probability, and common decision-making errors and biases. Please read Chapter 9 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Week 13: Apr. 2 – Problem Solving
We will discuss the psychology of problem solving, heuristics, and insight. We will also discuss the psychology of creativity. Please read Chapter 10 in The Psychology of Thinking. Quiz 4 will be given in class and will cover material from weeks 10–12.
Week 14: Apr. 9 – Expertise and Expert Thinking
We will discuss the psychology of problem solving, heuristics, and insight. Please read Chapter 11 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Final Week: Apr. 11 - 30 – Final Exam
The final exam will be scheduled by the registrar. It will take place during finals week, and will cover the material from weeks 8¬–148.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
