Psychology 3185F 001 FW25
Research in Cognitive Psychology
Western University
London Canada
Department of Psychology
Fall 2025
Psychology 3185F Section 001
RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
1 Calendar Description
Cognitive theorists face a unique problem: the understanding of mental structures and processes that are not directly observable. A variety of methods used to address this problem will be surveyed, by introducing research questions of enduring interest. Students will be expected to use the techniques learned. Cognitive domains to be examined include attention, memory, problem-solving, and thinking. Extra Information: 2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours.
Antirequisites: N/A
Prerequisites: Both Psychology 2801F/G (or one of Health Sciences 2801A/B, Psychology 2840F/G, Psychology 2855F/G) and Psychology 2811A/B (or one of Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, Economics 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2830A/B, Psychology 2850A/B, Sociology 2205A/B, Statistical Sciences 2035, Statistical Sciences 2141A/B, Statistical Sciences 2143A/B, Statistical Sciences 2244A/B, Statistical Sciences 2858A/B, the former Social Work 2207A/B)
4 hours per week divided between lecture/seminar and laboratory; Course Weight: 0.5
Unless you have either the prerequisites 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.
2 Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Melissa Johnson
Office & Phone: Office (see Brightspace for location) ; or Zoom
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: mjohn569@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Stacey Reyes
Office: TBA
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: sreyes4@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: see Timetable on Student Centre
For courses that include an online component, students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with online learning system requirements.
3 Course Materials
There is no textbook for this course.
Reading material will consist of research articles/tutorials as specified on Owl Brightspace. These materials will be posted in advance of class and it is expected that students will have completed the readings and be able to discuss them by class time.
We will be creating and running experiments in this course using PsychoPy (https://psychopy.org/) or jsPsych (https://www.jspsych.org/v7/) but for your own experiment, you can use any software you wish. Other programs, such as excel, python, or R may be used.
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
This course is designed to help students understand how cognition is researched. It will look a variety of different areas of cognition and show how research is conducted, focusing on different types of studies and how their design correlates to the results and our understanding of cognition. Students will get hands on practice with conducting experiments and writing up the methods and results of those experiments.
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge · Understands the different areas that make up cognition · Understands the importance of ethics |
Lectures |
Reflections |
|
Knowledge of Methodologies · Able to explain how to set up and conduct research · Understanding of reasons to use different variables and set ups for experiments |
Lectures |
Ethics Report Labs |
|
Application of Knowledge · Able to create and run a basic experiment |
Labs |
Peer Reviews |
|
Communication Skills · Able to successfully communicate scientific research both written and oral |
Lectures |
Peer Reviews |
|
Awareness of Limits of Knowledge · Basic understanding of limits of any single experiment |
Lectures |
Reflections |
|
Autonomy and Professional Capacity · Able to decide on and implement experiment of their own |
Labs |
Presentations |
5 Evaluation
Reflections – 5%
After every week of classes, students will write up reflections about what they’ve learned that week. These reflections are meant to help students in two ways: convert the material to the student’s own perspective and point out areas that the student may still have questions about. This is the starting point of being able to fully understand and incorporate the knowledge so that the student can successfully use it in the future.
These are marked as pass/fail; if passed, it is 1% of final grade. Passing is based on relevance to, and reflection of, the course material. Reflections should be approximately ½-1 page, double spaced.
There are 12 weeks in the term, top 10 marks are used – 2 are dropped.
Labs – 25% (5% each)
There are 6 labs covering 6 different areas of cognition. These labs consist of an experiment that the class run and take up the results. Students are required to write up a methods and results section, approximately 1-2 pages, double-spaced. Rubrics will be provided.
There are 6 labs, top 5 marks will count towards final grade – 1 is dropped.
Ethics – 10%
Students need to fill out an ethics application (modified) for their own experiment. This is to show that the student understands what is considered ethical research, and that the student can make sure their own work follows the rules and regulations of ethical research.
Note: ethics will not actually be submitted to the ethics committee; this is just practice.
Peer Evaluations – 10%
Using knowledge of how research is conducted, students should be able to evaluate each other’s research plan. Before any individual research is conducted, students will sit in small groups and discuss their plans and receive feedback on the plan – theories behind it, what it is expected to show, and how it is being done. Student feedback will be submitted to both the student and be evaluated.
Note: a student’s research is NOT going be evaluated based on this feedback; the feedback itself is being evaluated based on their ability to use course content to give constructive feedback.
Final Paper – 35%
Students are expected to design and implement a small experiment based on research they have conducted outside of (in addition to) lecture material; this is the same material as the presentation. This will be a full paper with introduction (past research), methods, results, and conclusions. This is the main component of the course and demonstrates general understanding of how to conduct research in cognition. A rubric will be provided.
Presentation – 15%
Along with the final paper, students will have about 10 minutes (15 max) to present their research to the class and take questions from the class. The student’s ability to present (e.g. nervousness) will not be marked, but their ability to display/communicate important information (e.g.. methods, results) will be. A rubric will be provided.
Policy on Missing Coursework
In general, this course is set up to provide enough time for students to complete the work and flexibility of dropped assignments in case circumstances arise that make it difficult for the student at any one point during the term. That being said, it is impossible to account for all possible situations that may arise. Therefore, if the student does feel the need to modify the deadlines and/or grading structure, they are encouraged to talk to the professor to explain what they need and how they may be accommodated.
Reflections –10 out of 12 are used
Labs – 5 out of 6 are used
Presentation is a set date that will be assigned in class. If you cannot present on the day you are assigned, you can try to change dates with another student. There should also be extra time on the last date if necessary.
Peer Reviews are based Oct 20th and 22nd classes; you need to be able to attend those classes.
The final paper cannot be skipped or late.
Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
In the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding
Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered.
6 Assessment/Evaluation Schedule
|
Activity |
Due |
Worth |
|
Reflections |
Friday of each week |
5% |
|
Labs |
Sept. 21 (Perception) |
25% |
|
Ethics |
Oct. 15 |
10% |
|
Peer Evaluations |
Oct. 24 |
10% |
|
Presentations |
Nov. 19 – Dec. 8 |
15% |
|
Final Paper |
Dec. 9 |
35% |
7 Class Schedule
Please note that the schedule tentative and may change based on class needs. If any changes are made, they will be posted on OWL (Brightspace)
|
Week |
Topic |
|
1 - Sept. 8 & 10 |
Introduction |
|
2 - Sept. 15 & 17 |
Perception |
|
3 - Sept. 22 &24 |
Attention |
|
4 – Sept. 29 & Oct 1 |
Memory |
|
5 – Oct. 6 & 8 |
Problem Solving |
|
6 – Oct. 13 & 15 |
THANKSGIVING (not class on the 13th) |
|
7 – Oct. 20 & 22 |
Peer Reviews |
|
8 – Oct. 27 & 29 |
Run Experiments |
|
Nov 3 & 5 |
READING WEEK (no class) |
|
9 – Nov 10 & 12 |
Language |
|
10 – Nov 17 & 19 |
FMRI |
|
11 – Nov 24 & 26 |
Final Presentations |
|
12 – Dec 1 & 3 |
Final Presentations |
|
13 - Mon. Dec. 8 |
Final Presentations (if necessary) |
8 Academic Integrity
Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
Statement on Use of Electronic Devices
You will need a laptop or similar device that can run PsychoPy in class. You may also need headphones in some classes for experiments that have sound.
Electronics are allowed during classes and peer reviews to take notes. Please no electronics during presentations.
If you are distracting the class because of your device, you will be asked to put it away. If it continues, you will be asked to leave.
Plagiarism Detection Software
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. 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.
Use of AI
The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content.
AI Policy for Psychology:
Responsible use of AI is allowed in Psychology. This includes using AI for brainstorming, improving grammar, or doing preliminary/background research on a topic.
AI is not to be used in place of critical thinking.
The misuse of AI undermines the academic values of this course. Relying on AI to create full drafts or fabricate sources is prohibited. You are ultimately responsible for any work submitted, so it is highly advised that you critically review your Generative AI output before incorporating this information into your assignments.
If you use AI, you must clearly explain its role in your work. All written assignments will require an AI Usage Statement, in which you will indicate what tools you have used, what you have used them for, and (broadly) how you have modified this information. Assignments without an AI Usage Statement will not be accepted.
Violations of this policy will be handled according to Western’s scholastic offense policies.
Personal Response Systems (“Clickers”)
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system, data collected will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed.
9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education
View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link.
Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western.
If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information. Email: aew@uwo.ca Phone: 519 661-2147
10 Absence & Academic Consideration
Academic Considerations: https://registrar.uwo.ca/academics/academic_considerations/index.html
11 Other Information
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Student Development Services: sdc.uwo.ca
- Psychology Undergraduate Program: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/index.html
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness@Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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.
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf. Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal in writing to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement
Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
