Psychology 3130A-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 2800E and 2810
• One of Psychology 2115A/B, 2134A/B or 2135A/B
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.
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 Thursday 12:30pm - 2:30pm, or by appointment
Teaching Assistant Bailey Brashears, bbrashea@uwo.ca
TA Office & Hours TBA
Time & Location of Classes Tuesday 9:30 - 12:30, WIRB 1170
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ 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. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
2.1 Office Hours and Email
For all questions relating to the course content, preparing for exams, or for any scheduling questions, please
contact the TA, Bailey Brashears. The TA has weekly office hours and email (bbrashea@uwo.ca) and they
should be your first option for reviewing course material.
My set office hours are Thursdays from 12:30-2:30 in 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, graduate school, or anything else, 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 most questions, email probably works best. I can be reached by email (jpminda@uwo.ca) and will respond within a 48-hour window.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Reading and Notes
3.1 Text Book
There is only 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, used, Amazon, and elsewhere. It is helpful to read the assigned chapter before class.
3.2 Readings
There are some additional readings that accompany of the lectures. These include scientific journal articles, blog posts, and popular articles. These additional readings are available on the course website.
3.3 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 will cover exactly what happened in a lecture. Students may share their own notes on the OWL site or other note sharing sites. 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. You should 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
5.1 Quizzes
There are 5 short quizzes that will be given at the beginning of a class according to the schedule. Each quiz will cover content from the previous 2–3 weeks. Each quiz is worth 10 points and I will drop your lowest quiz. The four highest quizzes will make up 40% of the final grade. The quizzes 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 I will drop the lowest quiz.
5.2 Final Exam
The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar and will take place during finals week (December 8-19). This exam is comprehensive and cumulative and will cover material from Weeks 1–13 / Chapters 1–11 along with any other assigned readings. The exam will consist of short answer questions, short essay questions, problems, and multiple-choice questions. No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams. This exam will be worth 60% of the final grade.
5.3 Final Grade
The final grade in this class will be a combination of your grades on the quizzes (40%) and the final exam
(60%).
5.4 Senate Policy
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. However, students will have taken up to 3 quizzes by the November 8 deadline, which accounts for 30% of the final mark.
5.5 Exam Review
Grades will be released on OWL. Exams and Quizzes 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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
The quizzes will be written in the classroom (WIRB 1170) and during the class period. The final will be scheduled by the Registrar for finals week (December 8-19).
Exam/Quiz Date Location Content Value*
Quiz 1 Sep. 24 WIRB 1170 Classes 1–2 10%
Quiz 2 Oct. 8 WIRB 1170 Classes 3–4 10%
Quiz 3 Oct. 29 WIRB 1170 Classes 5–7 10%
Quiz 4 Nov. 11 WIRB 1170 Classes 8–10 10%
Quiz 5 Dec. 3 WIRB 1170 Classes 11–12 10%
Final Exam Finals week as scheduled Classes 8–14 60%
[*] I will drop the lowest quiz and will only include four in the final marks
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
7.1 Week 1: September. 10 - Introduction
In the first class, we will go over the course outline and expectations. The lecture will include an an introduction to the psychology of thinking as well as some ideas and suggestions for how to apply what we will learn in this course in your own life and studies. Please read Chapter 1 in The Psychology of Thinking.
7.2 Week 2: September 17 - 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.
7.3 Week 3: September 24 - 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.
7.4 Week 4: October 1 - Concepts and Categories
This class covers theories of conceptual organization and category learning as well as some content on how
conceptual structure influences thinking. Please read Chapter 4 in The Psychology of Thinking.
7.5 Week 5: October 8 - 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.
7.6 Week 6: October 15 - Inference and Induction
We will discuss inductive reasoning, categorical induction, and drawing conclusions from evidence. Please read Chapter 6 in The Psychology of Thinking
7.7 Week 7: October 22 - Deductive Reasoning
This class covers deductive reasoning, logic, and card selection tasks. Please read Chapter 7 in The Psychology of Thinking.
7.8 Week 8: October 29 - Causal Reasoning
This class covers reasoning and thinking about causes and causality. There is a reading posted on the OWL site from the Oxford Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning. Quiz 3 will be given in class and will cover material from weeks 5–7
7.9 Week 9: November 5 - SLACK WEEK
There are no classes this week. Please use the time to relax, have fun, and to engage in self-care.
7.10 Week 10: November 12 - 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.
7.11 Week 11: November 19 – 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. Quiz 4 will be given in class and will cover material from weeks
8—10.
7.12 Week 12: November 26 - 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.
7.13 Week 13: December 3 - Expertise and Expert Thinking
We will discuss the psychology of problem solving, heuristics, and insight. Please read Chapter 11 in The
Psychology of Thinking. Quiz 5 will be given in class and will cover material from weeks 11—12.
7.14 Final Week: December 8 to 19 - Final Exam
The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar. It will take place during finals week (December 8-19), and will cover the material from weeks 1–13.
8.0 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://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2019-2020 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, 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 lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
I hereby grant consent for students in my course to audio or video record my lectures and to share their recordings and their own notes with other students. I do not grant consent for students to share course material for commercial purposes
