Psychology 3139B-001
Cognitive Science
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
Cognitive Science combines psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, linguistics, philosophy, and anthropology to study how people think. Students will learn about how cognitive scientists approach problems in a diverse, integrated manner to help us understand how people learn and process, for example, concepts and language.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, AND one of Psychology 2115A/B, 2134A/B, 2135A/B, 2220A/B, 2221A/B, or Neuroscience 2000.
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. Xuan Pan
Office: SSC 7440
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: xpan55@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thursday 3:30- 6:30/UC-3220
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.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
There is no required text. Course readings will be posted on OWL
Recommended Text:
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition (2010). Make sure you use the 6th edition – earlier editions contain formatting rules that are no longer current and may cost you marks. The 6th edition is available in the Taylor, Brescia, and Education libraries.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of this course is to provide students with an introduction to cognitive science. By the end of this course students should have:
Knowledge of the fundamental concepts in human cognition.
Extensive exposure to human cognition research paradigms.
The ability to evaluate the methodologies and interpretations of evidence in cognitive science.
Critical thinking and writing skills that are applicable across academic and non-academic settings.
Students will design a research project in a small group dealing with an issue in cognitive science. Students will learn to narrow their focus to a particular question of interest in an area of cognitive science. Two important skills-related objectives of the course are for students to enhance their ability to read primary journal articles in cognitive science and to improve their written communication skills.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Learning outcome |
Learning activity |
Assessment |
|
Identify the major research topics in cognitive science and their unique contribution to cognitive science.
|
Lectures, readings, in-class discussions. |
Assignments, midterm and final exam. |
|
Evaluate the methodologies and interpretations of evidence in cognitive science |
Lectures, readings, in-class discussions. |
Assignments, midterm and final exam |
|
Critical thinking, develop research questions in cognitive science and apply the research methodologies to research questions. |
In-class discussions, group projects, in-class presentation. |
Research proposal, presentation. |
|
Develop writing skills and communication skills applicable across academic and non-academic settings. |
Lectures, paper assignments, in-class presentation. |
Research proposal, presentation. |
5.0 EVALUATION
Final course grades will be based on the following components:
% of the grade Due date
Midterm 1 12 Feb. 6
Research Summary 10 Feb. 13
Midterm 2 12 Mar. 5
Method & Ethics 12 Mar. 12
Presentation 10 Apr. 2
Research Proposal 20 Apr. 6
Final exam 24 TBA April 6-26
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
Midterm 1: Thursday, Feb. 6 – covers readings and lectures up to Jan. 30.
Midterm 2: Thursday, Mar. 5 – covers readings and lectures up to Feb. 27.
* Make-up midterm exams will be held on the weekends of the same week if necessary.
Final: TBA (April 6–26, 2020) – covers readings and lectures across the course.
Exams will be short essay (a paragraph or two) format and will require that information be drawn from both lecture material and course readings. The final exam is cumulative, in that it will include questions on material from across the course.
Assignments will be due Feb. 13, Mar. 12, and Apr. 6. Late assignments will incur a penalty of 10% per day, including weekends.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Jan. 9 – Introductory Meeting
Jan. 16 – Attention
Jan. 23 – Perception
Jan. 30 – Memory
Feb. 6 – Midterm 1
Feb. 13 –Executive Function * Summary Due
Feb. 20 – No Class (Spring Reading Week)
Feb. 27 – Concepts & Categorization
Mar. 5 – Midterm 2
Mar. 12 – Language * Method & Ethics Due
Mar. 19 – Bilingualism
Mar. 26 – Creative Thinking & Cognitive Neuroscience
Apr. 2 – Presentation
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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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.
