Psychology 3130A-001 (Online for 2020-21)
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
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
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 Course Operation
This is an asynchronous online course. The lectures and course material will be viewable online and will not be scheduled for live sessions. I will maintain an active presence on OWL with weekly Zoom office hours to answer questions and engage with students.
The course runs on a weekly basis. Each week, there will be one lesson/topic assigned that corresponds to a chapter in the textbook. The topic will be unlocked and available at 12:01 am on Monday of the week that it is assigned according to the schedule in Section 7.0. The topic will remain unlocked until the end of the term. You can find the topics on the left menu bar on OWL. Click on a topic, open the topic page and you will find:
- The assigned readings in the text
- Additional reading as needed
- Learning outcomes for the topic
- Two or three video lectures that will 20-30 min in length.
- PowerPoint slides without the audio
- A discussion question based on the topic
You can view the lecture any time that week, but you must contribute to the discussion topic before the end of each week (11:59pm Sunday) in order to receive credit.
There are also four quizzes and two exams that will be completed online. These will be released according to the schedule (Section 6.0 )and will be timed, but open book, open note. You should not work with others on the quizzes or the exams.
2.2 Office Hours and Email
I hold office hours on Tuesday from 10:00am-11:00am and Thursday from 12:30pm-2:00pm. These will be on Zoom and you can connect directly through OWL and must be logged into Western’s Zoom account to participate. Tuesday office hours are a group session; anyone in the class can join/participate at that time. Thursday office hours will be by appointment and reserved for one-on-one meetings. You can join the waiting room and I’ll meet with people first come first serve.
For all questions relating to the course content, preparing for exams, or for any scheduling questions, please contact the TA, Tianshu (Toka) Zhu. The TA has weekly office hours and email (tzhu9@uwo.ca) and they should be your first option for reviewing course material.
For most other questions, message through OWL is preferred. The TA and I will monitor the OWL messages will respond within a 48-hour window.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
3.0 Reading and Notes
3.1 Textbook
There is one required textbook for this course.
Minda, J. P. (2020). The Psychology of Thinking: Reasoning, Decision-Making and Problem-Solving, Second Edition. SAGE, London: UK.
The text is available as softcover or e-book at the university bookstore, Amazon, and elsewhere. At this time (Fall 2020), the 2nd edition may be available as an e-book; The 1st edition from 2015 is still available a new, used, or ebook. You may use either the 1st edition or the 2nd edition for this course.
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 for the topic in which they are relevant. Content from these readings will be on the quizzes and exams.
3.3 Course Notes
Notes and slides from each class will be available on the course website. These notes will be identical to the ones in the short videos but will be PowerPoint slides without the audio. These are included if you need your own slides for review or for taking. 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 online lecture and online discussion.
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 five short quizzes and the final examination.
- 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 five short quizzes and the final examination.
- Engage in a critical scholarly discussion on a psychological topic using evidence to support claims. This outcome will be assessed though five short quizzes and the final examination.
- Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media. This outcome will be assessed though five short quizzes and the final examination.
- Apply psychological principles to the understanding of everyday problems. This outcome will be assessed though five short quizzes and the final examination.
5.0 Evaluation
5.1 Online Discussion
There are 12 online discussion topics from Classes 2-13. The discussion topic will be available at 12:01 am Monday of each week and will close the following Sunday at 11:59 pm. Each discussion question is worth 1 point. In order to earn the full point for each question, you must post at least two thoughtful comments on the topic or post two replies to other comments. If you post at least two comments, you will receive 1 point. If you post only one comment, you will receive 0.5 points. If you do not post any comments, you will receive no points. The definition of a thoughtful comment is subjective, but a good comment is one that relates to the topic, relates to another post, and is not plagiarized. Your post should be a few sentences; more than a tweet but less than a whole paragraph. Performance on the 12 discussion questions will make up 12% of the final grade.
5.1 Quizzes
There are 4 short OWL quizzes that will be given on Monday of the week according the schedule above. Each quiz will cover content from the previous 2–3 weeks but not the current week. The quiz will be available for 24 hours beginning Monday at 12:01am and closing at Monday 11:59pm. You can take the quiz any time during that period but once you begin, you will have 10 minutes to complete the quiz. Questions will be randomized and once you answer a question and advance you will not be able to go back to change your answer. If you require or receive accommodation for extra time on course work please connect with Services for Students with Disabilities as soon as possible and let me know so that I can make accommodations. Each quiz is worth 6% if the final grade and the four quizzes make up 24% of the final grade.
5.2 Quiz Make Up Policy
If you miss a quiz for any reason, including a self-reported absence or another excused absence you will have an opportunity to make up the quiz at the end of the term. Make up quizzes will be written format. You will be assigned a short answer question and will have 15 minutes to complete the question. Make up assignments will be scheduled for one week after the 4th quiz. See Section 9.0 for the policy on accommodations.
5.4 Exams
There are two exams in the course. The first exam is scheduled for Monday October 24 and covers Topics 1-6. The second exam will be scheduled by the registrar for the final exam period and will cover Topics 2-12. Each exam will consist of short answer questions, short essay questions, problems, and multiple-choice questions. Each exam will be available for 24 hours beginning on 12:01am on the day it is scheduled and closing at 11:59pm the same day. You can take the exam any time during that period but once you begin, you will have 180 minutes (three hours) to complete the exam. If you require or receive accommodation for extra time on course work please connect with Services for Students with Disabilities as soon as possible and let me know so that I can make accommodations. Each quiz is worth 32% of the final grade.
5.5 Make Up Policy
If you are unable to take an exam as scheduled, you must obtain permission from your academic dean via your counsellor order to make up the exam. See Section 9.0 for information on seeking accommodations. Please note the Western policy that instructors are not permitted to receive documentation directly from a student, whether in support of an application for medical grounds, or for other reasons. All documentation required for absences that are not covered by the absence reporting policy must be submitted to the Academic Counselling Office of a student’s home faculty. The current policy on student absences is available here. Information on accommodation appeals and medical certificates is available here.
Once I receive the verification of your eligibility for a makeup exam (Exam 1 or Exam 2), a make-up exam will be scheduled some time after the final. The make-up exam will be a written, essay exam. Students taking this exam will receive the written exam questions at 12:01am on the day of the scheduled exam and will have 24 hours to return the written answers. You should not work with other students on your exam and answers will be assessed for plagiarism before being scored. A plagiarized exam will receive a score of “0”.
5.6 Final Grade
The final grade will be calculated according to the four components shown in the breakdown. No grades will be rounded.
|
Component |
Breakdown |
|
Discussions (12) |
12% of final grade |
|
Quizzes (4) |
24% of final grade |
|
Exam 1 |
32% of final grade |
|
Exam 2 |
32% of final grade |
5.7 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.
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
5.8 Exam Review
Grades will be released on OWL. Exams and quizzes may be reviewed by making an appointment with the TA during their exam review office hours. Neither the TA nor the instructor will re-grade questions or award points after the grades have been released.
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Quiz and Examination Schedule
|
Exam/Quiz |
Date |
Location |
Content |
Value |
|
Quiz 1 |
Sep. 28 |
online |
Classes 1–2 |
6% |
|
Quiz 2 |
Oct. 19 |
online |
Classes 3–5 |
6% |
|
Exam 1 |
Oct. 26 |
online |
Classes 1–6 |
32% |
|
Quiz 3 |
Nov. 16 |
online |
Classes 7–9 |
6% |
|
Quiz 4 |
Nov. 26 |
online |
Classes 10–11 |
6% |
|
Exam 2 |
Finals week |
online |
Classes 7–13 |
32% |
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
7.1 Week 1. Sep. 13—Sep. 19: Introduction
In the first class, we will go over the course outline and expectations. The lecture will include 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. Sep. 20—Sep. 26: 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. Sep. 27—Oct. 3: 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 available on Monday Sept 28 and will cover material from weeks 1–2.
7.4 Week 4. Oct. 4—Oct. 10: 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: Oct. 11— Oct. 17: 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.
7.6 Week 6: Oct. 18— Oct. 24: Inference and Induction
We will discuss inductive reasoning, categorical induction, and drawing conclusions from evidence. Please read Chapter 6 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Quiz 2 will be available on Monday Oct. 19 and will cover material from weeks 3–5.
7.7 Week 7: Oct. 25— Oct. 31: Deductive Reasoning
This class covers deductive reasoning, logic, and card selection tasks. Please read Chapter 7 in The Psychology of Thinking.
**Exam 1 will be available on Monday Oct 24 and covers material from Weeks 1–6**
7.8 Week 8: Nov. 1— Nov. 7: Fall Break
Fall Break: enjoy the week!
7.9 Week 9: Nov. 8— Nov. 14: 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.
7.10 Week 10: Nov. 15— Nov. 21: 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 3 will be available on Monday Nov. 16 and will cover material from weeks 7–9.
7.11 Week 11. Nov. 22— Nov. 28: Problem Solving and Creativity
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.
7.12 Week 12: Nov. 25— Dec. 5: Expertise and Expert Thinking
We will discuss the psychology of experts and expertise. Please read Chapter 11 in The Psychology of Thinking.
Quiz 4 will be available on Monday Nov. 26 and will cover material from weeks 10–11.
7.13 Week 13: Dec 6 13—Dec. 8: Review Material
There will be a live Zoom review session during my posted office hours. Any make-up quizzes will be assigned this week.
7.14 Week 14: Dec 11—Dec 22: Finals
** The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar. It will take place during finals week and will cover the material from Weeks 7–13**
8.0 Statement on Academic Offences
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence are described at the following link.
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offences. 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.
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS 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. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
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.
9.0 Policy on Accommodation for Illness or Other Absences
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found HERE :
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed HERE
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 must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It 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 hoursafter 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 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.
11.0 Statements Concerning Online Etiquette
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
12.0 Other Information
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
- 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 Absence
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
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.
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.
