Psychology 3130B-650 (Online)

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 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 Hours: Thursday 12:30pm—2:30pm by Zoom 

Teaching Assistant: Tianshu (Toka) Zhu, tzhu9@uwo.ca 

TA Office & Hours: TBA 

Time & Location of Lectures: Online, Asynchronous 

2.1 Course Operation 

This is an asynchronous online course. The lectures are viewable online and one the lectures are posted you can watch them at your own pace. I maintain an active presence on OWL with weekly Zoom office hours to answer questions and engage with students. I also post regular YouTube updates about the course.  

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 12:00 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 are 20-30 min each 
  • 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 (11:55 pm 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, open book, open note. You should not work with others on the quizzes or the exams.  

In the event that Western returns to a lockdown, our course will continue as planned online and according to the schedule. See Section 10 for more information. 

                                                     

2.2 Office Hours and Email 

I hold student meetings on Thursday from 1:00 pm-2:30 pm. These will be on Zoom and you must be logged into Western’s Zoom account to participate. The link is available on here on OWL and on the course calendar. These hours are 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. Toka has weekly office hours and email (tzhu9@uwo.ca) and should be your first option for reviewing course material. 

For most other questions to me, email is preferred. I usually respond within a 48-hour window. 

                             

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

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 (Winter 2021), the 2nd edition may be available as an e-book and printed book; The 1st edition from 2015 is still available as a used book. 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 the online discussion forum, four short quizzes, and the two exams. 
  • 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 the online discussion forum, four short quizzes, and the two exams. 
  • Engage in a critical scholarly discussion on a psychological topic using evidence to support claims. This outcome will be assessed though the online discussion forum, four short quizzes, and the two exams. 
  • Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media. This outcome will be assessed though the online discussion forum, four short quizzes, and the two exams. 
  • Apply psychological principles to the understanding of everyday problems. This outcome will be assessed though the online discussion forum, four short quizzes, and the two exams. 

 

5.0     EVALUATION

5.1 Online Discussion 

There are 10 online discussion topics from Classes 2-11 (there is no discussion during winter break). The discussion topic will be available at 12:00 am Monday of each week and will close the following Sunday at 11:55 pm. You can find the discussion topic in the lesson for the week and in the discussion forums as well. Each discussion topic is worth 1 point. In order to earn the full point for each topic, you must post at least one comment on the topic or post at least one reply to other comments. If you post at least one comment or one reply, you will receive 1 point. Your post should be a few sentences; more than a tweet but less than a whole paragraph. Performance on the 10 discussion topics will make up 10% of the final grade. Missing or late discussions cannot be made up. Missing / late discussion posts will be scored as “0”. 

5.2 Quizzes 

There are 4 short OWL quizzes that will be given on Monday of the week according the schedule above. Each multiple-choice 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 12:00 am and closing at Monday 11:55 pm. 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

5.3 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. Any quiz not taken or made up will be scored as “0”. 

5.4 Exams 

There are two exams in the course. The first exam is scheduled for Monday March 1st and covers Topics 1-6. The second exam will be scheduled by the registrar for the final exam period and will cover Topics 7-11.  Each exam includes short answer questions, short essay questions, problems, and multiple-choice questions. Each exam is available for 24 hours beginning on 12:00 am on the day it is scheduled and closing at 11:00 pm 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 exam is worth 33% of the final grade, the exams together are worth 66% of the final grade. 

5.5 Exam 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 12:05am 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”. Any exam not taken or made up will be scored as “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 (10) 

10% of final grade 

Quizzes (4) 

24% of final grade 

Exam 1 

33% of final grade 

Exam 2 

33% of final grade 

 

5.7 Senate Policy 


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

Exam/Quiz 

Date 

Location 

Content 

Value 

Discussion 1 

Jan 24 

OWL 

Unit 2 

1% 

Quiz 1 

Jan 25 

Gradescope 

Units 1–2 

6% 

Discussion 2 

Jan 31 

OWL 

Unit 3 

1% 

Discussion 3 

Feb 7 

OWL 

Unit 4 

1% 

Quiz 2 

Feb 8 

Gradescope 

Units 3–4 

6% 

Discussion 4 

Feb 21 

OWL 

Unit 5 

1% 

Discussion 5 

Feb 28 

OWL 

Unit 6 

1% 

Exam 1 

Mar 1 

Gradescope 

Units 1–6 

33% 

Discussion 6 

Mar 14 

OWL 

Unit 7 

1% 

Discussion 7 

Mar 21 

OWL 

Unit 8 

1% 

Quiz 3 

Mar 22 

Gradescope 

Units 7–8 

6% 

Discussion 8 

Mar 28 

OWL 

Unit 9 

1% 

Discussion 9 

Apr 4 

OWL 

Unit 10 

1% 

Discussion 10 

Apr 11 

OWL 

Unit 11 

1% 

Quiz 4 

Apr 12 

Gradescope 

Units 9–11 

6% 

Exam 2 

Finals week 

Gradescope 

Units 7–11 

33% 

 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Unit 

Week 

Topic 

Readings 

1 

Jan 11 

Introduction 

Minda Ch. 1 

2 

Jan 18 

Similarity 

Minda Ch. 2 

3 

Jan 25 

Knowledge and Memory 

Minda Ch. 3  

4 

Feb 1 

Concepts and Categories 

Minda Ch. 4 

5 

Feb 8 

Language and Thought 

Minda Ch. 5 

- 

Feb 15 

Reading Week 

- 

6 

Feb 22 

Inference and Induction 

Minda Ch. 6 

7 

Mar 8 

Deductive Reasoning 

Minda Ch. 7 

8 

Mar 15 

Context, Motivation, and Mood 

Minda Ch. 8 

9 

Mar 22 

Decision Making 

Minda Ch. 9 

10 

Mar 29 

Problem Solving and Creativity 

Minda Ch. 10 

11 

Apr 5 

Expertise and Expert Thinking 

Minda Ch. 11 

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: 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 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 (http://www.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 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

 

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:

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. 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:

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

- 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.