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Psychology 3185G-001 (Online for 2020-21)

Research in Cognitive Psychology

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.

2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours; 0.5 course.

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:Dr. Xuan Pan 

Office: SSC 7440   

Office Hours: by appointment 

Email: xpan55@uwo.ca 

Teaching Assistant: Niki Hosseini-Kamkar 

Office: TBA 

Office Hours: TBA 

Email: nhossei@uwo.ca 

Time and Location of Classes: Monday and Wednesday, 4:30 – 6:30 pm/Online 

The delivery format of course content will be blended. Lectures and lab tutorials will be delivered asynchronously through the online audio webcasts posted on the course OWL site. The webcasts are slides accompanied by audio commentary (by Instructor and Teaching Assistant). In addition, .pdf copies of the lecture slides (without audio) will be available for download. These files should play on PC and Mac. Students may access the course materials at times that are convenient for them. Consultation sessions on experiment design and data analyses will be hold synchronously through live Zoom meetings

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, 7th Edition (2020). Note: you will need this manual for the Honors Thesis course, so it is worth buying your own copy. Make sure you use the 7th edition – earlier editions contain formatting rules that are no longer current and may cost you marks. 

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the course students should have: 
•   Knowledge of the fundamental concepts in human cognition. 
•   Extensive exposure to human cognition research paradigms. 
•   Hands-on experience in designing research projects (including one experiment), data analysis, and preparing research reports on human experimental research. 

In the lab, each student will (with the instructor’s guidance) design, analyze, and write up a research project dealing with an issue in cognitive psychology. The aim of the course is to bridge what is learned in the second-year Research Methods course (2800E) and what is required of students in the fourth-year Honors Thesis course (4185E). Students will learn to narrow their focus to a particular question of interest in an area of cognitive psychology. Acceptable areas of focus include attention, memory, categorization, language processing, and thinking. The student will develop a testable hypothesis, which must be approved by the TA, conduct data analysis on mock data, and present the findings and implications in a formal paper using APA style. 

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

5.0     EVALUATION

Assignments: 55% in total. These 3 assignments (Research summary, Proposal & Ethics, Final paper) together constitute the written component of 2,500 words required for a half-year essay course. 

Midterm: 30%. The midterm will be held online on OWL and will be 2 hours long. The midterm will be based on all materials presented in lectures and will be short answer essay format (a paragraph or two).  

Class Presentation: 15%. Each student gives a Zoom presentation for their research project. 

Note that per departmental policy, course grades will NOT be rounded. 

PLEASE NOTE: 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. 

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

Assessment/Evaluation% of the gradeDue date 

Research Summary10Feb. 3 

Proposal & Ethics15Feb. 24 

Midterm30Mar. 8 

Presentation15Mar. 29, Mar. 31, Apr. 5, & Apr. 7 

Final paper30Apr. 20 

Deadlines are strictly enforced. A penalty of 10% per day is applied to every 24-hour period an assignment is late. Extensions for assignments will be granted only for documented health reasons or on documented compassionate grounds. Makeup exams will be arranged only in the situation that a student misses the midterm due to sickness or other acceptable excuse and the student must present an official document justifying the absence. 

The midterm will be conducted using Zoom. You will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session will not be recorded. *  

More information about the use of Zoom for exam invigilation is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines at the following link: 
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf  

Completion of the midterm will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the system requirements for Zoom. Information about the system requirements are available at the following link: 
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us  

* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the final exam

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Jan. 11 – Introductory Meeting.  

Jan. 13 – Introductions; Objectives of the lab 

Jan. 18 –Attention & Perception 

Jan. 20 – Research project description 

Jan. 25 –Memory & Executive Function 

Jan. 27 – Literature searches; Finding a topic; Defining a problem 

Feb. 1 – Concepts & Categorization 

Feb. 3 – Designing an experiment; Defining variables; Hypothesizing * Summary Due 

Feb. 8 – Language & Bilingualism 

Feb. 10 – Title pages; References; Ethics 

Feb. 15 – No Class (Winter Reading Week) 

Feb. 17 – No Class (Winter Reading Week) 

Feb. 22 – Creative Thinking & Cognitive Neuroscience 

Feb. 24 – Experiment Design & Consultation * Proposal & Ethics Due 

Mar. 1 – Midterm review 

Mar. 3 – No lab (study for midterm) 

Mar. 8 – Midterm  

Mar. 11 – Experiment Design & Consultation  

Mar. 15 – Statistics & Consultation  

Mar. 17 – Experiment Design & Consultation  

Mar. 22 – Statistics & Consultation 

Mar. 24 – Experiment Design & Consultation 

Mar. 29 – Presentation  

Mar. 31 – Presentation 

Apr. 5 – Presentation  

Apr. 7 – Presentation  

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.