Psychology 2135A-650

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

An introduction to empirical, computational, and theoretical approaches to the study of human cognitive processes. The topics surveyed will include: perception, attention, memory, concepts, language and problem-solving. The course will show how these diverse psychological processes are related to and influence one another.

 

Antirequisites: Psychology 2010A/B, 2180E

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if this course has an antirequisite that you have previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in this one.

 

Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course

0.5 course

 

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll 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.


2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

       Instructor: Sarah Babcock                                    

       Office:  Social Sciences Centre (SSC) Room - 7317

       Office Hours: By Appointment                     

       Email: sbabcoc5@uwo.ca                           

      

Email Policy: I check email regularly and will respond to emails within 24 hours during weekdays. Please include the course code (PSYCH 2135A) in all email subject lines. If for some reason I cannot address your email within this 24-hour timeline or am unavailable for longer than a 24-hour window, I will notify the class via the OWL website announcements feature.

 

Appointments: If you are interested in scheduling an individual meeting with me at any point during the term, please contact me via email to arrange it. I am only available on campus on select days of the week but will do my best to accommodate your schedule and availability.

 

Course Website: The course website will be found on your OWL page http://owl.uwo.ca/portal


If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  Please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.

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 Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

COGNITION: Exploring the Science of the Mind, 6th edition by Daniel Reisberg – *Required

The textbook is required and is an essential part of the course content. Weekly chapter summary notes will be provided via the OWL website; however, these notes are intended as a guideline only and are not a substitute for the textbook. Context exclusively in the textbook will be evaluated.

 

The text is available at the campus bookstore, Amazon, and elsewhere. This textbook is also the same edition as the book that was used during this past Winter 2018 Academic Term course, so used copies may also be available to purchase/loan from another student. [Note: You do not need access to ZAPS 2.0 (digital materials) for this course. Therefore, you can get used textbooks or buy/borrow from the students who took this course last fall or winter. However, please ensure that you get the 6th edition.]

An effort will also be made to get a copy of the textbook placed on course reserve at Weldon library.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course will provide an overview of the study of human cognitive processes. The topics surveyed in this course include: perception, attention, memory, concepts, language, and problem-solving. The course material will demonstrate how these diverse psychological processes relate and influence one another.

 

The primary mode of instruction will be through textbook readings, as well as written summary material delivered via the OWL website to provide an outline of the weekly topic, as well as expand and clarify textbook learnings. Assessment will consist primarily of: weekly quizzes, biweekly 5-minute papers, and multiple-choice examinations.


   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

 

  • Outline the course expectations, contact information and policies, as well as identify important deadlines and evaluation information. This will be assessed via the Syllabus Scavenger Hunt.

 

  • Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes relevant to cognitive psychology. This outcome will be assessed via multiple choice quizzes, 5-minute papers, and exams.

 

  • Understand how research informs theory and vice versa. This outcome will be assessed via multiple choice quizzes and exams.

 

  • Engage in a critical thought and commentary on a psychological topic using evidence to support claims. This outcome will be assessed via 5-minute papers.

 

  • Apply psychological principles to the understanding of everyday problems. This outcome will be assessed via multiple choice quizzes, 5-minute papers, and exams.

 

5.0     EVALUATION

  1. Syllabus Scavenger Hunt (3%)

 

You are required to review the syllabus so that you know what the expectations of the course are, what to do if you need support, the instructor contact policies, how you will be evaluated, and where to concentrate your energy and time to get the best learning outcome. This will be posted on the OWL website for completion during the first week of class.  By completing this task and earning a grade percentage, this is your agreement with the instructor that you have read the syllabus and understood the course expectations and timelines.

 

 

  1. Weekly Quizzes (10%)

 

Weekly online quizzes will be posted each Friday and will be available for the day (9am – 11:59pm) to be completed. These quizzes will cover the topic and textbook chapter of the week. The purpose of these quizzes is to help keep you up-to-date on the course material, provide you with the opportunity to get a sense of your learning progress throughout the term by providing a weekly assessment, and to allow you to see the areas where you may need additional support and/or review. More detail to be posted on OWL.

 

Quizzes must be completed via OWL on Friday (9:00AM - 11:59 PM) for the topic they are covering. Late submissions will not be accepted. Each quiz is worth 1%, however, while there are 12 quizzes total, only your best 10 will count (10 best quizzes x 1% = 10% total).

 

  1. Biweekly 5-minute Papers (12%)

 

You will be required to complete a “five-minute paper” on a biweekly basis. A topic will be provided at the beginning of the week and you will be asked to respond to these questions to the best of your ability. These papers are intended to get you thinking critically about and engaging with the course material. As a guide, you should be writing between 3-5 full sentences for each paper, in order to explain your answer.

 

Papers must be submitted on OWL by Sunday (11:59 PM) for the week that they are assigned. Late papers will not be accepted. Each paper is worth 2% of your grade (6 papers x 2% = 12% total)

 

These papers will also give you an opportunity to provide feedback on any course material you are finding particularly difficult or confusing. While this portion is not a mandatory part of the grade, I encourage you to use this venue to let me know about concepts you are struggling with. I will use this information to guide review materials for the midterms and final, as well as address content issues on the OWL page or with you individually. More details will be posted on OWL.

 

  1. Exams (75%)

 

There are three multiple-choice exams (closed book). All exams are non-cumulative. The exams will be based on the materials presented in the textbook and in the weekly summary notes. See section 6.0 for more details on exam dates and content coverage.


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  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

MIDTERM #1 (25%)
Date: Saturday June 2nd, 2018
Time: 9:00am (tentatively scheduled – Instructor will confirm)
Location: TBD
Chapters: 1-5

 

MIDTERM #2 (20%)
Date: Saturday June 23rd, 2018
Time: 9:00am (tentatively scheduled – Instructor will confirm)
Location: TBD
Chapters: 6-8

 

FINAL EXAM (30%)
Date: Between July 30th – August 2nd (Exact date TBD by registrar)
Time & Location: TBD by Registrar
Chapters: 9-13


7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

All material is delivered via the OWL course website.

 

Weekly Schedule:

  • Topic Review: Posted every Monday to the OWL page
  • Quizzes: Available on OWL to be completed each Friday between 9:00am – 11:59pm
  • 5-Minute Papers: Topics posted biweekly (on each “even” week) and can be completed and submitted anytime between Monday – Sunday the week they are assigned.

Week

Date

Topic

Readings

Quizzes

5-Minute Papers

1

May 7

Foundations of Cognitive Psychology

Chapters 1 & 2

Quiz 1

 

2

May 14

Visual Perception

Chapter 3

Quiz 2

Paper #1 (Due Sunday May 20)

3

May 21

Object Recognition

Chapter 4

Quiz 3

 

4

May 28

Attention

Chapter 5

Quiz 4

Paper #2 (Due Sunday June 3)

Midterm this Saturday (June 2nd) *Covers chapters 1-5

5

June 4

Memory 1

Chapter 6

Quiz 5

 

6

June 11

Memory 2

Chapter 7

Quiz 6

Paper #3 (Due Sunday June 17)

7

June 18

Memory 3

Chapter 8

Quiz 7

 

Midterm this Saturday (June 23rd) *Covers chapters 6-8

8

June 25

Concepts & Knowledge

Chapter 9

Quiz 8

Paper #4 (Due Sunday July 1)

9

July 2

Language

Chapter 10

Quiz 9

 

10

July 9

Visual Knowledge

Chapter 11

Quiz 10

Paper #5 (Due Sunday July 15)

11

July 16

Judgment & Reasoning

Chapter 12

Quiz 11

 

12

July 23

Problem Solving

Chapter 13

Quiz 12

Paper #6 (Due Sunday July 29)

Final Exam (Date TBD by Registrar) *Covers chapters 9-13

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://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12 

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


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
- 2018 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.