PSYC 205:
PSYCHOLOGY OF COGNITION AND LEARNING
SPRING `08
Instructor: Aylin Küntay
Email: akuntay@ku.edu.tr
Office: SOS 224
Office Hours:
Tuesdays 11-12 or by appointment (arranged through email)
Meeting Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 14:00-15:15 pm
Readings: Readings are complementary to the lecture material and they MUST be completed by the date assigned
in the schedule. More specific instructions about individual readings will be provided in class. Parts of the class
discussion will refer to the reading materials. Some of the lecture outlines will be made available to the students
over KUAIS Courseware. Lectures are complementary to the textbook. You need to study the textbook and go over
the notes to prepare for the exams. There is also a website for demonstrations and study material,
http://www.prenhall.com/ashcraft, along with suggested readings on some relevant topics.

Textbook: Cognition (2006) Mark H. Ashcraft. Fourth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall International.
Available in Bookstore.
Course Description: Cognitive Psychology is about how people think and remember. This course surveys most of
the well-established topics in cognitive psychology: memory, learning, concepts and categorization, mental
representation, language and cognitive neuropsychology. Recent work in cognitive psychology and cognitive
science attempts to unify views of thought developed in other areas of psychology, anthropology, education,
computer science (artificial intelligence), linguistics, and neuroscience. Throughout the course, we will make an
attempt to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of the field.
The topics will be examined through readings, discussion, and through short assignments designed to help
students collaborate with one another. Lectures might refer to the readings from time to time, but they will
sometimes cover material not included in the readings. It is very important and mandatory to regularly attend
lectures to learn and do well in this class! How well you do the readings will reflect in your final grade.
Grading: Grades will be based on (a) midterm exams, (b) a cumulative final exam, and (c) grades on attendance,
participation, and reading (A & P & R). Details concerning the format of the exams will be made available well in
advance of the exam dates. There will be 3 to 5 unannounced quizzes to make sure you are reading the material.
Final course grades will be weighted as follows:
Two Midterm Exams:
Final Exam:
A & P & R:
25% each
35%
15%
Administrative details
Attendance. Attendance at all classes is required, and might be checked randomly. If you anticipate missing class
due to circumstances beyond your control (e.g., major medical problem, family emergency), you are responsible for
making arrangements to learn the missed materials. Failing to come to 2/3 of the meetings will automatically lead to
an F.
You have to come to class before 14:00. Otherwise, you might considered late or absent. THE REASON FOR
THAT IS YOU WILL SERIOUSLY DISRUPT THE THINKING OF YOUR INSTRUCTOR AND THE FLOW
OF THE CLASS.
Academic Honesty. All students are expected to read and follow the Koç University guidelines regarding academic
conduct. Any student in violation of these guidelines will (e.g., cheating during an exam, plagiarizing), where
circumstances merit, immediately receive a grade of F and be referred to the disciplinary committee for further
review.
Course Outline : Topics and Readings
Topic 1
Introduction to Course: Cognition and Learning
Chapter 1. Cognitive Psychology: An Introduction
Topic 2
What is Cognitive Science?
Chapter 2. The Cognitive Science Approach
Topic 3
Perception and Pattern Recognition
Chapter 3. Perception and Pattern Recognition
Topic 4
Attention
Chapter 4. Attention
Topic 5
Memory
Chapter 5. Short-term Working Memory
Topic 6
Memory: Learning and Remembering
Chapter 6. Learning and Remembering
Topic 7
Knowing
Chapter 7. Knowing
Midterm 1: (as set by the Registrar’s office)
Topic 8
Applied Memory: Using Knowledge in the Real World
Chapter 8. Using Knowledge in the real worls
Topic 10
Language: Nature and Components
Chapter 9. Language
Topic 11
Language Comprehension
Chapter 10. Comprehension: Written and Spoken Language
Midterm 2:(as set the by Registrar’s office)
Topic 13
Problem Solving
Chapter 12. Problem solving
Topic 14
Wrap-Up
2