WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON
CANADA
Department of Psychology
2014-2015
Psychology 2135A Section 650 - Online
Cognitive Psychology
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 you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose
credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
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: Deanna Friesen
Office and Phone Number: TBA
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: TBA
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
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
The textbook required for this course is
Cognition; Smilek, Sinnett, and Kingstone; 5th Edition (2013)
Lecture outlines are available on WebCT: http://webct.uwo.ca/ (login using your uwo username and
password)
Course notes will be available online the Sunday evening before the corresponding week’s topic.
Students are responsible for the information covered in the textbook and in class notes. These notes are
intended to help you structure your learning. This course is content-heavy. It is important to keep up with
each week’s reading. A sheet with study tips is available online to aid you in approaching the material.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this course is to assist students in both understanding the research on Cognitive
Psychology and in thinking critically about the material by drawing on both theory and research findings.
By the end of the course,
- students should have a good understanding of Cognition and its topics.
-students should understand how research informs theory and vice versa.
- students should be able to critically evaluate research and efficiently seek out further information
on a covered topic.
-students should further develop skilled writing ability by preparing a brief review paper from primary
sources.
5.0 EVALUATION
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% 2100-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as
follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+
A
B
C
D
F
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
50-59
below 50
One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
Superior work that is clearly above average
Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
Competent work, meeting requirements
Fair work, minimally acceptable
Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Mid-term: 35% Final exam: 35% Discussion: 20% Assignment: 10%
6.1 Exams (35% x 2)
There are two exams: each are worth 35% and will be comprised of multiple choice questions, compare
and contrast questions and short-answer questions. The midterm will be scheduled by the distances
studies office. The final exam will take place during the final exam period and is scheduled by the
registrar. Each exam covers the material listed in the schedule below (7.0). The final exam is not
cumulative. All material presented in the notes and assigned chapters in textbook are fair game for the
exams.
6.2 Discussion (20%)
Online discussions will be an integral component of the course. These discussions are your opportunity to
reflect on the course material and to converse with your colleagues. They are also an opportunity to
better retain course material.
There will be 10 weeks of discussion questions. New discussion topics (approx. 3 topics each week) will
be posted on Sunday night and will be available for 7 days (closed Sunday at 11:59pm). You are required
to post each week. For 5 weeks of your choice, you will be required to respond directly to 1 of the
discussion questions and for the other 5 weeks, you are responsible for responding to one of your
classmates’ posts. Thus each post will be worth 2% of your total grade (5 direct posts and 5 replies) (10 X
2% = 20%).
To make grading easier please use the following abbreviations after the topic heading of your
post: Post 1 = (P1), Reply 1 = (R1), Post 2 = (P2). Note that your posts or replies are numbered not the
weeks. (e.g., The impact of distracted driving (P1))
The discussions will be graded for the quality and content of your contributions.
Examples of quality posts include:
- answering each part of the question
- presenting explanations of concepts or methods to help fellow students
- sharing your own personal experiences that relate to the topic
- providing direct examples from the textbook or outside sources (e.g., research articles)
- providing a URL and explanation for an area you researched on the Internet
Examples of quality replies include:
- elaborating on previous comments from others;
- providing additional information to the discussion (textbook, internet, research articles, personal
experience)
- presenting reasons for or against a post in a persuasive fashion
- linking your response directly to your colleague’s post.
- always responding in a respectful manner
Note you are more than welcome and encouraged to make multiple posts each week. However only one
post or reply will be marked each week as determined by YOU. That is, it has a P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, R1,
R2, R3, R4, or R5 in the subject heading next to your title for the post. At the end of the term you should
have a post with each of these abbreviations.
For each discussion, you will be assigned a grade out of 2 based upon your post. Grades will be
assigned as follows:
0 = Incomplete (no posting, posting does not address the topic)
0.5 = Unsatisfactory (question answered unclearly, no clear contribution to discussion)
1 = Satisfactory (question answered partially/somewhat unclearly, minimal contribution to discussion)
1.5 = Good (question answered fully, contributes to discussion, includes examples)
2 = Excellent (goes beyond basic requirements, presents additional information from outside the
textbook, interacts well with the other students)
6.3 Assignment (10%)
You will be required to write a 3-page paper about a topic covered in the course. Since this course
surveys multiple topics it is unable to cover any one topic in depth. This is your opportunity to seek out
additional information on the topic of your choosing and write a brief review paper that incorporates
primary sources (articles). A separate sheet with further instructions will be provided. Note a 2% per day
rd
penalty will be enforced (Saturdays & Sundays included) for late work. Paper due December 3 by
11:59pm.
7.0 LECTURE SCHEDULE
Week of
Topic
Chapters
1 - Sept 8th
2 - Sept 15th
Introduction/History
Cognitive
Neuroscience
Perception
Attention
Memory traces &
schemas
Memory systems
Midterm
Imagery
Concepts
Language
Problem Solving
Reasoning,
Judgement, and
Choice
Intelligence and
Creativity
FINAL Exam
1 and notes
2 and notes
3 - Sept 22nd
4 - Sept 29th
5 - Oct 6th
6 – Oct 13th
7 – Oct 20th
8 - Oct 27th
9 - Nov 3rd
10 - Nov 10th
11 - Nov 17th
12 - Nov 24th
13 – Dec 3rd Paper due
Exam Period
3 and notes
4 and notes
5 and notes
6 and notes
1-6
7 and notes
8 and notes
9 and notes
10 and notes
11 and notes
12 and notes
7 - 12
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/handbook/appeals/scholoff.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 The University of Western Ontario
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 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/undergradresponsibilities.htm
- 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
- 2014 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.