Lahore University of Management Sciences
PSY 201 – Cognition
Spring 2011-12
Instructor: Yasser Hashmi
Office: 239-D Old HSS Wing
E-mail: yasser@lums.edu.pk
Office Hours: TBA
Course:
This course is an introduction to Cognitive Psychology. We will start by exploring the
history and philosophical background to this subfield of psychology. We will examine
how the idea of the mind as a machine, or information-processing device, came to be.
Connectionist and symbol-processing approaches to modeling the mind will both be
introduced.
We will then look at empirical findings regarding basic components of mental
functioning, such as perception, attention and memory. With these basics, some key
high-level functions like decision-making, problem solving and reasoning will be
explored.
Essential readings are provided in the reading package, and supplementary readings will
be made available online.
Goals:
•
•
•
•
To introduce information-processing approaches to psychology
To provide a framework to understand the study and modeling of cognitive processes
To investigate different processes in the human cognitive repertoire
To study how components of human cognitive architectures interact to affect or
produce behavior
The course will provide a history and philosophy of cognitive psychology. Following this,
a framework will be provided to help students understand the basic components of
cognitive performance, and how these cognitive processes and components are
computationally simulated and experimentally studied. The last part of the course will
examine how mental components interact to produce behavior.
Course Reading:
A reading package has been prepared with essential papers and book chapters selected
from the following sources:
Braisby, N. & Gellatly, A. (eds.). (2005). Cognitive Psychology. Oxford, UK: Oxford
University Press.
Braisby, N. (eds.). (2005). Cognitive Psychology: A Methods Companion. Oxford, UK:
Oxford University Press.
Eysenck, M. W. & Keane, M. T. (2010). Cognitive Psychology: A Student’s Handbook. East
Sussex, UK: Psychology Press.
Harley, T. (2001). The Psychology of Language: From Data to Theory. East Sussex, UK:
Psychology Press.
Levitin, D. J. (2002). Foundations of Cognitive Psychology: Core Readings. Cambridge,
MA: The MIT Press.
Murphy, G. L. (2002). The Big Book of Concepts. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Panksepp, J. & Panksepp, J. (2000). ‘The Seven Sins of Evolutionary Psychology.’
Evolution and Cognition, 6(2), 108-131.
Pinker, S. (1991). ‘The Rules of Language.’ Science, 253(5019), 530-535.
Squire, L. (2004). ‘Memory systems of the brain: A brief history and current
perspective.’Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 82, 171-177.
Workman, L. & Reader, W. (2004). Evolutionary Psychology: An Introduction. Cambridge,
UK: Cambridge University Press.
Supplementary readings will be made available online on the course blackboard.
Lectures:
There will be 28 classes of 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes) each.
Grading:
Quizzes (5 announced quizzes; 1 quiz to be dropped)
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Class Participation
Term Paper/Assignment
Module
1
Lecture
1 (01/25)
20%
30%
30%
5% (2.5% attendance,
2.5% participation)
15%
Topics
Introduction to the Study of
Source
Braisby &
Introduction
and History
(2 lectures)
Module
2
Computational
Modeling
(3 lectures)
2 (01/27)
Cognitive Processes
Mind as Machine: A History
Lecture
3 (02/01)
Topics
Computational Modeling – I
Gellatly, Ch. 1
Braisby &
Gellatly, Ch. 1
Source
Braisby, Ch. 3
4 (02/03)
Computational Modeling – II
Braisby, Ch. 2
5 (02/08)
Minds, Brains and Computers
Levitin, Ch. 5
3
Perception
(2 lectures)
6 (09/16)
Eid Break
Perception – I
Levitin, Ch. 7
7 (09/21)
Perception – II
Levitin, Ch. 7
4
Concepts and
Categorization
(4 lectures)
8 (09/23)
Concepts and Categorization – I
9 (09/28)
Concepts and Categorization – II
Braisby &
Gellatly, Ch. 5
Murphy, Ch. 3
10 (09/30)
Concepts and Categorization – III
Murphy, Ch. 3
11 (10/05)
Concepts and Categorization – IV
Murphy, Ch. 7
12 (10/07)
Attention and Pattern
Eysenck & Keane,
Recognition – I
Ch. 5
Attention and Pattern
Eysenck & Keane,
Recognition – II
Ch. 5
Review for Mid-Term Exam
No Reading
Midterm Week + Semester Break
Neuroscience Refresher for the
No Reading
Study of Memory
Principles of Human Memory – I Braisby &
Gellatly, Ch. 8 & 9
Principles of Human Memory – II Braisby &
Gellatly, Ch. 8 & 9
Memory Systems
Squire, 2004
5
Attention and
Performance
(2 lectures)
13 (10/12)
(10/14)
6
Memory
(4 lectures)
14 (10/26)
15 (10/28)
16 (11/02)
17 (11/04)
7
Judgment and
Decisionmaking
(2 lectures)
8
18 (11/09)
19 (11/11)
20 (11/16)
Heuristics and Decision-Making –
I
Heuristics and Decision-Making –
II
Braisby &
Gellatly, Ch. 11
Braisby &
Gellatly, Ch. 11
Problem Solving
Braisby &
Problem
Solving
(1 lecture)
Module
9
Language
(3 lectures)
10
Evolution and
Cognition
(2 lectures)
Gellatly, Ch. 10
Lecture
21 (11/18)
Language – I
Source
Trevor, Ch. 1 & 4
22 (11/23)
Language – II
Trevor, Ch. 1 & 4
23 (11/25)
Language – III
Pinker, 1991
24 (11/30)
Evolution and Cognition – I
25 (12/02)
(12/07)
Topics
WorkmanReader, Ch. 1 & 9
Evolution and Cognition – II
Panksepp &
Panksepp, 2000
Review for Final Exam
No reading
Final Exam Week + Semester Break