THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
LONDON
CANADA
Department of Psychology
2014 – 2015
Psychology 3130A Section 001
Psychology of Thinking
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Theoretical and empirical studies on problem solving, reasoning, concept formation, thinking and
cross-cultural variations in thinking processes.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, and one of Psychology
2115A/B, 2134A/B or 2135A/B
3 lecture/discussion hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites 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.
COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor:
Office and Phone:
Office Hours:
Teaching Assistant:
TA Office & Office Hours:
Time and Location of Lectures:
Website
Dr. John Paul Minda, jpminda@gmail.com
SSC 7326, x84689
Tuesday, 1:00 – 2:30 and Friday 1:30 – 2:30
Ysabel Domingo, bdomingo@uwo.ca
NSC Room 245C, 12:30 – 2:30 on Wednesdays.
Monday, 9:30 – 12:30, UCC-67
https://owl.uwo.ca
TEXTBOOK
Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking 5th edition, By Dianne F. Halpern. Available at
the Bookstore, Amazon, and elsewhere. Several additional readings, as indicated on the outline, are
available on the course website.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course covers thought and knowledge. We will study how people think and how psychologists
study thinking and reasoning. The course will be taught as a combination of lecture and class
discussion. Please be advised that you must read the assigned readings before class. I will be asking
questions about the material during the class time, and I expect you to be familiar with the main
ideas in the readings.
EVALUATION
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will take place on October 20, 2014 from 9:30-12:30 in EC2168A/B and will
cover material from the first class to the October 6 class. The exam will consist entirely of short
answer questions. No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
This exam will be worth 40% of the final grade.
Final Exam
There is also a non-cumulative final exam in this class that will be scheduled by the registrar. The
exam will consist entirely of short answer questions. No electronic devices, including cell phones,
will be allowed during exams. The final is worth 60% of the final grade and the date will be
announced sometime during the term.
Final Grade
Your final grade in this class will be a combination of your performance on the midterm exam
(40%) and the final exam (60%). The Psychology Department follows the University of Western
Ontario grading guidelines, which can be found at the following website:
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
Exam Review
Grades will be released on WebCT. Exams may be reviewed by making an appointment with the
TA. Neither the TA nor the instructor will re-grade questions or award points after the grades have
been released.
LECTURE SCHEDULE
Sept. 8 – Introduction. We will go over the course, the course outline, expectations, as well as an
introduction to the topic. Please read Chapter 1 in Thought and Knowledge.
Sept. 15 – Similarity. This unit in on the topic of similarity, which is a psychological construct that
underlies many of the other topics in this course. Please read Chapter 2 in the Cambridge Handbook of
Thinking and Reasoning, which is available on WebCT.
Sept. 22 – Memory and Concepts. We will discuss how memory is involved in the thinking
process. We will also discuss the psychology of concepts. Please read Chapter 2 in Thought and
Knowledge.
Sept. 29 – Thought and Language. This section is on the psychology of language and thought.
Please read Chapter 3 in Thought and Knowledge, as well as the additional article by Boroditsky, which
is on the course website
Oct. 6 – Deductive Reasoning. This unit will be about reasoning in general, and deductive logic
specifically. Please read Chapter 4 in Thought and Knowledge.
Oct. 13 – Thanksgiving.
Oct. 20 – Midterm Exam. 9:30-12:30 in EC2168A/B, covers material from Sept. 8 – Oct. 6.
Oct. 27 – Argument Analysis. This class will cover what an argument is and how arguments are
analyzed. Please read Chapter 5 in Thought and Knowledge.
Nov. 3 – Inductive Reasoning and Hypothesis Testing. We will distinguish between inductive
and deductive logic, and testing hypotheses, and also determining causality. Please read Chapter 6 in
Thought and Knowledge.
Nov. 10 – Likelihood, Uncertainty, and Probability. This course will also cover base rates, and
estimation errors. Please read Chapter 7 in Thought and Knowledge.
Nov. 17 – Decision Making. We cover how decisions are made, as well as common decision
making errors and biases. Please read Chapter 8 in Thought and Knowledge.
Nov. 24 – Problem Solving. We will discuss the psychology of problem solving, heuristics, and
insight. Please read Chapter 9 in Thought and Knowledge.
Dec. 1 – Creativity. The final class will be on the psychology of creative thought. Please read
Chapter 10 in Thought and Knowledge.
Dec. 6 – 17. Final Exam. The final exam will be scheduled by the registrar. It will take place during
finals week, and will cover the material from Oct. 27 to Dec. 1.
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/appealsundergrad.pdf
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course,
suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on general undergraduate
responsibilities and academic. It is your responsibility to read this information as all these policies
will apply to this class: http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergradresponsibilities.htm
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.