TROY UNIVERSITY
eCAMPUS
PSY 4460 XTIA
Cognitive Psychology
COURSE SYLLABUS
Term 1 2015
August 12 – October 13
For course syllabus posted prior to the beginning of the term, the instructor reserves the right to
make minor changes prior to or during the term. The instructor will notify students, via e-mail or
Blackboard announcement, when changes are made in the requirements and/or grading of the
course.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Charles Rayner
17 Fremont’s Corner
SullivanME 04664
(207) 479-9013
crayner@troy.edu
INSTRUCTOR EDUCATION
Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Walden University, expected 2016
Concentration: Education/Counseling Psychology
Dissertation: A Study of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) within a Dermatology Setting.
M.A., Psychology & Counseling, Goddard College, 2007
Concentration: Counseling, Career Development
Thesis: Community Action Project (CAP): Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) within the
Community.
B.A., Behavioral Sciences, University of Maine at Machias, 2003
B.A., Social Sciences, University of Maine at Fort Kent, 2002
Minors: Political Science; Writing
Certificate in Maine Studies (UMO, 2002)
TEXTBOOK(S) AND/OR OTHER MATERIALS NEEDED
1) Matlin, M. (2013). Cognition. ( 8th. ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-118-14896-9. The
Web site for textbook and other material purchases is http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm
The textbook provider for the eCampus of Troy University is MBS Direct. The Web site for
textbook purchases is http://bookstore.mbsdirect.net/TROY.HTM
Page 1 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
Students should have their textbook from the first week of class. Not having your textbook will
not be an acceptable excuse for late work. Students who add this course late should refer to the
“Late Registration” section for further guidance.
The textbook provider for the eCampus of Troy University is MBS Direct. The Web site for
textbook purchases is http://direct.mbsbooks.com/tsu.htm.
ADDITIONAL READING
Required: None
ELECTRONIC OFFICE HOURS
I'm available by e-mail at any time, or by phone on weekdays between the hours of 9am and 7pm
Central. I'm also happy to meet with you in the chat room in Blackboard if you set an
appointment with me. You can also post questions or request a chat session in the Course
Questions and Answers section in the discussion forum in Blackboard. I check that forum daily
during the weekdays, but for more immediate and personal assistance, you should contact me via
phone or e-mail.
I will respond to any student emails, Blackboard questions, or emails within 12 to 48 hours.
PREREQUISITES
Prerequisite: Six semester hours of psychology.
ENTRANCE COMPETENCIES
The student must possess the knowledge and skills of a high school graduate and the capability
to perform on a college level. The student should have general knowledge with regard to the
study of Psychology. Students should be computer and Blackboard proficient.
LATE REGISTRATION
Students who register during the first week of the term, during late registration, will already be
one week behind. Students who fall into this category are expected to catch up with all of Week
#1 and Week #2's work by the end of Week #2. No exceptions, since two weeks constitutes a
significant percentage of the term's lessons. Students who do not feel they can meet this deadline
should not enroll in the class. If they have registered, they should see their registrar, academic
adviser, CTAM/eArmyU representative, or Military Education officer to discuss their options.
Also note that late registration may mean you do not receive your book in time to make up the
work you missed in Week #1. Not having your book on the first day of class is not an excuse for
late work after the deadlines in the Schedule.
Page 2 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
STUDENT EXPECTATION STATEMENT
The student is expected to participate in the course via e-mail exchanges (or other
communication) with the instructor, by reading the assigned readings, submitting comments to
the discussion forums, submitting assignments, and completing exams in a timely fashion.
Students are expected to check their e-mails daily and the announcements at least every 48 hours.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Cognitive Psychology: A study of human intellectual functioning including attention,
perception, memory, problem solving, reasoning and language.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Cognitive Psychology introduces you to the mental variables of psychology and to specific areas
of study within the field. This course focuses on the concepts that describe human thinking,
perception, and decision-making; the tools researchers use to study human cognition; and the
underlying physiology and processes that make cognition possible.
As a result of taking this course students will demonstrate knowledge of cognitive psychology,
including the following topics:
1. Demonstrate the emergence of cognitive psychology, its key issues, subfields, and
principle findings.
2. Demonstrate the concepts of neuroscience, different brain structures involved in
cognition and the role the cerebral cortex in cognition.
3. Describe attention processes and the role of consciousness in cognition, including signal
detection theory, selective and divided attention, neuro-scientific approaches to attention
and consciousness.
4. Describe perceptual processes in cognition that include top-down and bottom-up
processes.
5. Demonstrate the types of tasks that can measure memory; traditional models of memory
and the levels of processing models of memory.
6. Explain how knowledge is represented and manipulated to include mental imagery,
propositional coding and organization.
7. Demonstrate language concepts such as acquisition, linguistics, grammar, and phonetics.
8. Describe concept formation, problem-solving, decision-making, judgment, logic, formal
and reasoning skill.
9. Describe human and artificial intelligence.
METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
This is a eCampus class. It is not a “correspondence course” in which a student may work at
his/her own pace. Each week there will be assignments, on-line discussions, and/or exams with
due dates. Refer to the schedule at the end of this syllabus for more information.
LABORATORY EXPERIENCES
Page 3 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
•
None required
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The requirements of the course are as follows:
1. Attend class meetings
2. Read assignment material
3. Participate in discussions via Blackboard
4. Complete three exams
5. Complete Peer Review Journal Article Summary
Upon Enrollment:
1. Introduce yourself to your instructor and fellow classmates through the “Get Acquainted”
discussion forum.
2. Read through the course announcements for our course on Blackboard.
3. Download and read through your course syllabus. Post any questions with regard to the
syllabus in the “Got Questions” discussion forum.
Course Reading
Complete all course reading per the course schedule (see below).
Short Essay Assignments - Discussion Board
Complete all discussion board assignments by due dates per the course schedule.
For each chapter, discussion questions will be listed (under discussion board). You must
respond to all the questions in a scholarly and well thought out manner. Your response
must be at least 3 paragraphs, no less than 500 words. You must cite your sources from
which you gather your response with in text citations and a reference list at the close of your
posts. When citing a source, it must be done in APA format. I recommend that you review the
APA format style at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. You may post early,
but must post by the deadline date (Saturday of each week) for that chapter (see table below).
You must meet the deadline to receive credit for the postings.
Grading of the discussion question (short essay assignments) postings: See specific grading
rubric in Blackboard under Course Documents
Earn up to 10 points for your answer to discussion question.
You have the opportunity to earn up to 130 points (13 discussion (short essay) assignments
worth 10 points each) from answering discussion questions and from making responses to other
Students.
Grading for the discussion questions will be based on:
Using appropriate APA style format to include citations and references.
You must answer all questions posed for each discussion forum.
Page 4 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
A minimum of 2 paragraphs, at least 500 words for your original response to the
discussion question.
Written at a collegiate level of writing.
Accuracy, factual writing
Thoroughness, most of the assignments require critical thinking. This is done to
encourage you to bring information from several areas together to answer the question or
describe the topic.
See grading rubric under “Course Documents”
No plagiarism tolerated (see HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM section below).
Exams: There are three exams (50 points each) are comprised of multiple choice questions (50
questions – 1 point each) covering material from the book and lecture (all of which you are
responsible for). Each of these exams will only cover the material dating from the previous exam
(i.e., no comprehensive exams). PLEASE NOTE: You are expected to read all of these
assigned chapters and ask questions about material that remains unclear to you. You will have
one hour to complete each exam. Exams are not open books exams. You may not use your
textbook, notes, or any course tools. You will find your exam under the “Exam” tab in the
Blackboard course. Note: All three exams are available from day one of the course in order to
accommodate scheduling issues. It is important that you take your exam by the due date, so
please plan accordingly.
First Exam: Available on Blackboard
(First exam covers Chapters 1-4)
Second Exam: Available on Blackboard. (Second exam covers Chapters 5-9)
Third Exam: Available online through Blackboard (Third exam covers Chapters 10-13)
Summary of a Peer-Reviewed Empirical Journal Article (Worth 50 points). Students will
complete a written summary of a peer-reviewed journal article. The peer reviewed article will be
chosen by the Troy Department of Psychology and loaded into the course document area of
Blackboard. Your review of the peer reviewed journal article must be 2-3 pages (body of
paper), typed in 12 point font, double-spaced in MS-Word. The paper must be written in APA
format with in text citations and a reference list. For assessment purposes, students will also be
assessed by the assignment rubric (located in assignments section).
You will be reviewing a specific peer reviewed article (article attached in the “Course
Documents”). The article students will be reviewing is:
Loftus, E. F. (1975). Leading questions and the eyewitness report. Cognitive Psychology,
7(4), 560-572.
Students are required to write and submit a peer reviewed journal summary paper due no later
than 10/1/15.
Students are responsible for one Peer reviewed journal article summary paper.
Must be written submitted in APA style
Paper should be a fully discuss the article reviewed
Page 5 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
Must have a reference page, using APA style.
Must have a cover page, using APA style.
Students must submit a paper that is at least 2-3 pages in length using Word
format (.doc or .docx), typed (double spaced, 1" margins, Times New Roman
Font Size 12) plus the cover page and reference page.
All papers must be submitted to the appropriate link in the “Assignments” tab no
later than the due date, 10/1/15 as outlined in this syllabus. Because you have the
entire term to work on this paper, no late papers will be accepted. No exceptions
made.
Papers should be saved in Word format with the file name Paper.doc or
Paper.docx
Papers are to be submitted via the designated assignment in the “Assignments” on
Blackboard
See grading rubric located in Course content section of Blackboard
STUDENT/FACULTY INTERACTION
•
•
•
•
•
Interaction will take place via e-mail, telephone, discussion board forums, and comments
on written assignments.
The student will participate in this course by following the guidelines of this syllabus and
any additional information provided by the instructor, the eCampus center at Troy
University, or Troy University itself.
The student is expected to remain in regular contact with the instructor and class via email or other communications means, by participating in the discussion forums,
submitting assignments and taking exams, all in a timely fashion.
I will respond to your e-mail within 24 hours Mon-Thur., and 48 hours Fri-Sun.
As instructor, I will communicate on the Blackboard.com Announcement page and/ or
via e-mail. PLEASE CHECK YOUR E-MAIL AND THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
SECTION OF BLACKBOARD DAILY!
ATTENDANCE POLICY
In addition to interaction via Blackboard and e-mail contact, students are required to contact the
instructor via e-mail or telephone by the first day of the term for an initial briefing. Although
physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning
activities is required.
MAKE-UP WORK POLICY
Missing any part of this schedule may prevent completion of the course. If you foresee difficulty
of any type (i.e., an illness, employment change, etc.) which may prevent completion of this
course, notify the instructor as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in failure for an
assignment and/or failure of the course. See “Attendance,” above.
If I have not heard from you by the deadline dates for assignments, exam, or forums, no
make-up work will be allowed (unless extraordinary circumstances existed, such as
Page 6 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
hospitalization). Requests for extensions must be made in advance and accompanied by
appropriate written documentation if the excuse is acceptable to the instructor. "Computer
problems", Internet or any type of technical issues are not an acceptable excuse.
INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY
Missing any part of the Course Schedule may prevent completion of the course. If circumstances
will prevent the student from completing the course by the end of the term, the student should
complete a request for an incomplete grade.
Note: A grade of incomplete or “INC” is not automatically assigned to students, but rather must
be requested by the student by submitting a Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete
Grade Form. Requests for an incomplete grade must be made on or before the date of the final
assignment or test of the term. A grade of “INC” does not replace an “F” and will not be
awarded for excessive absences. An “INC” will only be awarded to student presenting a valid
case for the inability to complete coursework by the conclusion of the term. It is ultimately the
instructor’s decision to grant or deny a request for an incomplete grade, subject to the policy
rules below.
Policy/Rules for granting an Incomplete (INC)
•
•
•
An incomplete cannot be issued without a request from the student.
To qualify for an incomplete, the student must:
a. Have completed over 50% of the course material and have a documented reason for
requesting the incomplete. (50% means all assignments/exam up to and including
the mid-term point, test, and/or assignments.)
b. Be passing the course at the time of their request.
If both of the above criteria are not met an incomplete cannot be granted.
An INC is not a substitute for an F. If a student has earned an “F” by not submitting
all the work or by receiving an overall F average, then the F stands.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Students with disabilities, or those who suspect they have a disability, must register with the
Disability Services Coordinator in order to receive accommodations. Students currently
registered with the Disability Services Office are required to present their Disability Services
Accommodation Letter to each faculty member at the beginning of each term. If you have any
questions, contact the Disability Services Coordinator.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT:
Students should refer to the Standards of Conduct section of the Oracle, the student
handbook, for policies regarding misconduct. Students who engage in academic misconduct will
receive a grade of "F" for the course. Your work may be submitted to an on-line plagiarism
detection service. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the
Page 7 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
University constitutes academic misconduct, and disciplinary procedures specified in the Student
Handbook will be followed.
College of Education Plagiarism Policy adopted December 2010
The College of Educations defines plagiarism as:
• Three consecutive words that are not common professional language used from another
source without quotation
• Rephrasing another author's words without appropriate citation
• Using another author's ideas or data without appropriate citation
• Submitting another author's or student's writing as one's own
• Directly quoting a source without using appropriate APA or MLA style (whichever is
required by the instructor) citation to show that it is a direct quote.
• Intentionally taking information from a source and not giving appropriate credit
Students who commit plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary actions as outlined in The Oracle
for Academic Misconduct and violation of the Honor Code. The Standards of Conduct and
Disciplinary Procedures define university procedures in these matters. Students have the right to
request consideration by the Student Services Conduct Board.
Consequences for plagiarism in PSY 4460 are as follows: If plagiarism occurs, student will
receive a zero for the specific assignment.
STUDENT EMAIL ACCOUNTS:
The University provides an email account for all currently enrolled students. Please access your
account by going to https://mail.troy.edu. Then read the note at the bottom of the screen to
determine your User ID and Password. The University uses this means to communicate with all
students.
Library Support:
The Libraries of Troy University provide access to materials and services that support the
academic programs. The address of the University College Library Web site, which is for all
University College and eCampus students, is http://uclibrary.troy.edu . This site provides access
to the Library's Catalog and Databases, as well as to links to all Campus libraries and to online or
telephone assistance by Troy Library staff. Additionally, the Library can also be accessed by
choosing the "Library" link from the University's home page, www.troy.edu .
College of Education
Psychology Program
As a department of faculty and students dedicated to the Knowledge, Skills, Values, that are the
Learning Goals for Undergraduate Psychology Majors, posited by American Psychology
Page 8 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
Association (APA)*, we strive to help students reach the following learning goals and develop
the values associated with the science and application of psychology.
1. Students will demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives,
and empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
2. Student will understand and apply basic research methods in psychology.
3. Students will respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and the
scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
4. Students will understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social, and
organizational issues.
5. Students will be able to weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect
other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a discipline.
6. Students will demonstrate information competence and the ability to use computers and
other technology for many purposes.
7. Students will be able to communicate effectively in a variety of formats
8. Students will recognize, understand, and respect the complexity of sociocultural and
international diversity.
9. Students will develop insight into their own and other’s behavior and mental processes
and apply effective strategies for self-management and self-improvement.
10. Students will emerge from the major with realistic ideas about how to implement their
psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits, in a variety of
settings.
METHOD OF EVALUATION
•
•
•
13 Discussion Board assignments worth up to 10 points each for a total up to 130 points
3 Exams (50 points each)
1 Peer reviewed Journal Article summary paper worth up to 50 points.
ASSIGNMENT OF GRADES
All grades will be posted in the student grade book in Blackboard and will be assigned according
to the following or similar scale:
A
B
C
D
F
Postings:
90 – 100%
80 – 89%
70 – 79%
60 – 69%
59% and below
297 - 330 points
264 - 296 points
231 - 263 points
198 - 230 points
197 points and below
I post grades in Blackboard, in the Grade book.
Page 9 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
FA:
“FA” indicates the student failed due to attendance. This grade will be given to
any student who disappears from the course for three or more weeks. See the
Attendance section of this syllabus for additional information.
SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
Discussion Board
Complete all discussion board assignments by due dates per the course schedule. Your response
to each discussion question must be submitted no later than Saturday for each week. You are to
respond to each Discussion board assignment through the Blackboard “Discussion Board”.
Peer Review Journal Article Summary
Students are required to write and submit a peer review journal article summary paper due no
later than 10/1/15.
All papers must be submitted to the designated area in the “Assignments” tab no
later than the due date, 10/1/15 as outlined in this syllabus. Because you have the
entire term to work on this paper, no late papers will be accepted. No exceptions
made.
Papers should be saved in Word format with the file name Paper.doc or
Paper.docx
Papers are to be submitted via the designated area located in the “Assignments”
tab in Blackboard
EXAMINATION SCHEDULE & INSTRUCTIONS
Exams
Exams are taken on the Blackboard under the “Exams” tab.
The exam will consider of 50 multiple choice questions worth 1 point each. You will have 1
hour to take your exam. You must begin and complete your exam in the same sitting. You will
be presented one question at a time. You must complete this question before moving to the next
question. You will not be able to go back to questions once you submit your response. This is
not be considered an open book/notes exam. You will find your exam under the “assignments”
tab in the Blackboard course.
Note: All exams are available from dates in syllabus. You must complete exams by the due
dates in the course schedule below.
Internet Access
Page 10 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
This is an on-line class. Students must have access to a working computer and access to the
internet. Students can use the TROY computer lab, a public library, etc., to insure they have
access.
“Not having a computer” or “computer crashes” are not acceptable excuses for late work.
Have a backup plan in place in case you have computer problems.
COURSE SCHEDULE
PSY 4460 XTIA
Cognitive Psychology
Term 1 2015
Dates
August 12-18
Notation or Assignment
Complete and post your introduction to your instructor and fellow classmates
under the “Get Acquainted” thread in the discussion forum.
Read course syllabus, post any course related questions to the “Got
Questions” thread in the discussion forum.
Read Chapter 1
Post response to Chapter 1 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
August 19-25
Read Chapter 2
Post response to Chapter 2 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Read Chapter 3
Post response to Chapter 3 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
August 26-Sept 1 Read Chapter 4
Post response to Chapter 4 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Post response to at least one of your classmate’s posts in Chapter 4
Discussion Forum by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
First exam – Available August 30, from 8:00 a.m. to September 1, 11:59
p.m.
(First exam covers Chapters 1-4)
September 2-8
Read Chapter 5
Post response to Chapter 5 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Read Chapter 6
Post response to Chapter 6 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
September 9-15 Read Chapter 7
Post response to Chapter 7 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Page 11 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner
September 16-22
September 23-29
September 30Oct 6
October 7-13
Read Chapter 8
Post response to Chapter 8 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Read Chapter 9
Post response to Chapter 9 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Second exam – Available from September 20, 8:00 a.m. to September 22,
11:59 p.m. (Second exam covers Chapters 5-9)
Read Chapter 10
Post response to Chapter 10 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Read Chapter 11
Post response to Chapter 11 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Read Chapter 12
Post response to Chapter 12 Discussion Question thread in Discussion forum
by Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Read Chapter 13
Post response to the Final Discussion thread in Discussion forum by
Saturday evening 11:59 p.m.
Summary of a Peer-Reviewed Empirical Journal Article due by 10/1/15
You are to take third Exam. The third Exam covers chapters 10-13. The
Final Exam will be available from October 11, 8:00 a.m. to October 13,
11:59 p.m. NOTE: If you miss the deadline for the final exam you must
contact me and provide me with sufficient evidence that missing the deadline
was due to an extreme emergency. Waiting until the last hour to take the
exam and then having a computer or weather problem is NOT a sufficient
excuse.
Page 12 of 12
PSY 4460 XTIA
Charles Rayner