Vanguard University of Southern California
Cognitive
Psychology
PSYC 449
Course Description
Topics course examines various human cognitive processes including
perception, memory, attention, problem solving, thinking, hemispheric
specialization, language, and memory. Prerequisite: PSYC 340
Course Objectives
1. Understand and articulate the connection between the physical brain and
cognitive processes
2. Understand and articulate how perception provides building blocks of
cognition and interacts with existing knowledge to form representations
in bottom-up and top-down processes
3. Understand and articulate how sensory perceptions interacts with
cognition in unusual and unintended ways
4. Understand and apply the knowledge and limitations of attention
5. Learn and apply principles of long-term memory and working memory
6. Learn techniques to improve memory retention and retrieval
7. Understand the faulty and constructive nature of memory
8. Understand how brain physiology, experience, and other influences may
alter cognitive functioning
9. Understand and articulate the function of executive processes and their
connection to brain damage and learning disabilities
10. Learn and understand how the brain represents categories and knowledge
in the brain
11. Understand how visual imagery is processed and represented in the brain
12. Understand influences on decision-making and principles of better
decision-making
13. Understand how emotion influences cognition, including memory,
attention, and decision making processes
14. Understand the nature and applications of reasoning and improve logical
and reasoning skills
15. Apply knowledge of cognitive psychology to everyday life and improve
metacognition skills
16. Learn to think about and critically evaluate issues relevant to cognitive
psychology
Relation of Course to the Psychology Major:
Cognitive Psychology represents an important area of psychology and is
required for psychology majors.
Cognitive Psychology
Spring 2016, MW 4:00-5:15
Heath, Room 107
Instructor: Michael Hanna, PhD
E-Mail: michael.hanna@vanguard.edu
Voice Mail: (949) 236-7062
Office: Psychology 106
Office Hours: MW 1:00-3:00pm,
TTh 2:00-3:00pm, & by appointments
Required Text:
Cognitive Psychology: Connecting
mind, research, and everyday (4th
ed.). Goldstein, E.B. (2014).
ISBN: 987-1-285-76388-0
Important Dates:
1/22 – Last day to add a course
1/22 – Last day to drop a course w/o
it appearing on transcript
3/4 – Last day to drop a course w/o
academic penalty
Exam Dates:
Exam 1: 9/28
Exam 2: 2/17
Exam 3: 3/7
Exam 4: 5/2
Assignment Due Dates:
Assignment 1: 2/14, 8pm
Assignment 2: 3/28, 3:30pm
Assignment 3: 4/18, 3:30pm
Assignment 4: 5/5, 10:00pm
RELATION OF COURSE TO INSTITUTIONAL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Institutional Student
Course Student Learning Outcomes
SLO Fulfilled Through
Learning Outcome
Integration of Faith &
 Understand the interconnection between cognitive
 Online quizzes
Learning
processes and the spiritual life of individuals
 In-class discussions
Cultural Competency
 Examine the role of culture in shaping individual
 In-class discussions
and Citizenship
cognitive processes, such as cognitive mechanisms of
 In-class videos
stereotypes
Communication
 Effectively communicate the findings of current
 Research article
cognitive research.
assignment
(Assignment 2)
 TedX assignment
(Assignment 3)
Critical Thinking


Holistic Living


Be able to critically evaluate and assess issues relevant to
cognitive psychology.
Evaluate data and graphs to come to logical conclusions

acquire the body of knowledge regarding the role of
cognition and emotion in personally and socially relevant
decision making
exercise the skill of critical thinking useful for making
decisions regarding personal, family, church, business,
and societal matters.






Generation of
Questions
(Assignment 1)
Online quizzes
CogLab assignments
Application paper
(Assignment 4)
Reading assignments
In-class discussions
In-class videos
DISABILITY SERVICES:
The Disability Services Office offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with
disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your
instructor(s) and the Disability Services Office. If you have not yet established services through the Disability
Services Office, but have a temporary or permanent disability that requires accommodations (this can include but not
limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impairments), you are welcome
to contact the Disability Services Office at 714-619-6484 or disabilityservices@vanguard.edu
CLASSROOM DIVERSITY STATEMENT:
As students and faculty at Vanguard University of Southern California, and foremost as Christian believers, we
endeavor to communicate with honesty and confidentiality, to speak with encouraging and edifying words, and to
create a safe environment where we shelter one another with love when vulnerabilities arise. This classroom intends to
foster a Christ-centered community that promotes appreciation and respect for individuals, enhances the potential of its
members, and values differences in gender, ethnicity, race, abilities, national origins, and generation.
EVALUATION:
Your final course grade will be determined on the basis of 4 unit exams (100 points each), 12 CogLab assignments, (10
points each), 10 online quizzes (10 points each), 4 assignments (200 points), as well as attendance and participation
(180 points). Point totals will be posted throughout the term to enable you to track your grade.
1) Four Unit Exams (100 points each, 400 points total)
The unit exams will cover text material, lectures, videos and other class material. Each exam will include 50 multiple
choice questions (2 points per question). Makeup exams will only be granted in the event of extenuating circumstances
such as documented hospitalization. If a unit exam is missed, the points may be made up by taking the final exam.
Cognitive Psychology
2) CogLab (10 points each, 120 points total)
There will be twelve online CogLabs required for this course. CogLab is an online learning component created by the
publisher of the textbook that helps to enliven the textbook content and illustrates how empirical research gives rise to
new advances in cognitive psychology. Therefore, you will need a new version of the textbook that includes an online
access code for CogLab. You will be required to complete the twelve CogLabs online and submit their data to the class
“group” data. The link for each CogLab will be posted on Moodle. The deadline for completing each CogLab is
3:30pm on the due date (see syllabus for due dates). The link for accessing CogLab is https://coglab.cengage.com
3) Online quizzes (10 points each, 100 points total)
There will be twelve online quizzes posted on Moodle. The quizzes will cover content relevant to that day’s CogLab as
well as reading from the textbook. Each quiz is due by 3:30pm on the due date (see syllabus for due dates). It is
expected that students complete the online quizzes independently, without help from their classmates, as a matter of
academic integrity and honesty. You may consult your textbook or class notes in the process of completing quizzes.
The two lowest quiz scores will be dropped.
4) Attendance (125 points total)
Your on-time presence (within the first five minutes of class) for the full class period will result in 5 point being
awarded for every lecture you attend, for a total of 125 points.
5) Participation (60 points total)
Participation is important to your learning in this class. Participation points will evaluated and awarded every 4 weeks
(20 points every 4 weeks). Cell phone use and/or computer use during class will result in loss of participation points.
6) Assignments (195 points total)
There will be three assignments for this class. The due dates for each are listed in the syllabus.
Assignment 1: Generation of Multiple-Choice Questions for Exam 1 (25 pts)
Assignment 2: Summary of Research Article (50 pts)
Assignment 3: TED Talk Summary (100 pts)
Assignment 4: Application Paper (20 pts)
LATE POLICY:
Any assignment, including CogLab, that is submitted
after the deadline will be considered late and will be
worth ½ credit. No credit will be given for work turned in
more than 24 hrs past the due date. No credit will be
given for online quizzes submitted after the deadline.
HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR GRADE:
Exams (4x100): 400 points
12 CogLabs (12x10): 120 points
10 Online Quizzes (10x10): 100 points
Assignments: 195 points
Attendance (5 points per lecture): 125 points
Participation: 60 points
Total: 1000 points
Cognitive Psychology
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Score
930 –1000 pts
900 – 929 pts
870 – 899 pts
830 – 869 pts
800 – 829 pts
770 – 799 pts
730 – 769 pts
700 – 729 pts
670 – 699 pts
630 – 669 pts
600 – 629 pts
599 or lower
Percentage
93%-100%
90%-92.9%
87%-89.9%
83%-86.9%
80%-82.9%
77%-79.9%
73%-76.9%
70%-72.9%
67%-69.9%
63%-66.9%
60%-62.9%
< 59.9%
STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM from Vanguard University Academic Catalog:
To plagiarize is to present someone else’s work—his or her words, line of thought, or organizational
structure—as our own. This occurs when sources are not cited properly, or when permission is not obtained
from the original author to use his or her work. By not acknowledging the sources that are used in our work,
we are wrongfully taking material that is not our own. Plagiarism is thus an insidious and disruptive form of
dishonesty. It violates relationships with known classmates and professors, and it violates the legal rights of
people we may never meet. Another person’s “work” can take many forms: printed or electronic copies of
computer programs, drawings, oral presentations, papers, essays, articles or chapters, statistical data, tables
or figures, etc. In short, if any information that can be considered the intellectual property of another is used
without acknowledging the original source properly, this is plagiarism.
1. Minimal plagiarism is defined as doing any of the following without attribution:
a. inserting verbatim phrases of 2-3 distinctive words.
b. substituting synonyms into the original sentence rather than rewriting the complete sentence.
c. reordering the clauses of a sentence.
d. imitating the sentence, paragraph, or organizational structure, or writing style of a source.
e. using a source’s line of logic, thesis or ideas.
2. Substantial plagiarism is defined as doing any of the following without attribution:
a. inserting verbatim sentences or longer passages from a source.
b. combining paraphrasing with verbatim sentences to create a paragraph or more of text.
c. repeatedly and pervasively engaging in minimal plagiarism.
3. Complete plagiarism is defined as doing any of the following without attribution:
a. submitting or presenting someone’s complete published or unpublished work (paper, article, or chapter).
b. submitting another student’s work for an assignment, with or without that person’s knowledge or
consent.
c. using information from a campus file of old assignments.
d. downloading a term paper from a web site.
e. buying a term paper from a mail order company or web site.
f. reusing or modifying a previously submitted paper (e.g., from another course) for a present assignment
without obtaining prior approval from the instructors involved.
Consequences
Minimal plagiarism. At the professor’s discretion, assignments may be rewritten and resubmitted, with or
without a grade penalty. Repeated instances of minimal plagiarism may, at the professor’s discretion, be
treated as substantial plagiarism. If the professor plans to exercise his or her discretion in cases of minimal
plagiarism, procedures and consequences should be clearly described in the course syllabus.
Substantial plagiarism. For a first offense, the student typically receives a failing grade on the assignment
that has been plagiarized, and a Report of Plagiarism is submitted to the Provost’s Office. For a second
offense, the student typically receives a failing grade in the course, and a Report of Plagiarism is submitted
to the Provost’s Office. For a third offense the student should be recommended for expulsion from the
University. Action is taken at the discretion of the Provost.
Complete plagiarism. For a first offense, the student typically receives a failing grade in the course, and
Report of Plagiarism is submitted to the Provost’s Office. For a second offense, the student is typically
expelled from the college. Action is taken at the discretion of the Provost.
Cognitive Psychology
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week Date
1
1/11
1/13
2
1/18
1/20
Lecture Topic
Reading
Course Overview
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
NO CLASS: Martin Luther King Day
Cognitive Neuroscience
None
Ch. 1 (pp. 3 – 22)
4
1/25
1/27
2/1
Cognitive Neuroscience
Perception
Perception
Ch. 2 (pp. 33 – 48)
Ch. 3 (pp. 51 – 62)
Ch. 3 (pp. 63 – 83)
5
2/3
2/8
Attention
Attention
2/10
2/15
2/17
2/22
Short-term Memory
NO CLASS: President’s Day
Exam 1 (Ch. 1-4)
Working Memory
3
6
7
Ch. 2 (pp. 23 – 32)
Assignment
CogLab and Quiz: Signal
Detection Theory
CogLab and Quiz: Muller-Lyer
Illusion
Ch. 4 (pp. 85 - 104) CogLab and Quiz: Stroop Effect
Ch. 4 (pp. 105 - 116) CogLab and Quiz: Change
Detection
Ch. 5 (pp. 119-132)
Assignment 1: Due 2/14 @8pm
CogLab and Quiz: Memory Span
Ch. 5 (pp. 133-149)
Ch. 6 (pp. 151-175)
2/24
Long-term Memory: Structure
2/29
Ch. 7 (pp. 179-192)
3/7
3/9
3/14
3/16
3/21
3/23
Long-term Memory: Encoding &
Retrieval
Long-term Memory: Encoding &
Retrieval
Exam 2 (Ch. 5-7)
Everyday Memory and Memory Errors
NO Class: Spring Recess
NO Class: Spring Recess
Everyday Memory and Memory Errors
Everyday Memory and Memory Errors
12
3/28
Knowledge
Ch. 9 (pp. 245-255)
13
3/30
4/4
4/6
Visual Imagery
Visual Imagery
Language
Ch. 10 (pp. 275-284)
Ch. 10 (pp. 284-295)
Ch. 11 (pp. 300-326) CogLab and Quiz Due:
Lexical Decision
4/11
4/13
4/18
4/20
4/25
Exam 3
Problem Solving
Problem Solving
Reasoning and Decision Making
Reasoning and Decision Making
4/27
Reasoning and Decision Making
5/2
Exam 4 (Ch. 11-12) 3:30-5:30
8
3/2
9
10
11
14
15
16
Cognitive Psychology
Ch. 7 (pp. 193-205)
CogLab and Quiz: Serial
Position
CogLab and Quiz: Encoding
Specificity
Ch. 8 (pp. 207-217)
Ch. 8 (pp. 218-226)
Ch. 8 (pp. 227-255)
CogLab and Quiz: Absolute
Identification
CogLab and Quiz: Absolute
Identification
Assignment 2
Ch. 12 (pp. 335-348)
Ch. 12 (pp. 349-367) Assignment 3
Ch. 13 (pp. 369-377)
Ch. 13 (pp. 378-386) CogLab and Quiz: Typical
Reasoning
Ch. 13 (pp. 387-401) CogLab and Quiz: Decision
Making