PSYCHOLOGY 325
Cognitive Psychology
Summer Session II, 2013
M-F, 11:00-12:45
Location: Modern Languages 201
Lecturer:
Office:
Email:
Office hours:
Phone:
Andrew Mojica, Ph.D. Candidate
Psychology Room 121
ajmojica@email.arizona.edu
1-2:00 Tuesdays & Thursdays or by appointment
For emergencies only, 915-487-6552
WHAT THIS COURSE IS ABOUT
What you will learn from this course is that the obvious is not always so obvious. There
are incredible amounts of computation needed to create the “everyday human
experience”; not even the most sophisticated computer in the world can handle some of
the most basic aspects (e.g., recognizing a person is different from a wall) with the same
amount of precision and flexibility computed by our cognitive systems. In this course,
you will understand how people think, perceive, learn, remember, communicate, and
make everyday decisions. In addition, you will learn about different methodologies used
to study cognition.
Course Website:
http://d2l.arizona.edu/
Required Text Book:
Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience, 3rd edition (E.
B. Goldstein, Wadsworth, 2011).
Grades:
Your grade will be based on your score on the 3 multiple-choice exams (50 questions each, for
a total of 150 points) and 3 written assignments (10 points each for a total of 30 points). Your
grade will be determined as follows:
A = 162 – 180; B = 144 – 161; C = 126 – 143; D = 90 – 125; F = 89 or lower
Extra Credit:
There will be extra credit. You may sign up for a maximum of 6 experiments that are worth 2
points each at http://experiments.psychology.arizona.edu
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Tentative Course Schedule
Week 1
Monday, July 08, 2013
Intro to Cognitive Psychology
Chapter 1
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Cognitive Neuroscience
Chapter 2
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Cognitive Neuroscience
Chapter 2
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Perception
Chapter 3
Friday, July 12, 2013
Perception
Chapter 3
Monday, July 15, 2013
Attention
Chapter 4
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Discussion
Week 2
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Exam 1
Short-Term and Working Memory
Chapter 5
Long-Term Memory Structure
Chapter 6
Monday, July 22, 2013
Long-Term Memory: Encoding & Retrieval
Chapter 7
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Everyday Memory and Memory Errors
Chapter 8
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Knowledge
Chapter 9
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Discussion
Friday, July 19, 2013
Week 3
Friday, July 26, 2013
Exam 2
Week 4
Monday, July 29, 2013
Visual Imagery
Chapter 10
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Language
Chapter 11
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Problem Solving
Chapter 12
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Decision Making
Chapter 13
Friday, August 02, 2013
Decision Making
Chapter 13
Week 5
Monday, August 05, 2013
Discussion
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Review
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Exam 3
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
There will be 3 written assignments, each worth 10 points. By following the directions below
you can easily earn 30 points towards your course grade.
Written assignments will be handed in before or during “Discussion”
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The Written Assignment
Write a page (minimum one paragraph) describing how one of the concepts you learned from
the book or lecture is related to what you observe in your daily life or how you think the
brain/mind is constructed. Describe the concept completely and succinctly.
CREDIT WILL BE DEDUCTED if you do not follow the above instructions.
* Late assignments will not be accepted. You can hand in the assignments at any time up to and
including the due dates. If you aren’t going to be in class on the due date turn in your
assignment early.
ABOUT CLASS ATTENDANCE
Class attendance is not required, but strongly recommended! You are responsible for everything
that happens in class. There may be changes in reading assignments or extra material not
covered in the book. Thus, if you miss a class, be sure to find out what happened during that
class.
POLICY ON MAKE-UP EXAMS
It is your responsibility to get to the exams on time, when they are scheduled. Exceptions are
granted only for valid, extraordinary, circumstances. These include sickness and some family
problems. In all cases, I require that you notify me by email immediately (not 2 or 3 days after
the exam), and that you provide relevant documentation. For example, if you are too sick to take
the exam, a note from the health service or your doctor is required. Please check the exam dates
to be sure you will be here on those dates. If you can’t be here, you should not take this course.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
According to the University Student Code of Conduct, all forms of student academic dishonesty,
including but not limited to, cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty and
plagiarism are prohibited. It goes without saying that this means you need to do your own work
on exams, and this also holds for any written assignments that may be added to the course
during the term. Penalties for violating the academic integrity policy will range from receiving a
zero on the assignment to failing the course, depending on the circumstances of a specific
situation. The bottom line is that if you follow the one basic rule – do your own work – then no
problems will arise. See http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/ for details regarding University
policy. Also note that it is University policy that threatening behavior by students is prohibited.
See http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml for details.
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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please see me so we
can discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal,
disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that you be registered with
Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable
accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations.