University of Arizona
Department of Psychology
Summer Pre Session 2012 (May 14 th , 2012 – June 2 nd , 2012)
Instructor: JeanMarie Bianchi (Graduate Student)
Office Hours: PSY 129 Wednesday 10AM-12PM, Friday: 12PM-1PM, and by appt.
Email: jmb242@gmail.com
Course Description: This course will provide an overview of some of the major topics in the field of cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology is a broad discipline encompassing a variety of areas including how we think, perceive, remember, and make decisions. My goal for this course is to introduce and provide you with a rich understanding of the major topics, concepts, and questions explored by cognitive psychologists.
Resources
There will be no assigned textbook for this class. You will be responsible for viewing the posted online materials via D2L each week (this includes PowerPoint lectures with an accompanying audio file/lecture, articles, watching videos, etc.). Each week there will be a new set of topics. You are responsible for keeping up with the material for each week. You can log onto D2L and view the course website at www.d2l.arizona.edu
, then choose PSY 325 from the MyCourses page.
Assignments/Requirements
Each week you will be responsible for reviewing/reading all materials for the set of topics scheduled for that week. Your grade will be based on the following criteria:
A. Weekly Quizzes (3-4 per week, 10 total, worth 30% of final grade): For each topic, there will be a ten question quiz. Quizzes for each week will open on Monday at 12PM and remain open until Sunday at 5PM. You will not be able to access a quiz unless you have reviewed the posted materials required for the taking of that quiz.
B. Written Commentaries (1 per week, 3 total, worth 30% of final grade): For each week, you will be responsible for posting a written commentary on the week’s material
(2-3 paragraphs) . You are encouraged to think critically about the week’s material by discussing your thoughts, questions, and interpretations. Commentaries will be graded for their degree of thoughtfulness and critical thinking. You will post these commentaries on the discussion board in D2L. Commentaries must be posted by
Sundays at 5PM each week.

C. Responding to Classmate Commentaries (2 per week, 6 total, worth 10% of final
grade).
You will then be responsible for reading at least two of your fellow classmate’s commentaries each week and commenting on/responding to them (5 sentences minimum per response). Weekly responses to classmates commentaries for that week are due on Sundays by 11PM.
D. Take Home Final Exam (worth 30% of final grade): A written take home final exam will be administered on 5/28 and will be due 6/2 at 8AM. This exam will be comprehensive and will be comprised of definitions, short answers, and brief essays.
A: 90%-100%
B: 80%-89%
C: 70%- 79%
D: 60%- 69%
F: Below 60%
Grades will be rounded up when appropriate (e.g. an 89.6 will become a 90). There will be no +/- grading in this course.
-Each week runs Monday through Sunday, there are 3 weeks in this course
-You must view all topics/material posted each week and listen to the audio lecture
-You must take quizzes on each week’s material no later than Sunday 5PM.
-You must submit a 2-3 paragraph written commentary to the discussion board each week no later than Sunday at 5PM
-You must comment on at least two of your classmate’s commentaries each week no later than Sunday at 11PM
-You must complete a final take home exam the last week of the class.
*Late work will not be accepted without official documentation. I encourage you to submit all assignments on time.*
Academic Honesty: Cheating and plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. If you are not familiar with the University of Arizona Academic Code you can read about it at http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/academicintegrity

Students with Disabilities: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please email or schedule to meet with me. If you require accommodations, you must be registered with the Disability Resources Center (621-
3268; http://drc.arizona.edu
) and notify me of your need for accommodations.
Changes to Syllabus: The information contained in this syllabus may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice as deemed appropriate by me.
Week
Dates
1
2
5/14- 5/20
5/21 – 5/27
5/28 – 6/2 Sat
Topics / Assignments
1. History of Cognitive Psychology and Current Issues (Quiz 1)
2. Information Processing (Quiz 2)
3. Attention (Quiz 3)
All quizzes must be submitted by Sunday at 5PM
Commentary due by Sunday night 5PM, Replies to commentaries due by Sunday night 11PM.
4. Short Term Memory (Quiz 4)
5. Long Term Memory (Quiz 5)
6. Semantic Memory (Quiz 6)
7. Memory Throughout the Lifespan (Quiz 7)
All quizzes must be submitted by Sunday at 5PM
Commentary due by Sunday night 5PM, Replies to commentaries due by Sunday night 11PM.
8. Language (Quiz 8)
9. Problem Solving and Creativity (Quiz 9)
10. Decision Making (Quiz 10)
All quizzes must be submitted by Saturday at 5PM
Commentary due by Saturday night 5PM, Replies to commentaries due by Saturday night 11PM .
*Written Final Exam will be administered at beginning of week and due at the end of week. 3