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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PS 307-1"
COURSE NAME: "Cognitive Psychology"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2022
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Elisa Puvia
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: PS 210
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine the structure and function of mental processes, which account for human behavior. Topics include attention, perception, memory, problem solving, decision making, cognitive development, language, and human intelligence. Individual, situational, gender, and cultural differences in cognition will also be explored. An individual research project or research paper is required.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Central topics include how perceptual information enters the mind; How attention is used to select from the array of available sensory information; How knowledge is organized in memory; How new information is added and how it is retrieved from memory; How knowledge is transformed by reasoning. We will also address how emotions and culture may influence cognition.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course is designed with 5 goals in mind, which will help you work towards achieving the main learning objectives of the major (indicated in parenthesis). At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Understand the key concepts and themes and critically evaluate theories in cognitive psychology using the appropriate terminology (LOS1)
2. Explain the implications (and application) of cognitive psychology to everyday life (LOS1)
3. Understand and critically evaluate the strength and weaknesses of the methods used and the questions addressed in cognitive psychology (LOS2)
4. Critically evaluate cognitive psychology research, including quantitative data (e.g., statistics, graphs, tables) (LOS2)
5. Accurately summarize and present information from psychological sources (LOS3)
6. Being able to assess the veracity and scientific reliability of online end media content they read, by directly going to the scientific source. (LOS4 and 2)
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience (5th editions) | Bruce Goldstein | CENGAGE | 9781337408271 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Exam | During the semester, 3 closed-book, in-person midterm exams will be administered roughly every 4 weeks, plus a closed-book, in-person final exam. All exams will be available on Moodle. The midterms will review the assigned textbook readings, lectures, and additional material covered in the preceding classes. Each midterm is non-cumulative and covers approximately 1/3 of the course material. Exams will include a variety of questions (e.g., multiple choice, short answers, essay). The final will be cumulative, that is, it will cover anything that has been discussed throughout the course. Each exam will be worth 40 points. Of the 4 exams, only your THREE highest scores will count towards your final grade. Your lowest (out of four) exam score will be dropped. You have to take at least 3 exams. The extra exam allows those who have to miss a test (i.e., excused absence) during the semester to be able to make-up for it. This means THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS. If you miss any of the three test, that will be your dropped score. No other arrangement will be made. | 80 |
| Article Critique | Article Critique. This written assignment requires students to find an online media article in the popular press that describes research relating to cognitive functions and find the empirical article of ref. in a peer-reviewed scientific journal that describes research reported in the online media article. In their article critique, students will report the research study, discuss the importance and implications of the findings, relate the research to concepts from the course, and critically evaluate the online media article and the journal article. This assignment will give students the ability to critically assess the scientific reliability of news in the media. There will be a total of 1 assignment that however requires a deep understanding of cognitive psychology and critical evaluation of media content as well as scientific content published in peer reviewed journals. There will be no make-up assignment, however, if you turn in the assignment on time, you will be given the opportunity to review it and adjust it one time. | 20 |
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-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
A(90-100%)Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
B(80-89.99%)This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
C(70-79.99%)This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
D(60-69.99%)This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
F(Below 60%)This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance is not mandatory, but it is STRONGLY recommended. Some material - such as in-depth description of studies, examples, exercises, etc. – will only be presented in class. It is your responsibility to arrive in class ON TIME. Please try not to arrive late and/or leave early. Should you arrive late, or need to leave early, please sit in the back of the class, to avoid disrupting class. Individual students who have to miss class should notify the professor in advance to make arrangements.
EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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PS307-1 COURSE SCHEDULE Fall 2022
(Subject to change with advance notice.)
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WEEK
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TOPIC & READING
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ASSIGNMENTS DUE
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1
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Welcome and Overview
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Goldstein Ch. 1: Intro to Cognitive Psychology
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2
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Methods in Cognitive Psychology (slides available on Moodle) |
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3
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Goldstein Ch. 3: Perception
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4
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Goldstein Ch. 4: Attention
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EXAM 1 (Ch.1-4)
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5
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Goldstein Ch. 5: Short-Term & Working Memory
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6
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Goldstein Ch. 6: Long-Term Memory: Structure
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7
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Goldstein Ch. 7: Long-Term Memory: Encoding, Retrieval, & Consolidation
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8
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Goldstein Ch. 8: Everyday Memory & Errors
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EXAM 2 (Ch. 5-8)
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9
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Goldstein Ch. 9: Conceptual Knowledge
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10
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Goldstein Ch. 11: Language
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11
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Goldstein Ch. 12: Problem Solving & Creativity
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Article Critique |
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12
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Goldstein Ch. 13: Judgment, Decisions, and Reasoning
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13
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EXAM 3 (Ch. 10-13)
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14
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Review of course material for the final exam
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FINAL EXAM
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