Cognitive Psychology

Fall - 2008

PSYC 3450-A: John Jay 141
M-W-F  1:00 - 1:50

Grades Class Notes

  Instructor: Stephen T. Paul, Ph.D.                          Office Hours: M/W/F: 10:00 - 10:50 & 2:00 - 2:50
Office:    Lafayette Center room 110.   & by Appointment.
Phone:    (412) 397-5416. E-mail: paul@rmu.edu
Most people would die sooner than think; in fact they do.
-- Bertrand Russell

Overview: Cognitive psychology may be defined as the study of people's ability to gather, organize, store, retrieve and use knowledge to direct their behavior. In short, it is the study of the mind. Cognitive psychologists develop and test theories (models) about the mental processes that direct observable behavior. This course will sample focal areas and classic studies in cognitive psychology as well as recent research of particular interest.
Objectives:
  1. Have a command of the research methodology and approaches appropriate to addressing issues in cognitive psychology.
  2. Develop an appreciation for the process of developing models of human thinking.
  3. Be able to engage in critical analysis of all ideas presented.
  4. Have a basic ability to conceptualize, present, and defend theories of attention, memory, problem solving, and language use.
  5. Be able to generate and recognize applications of cognitive psychology to real world problems and settings.
Text:Willingham, D. T. (2007). Cognition: The Thinking Animal, 3rd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Web Site:http://academics.rmu.edu/~paul/courses.html
Grade Scale: The following breakdown will be used to determine final grades (based on overall percentage score earned by the end of the semester):
A93.0 - 100.0        B-80.0 - 82.9
A-90.0 - 92.9C+75.0 - 79.9
B+87.0 - 89.9C70.0 - 74.9
B83.0 - 86.9D60.0 - 69.9
Policies:
  1. Lectures & Readings:: I expect that you will have read each chapter before we meet in class to discuss it. When you read, take note of portions that you don't understand well, or that you might have questions about. In this way you will arrive prepared for class to discuss the material like a true scholar.
  2. Accommodation: Accommodation: Students who may be eligible to receive learning support or physical accommodations must contact the Center for Student Success at 412-397-4342 to schedule an appointment with a counselor and to learn more about accommodation procedures. To receive accommodations in this course, arrangements must be made through the Center for Student Success.
  3. Test-Taking:: Be on time! I do not subscribe to the notion of make-up exams, but, should the need for such a thing arguably arise, it will take the form of a challenging essay test.
  4. Grading: Three semester exams of equal (15 percent) weight will be administered (45 percent total). The fourth (final) exam, worth 20 percent, will be cumulative. Also, there will be anywhere from two to twelve pop-quizzes (worth 15 percent total). Naturally, make-up quizzes are not an option. If you miss too many pop-quizzes you will lose points toward your final grade. An additional 20 percent of your finial grade will be determined based on (in-class) lab assignments.
  5. Academic Integrity:: The fundamentals of Academic Integrity are valued within the Robert Morris University community of scholars. All students are expected to understand and adhere to the standards of Academic Integrity as stated in the RMU Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found on the RMU website at www.rmu.edu. Any student who violates the Academic Integrity Policy is subject to possible judicial proceedings which may result in sanctions as outlined in the Policy. Depending upon the severity of the violation, sanctions may range from receiving a zero on an assignment to being dismissed from the university. If you have any questions about the policy, please consult your course instructor.
  6. Failing: Tips on how best to fail this course include (but are not limited to): not showing up for class; falling behind on readings; not becoming actively involved in lectures; spending less than 1-hour per day (outside of class) studying.

Schedule: This is provided as a general outline and ordering of what will be covered throughout the semester. I've indicated approximate dates for tests but exact dates will be announced in class about one-week prior to each exam (the final-exam date, of course, is already known and cannot be changed).

  Week Of Lecture Topic Labs Reading Online Quiz
1 August 25 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology Mindset-Release Task Chapter 1 Quiz 1
2 September 1 Visual Perception TD vs. BU Chapter 3 Quiz 2
3 September 8 Attention Overload & Overlap Chapter 4 Quiz 3
4 September 15 Exam One Review 1, 3, & 4
5 September 22 Sensory & Primary Memory Brown/Peterson Task Chapter 5 Quiz 4
6 September 29 Memory Encoding Depth of Processing Chapter 6 Quiz 5
7 October 6 Memory Retrieval Reconstruction Chapter 7 Quiz 6
8 October 13 Memory Storage Birdiness Chapter 8 Quiz 7
9 October 20 Exam Two Review 5, 6, 7, & 8
10 October 27 Language Processing Ambiguity Chapter 14 Quiz 8
11 November 3 Language Structure TBA Chapter 13 Quiz 9
12 November 10 Exam Three Review 13 & 14
13 November 17 Decision Making & Reasoning Anchor & Adjustment Chapter 11 Quiz 10
14 November 24 Fall Break (no classes this week)
15 December 1 Problem Solving Puzzle Task Chapter 12 Quiz 11
Final Exam Monday, December 8, 2008: 1:30pm to 3:30pm.   Review all chapters covered in class.