Transcript Introduction Syllabus and Foundations of Cognitive Psychology PSY 421: Advanced Cognitive Psychology

PSY 421: Advanced Cognitive Psychology
Introduction –
Syllabus and Foundations of
Cognitive Psychology
Syllabus
• Course and Instructor Information
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PSY 421
T/TH 8-9:15 am
106 Boucke Building
Instructor: Alicia J. Knoedler, Ph.D.
Office Hours: T/TH 2-3pm; whenever door is open (439
Moore Building)
Course webpage:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/a/j/ajk12/courses/acp.
html
Angel course page:
https://cms.psu.edu/frameIndex.htm
Syllabus, continued
• Course Media
– Required Textbook:
Robinson-Riegler, G., & Robinson-Riegler, B.
(2004). Cognitive psychology: Applying the
science of the mind. Boston: Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon. ISBN: 0-205-32763-X
– Recommended Reference:
American Psychological Association (2001). The
publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington,
DC: APA.
Syllabus, continued
• Course Content and Goals
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This course involves an intensive study of human cognition - how we
perceive information and events, interpret them, learn, remember, use
language, make decisions, and other cognitive abilities and applications. The
purpose of this course is to give you an overview of the field of cognitive
psychology and allow you to more closely study some aspects of cognition
that are of interest to you. There is also an applied component to this course
– taking what you have learned about cognition to further explore and
understand mental processes and cognitive behavior in the "real world."
– Some lecture and note-taking will be involved in this course. However,
students will be required to be active, through discussions and learning
exercises and activities, in their encoding and evaluation of information
about how people learn, remember, and modify their thoughts and behaviors.
– The goals for the course are for the students to learn to:
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Read, write, and think effectively about cognitive psychology
Develop and utilize research tools typical in the field of cognitive psychology
Effectively present research ideas
Apply research ideas from cognitive psychology to other aspects of human and/or
animal behavior
Syllabus, continued
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Course Assignments
1. Critical Thinking Essays (45%)
2. Collaborative Experimental Proposal (16%)
and Presentation (9%)
3. Final Paper (25%)
4. Attendance/Discussion (5%)
NO EXAMS or QUIZZES
Syllabus, continued
• Grading Scale:
The following grading scale will be used in
this course (measure is points earned,
rounded to nearest whole number):
A = 100 to 93%
A- = 92 to 90%
B+ = 89 to 87%
B = 86 to 83%
B- = 82 to 80%
D+ = 69 to 67%
D = 66 to 63%
D- = 62 to 60%
F = Below 60%
C+ = 79 to 77
C = 76 to 73%
C- = 72 to 70%
Course Tools
• ANGEL Course Space
– Everything will be posted there – syllabus, lecture slides,
assignments, grades, etc.
– Turn in all assignments via the ANGEL course space
– Email to the instructor should be sent through ANGEL
rather than psu.edu email address
– Use course website via instructor’s webspace as a backup
• To prepare for each class – read the material from
the text, print out or download the lecture slides
• To do well in this course – prepare for class, show
up, pay attention, participate in discussion and
activities, use your brain and think
Questions…..
Assignment – Due September 7 by 8 am
• Please log in to the ANGEL course space
• Complete the Class Questionnaire via the
Assignments folder
• Download the slides for September 7 class
• Any difficulties should be reported in class
so that they can be resolved
Foundations of Cognitive Psychology
Part 1 – What is this course about and
what have I gotten myself into?
Defining Cognitive Psychology
• Plain and simple: “The study of mental processes”
• Constructs and concepts – name what is studied
within cognitive psychology
• Many other areas of psychology and disciplines in
the social sciences utilize research findings, theories,
and models from the field of cognitive psychology
• Basic Assumptions:
1. Mental processes exist
2. Humans are active (rather than passive) information
processors
3. Mental processes can be identified through the use of
behavioral measures (like reaction times, and patterns of
correct or incorrect responses)
Studying Cognitive Psychology
• Examples
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The Monty Hall Three-Door Problem
Irrelevant Speech
False Memories
Word Superiority