Psychology 404-101 (12798)
Learning and Cognitive Processes
Fall 2006

Blackboard | Coglab | Memory Models | Presentation Schedule

Course Description

Psychology 404 is a survey course covering primarily cognitive psychology and, to a lesser extent, associationist theories of learning (behaviorist theories). The course will begin with a brief survey of associationist theories of learning, noting both the strengths of such theories (e.g., parsimony, methodological rigor, generalizability, practical applicability) and their weaknesses (e.g., inability to adequately explain rule-based and symbolic systems such as language, ignoring internal mental processes and representations). Most of the rest of the course will then be devoted to the Information Processing approach to the study of learning and behavior, in which theories attempt to specify the mental processes and mental representations involved in cognition. We will examine key theories in perception, memory, language, decision-making, and other domains from an information processing perspective. Along the way, we will also consider some alternative perspectives such as evolutionary psychology, connectionist theories, and neurocognition, and discuss how these approaches differ from traditional information processing theories.

Course Materials and Procedures

The course will be primarily lecture and discussion. Attendance and participation are expected. Assigned readings should be completed before the associated class meeting, except for the first week and the week of the midterm. Primary readings will be recent and classic articles from the field, supplemented by chapters from the textbook. Any changes to the posted syllabus during the term (such as changes in required readings) will be announced on the course Blackboard announcements page.

Blackboard will be used primarily only for posting announcements and reporting grades. Your blackboard account for the course is created automatically when you enroll, and can be accessed using your Campus Connect username and password. The syllabus as posted on the instructor's home page will serve as the gateway to all web-based course materials.

Coglab is a web-based set of demonstration experiments that we will be using in the course. Assigned Coglab experiments should be completed before the associated class meeting on the schedule - preferably a day or so in advance so that we can use the data in class. You will need to purchase a Coglab user license if one was not included with your new textbook. The bookstore should have a supply of Coglab Manuals, each of which includes a Coglab license. The manual is not really necessary, but it costs the same as a license alone (without the manual) purchased over the web.

To use Coglab in this course, you will need the user ID and password that I have assigned you. Use the Blackboard "Check Grade" function (under Student Tools) to retrieve yours. The first time you use Coglab you will also need the registration code from the Coglab license you purchased, to set up your account. Thereafter you will only need your ID and password. I will use your ID to verify that you have completed the assigned experiments, and to pseudo-randomly assign you to conditions in some of the experiments. Always follow the link from the schedule on the syllabus for each assigned Coglab experiment. If I have any special instructions for an experiment beyond those given on the Coglab site, I will link them from the listing of that experiment on the syllabus.

The background and instructions Coglab provides for each assigned experiment are also required readings.

Evaluation

Article Discussions

Each person is expected to lead the discussion of at least one article from the reading list. Failure to do so will make it mathematically impossible to get higher than a B for the course. Absence on the day you are scheduled to present will result in a zero; exceptions will only be considered upon the presentation of documentation for an excused absence. Participation in the discussion of articles that others are presenting is also expected, and contributes to this portion of your course grade. If necessary, I also reserve the right to add additional requirements (such as everyone turning in written discussion questions before class) if that proves necessary to ensure a fruitful discussion of the articles.

When leading discussion, you should briefly summarize the main points (hypotheses, methodology, results, and conclusions) of the article, relate it to the theoretical and/or empirical issues we discuss in class (how does it fit into the big picture; does it support or disconfirm a theory we have discussed?), and offer your evaluation of the article in one or more of the following aspects: quality of the evidence presented (including methodological issues); soundness of the reasoning for the conclusions from that evidence; possible alternative explanations or interpretations for the findings; and/or practical implications of the findings. This should take between 5 and 15 minutes - but no more than that! You will also lead and moderate the class's discussion of your article during and/or after your presentation. Handouts are optional; PowerPoint presentations are discouraged.

Some of the articles are longer and more challenging than others. To reflect this, I have assigned "degree of difficulty" points to certain articles in the reading list. As a result, it is possible to receive more than full credit (more than 20 points) for this portion of the course grade.

Coglab Assignments and Participation

Full credit will be awarded if you do all of the assigned Coglab experiments on time, come to class, and participate in class discussions.

Midterm and Final Exams

Exams will consist of both multiple-choice and essay / short answer questions. The emphasis will be on material presented in class, but some material from assigned readings may appear on exams even if not covered in lectures. Assigned readings include the textbook chapters, the assigned Coglab experiments, and any articles presented in class.

The final exam will be mostly non-cumulative, although some questions may ask you to integrate general themes across topics from the entire course. Specific detailed information from before the midterm will not be re-tested on the final, however.

Makeup exams will not be given without written documentation of a serious illness or emergency. If you know in advance of a legitimate commitment that prevents you from taking the midterm or final on time, you must notify me by email well in advance and request rescheduling. Vacations, pre-purchased plane tickets home for the holidays, and having more than one final on the same day are NOT legitimate reasons, by the way.

Term Paper

A 5 to 10 page paper (double-spaced, 12 pt font, not including title page and references) on a topic in learning or cognitive psychology is due by the time of the final exam. An electronic copy MUST be submitted via the Blackboard drop box (MSWord [.doc], Rich Text [.rtf], or OpenDocument format), and a hard copy is also due at the final exam meeting. Failure to submit the electronic copy on time will result in a 50% penalty, and failure to submit the hard copy will result in a 20% penalty.

The paper should analyze a specific theory, phenomenon, or problem in depth, rather than being overly broad or superficial. "Memory," for example, is not a good paper topic, but "Mathematical models of episodic memory" might be. One possibility for finding a topic is to browse through the "optional" entries on the reading list. Although a term paper can not simply be a summary of a single article, a paper about several articles on the same topic could be a good choice, particularly if they advocate conflicting theories or points of view. Another source for topics ideas is the Coglab experiments, including those that I have not required you to do for the class.

A good paper should have the following features:

• A clear statement of the question or problem to be discussed
• A description of the scientific evidence that bears on the question, including recent articles from peer-reviewed scientific journals
• A "Discussion" or "Conclusions" section in which you tell me your conclusions about the matter based on the evidence you found, and any well-reasoned thoughts you have about its implications and relevance (for public policy, everyday life, your own field of study, etc.)
• At least 5 relevant references from scientific journals or scholarly book chapters, etc.
• Clear, felicitous and grammatical writing
• Consistent formatting and style: APA style is preferred, but others (MLA, IEEE, etc.) are also acceptable so long as you are consistent and all sources are adequately documented.

It would also be nice if the paper is interesting - to you at a minimum, and to me too if we are lucky. If you have any questions about whether a topic you are considering is appropriate, I encourage you to email me or talk to me about it during my office hours.

Late Assignments

Late assignments can not be accepted. Exceptions will be made only for genuine emergencies upon the presentation of written documentation.

Academic Dishonesty

Cheating, Plagiarism, or other forms of academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to university policy and may result in at a minimum a zero on the exam or assignment in question. I will adhere to university policies on academic integrity as described in the DePaul University Student Handbook (http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/handbook/ or http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/handbook/code16.html). Students should consult the Student Handbook for more information on what constitutes plagiarism and other violations of academic integrity. Contact the instructor if you have questions about how to properly acknowledge source materials and the works of others.