Psychology 3130A-650 Summer Distance 2019
The Psychology of Thinking
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Theoretical and empirical studies on problem solving, reasoning, concept formation, thinking and cross-cultural variations in thinking processes.
Antirequisite: Not Applicable.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisite: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810, and one of Psychology 2115A/B, Psychology 2134A/B, Psychology 2135A/B.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Course Weight: 0.5
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Caroline Strang
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7440
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: cstrang@uwo.ca
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
The required textbook for this course is The Psychology of Thinking: Reasoning, Decision-Making, and Problem-Solving, by John Paul Minda. It is available at the University bookstore, Amazon, and elsewhere.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course covers thought and knowledge. We will study how people think and how psychologists study thinking and reasoning. The course will be taught as a combination of online lectures, textbook readings, and class discussion.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
Describe
key concepts, principles, and overarching themes relevant to the psychology of thinking. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Articulate
the concepts and current states of knowledge in both the natural science and social science aspects of the psychology of thinking. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Engage
in a critical scholarly discussion on a psychological topic using evidence to support claims. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Critically evaluate
the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
Apply
psychological principles to the understanding of everyday problems. This outcome will be assessed though four short quizzes and two examinations.
5.0 EVALUATION
Your final mark will be based on a combination of the following:
Weekly Quizzes (Best 10 of 11): 30% (3% each)
Discussion Topics: 20% (5% each)
Assignments: 10% (5% each)
Final Exam: 40%
Weekly quizzes will consist of 5 multiple-choice questions that are based strictly off the readings and lecture for that week. Quizzes will open on Monday at 9am and will be due at the end of each week (Sunday 11:59pm). There is a strict policy that quizzes are not accepted after the due date and will be given a grade of zero. There are no make-ups for missed quizzes. Only the best 10 of 11 will count towards your final grade. Quizzes are open-book, 20 minutes in duration, and are submitted through OWL. Weekly quizzes will begin on the second week of class.
Discussion topics will consist of a question posted with the weekly material and a forum opened up on the webpage under that topic. The discussion questions are intended to encourage critical thinking about a topic in the course and then cultivate online discussion. There will be 5 discussion questions throughout the term and each one is worth 5% of your final grade. Discussion posts each week will be marked out of 5. Posts can consist of an original post or a reply to a post from another student. Posts are expected to be 150-200 words and should be thoughtful and relate to course material. It is also possible to receive discussion post marks through posting shorter posts that involve back and forth discussion with other students. The grading will be based on both the thoughtful content of the post and its role in encouraging discussion in the class. On the weeks that they are available, discussion topics will open at 9am on Monday and close on Sunday at 11:59.
There will be two assignments during the term. Each assignment will be based on an assigned reading. The assignments will require students to read that assigned reading and then complete a timed assessment on that reading. The assessments can include questions of any of the following types: multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, short answer. On the weeks that they are available the assignments will be open from 9am on Wednesday until 11:59 on Sunday. Each assignment will be worth 5% of the final grade.
There will be a written final exam in this class. The date, time, and location of the exam will be scheduled by Distance Studies and will be announced on the course website. It will cover material from Weeks 1 – 12/Chapters 1 – 12. The exam will consist primarily of fill in the blank and short answer questions. No notes, aids, or electronic devices will be allowed during the exam. The exam duration will be three hours. The exam will be worth 40% of the final grade.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Final Exam: July 29 – August 1. Covers material from Weeks 1 – 12, inclusive
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
The assigned readings below are a general outline. Check the OWL for the updates and more specific information about that week’s readings that are required for the weekly quiz.
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
Readings & Assignments |
|
1 |
May 6 |
Introduction |
Chapter 1 |
|
2 |
May 13 |
Similarity |
Chapter 2 Discussion Topic 1 |
|
3 |
May 20 |
Knowledge and Memory
|
Chapter 3 Assignment 1 |
|
4 |
May 27 |
Concepts and Categories |
Chapter 4 Discussion Topic 2 |
|
5 |
June 3 |
Language and Thought |
Chapter 5 |
|
6 |
June 10 |
Inference and Induction |
Chapter 6 |
|
7 |
June 17 |
Deductive Reasoning
|
Chapter 7 Discussion Topic 3 |
|
8 |
June 24 |
Context, Motivation, and Mood |
Chapter 8 Discussion Topic 4 |
|
9 |
July 1 |
Decision Making |
Chapter 9 |
|
10 |
July 8 |
Problem Solving |
Chapter 10 |
|
11 |
July 15 |
Creativity |
Chapter 10 Assignment 2 |
|
12 |
July 22 |
Expertise and Expert Thinking |
Chapter 11 |
|
|
|
FINAL EXAM |
Chapters 1-11 |
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2019 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
