Psychology 3185F 001
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
Intersession (May 10 – June 18, 2021)
Psychology 3185F Section 001
Research in Cognitive Psychology
- CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Cognitive theorists face a unique problem: the understanding of mental structures and processes that are not directly observable. A variety of methods used to address this problem will be surveyed, by introducing research questions of enduring interest. Students will be expected to use the techniques learned. Cognitive domains to be examined include attention, memory, problem-solving, and thinking.
Antirequisite: Not Applicable.
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. 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 2800E, Psychology 2810 and one of Psychology 2115A/B, Psychology 2134A/B, or Psychology 2135A/B, Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B, or Neuroscience 2000 plus registration in third or fourth year Honours Specialization in Psychology, or Honours Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience or Honours Specialization in Neuroscience. Third or fourth year Psychology Majors and Psychology Special Students who receive 70% or higher in Psychology 2820E (or 60% or higher in Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810), plus 60% or higher in one of Psychology 2115A/B, Psychology 2134A/B, Psychology 2135A/B, Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B, or Neuroscience 2000 also may enrol in this course.
2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory hours, 0.5 course.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll 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 INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Xuan Pan
Office Hours: by appointment, meet via Zoom
Email: xpan55@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Monday and Wednesday, 2:30 – 4:30 pm/Online
The delivery format of course content will be blended. Lectures will be delivered asynchronously through the online audio webcasts posted on the course OWL site. The webcasts are slides accompanied by audio commentary (by Instructor). In addition, .pdf copies of the lecture slides (without audio) will be available for download. These files should play on PC and Mac. Students may access the course materials at times that are convenient for them. Lab tutorials and consultation sessions on experiment design and data analyses will be hold synchronously through live Zoom meetings on Wednesdays.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
There is no required text. Course readings will be posted on OWL
Recommended Text:
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition (2020). Note: make sure you use the 7th edition – earlier editions contain formatting rules that are no longer current and may cost you marks.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course students should have:
• Knowledge of the fundamental concepts in human cognition.
• Extensive exposure to human cognition research paradigms.
• Hands-on experience in designing research projects (including one experiment), data analysis, and preparing research reports on human experimental research.
In the lab, each student will (with the instructor’s guidance) design, analyze, and write up a research project dealing with an issue in cognitive psychology. The aim of the course is to bridge what is learned in the second-year Research Methods course (2800E) and what is required of students in the fourth-year Honors Thesis course (4185E). Students will learn to narrow their focus to a particular question of interest in an area of cognitive psychology. Acceptable areas of focus include attention, memory, categorization, language processing, and thinking. The student will develop a testable hypothesis, which must be approved by the instructor, conduct data analysis with mock data, and present the findings and implications in a formal paper using APA style.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. Knowledge of the fundamental concepts in human cognition and extensive exposure to human cognition research paradigms. |
Lectures Weekly lectures are designed to introduce and discuss classic research paradigms in cognitive psychology. |
1 Test |
|
Application of Knowledge & Methodologies. Develop research questions and generate hypotheses to address specific research questions in cognitive psychology.
Hands-on experience in designing research projects (including one experiment), data analysis, and preparing research reports on human experimental research.
|
Lectures and Lab tutorials For the course project, students design, analyze, and write up a research project dealing with an issue in cognitive psychology. |
Assignments:
Research proposal Ethics Final paper |
|
Communication Skills. Present research reports in writing clearly and effectively in a way that a reader would have the necessary instructions to replicate their study and the necessary information to interpret their results.
|
Assignments Students have the opportunity to develop their research writing skills through a final research paper. |
Final paper |
|
Awareness of Limits of Knowledge. Describe, critique, and justify their research methodology and generate ways to improve upon their research methodology. |
Lab tutorials and Assignments Feedback on students’ research designs highlights any needed correction and improvement. The final research paper requires students to discuss the limits of what can be concluded from the results. |
Assignments:
Proposal & Ethics Final paper |
|
Autonomy and Professional Capacity. Demonstrate their capacity to work independently and in an ethical manner by producing their own research project and meeting the deadlines for assignments. |
Students are responsible for developing an original research project, and must produce their own original reports. |
Assignments
|
5.0 EVALUATION
Assignments: 50% in total. The 3 assignments (Research proposal, Ethics, Final paper) together constitute the written component of 2,500 words required for an essay course.
Final Exam: 50%. The final exam will be held online on OWL and will be 2 hours long. The final exam will be based on all materials presented in lectures and will be short answer essay format (a paragraph or two).
Note that per departmental policy, course grades will NOT be rounded.
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
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 to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Assessment/Evaluation % of the grade Due date
Research Proposal 15 June 2
Ethics 10 June 9
Final paper 25 June 16
Final exam 50 June 21/22
Deadlines are strictly enforced. A penalty of 10% per day is applied to every 24-hour period an assignment is late. Extensions for assignments will be granted only for documented health reasons or on documented compassionate grounds. Makeup exam will be arranged only in the situation that a student misses the final exam due to sickness or other acceptable excuse and the student must present an official document justifying the absence.
The final exam will be conducted using Zoom. You will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session will not be recorded. *
More information about the use of Zoom for exam invigilation is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines at the following link:
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
Completion of the final exam will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the system requirements for Zoom. Information about the system requirements are available at the following link:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the final exam.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Lectures:
May 10 – Attention & Perception.
May 17 – Memory & Executive Function
May 24 – No class (Victoria Day)
May 31 – Concepts & Categorization
June 7 – Language & Bilingualism
June 14 – Creative Thinking & Cognitive Neuroscience
Labs:
May 12 – Introductions; Objectives of the lab
May 19 – Literature searches; Finding a topic; Defining a problem
May 26 – Designing an experiment; Defining variables; Hypothesizing
June 2 – Title pages; References; Ethics
June 9 – Stats & Consultation
June 16 – Stats & Consultation
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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).
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
- For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
- must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
10.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the term that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor.
11.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
12.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: 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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
