Fall 2024 PSY270H1 LEC5101 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology 2024SPSS

Java Python Fall 2024 PSY270H1 LEC5101

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

September 3, 2024

1    Course Description

Cognitive psychology is the study of the psychological processes that enable intelligent hu- man behavior. It encompasses the study of elementary cognitive processes, like perception, attention, and memory, as well as more complex phenomena, like knowledge, mental imagery, language, reasoning, problem solving, and individual diferences.

In this course,you will become familiar with fundamental concepts and leading theories in cognitive psychology. You will also learn about the methods that cognitive psychologists use to answer questions about cognition and practice analyzing and criticizing these methods.

1.1    Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

● Describe major terms, concepts and theories in cognitive psychology

● Understand how unconscious cognitive processes influence our everyday behaviour

● Understand how the historical development of cognitive psychology has shaped the questions researchers in cognitive psychology ask today

● Explain how empirical findings can support or refute psychological theories

● Identify key variables in empirical research and infer evidence-based conclusions

● Analyse and critique published research in cognitive psychology

● Communicate scientific ideas and data in the form. of written reports

1.2    Course Materials

1.2.1    Quercus

This course uses the University’s learning management system, Quercus, to manage infor- mation about the course.  This includes posting readings and other materials required to complete class activities and course assignments, as well as sharing important announce- ments and updates. The site is dynamic and new information and resources will be posted regularly as we move through the term, so please make it a habit to log in to the site on a regular, even daily, basis.

Access to Course Website   To access the course website, go to the U of T Quercus login page at https://q . utoronto . ca. Once you have logged in to Quercus using your UTORid and password, you should see the link or “card” for ‘Introduction to Cognitive Psychology PSY270H1 F LEC5101’ . You may need to scroll through other cards to find this. Click on the ‘Introduction to Cognitive Psychology PSY270H1 F LEC5101’ link to open our course area, view the latest announcements and access your course resources.  There are Quercus help guides for students that you can access by clicking on the “?”  icon in the left side column.

1.2.2    Textbook

The textbook for this course is the following.

Barenholtz, E.; Burton, C.; Mavica, L.; and Webe, H. (2022) Cognitive  Psychology. Tophatmonocle Corp.

This textbook is only available through the Top Hat platform.  In addition to the Top Hat textbook, we will be using the Top Hat platform. for homework, interactive labs, and other activities. Detailed instructions for purchasing and setting up your textbook and Top Hat account will be posted on Quercus. Please await these instructions prior to purchasing your materials. Please also note that there is a 14-day Free Trial available.

Should you require assistance with Top Hat at any time please contact their Support Team directly by way of email (support@tophat.com), the in-app support button, or by calling 1-888-663-5491. Specific user information may be required by their technical support team when troubleshooting issues.

2    Assessments

Assessments in this course fall under three main headings: Exams, Writing, and Class En- gagement. There are multiple assessments under each heading.

Assessment deadlines and weights are summarized in Table 1.

Activity	Assignment	Due	Weight (%)
Exams	Final	TBD	35
	Midterm	10-15	25
Writing	Assignment 1	10-01	12
	Assignment 2	11-12	12
Engagement	Reading Responses	Ongoing	10
	Labs	Ongoing	03
	Homework	Ongoing	03

Table 1: Summary of assessments, deadlines, and relative weights.

2.1    Tests/Exams (60%)

Tests and exams serve to assess and consolidate your knowledge of course material. There is one midterm (25%) and one final exam (35%) in this course. Both exams will be in-person, consist of multiple-choice questions and run for 120 minutes. The final exam is cumulative, covering all material in the course, and will be scheduled during exam period.

2.2    Writing Assignments (24%)

Writing assignments serve to help you refine your skills in developing, analyzing, and commu- nicating scientific ideas. You will complete two short written assignments (about 1000 words max), to be submitted on Quercus. The first assignment will focus on theoretical/conceptual analysis of existing research whereas the second will focus more on methods and analysis of experimental results.  In both cases, you will be expected to follow scholarly psychological writing standards, namely APA 7. Detailed instructions will be posted on Quercus.

2.3    Class Engagement  (16%)

Class engagement activities serve to enrich your knowledge and learning experience through- out the semester. They consist of three activities which will be available for completion on a weekly basis, starting on Week 3, and will be due at the start of the next class.

Reading Responses (10%)   Reading responses are designed to provide you a low-stakes and structured environment to practice reading and analyzing psychological research litera- ture.

Starting on the third week of class, you will have the opportunity to complete two read- ing responses every week, with the exception of Week 7 (midterm) and Week 12 (conclu- sion/review). To complete a rea Fall 2024 PSY270H1 LEC5101 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology 2024SPSS ding response, you will be asked to fill out a short question- naire about a reading of your choice. Each week, you may select readings from a thematically relevant pool that the instructor will make available to you on Quercus.

The reading response questionnaire may include basic questions about the reading (e.g., what type of source it is), as well as prompts for deeper reflection. These questions are meant to guide your attention to essential details of the readings and help structure your work. Each

Date	Meeting	Agenda	Readings	Due
09-03	01	Introduction	Syllabus, Ch. 1
09-10	02	Theory & Methods	Ch. 2, Ch. 3
09-17	03	Perception & Attention	Ch. 4, Ch. 5
09-24	04	Memory I: STM & WM	Ch. 6,
10-01	05	Memory II: LTM & Autobiographical	Ch. 7, Ch. 8	Writing 1
10-08	06	Knowledge & Decision Making	Ch. 9, Ch. 13
10-15	07	Midterm Exam
10-22	08	Visual Imagery	Ch. 10
10-29		Reading Week (No Class)
11-05	09	Language	Ch. 11
11-12	10	Problem Solving	Ch. 12	Writing 2
11-19	11	Individual Diferences	TBD
11-26	12	Conclusion & Review

Table 2: Course Outline.

reading response will be assessed for completion and response quality.  Good responses are those which engage more deeply with the readings, as assessed by your instructor or TAs. In total, you will be asked to complete 16 reading responses, each worth 0.625% of your final grade.

Interactive  Labs  (3%)    You will be assigned to complete six interactive labs on the Top Hat platform. between Weeks 3 and 11.  These interactive labs will give you hands-on experience in cognitive psychological experimentation. Interactive labs will be graded solely on completion.

Homework Assignments (3%)   Starting on Week 3, you will be asked to complete the Top Hat Homework assignments associated with that week’s readings.  These assignments serve to help you prepare for exams and consolidate your knowledge. Your responses will be graded for correctness.

3    Schedule

The class schedule is summarized in Table 2. Ongoing assessments such as reading responses, labs, and homework quizzes are not shown but are generally due on a weekly basis at the start of class, starting on Week 3