Syllabus, Fall 2019
Boston University
Lectures: MWF 3:35–4:25pm in LSE B01
Discussion sections meet Tuesdays as follows:
Joseph T. McGuire, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Office hours: Monday 1–2pm, Wednesday 10–11am, or by appointment
Office hours location: 677 Beacon St, Room 212
Email
Bill Chapman
Office hours: Monday 9–10am, Thursday 3–4pm, or by appointment
Office hours location: 610 Commonwealth Ave, 7th floor West Interactive Space
Email
This course is about how the human mind processes information. We will explore perception, attention, memory, knowledge, language, decision making, and problem solving. The goals of the course are for you to develop a working understanding of (1) the main findings and open questions in cognitive psychology, and (2) the tools and methods for studying these topics empirically.
Prerequisite: PS101, General Psychology.
We will use the following materials:
The publisher offers the textbook in several formats. I suggest considering the eBook. You do not need to buy the “MindTap” online supplement. Here are some purchase and rental links from the publisher:
A copy of the textbook will be available in the Mugar Memorial Library Reserve Room. The book is also available from Amazon and other vendors in various configurations (new or used, for purchase or rental). Be aware that each CogLab access code can only be used once, so codes included with used and rental textbooks will not generally work.
Course grades will be calculated as follows:
Overall percentage scores will be converted to course grades as follows: 93.33–100 = A, 90–93.33 = A-, 86.67–90 = B+, 83.33–86.67 = B, etc.
A weekly batch of work, consisting of readings, a CogLab assignment, and discussion questions, is due every Monday night (before 9:30am Tuesday). You are encouraged to complete the readings and assignments throughout the week before they are due.
You are expected to attend all classes. The topics we discuss in class will complement the readings, not duplicate them. Lecture slides will be posted on Blackboard after class, but the slides will not substitute for notes. If you must miss a class, please obtain notes from a classmate and review the slides afterward, or come to office hours to get caught up.
We will take attendance by circulating a sign-in sheet at the beginning of class. You may be absent (or late) for up to four classes without penalty.
By default, laptops and tablet computers are not allowed during class. However, if you feel that a computer is beneficial for your note-taking, you may opt in to using one. To do so, send an email to Prof. McGuire by Monday Sep. 16 saying you wish to opt in to using a computer in class.
Three midterm exams will be held in class on the following dates: Wednesday Sep. 25, Wednesday Oct. 23, and Wednesday Nov. 20. The midterms are non-cumulative and cover material from lectures, readings, CogLabs, and discussion sections. Your lowest midterm exam score counts for 10% of your final grade and the other two count for 20% each.
Exams will use multiple-choice format. The exams will include questions that ask you to read graphs, interpret data, and reason about psychological theory and experimental design.
The course will have a cumulative final exam during exam week. According to the Registrar’s webpage, our final exam is provisionally scheduled for Friday Dec. 20, 3:00–5:00pm.
If you have a scheduling conflict with any of the exam times (midterm or final) you should not enroll in the course!
Discussion sections give you a chance to consider the week’s readings and CogLab experiments more deeply and interactively. The first meeting will be on Sep. 10. We will take attendance at discussion sections using a sign-in sheet, and you must sign the sheet to be credited. You may miss up to two section meetings without penalty. You are free to attend section at a time other than your enrolled time (we will revisit this policy if it becomes problematic).
Each week, please come up with two discussion questions related to different topics from the week’s readings, lectures, or CogLabs. Write 2 or 3 sentences for each question. You have a lot of freedom in what you choose to write about. For example, you can write questions about something you found confusing or disagree with, or you can pose a question about how the research could be extended to new situations or practical applications.
The main purpose of the assignment is to help you think about topics you want to talk about during discussion sections. We enourage you to bring up your questions in class! A secondary purpose is to give us general feedback about what everyone is finding interesting or puzzling. The weekly discussion questions are not the right place for questions that need a direct response from us (such as requests to review specific points, or questions about course logistics)—for those kinds of things, please send us an email or ask in class or office hours.
Submit each week’s discussion questions via the Blackboard assignment by Monday night, beginning Sep. 9. Questions submitted before 9:30am Tuesday will be considered on time. Questions submitted between 9:30am and 11:59pm Tuesday are eligible for half credit.
The CogLab website gives you hands-on experience with classic cognitive psychology experiments. You can see what the experiment is like, read some background information, view your data, and view data from the whole class and users around the world.
Complete each week’s CogLab assignment by Monday night, beginning Sep. 9. Labs completed before 9:30am Tuesday will be considered on time. Late submissions will not receive credit. However, since CogLabs are covered on exams, you may find it beneficial to complete the assignment even if the deadline has passed.
Detailed instructions for joining the course’s CogLab group are posted on Blackboard. After you log in, you can view the list of assigned labs and due dates by clicking “Access your account” and then “Assignments.” The CogLab server automatically keeps track of your completed assignments, and each assignment is graded all-or-none. To receive credit you must complete the entire experiment, having followed the instructions. If, for some reason, the CogLab server fails to record the completion of an experiment, you must repeat the experiment before the deadline to earn credit.
You are responsible for adhering to the Boston University Academic Conduct Code. Please make sure you are familiar with this document, as it describes how academic misconduct is defined and how any instances of possible misconduct will be handled.
Wednesday Sep. 4: Introduction.
Friday Sep. 6: Mental chronometry.
Monday Sep. 9: History and origins of cognitive psychology.
Wednesday Sep. 11: Cognition, neuroscience, and levels of description.
Friday Sep. 13: Perception as inference.
Monday Sep. 16: Face recognition.
Wednesday Sep. 18: Auditory perception.
Friday Sep. 20: Attention.
Monday Sep. 23: Visual search.
Wednesday Sep. 25: MIDTERM EXAM #1.
Friday Sep. 27: Links between attention and memory.
Monday Sep. 30: Short-term memory.
Wednesday Oct. 2: Working memory.
Friday Oct. 4: NO CLASS
Monday Oct. 7: NO CLASS
Wednesday Oct. 9: Long-term recognition and recall.
Friday Oct. 11: Constructive memory.
Classes do not meet on Monday Oct. 14.
Tuesday Oct. 15 (Monday schedule): How to remember things better.
Wednesday Oct. 16: Amnesia and individual differences in memory.
Friday Oct. 18: Memory and the legal system.
Monday Oct. 21: Memory consolidation.
Wednesday Oct. 23: MIDTERM EXAM #2. Covers topics since Sep. 25.
Friday Oct. 25: Conceptual knowledge.
Monday Oct. 28: Connectionist models.
Wednesday Oct. 30: Numerical cognition.
Friday Nov. 1: Metacognition.
Monday Nov. 4: Mental imagery.
Wednesday Nov. 6: Language.
Friday Nov. 8: Units of language.
Monday Nov. 11: Language acquisition.
Wednesday Nov. 13: Heuristics and biases in judgment.
Friday Nov. 15: Prospect theory.
Monday Nov. 18: Expertise in judgment and decision making.
Wednesday Nov. 20: MIDTERM EXAM #3. Covers topics since Oct. 23.
Friday Nov. 22: TBA
Monday Nov. 25: Social cognition.
Discussion sections do not meet on Tuesday Nov. 26.
Thanksgiving Recess Nov. 27 to Dec. 1.
Monday Dec. 2: Planning, problem solving, and reasoning.
Wednesday Dec. 4: Intelligence and cognitive training.
Friday Dec. 6: Executive control.
Monday Dec. 9: Current directions in cognitive psychology.
Wednesday Dec. 11: Review session.
Friday Dec. 20: FINAL EXAM, 3:00–5:00pm