Syllabus, Spring 2018
Boston University
Lectures: MWF 9:05–9:55am in CAS 313
Discussion sections meet Fridays as follows:
Joseph T. McGuire, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Office hours: Monday 1:30–2:30pm, Wednesday 10:30–11:30am, or by appointment
Office location: 677 Beacon St, Rm 212
Email
Pablo Gomez Forero
Office hours: Tuesday 10am–12pm, or by appointment
Office location: 64 Cummington Mall (PSY), Rm 239
Email
This course is about how the human mind processes information. We will explore perception, attention, memory, semantic knowledge, language, problem solving, and decision making. 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 and CogLab access in several forms:
A copy of the textbook is 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 textbooks will not generally work.
Course grades will be calculated as follows:
Each week’s readings, CogLab assignment, and discussion questions are due by 9am Friday. (You are welcome to complete them earlier in the week!) 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.
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 Jan. 29 saying you wish to opt in to using a computer in class.
Three midterm exams will be held in class on Wednesdays: Feb. 21, Mar. 28, and Apr. 25. Each midterm is non-cumulative and covers material from lectures, readings, CogLabs, and discussion sections through the preceding Friday. Your lowest midterm exam score counts for 10% of your final grade and the other two count for 20% each.
The course will have a cumulative final exam during exam week. According to the Registrar’s webpage, our final exam is provisionally scheduled for Wednesday May 9, 9:00–11:00am.
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 Jan. 26. 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 submit two questions related to the week’s readings, lectures, or CogLabs. The questions can be brief—a sentence or two each—and can range from straightforward and technical (e.g., highlighting an unfamiliar term or something you would like to learn more about) to broad and conceptual (e.g., pointing to a weakness in an author’s reasoning). The goals are (1) to encourage you to think about topics you want to raise during discussion sections, and (2) to provide us with feedback about what catches your interest and what puzzles you.
I will occasionally address your questions in subsequent lectures, and I encourage you to raise them yourself in class or in section. The weekly discussion questions are not the right place for questions that require a direct response (such as requests to review/clarify 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 your questions via Blackboard by 9:00am each Friday, beginning Jan. 26. Late submissions will not receive 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.
CogLab assignments are due by 9:00am each Friday, beginning Jan. 26. Late submissions will not receive credit. However, since CogLabs are covered on exams, you may benefit from completing 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.
Friday Jan. 19: Introduction.
Monday Jan. 22: Mental chronometry.
Wednesday Jan. 24: History and origins of cognitive psychology.
Friday Jan. 26: Cognition and neuroscience.
Monday Jan. 29: Levels of description.
Wednesday Jan. 31: Perception as inference.
Friday Feb. 2: Perceptual priors.
Monday Feb. 5: Face recognition.
Wednesday Feb. 7: Auditory perception.
Friday Feb. 9: NO LECTURE. (Discussion sections meet as usual.)
Monday Feb. 12: Attention.
Wednesday Feb. 14: Visual search.
Friday Feb. 16: Links between attention and memory.
Classes do not meet on Monday Feb. 19.
Tuesday Feb. 20 (Monday class schedule): Short-term memory.
Wednesday Feb. 21: MIDTERM EXAM #1. Covers material through Feb. 16.
Friday Feb. 23: Working memory and intelligence.
Monday Feb. 26: Long-term recognition and recall.
Wednesday Feb. 28: Constructive memory.
Friday Mar. 2: Amnesia.
Spring Recess Mar. 3–11.
Monday Mar. 12: How to remember things better.
Wednesday Mar. 14: Memory and the legal system.
Friday Mar. 16: Memory consolidation.
Monday Mar. 19: Conceptual knowledge.
Wednesday Mar. 21: Connectionist models.
Friday Mar. 23: Metacognition.
Monday Mar. 26: Mental imagery.
Wednesday Mar. 28: MIDTERM EXAM #2. Covers material from Feb. 20 through Mar. 23.
Friday Mar. 30: Language.
Monday Apr. 2: Units of language.
Wednesday Apr. 4: Language acquisition.
Friday Apr. 6: Planning and problem solving.
Monday Apr. 9: Heuristics and biases in judgment.
Wednesday Apr. 11: Prospect theory.
Friday Apr. 13: Expertise in judgment and decision making.
Classes do not meet on Monday Apr. 16.
Wednesday Apr. 18: Social cognition.
Friday Apr. 20: TBA
Monday Apr. 23: Catch-up and review.
Wednesday Apr. 25: MIDTERM EXAM #3. Covers material from Mar. 26 through Apr. 20.
Friday Apr. 27: Wrap-up and review.
Monday Apr. 30: Current directions in cognitive psychology.
Wednesday May 2: Review session.
Wednesday May 9: FINAL EXAM, 9:00–11:00am