Links:

Required Texts: 

Groome, D. (2006). An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology: Processes and Disorders (2nd ed.). Psychology Press.

Francis, G., & Neath, I. (2006). CogLab Online Version 2.0 (with Printed Access Card). Wadsworth.

Texts are available at the W & L Bookstore.

Course Description and Objectives:

The purpose of this course is to explore how the mind works. How is it that we can navigate our environments so efficiently, and what causes us to err and run into a wall (or another car). We'll examine these issues and others by focusing on topics such as attention, perception, memory, thought, language, and problem solving -- all of which are forms of cognition. We will explain how the above processes work by evaluating psychological experiments and case studies of those who have lost these abilities due to brain injury.

Aside from learning the above information, one important component of this class is learning how experiments and data collection lead to psychological theories. Each week you will logon to the CogLab website and perform an experiment. Your data will be averaged in with the rest of the class, and we'll discuss the results (only the class average will be discussed, we will not discuss individual scores).

Course Requirements

You will be required to check your email on a regular basis for schedule updates and assignments.

1. EXAMS: There will be 3 exams including a final. Exams may consist of some combination of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Make-up exams will ONLY be given in the case of serious illness and MUST be accompanied by a doctor's/infirmary note. BRING A BLUEBOOK to every exam.

2. CogLab Experiments: As noted above, you will do an experiment online every week. There will be specific deadlines for completing the experiment, so that we can collect all the data in a timely manner for class discussion. If you do not complete the experiment on time, you CANNOT make up the grade. LogIn to CogLab here. Each experiment must be completed by 10am the day BEFORE we are scheduled to cover the experiment in class -- see schedule below for dates. Plan to complete these at least 24 hours before they are due -- technical difficulties are not an excuse. You'll also need to disable any popup blockers you may have on your computer before starting the experiment. Timely completion of coglab experiments will contribute heavily to your class participation grade.

Note: If you've bought a used text, you may need to purchase the Coglab pincode for an additional fee.

To be able to login to Coglab, you first need to set-up an account. Here's how to do that...

• Read these instructions carefully. They explain how to set up your account and start your first experiment. The groupID is 112W08 and the password is cognition The registration code should be in a flap inside your text book.

3. CLASS PARTICIPATION: You are expected to be present and alert during class. I will also expect that you have read the assigned material in advance and that you discuss it in class. You are also encouraged to post other questions or comments relating to the class on the CogBlog. Please note that you are responsible for keeping up with any in-class announcements about test day or lecture changes in the event that you miss a class. If you miss more than 2 classes, your grade will be affected.

HONOR SYSTEM
I will assume that all work done in this course, unless explicitly indicated otherwise, will be the student's own work. A pledge should appear on all work handed in; however, I will assume all work is pledged.

EXTRA CREDIT
As much as 7 percentage points can be added to one test grade by participating as a subject in approved psychology experiments, by reading a summarizing an approved cognition research article (click here for instructions), and/or by attending approved lectures. Each participation or lecture will be worth 1% if you prepare a half-page write up that includes the following information: (1) date; (2) who; (3) a synopsis of what took place; and (4) how what you experience relates to the course material. Events that last significantly longer than 1 hour will count as 2%. YOU SHOULD HAND IN THE WRITE UPS FOR EXTRA CREDIT AT THE END OF THE TERM WHEN YOU HAND IN YOUR EXAM ENVELOPE.
 

Grading System: Your grade will reflect your performance on the above requirements. The breakdown is as follows
 

Note: The Grade of "A+" is given at the discretion of the instructor.

Students needing Accommodation

If you are student requiring accomodation on assignments, exams, etc, please bring me your accomodation form before the first assignment/exam.