PSYC7304 – Cognitive psychology
First semester 2016/2017
Class meetings
Tuesdays 3:30 – 6:20 pm
CPD 2.16, Podium, Centennial Campus
Instructor
Dr. Sing-Hang Cheung <[email protected]>
Phone:
3917 4225
Office:
Rm 6.24, FOSS
Office hours: 10:00 – 11:00 am Fri
Tutor
Mr. Justin Au <[email protected]>
Phone:
3917 8231
Office:
Rm 6.19, FOSS
Office hours: By appointment
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of PSYC7304, you should be able to:
1. discuss major concepts and theories of human cognition
2. read primary research literature in cognitive psychology in an effective manner
3. critically evaluate existing theories and empirical findings in cognitive psychology
4. present synthesized ideas or empirical findings in the area of cognitive psychology
Problem-based learning (PBL)
Class meetings will be conducted with the problem-based learning (PBL) approach. You will learn different
topics in the field of cognitive psychology through group discussions, individual exploration and compilation
of results from the learning activities. You will form groups of approximately five members. You will work
closely with your groupmates throughout this semester.
You will work on five problems in this semester. Two weeks will be spent on each problem:
Week A: Problem introduction ! Identification of learning issues ! Work assignment
Week B: In-class presentation ! Follow-up discussions
During Week A of each problem, a set of learning issues will be identified. Learning issues will guide you to
a solution of the problem presented. At the end of Week A, each group member should be assigned one or
two learning issue(s). You will then be responsible to study your assigned learning issue(s).
Before we meet again in Week B, each group will compile their findings on the learning issues and prepare a
15-min presentation. During Week B of each problem, each group will present their findings. After the Week
B meeting, each group will delegate the job of writing a report on the problem (except the last one) to one of
the group members. Each group member should write and submit one problem report.
Assessment
1. Take-home quiz (25%)
2. In-class presentations (25%)
3. Lab report (25%)
4. Problem report (25%)
1. Take-home quiz – First two class meetings will consist of lectures and group discussions to build the
foundation for subsequent learning. You will be given some essay questions on these foundational materials
on September 13, 2016. Answers to these questions should be submitted by September 20, 2016 (3:00 pm).
You should work on this take-home quiz individually.
2. In-class presentations – Each group will present their findings in Week B of each problem cycle. The
presentation should be no longer than 15 min. You will submit peer evaluations on your groupmates’
contributions twice in this semester (before the reading week and at the end of the semester). Assessment on
your performance in the in-class presentations will be individually adjusted according to your groupmates’
evaluations on you.
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3. Lab report – You will participate in a cognitive psychology experiment. You will then write a report on
the findings from this experiment. The report should be no longer than 2000 words (with a Method section
no longer than 800 words) and be submitted by November 1, 2016 (3:00 pm).
4. Problem report – You will write and submit one problem report for one of the first four problems
discussed in this semester. The report should be no longer than 1500 words and be submitted by December 6,
2016 (5:00 pm).
Basic readings
• Goldstein, E. B. (2015). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday
Experience (4th Edition). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
• Groome, D., & Eysenck, M. W. (2016). An Introduction to Applied Cognitive Psychology (2nd
Edition). New York, NY: Routledge.
Moodle
You should be able to access the Moodle site for this course through your HKU portal once you have
successfully enrolled in the course. If you have any problem accessing Moodle, please contact the tutors
immediately, because updated information about the course will be posted there.
Policies
Academic honesty. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any student who engages in any form of
academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, interfering with grading) will receive a grade of F in this course and
will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct & Ethical Development for further disciplinary action.
There will be no exceptions. If you are not sure what constitutes the academic offense of plagiarism,
checkout the webpage at http://www.hku.hk/plagiarism.
Plagiarism. A hardcopy and a softcopy are required for all written assignments. The softcopy will be
checked for plagiarism against a database of articles, books, webpages, and essays submitted by students at
HKU and other universities. No credit will be given for an assignment that contains plagiarized materials.
Further penalties will also be applied. These penalties may include a zero mark for the course. Plagiarism
will also be reported to your Faculty for consideration of possible disciplinary action.
Late assignments. In cases of late assignments, 5% of the mark will be deducted for each day of being late.
In case of a student missing a submission deadline due to medical reason (with a valid medical proof), the
said penalty will be waived.
Schedule
Week
Date
Topic
1+2
Sep. 6 + 13
3+4
Sep. 20a + 27
Eyewitnessing I
5+6
Oct. 4b + 11
Drive safely
7
Oct. 18
8+9
Oct. 25 + Nov. 1c
10 + 11
Nov. 8 + 15
Eyewitnessing II
12 + 13
Nov. 22 + 29
International school or not
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Reading week
Best exam strategies
a
Take-home quiz due date
Finish the online experiment by this date
c
Lab report due date
b
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