Syllabus
Psychology 505: COGNITIVE PROCESSES
Semester II, 2016-2017
This advanced laboratory course provides a survey of cognitive psychology. Major
topics include pattern recognition, attention, memory, language, and cognitive
development. This course offers you fundamental knowledge of the research and theories
of cognitive psychology, as well as experience in conducting cognitive research, interpreting
patterns of data, and writing laboratory reports.
PROFESSOR AND OFFICE HOURS:
Susan Lima, Ph.D.
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Web Page:
Please note:
Office Hours:
Garland 232
(414) 229-4359
[email protected]
http://people.uwm.edu/suelima
There is no D2L website for this course.
Tues and Thurs, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.,
and by appointment.
TEACHING ASSISTANT AND OFFICE HOURS:
Walker Pedersen, M.S.
Office:
Email:
Office Hours:
Garland 330
[email protected]
Mon 9:00-10:00 am, Thurs 11:00 am-12:00 pm,
and by appointment.
PREREQUISITES:
The prerequisites are Psychology 325 (Research Methods in Psychology, passed with a
grade of D- or higher) and junior standing.
COURSE ORGANIZATION:
The course consists of two parts, lecture and laboratory. Both parts are equally
important in determining your grade.
LECTURE:
Bolton 294, Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Although attendance is not taken at lectures, you are strongly encouraged to attend all
lectures. Diligent lecture attendance is essential for good performance on the exams in this
course. A substantial amount of the lecture material is not covered in the textbook. Please be
aware that I do not put lecture notes on the web, nor do I email them to students. The only
sure way for you to get lecture notes is to attend the lectures and take your own notes.
Lectures begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. Please make every effort to arrive on time for
lectures. Arriving late is disruptive because the classroom is very small. However, arriving late
is better than skipping class.
-2LABORATORY:
Laboratory sections meet in Pearse 265, as scheduled. You must attend the laboratory
section for which you are enrolled. You cannot attend any other laboratory section. Your
laboratory section will meet once per week for 50 minutes. The first labs will take place
on Tues, Feb 7 (the third week of the semester). Anyone who does not plan to attend
every lab session should not enroll in this course. Attendance is taken, and arrival times
are recorded. Absences and late arrivals cause deductions from your course grade.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
Matlin, M. W. (2013). Cognition (8th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. (Be sure to obtain the
8th edition, ISBN = 9781118148969.)
American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association. (Be sure to obtain the 6th edition, ISBN= 9781433805615, and be
sure that your copy is the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or later printing. The first
printing contains errors.)
LABORATORY READINGS:
The articles that you will need for your lab reports will be available at the appropriate
time as downloadable pdf files at the following web page:
http://people.uwm.edu/suelima/psychology-505
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT:
In this course, we will strictly adhere to UWM's policy regarding academic misconduct.
UWM does not tolerate academic misconduct, in any form. Cheating and plagiarism are
examples of academic misconduct. Information about the procedures that are followed
when a student is suspected of academic misconduct can be found on this web page:
http://uwm.edu/academicaffairs/facultystaff/policies/academic-misconduct/
UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
Information about UWM policies on participation by students with disabilities,
accommodation for religious observances, complaint procedures, grade appeal procedures,
and other policies (e.g., sexual harassment, incompletes) can be found on this web page:
http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/news_events/upload/Syllabus-Links.pdf
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS:
If you have a documented disability and need special accommodations to meet any of
the requirements of this course, please contact me as soon as possible. I will need your
VISA form, which you can obtain at the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC). The ARC is in
Mitchell 112, phone 414-229-6287, http://uwm.edu/arc/.
-3HOW WILL YOUR COURSE PERFORMANCE BE EVALUATED?
Your grade will be based on lecture points and laboratory points. Grades are not curved.
For example, if you earn a score of 88% on an exam, you earn 88 points for that exam. Because
grades are not curved, it is easy to keep track of how well you are doing in the course. Please
note:
There is no extra credit in this course.
LECTURE POINTS:
Lecture points come from three noncumulative exams. Exam 3, like the other exams, is not
cumulative. It will be given on Thursday, May 11 (the last day of class). There is no exam
during Finals Week.
Exam 1:
Exam 2:
Exam 3:
100 points
100
100
300 lecture points
LABORATORY POINTS:
Your lab work will include two lab reports (worth 100 points each) and seven brief lab
assignments (worth 10 points each). You will also get points for attendance and promptness.
Lab Report 1:
Lab Report 2:
Lab Assignments:
Attendance and Promptness:
100 points
100
70
30
300 laboratory points
USE THIS TABLE TO EVALUATE YOUR GRADE ON AN EXAM OR LAB REPORT:
93-100
90- 92
87- 89
84- 86
80- 83
77- 79
74- 76
70- 73
67- 69
64- 66
60- 63
0- 59
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
USE THIS TABLE TO DETERMINE YOUR COURSE GRADE:
Course Grade = Lecture Points + Laboratory Points
555-600
537-554
519-536
501-518
477-500
459-476
441-458
417-440
399-416
381-398
357-380
0-356
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
-4-
EXAM FORMAT:
Each exam is worth 100 points and will contain questions that cover textbook material
and lecture material. Some questions will be on material that was covered both in the
textbook and in lecture, but other questions will be on material that was covered in lecture
only, or in the textbook only. You are responsible for all material from the relevant
textbook chapters, as well as the relevant lectures.
Each exam will consist of 25 multiple-choice questions, 15 fill-in-the-blank questions,
and two essay questions. Each multiple-choice question will be worth two points, as will
each fill-in-the-blank question. Each essay question will be worth 10 points.
As stated earlier, none of the exams are cumulative, and there is no exam during
Finals Week. The dates of the exams are Thurs, Feb 23; Thurs, Apr 6; and Thurs, May 11.
MAKEUP EXAM POLICY:
You must make every effort to take the exams at the scheduled times. You must
telephone me by 9:15 am of the day of the exam if you are going to miss it; please call me
at (414) 229-4359. I will provide a makeup exam for you only if you telephone me before
the exam and only if you document an emergency or illness that kept you from being able
to take the exam at the scheduled time. If you do not telephone me before the time of the
exam, I reserve the right to deny you a makeup exam.
LAB REPORT AND LAB ASSIGNMENT POLICIES:
Lab reports and lab assignments are due at the beginning of the indicated laboratory
period. They must be word-processed, and they must be handed in as hard copies. We
require two hard copies of each of your lab reports. We require only one hard copy of
your lab assignments.
I provide ample time for you to complete the lab reports (several weeks), so I expect
you to complete them on time. Walker Pedersen, the teaching assistant, is not authorized
to accept late lab reports or late lab assignments. A late lab report or assignment is a
lab report or assignment that was not handed in during the first 10 minutes of the
indicated laboratory period.
If you wish to attempt to hand in late work, you must see me (Professor Lima)
in person with the work that you wish to hand in, and you must give me a
handwritten letter stating the reasons for the late submission. Do not email me to
ask for an extension. Do not slide a late lab report or assignment under my door. Do not
put a late lab report or assignment in my mailbox. It must be handed to me in person. If I
am not in my office when you look for me, then please see me before or after the next
lecture or during my office hours. I reserve the right to reject the late work or to deduct
points for lateness.
Your lab reports and lab assignments must be written by you alone.
Do not collaborate
with any classmates in writing your lab reports. Do not
even look at any other student’s lab report.
Plagiarism or jointly written work will not be tolerated.
-5-
LAB REPORT ADVICE:
Many students find that writing lab reports is challenging. In fact, a typical reason for
failing this course is failing to submit one or both of the lab reports, or submitting poor lab
reports. It is extremely important to start writing your lab reports early. Writing a good lab
report takes more time than many students think it does.
One of the major jobs of your TA is to help you improve your writing of lab
reports. He is available to provide you with individualized help. If you give him enough
lead time, he will critique a draft of each of your lab reports before you hand in the final
product. Your TA is the one who will be grading your lab reports, so he is the best person
to see for help with writing them.
Assistance with the basics of writing can be sought from the UWM Writing Center, a
university resource located in Curtin 127 and in the Library. The Writing Center provides
free assistance on any type of writing project to any UWM student. Writing Center
appointments can be made online at http://www4.uwm.edu/writingcenter/ or by
calling 414-229-4339. Walk-ins are also welcome, but students with appointments take
precedence over walk-ins. Online sessions are also available. Here is the center's mission,
"The Writing Center is open to all writers on campus, freshman through graduate students,
to meet one-on-one with a highly qualified and well-trained tutor to discuss any kind of
writing project at any stage of the project. All majors, subjects and skill levels are
welcome. Our trained peer tutors will work with you to generate topics, organize ideas,
develop thesis statements and revise drafts. Although we will not correct spelling and
grammar errors for you, we will help you spot and correct them yourself."
PLEASE KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR GRADES HERE:
Lecture Points:
EXAM 1
EXAM 2
EXAM 3
_______
_______
_______
(100)
(100)
(100)
_______
_______
(100)
(100)
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
(10)
(10)
(10)
(10)
(10)
(10)
(10)
_______
(30)
Laboratory Points:
LAB REPORT 1
LAB REPORT 2
LAB
LAB
LAB
LAB
LAB
LAB
LAB
ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT
ATTENDANCE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
COURSE TOTAL
_______
(600)
-6COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND LABORATORIES:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 1 (No lab meetings.)
Lec:
Tu
January 24
Thu January 26
Introduction to the course
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology (Ch. 1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 2 (No lab meetings.)
Lec:
Tu
January 31
Thu February 2
Ch. 1, continued
Visual Pattern Recognition (Ch. 2, except pp. 59-65)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 3
Lec:
Tu
February 7
Thu February 9
Ch. 2 (except pp. 59-65), continued
Ch. 2 (except pp. 59-65), continued
Lab: Experiment for Lab Assignment 1.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 4
Lec:
Tu
February 14
Thu February 16
Attention (Ch. 3)
Ch. 3, continued
Lab: Experiment for LAB REPORT 1.
***Lab Assignment 1 is due.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 5
Lec:
Tu
February 21
Thu February 23
Ch. 3, continued
***EXAM 1 (covers lectures and
Chs. 1, 2 [except pp. 59-65], and 3)
Lab: Workshop on Lab Report 1.
Also, Review for Exam 1.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 6
Lec:
Tu
February 28
Thu March 2
Short-Term Memory (Ch. 4)
Ch. 4, continued
Lab: Experiment for Lab Assignment 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 7
Lec:
Tu
March 7
Thu March 9
Long-Term Memory (Ch. 5)
Ch. 5, continued
Lab: Two experiments for Lab Assignment 3.
***Lab Assignment 2 is due.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 8
Lec:
Tu
March 14
Thu March 16
Mental Imagery (Ch. 7)
Ch. 7, continued
Lab: Experiment for LAB REPORT 2.
***LAB REPORT 1 is due.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------SPRING BREAK, March 19 – 26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 9
Lec:
Tu
March 28
Thu March 30
Memory Strategies and Metacognition (Ch. 6)
Ch. 6, continued
Lab: Workshop on Lab Report 2.
***Lab Assignment 3 is due.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 10
Lec:
Tu
April 4
Thu April 6
Ch. 6, continued
***EXAM 2 (covers lectures since Exam 1,
and Chs. 4, 5, 7, and 6)
Lab: Walker will return your graded lab reports.
Also, Review for Exam 2.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 11
Lec:
Tu
April 11
Thu April 13
General Knowledge (Ch. 8)
Ch. 8, continued
Lab: Experiment for Lab Assignment 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-8-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 12
Lec:
Tu
April 18
Thu April 20
Language Comprehension (Ch. 2: pp. 59-65 only, Ch. 9)
Ch. 9, continued
Lab: Experiment for Lab Assignment 5.
***Lab Assignment 4 is due.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 13
Lec:
Tu
April 25
Thu April 27
Ch. 9, continued
Language Production (Ch. 10)
Lab: Experiment for Lab Assignment 6.
***LAB REPORT 2 is due.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 14
Lec:
Tu
May 2
Thu May 4
Ch. 10, continued
Cognitive Development (Ch. 13)
Lab: Activity for Lab Assignment 7.
***Lab Assignments 5 and 6 are due. Lab Assignment 7 is hand-written and will be completed
during today's lab.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------WEEK 15
Lec:
Tu
May 9
Thu May 11
Ch. 13, continued
***EXAM 3 (covers lectures since Exam 2,
Ch. 2: pp. 58-64 only, and
Chs. 8, 9, 10, and 13)
Lab: Walker will return your graded lab reports and lab assignments (5 & 6).
Also, Review for Exam 3, and lap wrap-up.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is no exam during Finals Week.
-9-
MINIMUM TIME COMMITMENT:
Psych 505 is a 4-credit course, so you should expect to dedicate, on average,
at least 12 hours per week to the course (i.e., at least 168 hours total for the semester;
see below for a breakdown of the minimum time commitment).
Attending lectures:
3 hours per week = 45 hours per semester
Reading textbook:
2.5 hours per week = 35 hours per semester
Studying for exams:
11 hours per exam = 33 hours per semester
Attending lab sessions:
1 hour per lab session = 12 hours per semester
Working on lab assignments:
30 minutes per assignment = 3.5 hours per semester
Working on lab reports:
19.5 hours per lab report = 39 hours per semester