Psychology 2H03 Human Learning and Cognition Fall 2006 - Day Class Instructors: Dr. David I. Shore Ms. Debra Pollock Mr. Jeff MacLeod Ms. Michelle Cadieux Ms. Jennifer Beneteau Ms. Anne Sonley david.shore@learnlink.mcmaster.ca debra.pollock@learnlink.mcmaster.ca jeffrey.macleod@learnlink.mcmaster.ca michelle.cadieux@learnlink.mcmaster.ca jennifer.beneteau@learnlink.mcmaster.ca anne.sonley@learnlink.mcmaster.ca Instructional Resources: Course webpage Learnlink conference: psych.mcmaster.ca/2h3/ ***www.learnlink.mcmaster.ca*** Course Objectives and Content: The core theme throughout the term will be the illusion of the expert, which refers to the observation that, as experts in cognition, we are all unaware of the myriad mental processes lurking under the surface of our external behaviour. Just as we can only see the tip of the iceberg, so too we can only observe the external behaviour of an individual. The primary goal of cognitive psychology is to make apparent the mental processes underlying overt behaviour and action. We will start by examining the processes which allow us to recognize objects by going beyond the information given. Next, the highly selective nature of processing will be highlighted in considering the limited capacity nature of our minds. Storage of information in the mind will focus on how memory is a byproduct of perceptual processing and how acquisition and retrieval are interactive and dependent processes. By the end of the first half of the course I will argue that memory is a reconstruction. In the second half of the course we will consider how knowledge is represented as concepts (both prototypes and exemplars), language, or mental images. Finally, at the end of the course, we will apply all of this information to understand how we make judgments about everyday things using both heuristics (i.e., rules of thumb), and some rules. Importantly, I will argue that we often ignore a great idea of information (i.e., base rates) in making critical lifecourse decisions. Human Learning and Cognition - Fall 2006 1

Required Text: Reisberg, D. (2001). Cognition: Exploring the Science of Mind 2nd or 3rd Ed. Chapters that will receive full consideration are 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Evaluation Breakdown and Schedule: Type of assessment Number in Term Percent Midterms Tuesday October 3 Tuesday October 24 Tuesday November 14 3 45% Final Exam (Registrar Scheduled) 1 15% + 15% In-lecture Quizzes Every Thursday Class Reference Assignments Friday September 15 Friday September 29 Friday October 13 Friday October 27 Friday November 10 Laboratory Experience BEFORE Thursday November 23 Summary of Laboratory Experience Friday November 24 best 7 of 11 7% 5 10% 2 4% 1 4% Exams and grading: Exams will test both lecture and textbook material with a greater focus on lecture material. It is important to note that lectures will often present material that is not covered in the textbook. You are responsible for all material in assigned chapters and all material presented in lectures. There will be four exams: three 50 minute midterm exams held during class time (see above for dates) and one 3-hour final exam held during the final exam period. The final exam will consist of two parts. The first part, worth Human Learning and Cognition - Winter 2006 2

15% of the total course, will be based on the last four weeks of lectures. The second part, also worth 15% of the entire course, will be cumulative for the entire course. Additionally, there will be eleven scheduled quizzes held in the first 15 minutes of the lecture on every Thursday. The best seven quiz grades will count for one percent each. It is expected that you have read the text material BEFORE the lecture. The quizzes will be based solely on the text material and will consist of 10 multiple choice questions. Critically, the material covered in lecture will build on the text material and will only rarely review this material. Reference Assignments: There are five reference assignments with one due every other week starting on September 15. For each assignment, you will need to find an empirical article cited in the textbook. Choose an article from the chapter currently being discussed. Each assignment must have a covering page indicating your name, the course name, the professor s name, and the article you have chosen (see examples posted to the webpage). Additionally, the first page of the article must be photocopied and attached to the assignment. In the first assignment you will type the complete APA formatted reference of the article. For the second assignment, you will choose a different article and type the APA citation and one sentence summarizing the major question of the article. For the third assignment, you will have the reference, the question, and one sentence summarizing the main hypothesis of paper. For the fourth assignment, you will have all of this, plus one sentence summarizing the method used in the paper. Finally, in the fifth assignment, you will have the citation, the question, the hypothesis, the method, and the results, each summarized in one sentence. If possible, the assignments should be double-sided and consist of a single page in addition to the photocopy of the first page of the article. All assignments must adhere to APA format (page numbering, running head, etc.). Assignments must be submitted at the BEGINNING of the class in which they are due. Laboratory Experience: The laboratory assignment consists of participation in two cognitive psychology experiments conducted in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour. The goal of this assignment is to familiarize you with the procedures and experience in a typical experiment. Experiments will be posted on the Experimetrix website (see course or department webpages). Each participation experience will gain you 2% to- Human Learning and Cognition - Winter 2006 3

wards your final grade for a total possible contribution of 4%. Failure to show up (without adequate notice) for an experiment that you signed up for will disqualify you from participating in any further experiments. You may opt to participate without producing data, which involves a walk-through of the experiment. Details about the laboratory assignment and the walk-through option are described in detail on the Laboratory Assignment web page. You must complete your participation BEFORE Thursday November 23. Summary of Laboratory Experience: For one of the experiments you participate in for your Laboratory Experience, you will find an empirical article related to that experiment, typically cited on the debriefing sheet, and complete a Reference Assignment. That is, take the article, photocopy the front page, and then write in one sentence each, the main question, hypothesis, method, results and conclusion of that article. All of this should fit on the back of the cover page. You must submit this assignment BEFORE the lecture on Friday November 24. Grading Policy: The instructors reserve the right to adjust final marks up or down, on an individual basis, in the light of special circumstances and/or the individual's total performance in the course. Details of the course requirements may be subject to change. If requirements are altered, a revised course outline will be posted on the webpage and the details will be announced in class. The instructor is not able to reschedule the final exam. If there is a problem with the final exam schedule, students must contact the registrar's office. Attention is drawn to Statement on Academic Ethics and the Senate Resolutions on Academic Dishonesty as found in the Senate Policy Statements distributed at registration and available in the Senate Office. Any student who infringes one of these resolutions will be treated according to the published policy. Missed Work Policy: All excuses for missed exams must be submitted through the office of the Associate Dean of your faculty/programme within one week of the original due date of the missed work. After that time, students must appeal to have an exemption. It is also your responsibility to speak with your professor as soon as possible. Missed quizzes will not be made up. The score for a missed midterm will be estimated from the section relation to that part of the course from the cumulative portion of the final exam. Human Learning and Cognition - Winter 2006 4

Senate regulations for petitions for special consideration have always required that: "40. The student shall make a prompt and timely request for special consideration." NO REQUESTS FOR EXEMPTION WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER ONE MONTH. Please see the notes on missed work webpage for further details. Communication policy: E-mail communications must originate from your designated McMaster e-mail account (either mcmaster.ca account or LearnLink account). Should we need to communicate with you about individual matters, the e-mail will be sent to your LearnLink account. You should monitor this account regularly. E-mail sent from third-party providers (yahoo, hotmail, cogeco, sympatico, etc.) will not be received. We have this policy for three reasons: 1. reduce the amount of incoming spam to our accounts; 2. ensure that we know with whom we are communicating; 3. teach the professional use of e-mail. Please note that instructors and TAs cannot return long distance telephone calls. The fastest avenue for feedback concerning course-related problems is the HelpLine conference within the LearnLink course conference. This will be monitored daily and a response will be sent within two business days. Class Times: Lectures: Tuesday, Thurday & Friday 11:30-12:20 in ITB 137. Tutorial: Monday Monday 14:30-15:20 in JHE 376 Human Learning and Cognition - Winter 2006 5

Lectures Tutorials Evaluations Thu Sep 07 Illusion of the Expert Fri Sep 08 Models and Experiments Mon Sep 11 Using Refworks Tue Sep 12 Better Study Habits Thu Sep 14 Beyond the Information Given Quiz 1 (chapter 3) Fri Sep 15 What is a Feature? Reference Assignment 1 Mon Sep 18 Studying for exams Tue Sep 19 Feature Nets and Faces Thu Sep 21 Selective Attention Quiz 2 (chapter 4) Fri Sep 22 mental Chonometry Mon Sep 25 Citation Search Tue Sep 26 Divided Attention Thu Sep 28 Memory Acquisition Quiz 3 (chapter 5) Fri Sep 29 Levels of Processing Reference Assignment 2 Mon Oct 02 study session MT1 Tue Oct 03 MT1 Midterm 1 (chapter 1, 3&4) Thu Oct 05 Encoding Specificity Quiz 4 (chapter 6) Fri Oct 06 Implicit Memory Mon Oct 09 MT1-takeup Tue Oct 10 Amnesia Thu Oct 12 Memory Reconstruction Quiz 5 (chapter 7) Fri Oct 13 False Memory Reference Assignment 3 Mon Oct 16 Tue Oct 17 Eye Witness Testimony Thu Oct 19 Spreading Activation Quiz 6 (chapter 8) Fri Oct 20 Neural Networks Mon Oct 23 study session for MT2 Tue Oct 24 MT2 Midterm 2 (chapter 5, 6, 7) Thu Oct 26 Prototypes Quiz 7 (chapter 9) Fri Oct 27 Exemplars Reference Assignment 4 Mon Oct 30 MT2-takeup Tue Oct 31 Similarity Thu Nov 02 Phonology Quiz 8 (chapter 10) Fri Nov 03 Syntax Mon Nov 06 Tue Nov 07 Multisensory Speech Thu Nov 09 Mental Imagery Quiz 9 (chapter 11) Fri Nov 10 Pictures in the Brain? Reference Assignment 5 Mon Nov 13 Study session for MT3 Tue Nov 14 MT3 midterm 3 (chapters 8, 9, 10) Thu Nov 16 Heuristics Quiz 10 (chapter 12) Fri Nov 17 Illusory Correlation - Racism Mon Nov 20 MT3 - take up Tue Nov 21 Base Rates Thu Nov 23 Formal Logic Quiz 11 (chapter 13) Fri Nov 24 Utility and Decision Making Summary of Lab Experience Mon Nov 27 Where to go from here? Tue Nov 28 Thu Nov 30 Fri Dec 01 Exam Period Midterm 4 (chapter 11, 12, 13) Final exam Human Learning and Cognition - Winter 2006 6