Instructor, Jennifer Wiley
jwiley@uic.edu
1054D BSB
(312) 355-2501
Teaching Assistant, Trina Kershaw
tkersh1@uic.edu
1021 BSB
Course Web Page:
http://www.uic.edu/classes/psych/psych352jw/cogs2001.html
Instructor Office hours, Tues 3-4 or by appointment
TA Office hours: By appointment
General Description Why can we remember the names of people inour first grade class but not know where we parked our car? Why do peoplethink that an 80% chance of living sounds better than a 20% chance of dying?How do children learn to speak fluently in two years? Why do our eyes sometimes see things that aren't there?
These are a few of the questions that cognitive psychologistsstudy.The purpose of this course is to stimulate curiosity about both the contentand the process of cognitive psychology. Cognitive Psychology is an experimental field. In this course there will be a focus on the experiments that haveled to theories about how we think.
The text Ashcraft, Fundamentals of Cognition
Grading Grades will be based on pop quizzes and in-class demonstrations, three midterms, and a final. Out of a total of 200 possible points, popquizzes/in-class demonstrations/homework assignments will count for 40points of your grade (20%), each midterm will count for 20% of your grade(40 pts each), and the final exam will be cumulative and will count for20% of your grade (40 pts). All exams will be multiple choice witha fewshort answer questions. If you show consistent improvement on your examsI will take that into account. Final grades will use the following breakdown:100-90 A, 89-80 B, etc.
Make-up Policy I will not give makeup exams or quizzes. In case of emergency please contact me as soon as possible afterwards, and at mydiscretion we may be able to arrange alternatives.
Course Notes The notes and other information for this courseare on the web page for this course. Outlines will be available before eachclass.
Reading assignments You are expected to read each chapter before arriving at class on the day we begin to discuss the chapter on the course outline below. If we fall behind I will keep you updated on changes tothis outline. To make sure everyone is doing their part and coming to classprepared, there will be unannounced quizzes on the reading at the beginningof several classes throughout the semester.
College Drop Policy Students may drop courses without penaltyduring the first ten days of the semester (through Friday of week 2) usingUIC Express. Between week 3 and Friday of week 9, undergraduates are entitledto a total of two optional date drops for the duration of their enrollmentin LAS. Optional late drops require an appointment with an LAS advisor(996-3366). LAS advisors (third floor UH) are also available on walk-indays (8:30-3:30 on Tuesdays and on Friday of week 9).
Reasonable Accommodations Reasonable accommodations areavailable for students who have a documented disability. Please notify the instructor during the first week of class of any accommodations needed for the course. Late notification may cause the requested accommodationsto be unavailable. Students with disabilities who require accommodationsfor access and participation in this course must be registered with theOffice of Disability Services(ODS). Please contact ODS at 312/413-2103(voice) or 312/413-0123 (TTY)
Check here for announcements throughout the semester
Course Outline
Jan 9 Introductions,
Review of Syllabus
Jan 11 Chapter 1
Introductionto Cognitive Psych/Research Methods
Jan 16 Chapter 2
VisualPerception I
Jan 18 Visual
Perception II
Jan 23 Top-Down
and Auditory Processing
Jan 25 Chapter 3
Attention&
Automaticity
Jan 30 Catch up and
Review
Feb 01 Test 1
Feb 06 Chapter 4
ShortTerm Memory
Feb 08 Working
Memory
Feb 13 Chapter 5
EpisodicMemory
Feb 15
Mnemonics
Feb 20 Forgetting
and Studying
Feb 22 Chapter 6
SemanticMemory
Feb 27 Priming
and Schemas
Mar 01 Chapter 7
Falsememories and Flashbulb Memories
Mar 06 Catch up and
Review
Mar 08 Test 2
Mar 20 Chapter 8 power failure no class
Mar 22 Language
Acquisition
Mar 27 Chapter 9 Language Processing
Mar 29 Discourse
and
Conversation
Apr 03 Chapter 10
CognitiveNeuroscience
Apr 05 Patient Populations and DisordersReview Sheet
Apr 10 Test 3
Apr 12 Group Decision Making and Problem Solving
Apr 17 Chapter 11
Reasoning
Apr 19 Decision
Making
Apr 24 Chapter 12
ProblemSolving
Apr 26 Creativity
and Insight
FINAL
REVIEW SHEET
May 01 Final 3:30-5:30 (230 SES)