PSYC 3450 – Human Cognition

Classes: Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays, 12:00pm—12:50pm

Location: SN 2064

Instructor: Dr. Kathleen Hourihan

Email: khourihan@mun.ca TA: Molly MacMillan
Phone: 864-8771 Email: mbmacmillan@mun.ca
Office: SN 3080 Office: SN 3066H
WebEx: https://mun.webex.com/meet/khourihan Contact via email to schedule meetings
Office Hours: Fridays 10:00am-11:00am
& Wednesdays 1:30pm-2:30pm
(Or by appointment)

Course Overview
Prerequisites: PSYC 2520 or 2521, 2911, and 2930 or the former 2570, and admission to a Major in
Psychology or Behavioural Neuroscience
This goal of this course is to give you an in-depth introduction to cognitive psychology. We will
be examining a wide variety of topics including perception, attention, memory, language,
problem-solving, concepts, decision-making, and consciousness. You will be evaluated based on
quizzes, written assignments, completing online demonstration experiments, and a written lab
report.

Textbook and Online Resources

Required: The textbook required for this course is Cognition: Exploring the Science of the Mind
(8th Edition) by Daniel Reisberg. The book is available in hard copy at the bookstore, or you can
purchase an e-book version from the publisher’s website (Norton); pricing varies depending on
how long you would like access to the e-book. This is a new edition of the same textbook that
has been used previously in this course; the most recent older edition (7th Edition) is also
suitable for use should you wish to purchase a used textbook privately.

You will also require an access code to CogLab online experiments. These are available for free
by emailing the course TA to request your access code. Please note that we will not be using
the ZAPS 3.0 online experiment system from the textbook publishers.

Recommended: If you purchase a new textbook (either hard copy or e-book access), then you
will also have access to the textbook publisher’s InQuizitive online software. You can also
choose to purchase access from the publisher separately if you have purchased a used textbook
($25 USD). This interactive software will help with studying and self-assessment of the course
material. It is highly recommended that you use the software if you have an access code from a
new book purchase; if you find that you typically have difficulty with self-directed studying,
then purchasing access to this software is also highly recommended.

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Evaluation
CogLab Experiments 10%
Lab Report 27%
Introduction & Methods (6%)
Results & Discussion (6%)
Full Lab Report (15%)
Weekly Quizzes 33%
Bi-Weekly Assignments 30%
PREP Participation Bonus (up to 2%)

CogLab Experiment Assignments (10%)

One of the best ways to learn is through experiencing. The purpose of the CogLab online
experiments is to allow you to experience the procedures of many different experimental
methodologies used in cognitive psychology, and to view real data. When you complete a
CogLab experiment, you can view your own individual data produced in each experiment as
well as the larger global set of data, compiled from hundreds of users.

You are required to complete 10 CogLab experiments over the semester. Each week (from the
week of January 10 through the week of March 21), there are two options of CogLab
experiments listed in the syllabus; these experiments are related to the course content for that
week. You are only required to complete one each week. Experiments normally take less than
30 minutes to complete; the experiment descriptions provide an estimate of completion time,
and it should be noted that this time estimate includes the reading time for the background and
reviewing the results. Completing each lab is worth 1% of your grade, for a total of 10%. (There
is no option to obtain bonus grades by completing more than the required labs, but you may
feel free to complete any labs beyond the ones assigned.) There will be no extensions of the
deadlines to complete the labs, so you should avoid waiting to the last minute in case of
technical issues.

Please contact the course TA to obtain your free CogLab access code and the instructions for
creating your account.

Lab Report (27%)

In class on February 14, students will complete an experiment as a group. (Or, if we are still in
remote delivery, the experiment will be made available in Brightspace.) Students will record
and score their own data, and the summary statistics will be provided to the class after they
have been collated. Your identity will not be linked to your data. This experiment will be written
up in a formal lab report. The first two sections of the lab report (Introduction and Method,
with reference list) will be due March 3 (9:00am) and the second two sections (Results and
Discussion, with reference list) will be due March 17 (9:00am); each are worth 6% of your final
grade. You will receive feedback on these two separate assignments and are expected to use
that feedback to improve your final, full lab report (including the previous sections, plus an
abstract), due on April 13 (11:59pm). The full lab report is worth 15% of your final grade. More

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details about the specific assignment requirements will be provided in the lab class, and posted
on Brightspace following the class. All assignments are to be submitted in the appropriate
assignment folder on Brightspace; you will receive your feedback here as well. Late
assignments will be penalized 5% per day late, and will not be accepted one week after the
original due date.

Weekly Quizzes (33%)

Each week there will be a short multiple choice quiz on the topics covered in the week prior.
Quizzes will be made available on Fridays and are due at midnight on Sundays. (The one
exception is the final quiz, which will be due on final day of classes, Friday April 8.) Quizzes will
be available on Brightspace. Each quiz will include 15 multiple choice questions, and you will
have a 15 minute time limit to complete each quiz. There are 11 quizzes, each worth 3% of your
grade.

Bi-Weekly Assignments (30%)

Beginning on the second week of classes, written assignments will be due every other week on
Thursdays (9:00am). There are six assignments worth 5% each. The assignments will require
answering providing written responses to questions on the topics covered in the previous two
weeks. There will be some choice in which questions to answer. Assignments will be made
available a week in advance of their due date. More details will be available on Brightspace.

Psychology Research Experience Pool (PREP)

As a student in the Psychology Research Experience Pool (PREP), you may choose to participate
in psychology experiments for bonus credit points. You may earn up to 2% bonus marks via
PREP. You may view a list of available research experiences at http://mun.sona-systems.com.
You will see a link to create a new account. You must use your @mun.ca email address for your
PREP account. When you login to the system the first time, you will be provided with some
background information on your rights and responsibilities as a student in PREP. Please make
sure you read this information (it is available to review at any time in the FAQ section of the
website).

It is your choice whether or not to participate in any study. If you do not wish to participate in
any studies, then you have the option of completing an alternative written assignment to earn
the bonus credit points. Each assignment is worth one credit point, and you may choose to do
as many assignments as you wish, up to the maximum credit point value for your course. You
may also choose to earn your bonus credit points with a combination of study participation and
alternative written assignment(s)- the choice is yours. Please contact Marilyn Simms
(psych@mun.ca) for more information on the alternative assignment—do not ask your course
instructor.

Finally, you should know that your course instructor has very limited access to PREP records.
The only information your course instructor will be able to access is the total number of credit
points earned by students in his or her course. Instructors do not have access to which studies

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students have participated in, and will not be able to tell whether you have earned credit points
from Research Participation, Research Observation, or from completing the alternative
assignment.

Class Delivery and Cancellations

We are beginning the semester with remote course delivery. During remote delivery, pre-
recorded class lectures will be made available on Brightspace, which can be viewed at a time of
your choosing. Lecture videos will align with planned in-person lecture topics (see timeline
below), so it is recommended that you view lectures during the scheduled class time whenever
possible so that you do not fall behind. Quizzes and assignments will be due as specified in the
syllabus, and should be completed or submitted via Brightspace. It is possible that the entire
semester will continue with remote delivery.

Should MUN make the decision to return to in person instruction, lectures will take place in
person as specified below. Evaluation methods and due dates will remain the same. Please
consult official MUN communications (e.g., www.mun.ca, MUNSafe app, Twitter, etc.) for
updates on weather-related campus closures. If class is cancelled due to campus closure, then
class topics will be shifted to the next class when possible; a recorded lecture may also be
posted as an alternative. For any other possible cancellations, you will be notified via News post
on the course Brightspace page.

Office Hours
During remote delivery, office hours will be held virtually via WebEx. During office hours, you
can email me to let me know that you would like to meet, and we can begin a video or voice
WebEx session within a few minutes. You can also email me to schedule a virtual meeting at an
alternative time if you are not able to make it during office hours. If we return to in-person
instruction, then office hours will be held in person; you can also email me to arrange a virtual
meeting if you prefer.

Conduct
Students are expected to adhere to principles of academic integrity. All quizzes and
assignments are to be completed independently. If you are uncertain about how to properly
cite original sources in academic writing, please contact the instructor or TA for additional
assistance before you submit a written assignment for evaluation. Please see the University
Calendar Section 6.12 regarding policies related to academic misconduct.

If we return to in-person lectures, then it is very easy to distract others in class if you are doing
something that is not class-related. Please keep cell phones out of sight during class (and
certainly keep them silent). If you must take or make an important call (or text), then please
leave the room to do so. Laptops/tablets are permitted, but if you feel the need to use your
computer for anything unrelated to class (checking e-mail, social networking, etc.), please leave
the room to do so. Students who may need additional technological accommodations in class or
during quizzes should contact the Blundon Centre and the course instructor; see below.)

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Accessibility and Equity
Memorial University of Newfoundland is committed to fostering equitable and accessible
learning environments for all students. Accommodations for students with disabilities are
provided in accordance with the Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy
(www.mun.ca/policy/site/policy.php?id=239) and its related procedures. Students who feel
that they may require formal academic accommodations to address barriers or challenges they
are experiencing related to their learning are encouraged to contact Accessibility Services (the
Blundon Centre) at the earliest opportunity to ensure any required accommodations are
provided in a timely manner. You can contact Accessibility Services (Blundon Centre) by
emailing blundon@mun.ca.

Please contact the course instructor privately to discuss any accommodations you may require
in the classroom, should we return to the classroom; please also contact the instructor to
discuss any additional accommodations you require during remote instruction.

Schedule of Lecture Topics, Readings, and Due Dates

Class Dates Chapters Assignments CogLab Quizzes

(due Thursdays (due Fridays 11:59pm) (due Sundays
9:00am) 11:59pm)
January 10, 12, 14 1, 2 #15: Brain Asymmetry Quiz 1 (Jan. 16):
OR Chapters 1-2
#6: Müller-Lyer Illusion
(Jan. 14)
January 17, 19, 21 3, 4 Assignment 1 #7: Visual Search OR Quiz 2 (Jan. 23):
(Jan. 20): #9: Change Detection Chapters 3-4
Chapters 1-2 (Jan. 21)
January 24, 26, 28 5 #11: Simon Effect OR Quiz 3 (Jan. 30):
#12: Spatial Cueing Chapter 5
(Jan. 28)
January 31, 6 Assignment 2 #22: Sternberg Search Quiz 4 (Feb. 6):
February 2, 4 (Feb. 3): OR Chapter 6
Chapters 3-5 #25: Operation Span
(Feb. 4)
February 7, 9, 11 7 #27: Word Length Effect Quiz 5 (Feb. 13):
OR Chapter 7
#31: Serial Position
(Feb. 11)
February 14, 16, Class Assignment 3 #28: Encoding Specificity
18 experiment, (Feb. 17): OR
analysis, lab Chapters 6-7 #29: Levels of Processing
report writing (Feb. 18)
February 21, 23, Winter Break
25

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February 28, 8 Lab Report: #33: False Memory OR Quiz 6 (March
March 2, 4 Introduction #36: Remember-Know 6): Chapter 8
and Method (Mar. 4)
sections (Mar.
3)
March 7, 9, 11 9 Assignment 4 #47: Concept Formation Quiz 7 (March
(Mar. 10): OR 13): Chapter 9
Chapter 8 #49: Prototypes
(Mar. 11)
March 14, 16, 18 10, 11 Lab Report: #42: Garden Path Quiz 8 (March
Results and Sentences OR 20): Chapters
Discussion #38: Mental Rotation 10-11
sections (Mar. (Mar. 18)
17)
March 21, 23, 25 12 Assignment 5 #51: Decision Making OR Quiz 9 (March
(Mar. 24): #55: Wason Selection 27): Chapter 12
Chapters 9-11 (Mar. 25)
March 28, 30, 13 Quiz 10 (Apr. 3):
April 1 Chapter 13
April 4, 6, 8* 14, 15 Assignment 6 Quiz 11 (Apr. 8):
(Apr. 7): Chapters 14-
*no class planned Chapters 12-13 15** **Note:
unless make-up due Friday
needed
(April 13) Full Lab Report
(Apr. 13)

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