Cognitive Psychology

Spring - 2025

PSYC 2450-A
T/Th 2:00 - 3:15 pm
Hale 302

Grades
ZAPS
ID 894078		 Account sign-up
Instructions

  Instructor: Stephen T. Paul, Ph.D.                          Office Hours: M/W: 1:00 - 3:30 pm
Office:    122 Scaife   and by appointment.
Phone:    (412) 397-5416. E-mail: paul@rmu.edu
Most people would die sooner than think; in fact they do.
-- Bertrand Russell

Overview: Cognitive psychology may be defined as the study of people's ability to gather, organize, store, retrieve and use knowledge to direct their behavior. In short, it is the study of the mind. Cognitive psychologists develop and test theories (models) about the mental processes that direct observable behavior. This course will sample focal areas and classic studies in cognitive psychology as well as recent research of particular interest.
Objectives:Upon successful mastery of this course, students should:
  1. Be able to describe characteristics of different cognitive theories.
  2. Have a command of current research issues and questions in the field.
  3. Have a command of the research methodologies and approaches appropriate to addressing issues in cognitive psychology.
  4. Develop an appreciation for the process of developing models of human memory and thought.
  5. Have a basic ability to conceptualize, present, and defend theories of attention, memory, problem solving, and language use.
  6. Be able to generate and recognize applications of cognitive psychology to real world problems and settings.
Text:Reisberg, D. (2022). Cognition: Exploring the Science of the mind, 8th Ed. New York, W. W. Norton (with access to ZAPS).
IMPORTANT: Our ZAPS Class ID# is 894078. Access the online activities through Blackboard first, after that you can also access them via https://digital.wwnorton.com/cognition8.

NOTE: Your access to ZAPS assignments for this class will END on Monday, May 5, 2025 (11:59 pm). Be sure to plan (and complete) accordingly!

Students are expected to have their textbooks and other required course materials (lab books, digital media, etc.) at the start of the course. Failure to have required course materials will not be accepted as justification for failure to be prepared for class, missed or incomplete assignments, failure to prepare for exams, quizzes and other course evaluations or inability to complete other course requirements. The only exception to this policy will be situations in which the textbooks and/or other course materials are not available from the publisher.

Web Site:http://www.drspeg.com/courses/courses.html
Grade Scale: The following breakdown will be used to determine final grades (based on overall percentage score earned by the end of the semester):

A93.0 - 100.0B-80.0 - 82.9
A-90.0 - 92.9C+77.0 - 79.9
B+86.0 - 89.9C70.0 - 76.9
B83.0 - 85.9D60.0 - 69.9

Policies:
  1. Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Specific absence policies are determined by each academic department and faculty member, announced at the beginning of each course, and presented in the course syllabus. Students whose absence exceeds the announced departmental or faculty policy may receive academic sanctions up to and including a course grade of "F." Such students are permitted to attend the remaining classes but are not permitted to take any examinations. In this course, attendance is strongly recommended, but your final grade will not be directly tied to attendance.

  2. Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity is one of this university's highest ethical values. All students are expected to understand and adhere to the standards of Academic Integrity as stated in the RMU Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found on the RMU website at www.rmu.edu/ai. Any student who violates the Academic Integrity Policy is subject to possible judicial proceedings that may result in sanctions, as indicated in the Policy. Depending on the severity of the violation, sanctions may range from receiving a zero on an assignment, to being dismissed from the university. If you have any questions about the Policy, please consult your course instructor.

    NOTE: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the completion of coursework is not allowed unless expressly permitted by the instructor for the course.

    Excerpt from Robert Morris University Academic Integrity Policy document (rev. Jan 6, 2025, Section B.6) - Violation of "Fair Use:"

      "Fair Use in copyright law is a doctrine that allows one to use brief excerpts of copyrighted materials for teaching or research without permission of or payment to the copyright holder. In particular, students featuring original works of others, including images, videos, etc., in their own works must ensure that they comply with the legal and artistic implications of such use. This includes knowledge of the concepts of licensing, copyright, fair use, and public domain."

    Improper use of any such work or similar authored by other people is a violation of academic integrity as is the failure to comply with "fair-use" requirements. In many cases, written permission from the artist is required for use in a student's project. Students who feature the original artistic media works of others in their projects should ensure that they have complied with the legal and artistic implications of this use. This includes knowledge of the concepts of "licensing," "copyright," "fair use" and "public domain." (See www.fairusenetwork.com)

  3. Accessibility Accommodations for Students: Robert Morris University welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University's educational programs. If you have, or think you may have, a disability that would impact your educational experience in this class, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to schedule a meeting with the SAS Coordinator and Assistant Director Molly Hill. She will confidentially discuss your needs, review your documentation, and engage with you in the interactive process to determine your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. To learn more about academic accommodations, please visit http://rmu.edu/sas, email sas@rmu.edu, or call 412.397.6884.

  4. Masking: You may elect to wear face masks in the classroom. Please respect individual decisions about whether to mask. Any negative response to an individual who elects to wear a mask will be reported to Student Conduct. If you are feeling ill but well enough to attend class, we strongly encourage the use of a face mask until you are feeling well.

  5. In an Emergency: RMU Police emergency response telephone number is: 412-397-2424. From campus telephones dial only: 2424.

  6. RMU Alert: All students are urged to sign up for the RMU emergency alert notifications at www.rmu.edu/rmualert. Always check with RMU to see if classes are in session during inclement weather.

  7. Lectures & Readings: I expect that you will have read each chapter before we meet in class to discuss it. When you read, take note of portions that you don't understand well, or that you might have questions about. In this way you will arrive prepared for class to discuss the material like a true scholar.

  8. Grading: Four semester exams of increasing weight (8 + 11 + 14 + 17 = 50 percent total). The final exam (20 percent) will be cumulative. Also, pop-quizzes plus ZAPS homework together will be worth 15 percent. The remaining 15 percent of your final grade will be based on in-class lab assignments. (Unassigned ZAPS activities may be completed for extra ZAPS credit if your ZAPS score is less than 100%. Note the MAY 5 deadline.)

  9. Use of Personal Technologies During Class Time: Laptops, cell phones, MP3 players, or any technology that distracts you (and/or your neighbors) from course content and delivery are prohibited in my classroom (unless you have a specific and RMU approved accommodation). If you are caught using ANY technologies during class time without prior permission, you will be asked to leave. Exception: Audio recorders are permitted.

  10. Missed Assignments: If you miss a graded assignment due to an excused absence, you have one week (or until the last day of classes; whichever comes first) from the date of the missed assignment to make arrangements with me to complete that assignment (or a replacement activity). If you fail to make arrangements with me to make up missed assignments by the deadline, you will receive a zero for that assignment.

Map of Course Objectives to Program Outcomes
COURSE ASSIGNMENTSPROGRAM OUTCOMESCOURSE OBJECTIVES
Levels of Processing
Attention Overload Task		1. Explain key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.1, 4, 5
Anchoring and Adjustment
TD vs. BU Processing		2. Apply the principles of psychology to individual and social behavior.2, 4, 5, 6
3. Demonstrate information literacy in the field of psychology
Exams
Mindset Release Task
Serendipity Task		4. Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem solving in psychology.5, 6
5. Interpret, design, and conduct basic or applied psychological research.
Birdiness Activity6. Understand individuals from different cultural and developmental perspectives.5, 6
7. Apply ethical standards to psychological science and practice.
8. Write effectively for different purposes in psychology.
Conversational Contract
Ambiguity in Language		9. Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes in psychology.2, 5
Exams10. Apply psychological content and skills to career goals.2, 3, 6

Schedule: This is provided as a general outline/order of what will be covered throughout the semester. If any changes need to be made, they will be indicated on the online version of this syllabus.

  Week of Lecture Topic Lab Read ZAPS (due by) Practice Quiz
1 January 20 The Science of the Mind
Dragon/Hollow Face Illusion (R) (G) (B)		 M.R.T. Chapter 1 Create Account
Split Brain (2/3)
Ponzo Illusion (2/3)		 Quiz 1
2 January 27 Acquisition of Memories & W.M. System Levels of Processing Chapter 6 Sensory Memory (2/3)
Serial Position (2/3)		 Quiz 2
3 February 3 EXAM I Face Perception (3/3)
4 February 10 Recognizing Objects TD vs. BU Chapter 4 Visual Search (3/3) Quiz 3
5 February 17 Paying Attention Overload
Cheshire Cat		 Chapter 5 Attentional Blink (3/3)
Selective Attention (3/3)		 Quiz 4
6 February 24
7 March 3 EXAM II Encoding Specificity (3/31) Quiz 5
8 March 104 The Many Types of Memories Familiarity and the FF Effect Chapter 7 Implicit Associations Test (3/31)
March 17-21 Spring Break [no classes this week] SCT Homework
9 March 24 Remembering Complex Events Anchor/Adjust Chapter 8 False Memory (3/31) Quiz 6
10 March 31 EXAM III
11 April 7 Concepts and Generic Knowledge Birdiness Chapter 9 Semantic Typicality (4/21) Quiz 7
12 April 14 Language Convo-Contract / Ambiguity Chapter 10 Semantic Priming (4/21) Quiz 8
13 April 21 EXAM IV
14 April 28 Problem Solving and Creativity The R.A.T. [XC = Dr. Pancake] Chapter 13 Sudden Insight (5/5) Quiz 9
Our final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, 2025 from 1:00 until 3:00 pm.