PSYC 575 Cognitive Psychology

Discussion of theory and research in cognitive psychology. Topics include attention, memory, language, learning, reasoning, and decision-making. (Crosslisted with MSPS 531)

The purpose of this course is to develop an advanced understanding of the major concepts, theories, methodologies and empirical findings of contemporary cognitive psychology. The course will also help students develop the skills necessary to understand and critique research in the field of cognitive psychology. As the emerging field of cognitive neuroscience is becoming an increasing influence in our understanding of how the brain works, special attention will be given the neurological mechanisms thought to be responsible for cognitive phenomena.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a discussion thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each discussion thread must be at least 500 words, demonstrate course-related knowledge, and include at least 3 scholarly sources, not including the course text and/or Bible. In addition to the discussion thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ discussion threads. Each discussion reply must be at least 200 words. (CLOs A, B, E)

Journal Article Summary Assignments (4)

Throughout the course, the student will use a provided template to write 4 article summaries. The article selected must be a peer-reviewed journal article in the field of cognitive psychology. The article must also be a primary source, meaning that the authors are discussing their own research, not others’ research (e.g. review articles). All material must be in current APA format. (CLOs B)

Research Paper Assignments (2)

Research Paper: Paper Topic Approval Form Assignment

The Research Paper: Paper Topic Approval Form Assignment is intended to give the student early feedback on his/her topic for the Research Paper: Final Submission Assignment. The paper is the capstone project for this course and will require a great deal of time. Complete the Research Paper: Paper Topic Approval Form to get approval for the paper topic. See the instructions and a Research Paper: Paper Topic Approval Form Example for each individual section. The topic for the paper must pertain to the application of cognitive heuristics/biases to a real-world problem. Be sure that the selected topic has enough research to support an entire research paper. Note: It will be helpful to read the Research Paper: Final Submission Assignment Instructions located in Module 7: Week 7 before completing this assignment.

Research Paper: Final Submission Assignment

The student will write a 12–14-page research paper in current APA format discussing and evaluating the current research in the field of false memories. The paper must have a reference page of at least 12 peer-reviewed journal articles. (CLOs A, B, D)

Quizzes (4)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the modules prior to its due date. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 40 multiple-choice questions, and have a 1-hour time limit. Each quiz allows 1 attempt. (CLOs A, B, C, D)