Psychology 1364: Cognition

1
Psychology 1364 Cognition

• Course Overview Introduction
• John D. Coley
• Northeastern University

2
Outline

• About me
• Course Objectives
• Readings
• Requirements Grading
• What is Cognitive Psychology?
• Course Overview
• Honors Adjunct

3
About Me

• Office 427 Nightingale
• Office Phone [phone]
• Email jcoley_at_neu.edu
• Office Hours Wed 12-2 or by appointment

4
Course Objectives

• Become familiar with major theories and recent
  findings in Cognitive Psychology.
• Learn how questions are asked and answered in
  Cognitive Psychology.
• Make connections between research/theory and
  everyday mental functioning.
• Think critically about cognitive issues, and use
  psychological evidence to coherently argue a
  position on such issues.

5
Readings

• Textbook K.M. Galotti, Cognitive Psychology In
  and Out of the Laboratory
• Available at Bookstore.
• On reserve at Snell Library.
• Please do the readings before the class for which
  they are relevant.

6
Requirements Grading

• Three Exams (25 each)
• Five Short Papers (20)
• Class Participation (5)

7
Exams

• Three Exams
• Oct 7
• Nov 11
• Finals Week
• Short answer ID longer essays.
• Ill give out all questions in advance.
• I encourage you to work together to prepare for
  the exams.

8
Short Papers

• Questions at start of unit.
• Choose one question and write 1-3 pages.
• Not a research paper but a thoughtful
  essay/argument.
• Take a postion support it with evidence.
• Relating research/theory to experience.
• Due at beginning of next unit.
• Nine (9) chances you pick (at least) 5.
• Must write 1 of first 3, 3 of first 6.
• May write more to replace low grades.

9
Class Participation

• Answering questions.
• Volunteering in class discussions.
• Taking an active role in class activities.

10
Course Overview

• Unit 1 Attention Perception
• Unit 2 Memory
• Unit 3 Imagery Cognitive Maps
• EXAM 1
• Unit 4 Concepts Categorization
• Unit 5 Language
• Unit 6 Reasoning Problem-Solving
• EXAM 2

11
Course Overview, Contd

• Social Cognition
• Cognitive Development
• Differences in Thinking
• Exam 3

12

• Write a paragraph on
• What is thinking? How does it work?

13
What is Cognition?

• Representation
• How information is organized and stored.
• Processing
• How representations are used and changed during
  thinking.

14
What is Cognitive Psychology?

• Scientific study of representation and
  processing.
• At the level of the individual.
• Representations and cognitive processes cannot be
  observed, and must be inferred from behavior.
• Many cognitive processes are taken completely for
  granted.

15
Research in Cognitive Psychology

• Theories/Models
• Organize observations
• Make predictions
• Laboratory v. Field Research
• Lab tasks need not be real-world tasks.
• Mental processes involved must share important
  features with real-world cognitive functions.
• Ecological validity.

16
Major Themes of the Course

• Cognition is Active.
• Select, transform, reconfigure
• Cognitive processes are Interrelated.
• Cognition involves both Top-Down and Bottom-Up
  Processes.
• Cognition is Functional.
• Purposeful, context-dependent