Unit Outline

How do humans perceive the world around them, learn, and make decisions? Under what conditions do we do these things well? When and why do things go a bit “pear-shaped”? How can we be better? This unit introduces the study of cognitive processes, and considers their function in a variety of real-world settings. Lecture topics include: perception and object recognition, attention, memory, language, and thinking. This unit places particular emphasis on identifying the areas where human cognition can go wrong, and identifying methods for individuals (including students themselves) to become more discerning consumers of information and better decision-makers. In tutorials, students are introduced to research in cognitive psychology through demonstrations and activities in areas related to the lecture topics. Students will broaden their understanding of cognitive processes and develop their research-based skills including their ability to: search scientific literature, critically analyse and synthesise information, evaluate research design, interpret data, and report research findings scientifically.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Explain key theories and concepts in cognitive psychology including the research approaches used in this field.
2	Apply cognitive psychological theory and research to real-life situations and problems.
3	Interpret data relating to key ideas in cognitive psychology.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	KHA208

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In response to the feedback from previous student cohorts, changes have been made which may include adjustments to assessments and alignment of some of the timelines. As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2024, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s eVALUate surveys following your completion of the unit.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Quizzes	Week 4	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Writing Assignments	Week 4	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Research participation and reflection	Week 13	10 %	LO1, LO2

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Quizzes

Task Description:

There will be four online quizzes throughout the semester. 10% each (40% total)
Due Dates:
Quiz 1 - week 4
Quiz 2 - week 7
Quiz 3 - week 10
Quiz 4 - week 13

Task Length:

60 minutes each

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Recognise and interpret key theories and concepts applied in cognitive psychology	LO1
2	Apply knowledge of research design in cognitive psychology to interpret data from research studies.	LO2
3	Apply knowledge of cognitive psychology to real-world and research-based scenarios.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Writing Assignments

Task Description:

Writing assignments - There will be four writing assignments throughout the semester.12.5% each (50% total).These writing assignments will consist of short essays and/or data interpretation questions.
Due Dates:
Assignment 1: week 4
Assignment 2: week 7
Assignment 3: week 10
Assignment 4: week 13

Task Length:

300-500 words each

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Recognise and interpret key theories and concepts applied in cognitive psychology	LO1
2	Apply knowledge of research design in cognitive psychology to interpret data from research studies.	LO2
3	Apply knowledge of cognitive psychology to real-world and research-based scenarios.	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Research participation and reflection

Task Description:

This task will develop knowledge about the research process, with a focus on the value of Psychology undergraduates as research participants. You will choose one of the following activities:
1) Participate in up to four (4) hours of ethics-approved research studies conducted in the School of Psychological Sciences.
2) Undertake a series of on-line, literature based activities (approximately 4 hours duration in total) to develop critical understanding of the importance of sample selection in Psychological research.
After completing 4 hours of the above activities, you will write a one-page summary of your thoughts about the appropriate use of Psychology students as participants for psychological research and submit this to an assignment dropbox in MyLO.
Detailed information is available on the PSY125 MyLO site

Task Length:

4 hours activity + One page reflection/summary

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

10 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Complete up to 4 hours of research related activity (5%)	LO1
2	Reflect on/Summarise what you learned about the value of Psychology students as participants in psychological research.	LO1, LO2

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes and achieve a final unit mark of 50% or greater.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Reisberg, D. (2022). Cognition: Exploring the science of mind (Eighth Edition). London: W.W. Norton & Company (ISBN: 9780393877625). You will NOT need the Zaps package.

NOTE: A previous edition of the text would also be suitable, although some details might be different between these two versions.

A number of lectures will make use of material extra to the assigned text. In such cases there will either be a link to the resources in that week’s content or there will be a note directing students to the unit reading list. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website.