Psyc. 374 Cognitive Lab

Course Overview for Spring, 2001

 

class time: Mon., Wed., 12:00 - 1:50 pm

Fri., 12:00 - 12:50

place: S 242

Instructor: Dr. Linda Rueckert

office: Science - 307C

phone: 442-5841

office hours: Mon. and Wed. 3:15 to 5 pm, or by appointment

Prerequisites: Psyc 302 (SRM II) you absolutely must have taken this class previously

Psyc 375 (Cognitive), or consent of instructor

 

Texts:

Chase, C., & Abboud, H. (1998). SuperLab LT Experimental Software for Psychology Students, Phoenix, AZ: Cedrus Corp. (Includes a CD-ROM).

Heiman, G. Understanding Research Methods and Statistics. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 4th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

George, D., & Mallery, P. (2001). SPSS for Windows Step by Step, 10.0 update. 3rd edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

 

Recommended:

Sternberg, R. (1999). Cognitive Psychology. 2nd Edition. New York: Harcourt Brace.

 

 

Course Description

 

This course expands on Statistics and Research Methods I and II by applying what you’ve learned to a wide variety of experiments in cognitive psychology. We will be covering several important areas of cognitive psychology in depth. You will learn to design a well-controlled study, to collect data, to analyze the data, and to report the results.

 

Learning Outcomes

1. To be able to design and carry out a valid psychological study. This outcome will be assessed with the two required papers.

2. To exhibit an appreciation of the APAs ethics code for the testing of human subjects and to be able to write an Informed Consent form that will pass an IRB. This outcome will be assessed on homework #3, and in the first paper.

3. To be able to determine which statistics are appropriate for a particular experimental design, and to be able to calculate these statistics using SPSS for Windows. This outcome will be assessed on the second paper, and on homework assignments 1, 2, 4, and 5.

4. To be able to write a report of a psychological study according to APA style. This objective will be assessed with the two required papers and on homework assignments 1, 2, 4, and 5.

5. To be able to give an oral presentation of the results of their study. This objective will be assessed on the required oral presentation.

 

 

Please note that this is a very demanding class. You should plan to spend more time on work for this class than you do for others. There will be a great deal of computer work and writing. However, no previous computer experience is assumed beyond what you learned in SRM II. We will be conducting and analyzing several studies as a class. Most of them will utilize SuperLab LT, a software package will several pre-programmed experiments. There will be frequent homework assignments, which will usually consist of writing a Method and Results section for the in-class experiments. You will also be required to design, collect data, analyze, and report results for a study of your own.

Since Psyc 302 is a prerequisite for this course, it is assumed that you know how to: 1) Write a complete research report, using APA style. 2) design and analyze a between-subjects, within-subjects, and mixed-factorial experiment. 3) use SPSS for Windows to analyze data and create graphs.

 

Course Requirements:

 

 

Papers 100 pts

You will be required to write 2 APA style papers, worth 50 points each. The first will be a proposal for your final project, and will include an Abstract, an extensive literature review, Method section, and Expected Results section. The second will be the final report on your final project. The Introduction and Method section will be from your proposal, and you will add a Results and Discussion section. Depending on the number of students in the class, you may be asked to pair up in designing and carrying out your studies, but each person will turn in their own paper.

 

Paper Presentation 30 pts

You will also be required to present your final paper orally, and will be scored on content and presentation style.

 

Homework 60 pts

There will be several homework assignments, based on the experiments carried out in class. Some will consist of answering questions I give your, others will be APA-style Method and Results sections. All homework must be typed.

 

Attendance and Class Participation 20 pts

Participation in class experiments and discussion is essential to obtaining the full benefits of this class. Therefore, attendance will be taken at the beginning (first 5 min) of each class. You are allowed two unexcused absences. Beyond that, points will be deducted. If you arrive after the first 5 min. you will receive partial credit.

Extra Credit

Up to an additional 5 points can be earned by participating in research experiments being conducted by Northeastern faculty outside of this class (1 point per hour of participation).

You are also strongly encouraged to present the results of you project at NEIU's annual Student Research and Creative Activities Symposium. If you (or your group) present, you can earn up to 5 more extra credit points.

 

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Homework and papers must be turned in on the assigned date. Exceptions will be granted only for illness (with a note from a doctor) or death of a close family member. Later homework will receive half credit, and late papers will have 2 points per day late deducted from the score.

Grades will be determined based on the total number of points accrued in the following manner:

189 to 210: A

168 to 188: B

147 to 167: C

126 to 146: D

below 126: F

 

Web Site

This course is on the World Wide Web at: http://gamut.neiu.edu/~lruecker/

The Web Site will include the syllabus and schedule, homework assignments, handouts, and links to other, psychology-related Web sites. The site will be updated periodically throughout the semester.