PSY270: Introduction to Psychology: Selected Issues.

Instructor: Michaela Porubanova

Email: misel99@gmail.com


Topics covered:  The class is focused on introductory topics in cognitive psychology, more
concretely on topics in cognition and mind. How do we process information, manipulate and transform
into a meaningful, coherent entity? How do we retrieve information retained in our memory? What are
some memory biases? How does brain relate to mind (mind-body problem)? How does brain give rise to
consciousness?

Those, but more questions will be answered in the class.

Introduction to Cognition. Philosophical and psychological underpinnings of study of mind and human
cognitive faculties (Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism,
gestalt); research methods in cognitive psychology. Perception and Vision. Bottom-Up and Top-Down
Processing in Perception. Object recognition. Perceptual organization. Color perception. Optical
illusions.

Attention. Broadbent´s theory. Treisman´s theory. Selective attention. Divided attention. Stroop´s
attention. Automatic processing. Inattentional blindness.

Memory.  Short-term memory vs Long term memory. Working memory. Eye witness testimony. Theories of
forgetting. Theories of recall.

Consciousness. Theories of consciousness. Current approches to understanding consciousness
(Chalmers, Noe, Ramachandran, Logothesis etc.). Consciousness versus attention.

Language. Language production vs. language comprehrension. Speech perception and reading.

Thinking and Reasoning. Theoretical approaches to reasoning. Deductive vs inductive reasoning.
Theories of emotional processing.

Judgment and Decision Making. Theories of decision making. Representativeness heuristic.
Availability heuristics. Support theory.







CLASS POLICY:

Students’ participation in the class is required. Students can miss only 2 classes (if more classes
are missed, students’ grade suffers one grade down with every other class missed). The essay
(approx. 1000 words; Times New Roman; 12; 1,5 spaced) must be turned on the designated day (every
late day means lowering 5 points). Essay will be a discussion based on the topics covered in the
class.  Students’ task is to propose a problem- discussion theme and pose an argument finding
evidence pro- argument as well as against argument in the literature.  Graded is: how elaborate is
the essay, if the argument is well-evidenced by the literature, citation style, number and quality
of papers cited (not introductory books solely)

Every week, at the beginning of every class, one student will present a brief report from
Neuroscience Blog- http://researchblogging.org/post-search/list/tag_id/226 . Reporting on the
content of the report as well as reflecting the report’ s  novelty in the context of the current
research knowledge is the criterion for a successful report points.


Essay =20 points

Class presentation= 20 points

Final Exam= 50 points

Response paper= 5 points

Attendance= 5 points for class participation and blog report

Maximum= 100 points

Grading:

100-93 = A

92-85= B

84-77= C

76- 69= D

68- 61=E

below 60= F


READINGS will be posted on IS. Students must read every reading prior to the class. This will not
only enhance their understanding of topic covered, but also because any pop quiz might occur during
class.