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PSYX2246 – Cognitive Processes I

2020 – Session 1, Fully online/virtual

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor
Sachiko Kinoshita
sachiko.kinoshita@mq.edu.au
AHH Level 3 south 3.803
Mon 8-9, Fri 8-9
Lecturer
Kim Curby
kim.curby@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Bill Thompson
bill.thompson@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Greg Savage
greg.savage@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
Stephanie Howarth
stephanie.howarth@mq.edu.au
Tutor
Tamara Paulin
tamara.paulin@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(PSYX104 and PSYX105) or (PSYC104 and PSYC105) or (PSYU1104 and PSYU1105)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit introduces major topics of cognition including mechanisms of visual and auditory attention, varieties of short and long term memory, language processes such as reading and written word recognition, and storage and retrieval of knowledge of concepts and reasoning. We cannot attend to everything that impinges on the senses so we select and attend only to part of the available input. Selected information must be encoded, used, stored and retrieved. Although the main focus of the unit is on normal adult cognition, we will also examine disorders of cognition including acquired dyslexias and various forms of memory impairments. You will learn to approach research findings critically, and in the practical classes you will gain hands-on experience of classic cognitive phenomena.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://students.mq.edu.au/important-dates

Learning Outcomes

  • ULO1: Demonstrate knowledge of research findings and theories about foundational aspects of cognitive processes.
  • ULO2: Acquire skills in critical evaluation of research on cognition.
  • ULO3: Acquire an understanding of limits of human cognition.

General Assessment Information

 

  1. Census Date: Sat, 21 March 2020

  2. Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty (with Financial Penalty): Tue, 28 April 2020

  3. Application for Re-mark: Applications must be lodged at the Faculty of Human Sciences Student Centre (Student Centre) or sent via email (psy_off@mq.edu.au) not later than seven (7) calendar days in Session 3 or fourteen (14) calendar days in Sessions 1 & 2 after marked assignments have been returned to students. Copies of the form are also available at the Student Centre. Electronic copies of the form may also be requested via email.

  4. Last Day for Grade Appeal: Tue, 11 August 2020

  5. Formal Exam Period: Please refer to OUA

  6. Special Consideration: Students may apply for special consideration "no later than five (5) working days after the assessment task due date, examination or test date" via ask.mq.edu.au. If they have enquiries, they can lodge this online or visit the Student Centre (ground floor, 4 First Walk).

  7. Program Advice: If students need to contact someone from the Student Centre for program advice or for any other reason, they can submit an "enquiry" through ask.mq.edu.au

  8. Fit to Sit Model: Students who sit an exam and/or in-class test or otherwise submit an assessment, declare themselves fit to do so and will not be eligible to apply for special consideration unless there is evidence that (a) they were unfit to make reasonable judgement on their fitness to undertake the assessment, due to mental illness or other exceptional circumstances; or they were taken ill during the assessment (in the case of an examination or test), and this can be independently corroborated.

  9. Requests for Extension: Late penalty is applied at the rate of 5% per day of the total assignment mark (i.e., .75 mark per day). Grant of extensions are based solely on supporting evidence submitted via ask.mq.edu.au, BEFORE THE DUE DATE. Students are advised to submit the approval notice together with the assignment or, if the assignment had been submitted, to email it to the unit convenor. No submission will be accepted and a mark of 0 will be given for work submitted after the marks and feedback are released.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Final Examination 60% No during OUA examination period
Research Participation 5% No throughout semester
Assignment 15% No 20/3/2020
Mid Semester examination 20% No 6/4/2020

Final Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: during OUA examination period
Weighting: 60%

Invigilated examination of one essay and forty five multiple choice questions to be completed in two hours.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of research findings and theories about foundational aspects of cognitive processes.
  • Acquire skills in critical evaluation of research on cognition.
  • Acquire an understanding of limits of human cognition.

Research Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 3 hours
Due: throughout semester
Weighting: 5%

Students are required to participate in two and half hours of cognition research available online. This is accessed via the Research participation pool system.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire an understanding of limits of human cognition.

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Qualitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 20/3/2020
Weighting: 15%

Four short-answer questions of between 50 and 300 words each, based on a set journal article.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of research findings and theories about foundational aspects of cognitive processes.
  • Acquire skills in critical evaluation of research on cognition.

Mid Semester examination

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 6/4/2020
Weighting: 20%

Online quiz of 16-20 multiple choice questions. Fixed time of opening and maximum 30 minutes to complete
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of research findings and theories about foundational aspects of cognitive processes.
  • Acquire skills in critical evaluation of research on cognition.
  • Acquire an understanding of limits of human cognition.

1 If you need guidance or support to understand or complete this type of assessment, please contact the Learning Skills Team

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures and practicals (= tutorials)

  • Lectures are held weekly starting on Session week 1 on Mondays 9-11 am are live streamed. Lecture recordings are available via Echo360/ iLearn.

  • You will need access to the internet, for accessing the iLearn PSYX2246 unit homepage, lecture recordings (Echo360), online submission of the assignment, completion of online practical exercises, and the online midsemester test (held April 6 2020). Please refer to the iLearn PSYU2246 unit homepage for updates.

  • Practicals (= tutorials) are 1 hour duration and held fortnightly starting on Session week 2 (yearly week 10)

MQ OUA student guide available at this webpage https://www.mq.edu.au/study/other-study-options/open-universities-australia

Textbook

Eysenck, M.W., & Keane, M.T. (2015). Cognitive psychology: A student's handbook. 7th Edition, Hove, UK: Psychology Press. e-book version available

Unit Schedule

Week

Week

beginning

Lecture Mon 9-11

Practical

2020 prac schedule

1

24-Feb

Intro & Research methods

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2

2-Mar

Working memory

Practical 1

Phonological Similarity

(Working memory)

3

13-Mar

Attention

 

 

4

        16-Mar

Visual attention (KC)

ASSIGNMENT DUE

Practical 2

Stroop

(Attention)

5

23-Mar

Episodic memory

 

 

6

30-Mar

Semantic Memory

Practical 3

Levels of Processing

(Episodic memory)

7

6-Apr

MID SEMESTER TEST

 

 

 

recess

13-Apr

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recess

20-Apr

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8

27-Apr

Language Production (WT)

Practical 4

Change Detection

 (Visual attention)

9

4-May

Word recognition & reading

 

 

10

11-May

Concepts & Categories

Practical 5

Exam essay writing

11

18-May

Thinking & Reasoning (SH)

 

 

12

25-May

Cognitive Neuropsychology (GS)

Practical 6

Lexical Decision

(Semantic memory/Word Recognition) 

13

1-Jun

Revision

 

 

 

 

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Enquiry Service

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Equity Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.