Students

PSYX2246 – Cognitive Processes I

2023 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff unit convenor
Sachiko Kinoshita
Contact via email
AHH North Room 2.322
Lecturer
Kim Curby
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Lecturer
Lisi Beyersmann
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Lecturer
mike richardson
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Lecturer
Greg Savage
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Tutor
Sachiko Kinoshita
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Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
((PSYC104 or PSYU1104 or PSYX104 or PSYX1104) and (PSYC105 or PSYU1105 or PSYX105 or PSYX1105 or PSYU1102 or PSYX1102)) or ((PSYU1101 or PSYX1101) and (PSYU1102 or PSYX1102) and (STAT1103 or STAX1103)) or ((COGS100 or COGS1000) and (COGS101 or COGS1010))
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://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • ULO1: Explain and apply the major concepts, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings in cognitive psychology.
  • ULO2: Critically evaluate theories and empirical research in studies of various cognitive processes (e.g., attention, memory, language, decision making).
  • ULO3: Identify what factors impact on human performance in cognitive tasks (e.g., physiological, neural, linguistic, cultural).

General Assessment Information

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128).

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. 

For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours)

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

No further submissions will be accepted after the marked assignments are returned and feedback is released to students.

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, and scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Final examination

The final exam for this unit is scheduled to occur during the Session 1 Macquarie University final examination period . Students are expected to make themselves available for the final exam, at the date and time set by the University, in line with the Assessment Policy and Procedure.

Sitting the final exam is compulsory in order to be eligible to pass the unit. Any student who does not attempt the final exam will be granted a Fail Absent grade.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Mid-session examination 20% No March 30 (9-11 am)
Final Examination 55% No Session 1 final examination period
Research Participation 5% No June 2 2023
Assignment 20% No March 23 2023

Mid-session examination

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: March 30 (9-11 am)
Weighting: 20%

 

Online mid-session exam assessing unit content.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and apply the major concepts, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings in cognitive psychology.
  • Critically evaluate theories and empirical research in studies of various cognitive processes (e.g., attention, memory, language, decision making).
  • Identify what factors impact on human performance in cognitive tasks (e.g., physiological, neural, linguistic, cultural).

Final Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Session 1 final examination period
Weighting: 55%

 

Final examination held within the University’s formal exam period, in accordance with relevant requirements.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and apply the major concepts, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings in cognitive psychology.
  • Critically evaluate theories and empirical research in studies of various cognitive processes (e.g., attention, memory, language, decision making).
  • Identify what factors impact on human performance in cognitive tasks (e.g., physiological, neural, linguistic, cultural).

Research Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 3 hours
Due: June 2 2023
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 (or an alternate research task).

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify what factors impact on human performance in cognitive tasks (e.g., physiological, neural, linguistic, cultural).

Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Qualitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: March 23 2023
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will answer a series of short-answer questions based on a set journal article.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Explain and apply the major concepts, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings in cognitive psychology.
  • Critically evaluate theories and empirical research in studies of various cognitive processes (e.g., attention, memory, language, decision making).

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

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

As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of online learning activities, including lectures, online modules, and practical activities.  Details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit.

Lectures: One 2-hour lecture weekly starting on Session week 1. Delivered F2F (Thursdays 9-11 am, 21WW/Macquarie Theatre) and streamed live. Recordings are made available via iLearn homepage (Echo360).

Tutorials (practicals): Tutorial activities (accessed via the iLearn unit homepage) start on Session Week 2.

Recommended readings

Either edition is acceptable (e-book version is also available)

  • Eysenck, M.W. & Keane (2015).  Cognitive psychology: A students handbook. 7th Edition
  • Eysenck, M.W. & Keane (2020).  Cognitive psychology: A student's handbook.  8th edition

For other readings, refer to the reading list (Leganto) in the iLearn unit homepage.

Technology Used

Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will require students to have access to a desktop PC, laptop or similar device. 

You will need access to the internet for accessing the iLearn unit homepage for the following:

  • Up-to-date information about the unit
  • lecture recordings (Echo360)
  • online submission of the assignment
  • midsemester test (online)
  • Discussion forum

 

Unit Schedule

Session Week

Week

beginning

Lecture: Thursday 9-11 am (Macquarie Theatre)

Practical

2023 prac schedule

(relevant lecture topic)

1

20-Feb

Introduction & Research methods

-

-

2

27-Feb

Working memory

Practical 1

Phonological Similarity

(Working memory)

3

6-Mar

Attention

Practical 1 Repeat

Phonological Similarity

4

        13-Mar

Visual attention and object recognition (Kim Curby)

Practical 2

Stroop

(Attention)

5

20-Mar

Episodic memory

Assignment due Thurs  23/3/2023

Practical 2 Repeat

Stroop

6

27-Mar

Online MID SEMESTER TEST (during lecture time 30/3/2023)

Practical 3

Change Detection

 (Visual attention)

7

3-Apr

Semantic memory

 

Practical 3 Repeat

Change Detection

 

 

10-23-Apr

Midsemester break

-

-

8

24-Apr

Language Production (Lisi Beyersmann)

Practical 4

Levels of Processing

(Episodic memory)

9

1-May

Word recognition & reading

Practical 4 Repeat

Levels of Processing

10

8-May

Decision making and reasoning (Mike Richardson)

Practical 5

Lexical Decision

(Semantic memory/Word Recognition)

11

15-May

Concepts and categories

Practical 5 Repeat

Lexical Decision

12

22-May

Cognitive Neuropsychology (Greg Savage)

Practical 6

Revision

13

29-May

Revision

Practical 6

repeat

Revision

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

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

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Inclusion and diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.


Unit information based on version 2023.02 of the Handbook