psychology 2115b [syllabus]

8/19/2019 Psychology 2115B [Syllabus]

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WESTERN UNIVERSITY

LONDON CANADA

Department of Psychology

2015-2016

Psychology 2115B Section 001

Introduction to Sensation and Perception

Welcome to Sensation and Perception! I am extremely excited to be teaching this course, as this was

perhaps my favourite course when I was an undergraduate student. In fact, these many, many years

later, my research spans the topics of memory and perception because of my deep interest in sensation

and perception. And all of it began with this course! Now, perhaps not all of you will go on to pursue

graduate school in perception/cognition, but it is my goal to make this course as enjoyable and

informative as I possibly can – and to hopefully spark just a little bit of that same interest in you!

Below you will find a course description, evaluation summary, lecture outline, and some study tips.

We will go over these points in class, but please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the

outline right now. I look forward to teaching you and wish you all the best for a great year!- Mark Holden

1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

An introduction to the study of the human senses and higher order perceptual processes. Data

gathered from psychophysical research and studies of the nervous system in both humans and

other animals will be discussed. The course will review the mechanisms and principles of

operation of vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell.

Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course

Antirequisite: Psychology 2015A/B

***Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be

taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously

taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the

most recent course.

4 lecture hours, 0.5 course

Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your

Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from yourrecord. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the

event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

2.0 COURSE INFORMATION

2.1 Time & Location of Lectures: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:30-11:30 in NCB-113



2.2 Instructor: Dr. Mark Holden

Office: SSC 9242B

Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 11:30-12:30 or by appointment

Email: [email protected]

2.3 Teaching Assistant: Beatriz Domingo

Office & Office Hours: TBA

Email: [email protected]

2.4 Psychology 2115B Website

The course website is located at http://owl.uwo.ca/portal

Here you will find lecture notes, study guides, assignments, and important announcements. Please

check it often.

2.4 Special Circumstances:

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western toassist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these

resources and on mental health.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any

other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact

Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question

regarding an accommodation.

3.0 TEXTBOOK

Goldstein, E.B. (2014). Sensation and Perception. 9th Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Note: when purchasing this book from the university bookstore, the text comes bundled with

the Coursemate Access Card. Although this is not required for this course, Coursemate

provides a number of valuable tools for students, including an online copy of the book, and

self-assessment tools (i.e. sample quizzes, exams, virtual labs) which you may find helpful as

you prepare for the midterm and final exams. You will not get this access code if you purchase

a used text. Although you can purchase a code separately, it is quite expensive.

To start using Coursemate: go to www.nelsonbrain.com to register your Access Code. You

will also need a Course Key, which will be posted on OWL (under Announcements).

4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course surveys of a number of experimental and theoretical topics in modern psychology. Topics

covered will include a brief introduction and history of the field of perception, the physiology of

perception, neural processing, cortical organization, and visual perception of specific objects and

scenes. We will also cover visual attention, the link between perception and action, and the perception

of motion, color, and depth/size. We will also cover topics in auditory perception, including basic

mailto:[email protected]




http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/



http://www.nelsonbrain.com/









processes of hearing, auditory localization and organization, and speech perception. Finally, we will

briefly cover the cutaneous senses (“touch,” “pain,” etc.), and the chemical senses (taste and smell).

This course also addresses general issues in psychological research, such as experimental design, the

role of theory, models, and paradigms, and the interdisciplinary nature of research in perception. We

will also cover applications of perceptual research, such as sensory prosthetics, sensory substitution,

and artificial sensing systems (such as face-recognition systems). The goal is to provide students withan overview of various topic domains within the realm of sensation and perception. As such, students

will be exposed to diverse theoretical viewpoints and various methods and procedures for the

scientific investigation of this field of psychological research.

Note: Modern psychology is scientific in nature. Consequently, we will spend a lot of time

on science-y topics, such as research design, neural processing, cortical organization, etc.

Each chapter in the text covers a major topic within cognitive psychology. Following each chapter,

students will be able to identify the major concepts and terminology for that topic area, and

understand how they relate to one another. In addition, when presented with a hypothetical problem

or case, students will be able to assess and evaluate the problem and choose the best solution.

5.0 CLASSROOM CONDUCT

Classes will be held in NCB 113, which has a capacity of 201 students. The room has a few quirks to

it, so a few simple rules will help to keep the confusion to a minimum, and provide a reasonably quiet

learning environment for everyone.

5.1 Lecture Hours:

Class is scheduled from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The lecture will

start promptly at 9:30 a.m. This means that I expect you to be in your seats and ready for class by

that time. The seats in this class have tab-arms, making it difficult to shuffle past other students

without disturbing them. If you cannot avoid being late, please enter the room as quietly as possibleand take the first available seat. The class will end at 11:20 (though I will try my best to end closer to

11:15). This will allow you enough time to exit and get to your next class. Please do not leave early

– shuffling up and down the aisles causes a great deal of distraction. We will take a brief stretch/break

around 10:20 a.m.

5.2 Questions:

Asking questions during lecture is an extremely important part of learning. I strongly encourage

you to ask a question whenever you require clarification on an issue, or have an observation to make

yourself. Sometimes, though, we may have so many questions or comments on a particular topic that I

will need to limit the amount of time we spend on that topic, so that we can cover the required

material. If this is the case, please send your question/comment via e-mail (or use the question box).Alternatively, if you would prefer to ask your question in a more anonymous manner, there is a large

question box at the back of the classroom. Simply write out your question/comment and deposit it in

the box as you leave (or during the break) and I will address the most common ones at the beginning

of the next class.

Note: Routine questions such as “Where is the exam?”, “What chapters are covered for the

midterm?”, etc. may already be addressed on the course syllabus or on the website.



5.3 Talking, Cell Phones, and Noise:

The potential noise level generated by 120 people “whispering” to one another is quite high. In order

to allow everyone in the room to listen to the lecture, please do not talk to your neighbors during

lecture. If the noise level starts to climb, one of the teaching staff will remind you not to talk. If the

noise level continues to climb, you may be asked to leave the room. Please remember that there are

many other people in the room and we all must be sensitive to everyone’s concerns. Also, please turnoff your cell phone when you enter the classroom. The ring tone can be very distracting to your fellow

students.

6.0 EVALUATION

This course will include three exams: two midterms, and a final exam. The exams are non-cumulative,

and will each be worth one third of your final grade.

6.1 Evaluation Guidelines

Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades toconform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the

following averages:

70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses

72% 2100-2990 level courses

75% 3000-level courses

80% 4000-level courses

The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines, which are as follows (see

http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf )

A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level

A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average

B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory

C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements

D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable

F below 50 Fail

6.2 Exams & Exam Schedule

There will two mid-term exams during the semester, each 75 questions long, and a non-cumulative

final exam in April (also 75 questions). The exams will test material covered in the assignedreadings, as well as in lecture. Although there is substantial overlap between lecture and textbook

material, it is not complete overlap. Some material is not in the textbook, and some will not be

covered in lecture. Students are responsible for all material.

Midterms will not be handed back in class. If you would like to view your exam, please contact the

instructor.

http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf





Midterm Exam 1 (33.33%) Tuesday, February 2

Chapters 1-5 9:30-11:30 am

75 multiple choice questions Location: TBA

Midterm Exam 2 (33.33%) Tuesday, March 8

Chapters 6-10 9:30-11:30 am75 multiple choice questions Location: TBA

Final Exam (33.33%) TBA (between April 9th-30th)

Chapters 11-15

75 multiple choice questions

6.3 Study Guides, and Practice Questions

Chapter quizzes are available through the textbook publisher companion website, using your

Coursemate Access Card (if you purchased your book from the bookstore). In order to use

Coursemate, you will need to register your Access Code at www.nelsonbrain.com. You will also beasked to provide a Course Key, which will be posted on OWL (under Announcements). Note that the

virtual labs will not be marked by an instructor, but these will also provide some good study

questions. The quizzes and tests will also provide you with some feedback. However, these do not

count towards your final grade

In addition, review questions and study guides will be made available on the OWL website. I

believe that the study guides are a valuable study aid, and encourage you to use them. However, just

answering the questions on the study guide (filling in the answers), or taking the practice quizzes or

practice exams does NOT prepare you for exams. Rather, these are meant as tools that can help you to

better judge your preparedness and your understanding of the concepts from each chapter. For

example, I always suggest that my students study a given chapter and then look at the study

guide. Fill in the answers to the questions from memory, as a sort of self-test. If you can answer all ofthe questions, with full certainty, then the chances are high that you will do well on the exam. If you

miss a few questions, or are unsure of an answer, then this suggests an area for you to brush up on

before the exam.

7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE

Topics will be covered in the following order during the year. Approximate lecture dates are given so

that you can keep up with the readings. Ideally, you should do the required readings before the topic

is covered in class. Lectures are intended to highlight certain areas of each topic -- there is not

enough time available to us to cover all the material. However, you are responsible for all the

material in the text. Please note that there is a fairly heavy reading load in this course -- we cover

approximately one chapter every week. Thus, it is important for you to keep up with the readings.







Topic Chapter Date

Introduction to Perception Chapter 1 Jan. 5, 7

The Beginnings of Perception (Visual Structures) Chapter 2 Jan. 12, 14

Neural Processing and Perception Chapter 3 Jan. 19, 21

Cortical Organization Chapter 4 Jan. 21, 26Perceiving Objects & Scenes (Bottom-up/Top-Down) Chapter 5 Jan. 26, 28

FEBRUARY MIDTERM EXAM (33.33%) Ch. 1-5 February 2

Perceiving Color Chapter 9 Feb. 4, 9

Perceiving Depth and Size Chapter 10 Feb. 9, 11

Reading Week – No Classes --- Feb. 15 – 19

Perceiving Motion Chapter 8 Feb. 23, 25

Taking Action Chapter 7 Feb. 25, March 1

Visual Attention Chapter 6 March 3

MARCH MIDTERM EXAM (33.33%) Ch. 6-10 March 8

Hearing Chapter 11 March 10, 15

Auditory Localization & Auditory Scenes Chapter 12 March 15, 17Speech (and Music) Perception Chapter 13 March 22, 24

The Cutaneous (& Body) Senses Chapter 14 March 24, 29

The Chemical Senses (Smell & Taste) Chapter 15 March 31, April 5

FINAL EXAM (33.33%) Ch. 10-15 TBA

8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and

other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because theyundermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are

described at the following link:

http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic

offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of

responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and

exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter

plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or

in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents

in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to

the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and

Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com).

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course,

suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.



http://www.turnitin.com/







9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:

http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be

approved for certain accommodation:

http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html

10.0 OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: www.sdc.uwo.ca

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct

- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations

- Policy on Attendance

- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines

- Policy for Assignments

- Short Absences

- Extended Absences

- Documentation- Academic Concerns

- 2015 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.





http://registrar.uwo.ca/



http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/










psychology 2115b [syllabus]

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