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PSY241 ‘Cognitive Psychology’
MO: Tom [email protected]
Cognition
• Definition: mental processes• Cognition is invisible– So what is the aim of
cognitive psychology?• Methods and concepts
central to whole ofpsychology
Structure of the course
• Lectures• Lab classes• Study groups• Wiki
Structure of the course: Lectures
Rod NicolsonNikki Hunkin
Jim Stone
Yan Jing Wu
Megan FreethMaria Panagiotidi Stuart Wilson
Tom Stafford
Study groups
• Thursday of week 2, psychology computer lab• 9am, 10am, 11am, 12am (see wiki for your group)
• Self-structured, topics etc on wiki• Discuss in preparation for individual
contributions to the wiki
•Wiki• Information (groups, tasks,
FAQ)• Topic content (user created!)
Everyone has the task of adding to the wiki every week
http://psy241.group.shef.ac.uk/psy241wiki/index.php
•WikiUses markup:
` ` fantastic `` fantastic
== heading == heading
How to learn
Hyde, T. S., & Jenkins, J. J. (1973). Recall for words as a function of semantic, graphic, and
syntactic orienting tasks. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 12(5), 471–480.
68%
39%
69%
43%
Incidental learning Intentional learning
Rate Pleasantness
Check Letters
Use of wiki statistically shown to improve your grade on 241!
Stafford, Elgueta & Cameron (under review) ‘Wiki users get higher exam grades’
How to learn 2
• Spaced vs blocked practice
Dempster, F. N. (1989). Spacing effects and their implications for theory and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 1, 309-330. doi:10.1007/BF01320097
Bad
Better
Easier
How cognitive psychology works
– Experiments– Theory building– Paradigms/frameworks
• Vital to distinguish evidence (data) and theory (claims about what data means)
• Theories: abstract, predict
Kinds of questions
• Mechanism• Computation• Evolution
How to get a first
• Organise, not memorise• Practice writing• Answer a specific questions…
….by making a specific argument …….about psychological theories…….supported by evidence
• Read: for background, and for extra information• Critical perspective on question
Web resources
• Resources: http://tomstafford.staff.shef.ac.uk/teaching/psy241/
• Wiki– http://psy241.group.shef.ac.uk/psy241wiki– Username: (e.g.) pca10aa, Password: 01/01/1993– Contact me if your logon doesn’t work• [email protected]