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Argosy University

COURSE SYLLABUS

Cognitive and Affective Processes

PP 7040

Summer 2010

Faculty Information

Faculty Name: Shan Jumper, Ph.D.

Campus: Chicago

Contact Information:

Phone: 217-491-0139

E-Mail:

Course Description: This course emphasizes cognitive and affective processes that influence behavior. Areas of emphasis include perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, reasoning, cognition and emotion, theories and principles of learning, and the influences of psychosocial factors on cognitions and behaviors. The class will consist of on-line lectures, text book review, and on-line discussion posts.

Course Competencies (see Weekly Course Objectives section at end of syllabus):

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1.  Understand cognitive theories regarding perception, attention, memory, language, problem solving, reasoning, cognition and emotion.

2.  Understand clinical applications of modern cognitive and affective theories.

3.  Understand factors that influence an individual’s cognitive performance and emotional experience.

Required Texts:

Carter, R. (2000). Mapping the Mind. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. ISBN#: 0753810190

Eysenck, M. W., & Keene, M.T. (2005). Cognitive psychology: A student’s handbook, 5thth ed. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press, Ltd. ISBN#: 184169356

Siegel, D. (1999). The Developing Mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. ISBN#: 1572304537

Course Requirements: Grading will be based on the following:

A / 100 – 93
A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
D+ / 69 – 68
D / 67 – 63
D- / 62 – 60
F / 59 and below

Grading requirements: Grading scale:

Online discussions (2 per week @ 5 points each) / 140 pts
Final Examination / 120 pts
260 pts

Criteria for Final Examination

The Final Examination will be administered at your Argosy University campus through the Academic Learning Center. It will include both short answer and multiple-choice questions. Each week you will be provided with review questions over the material presented for that week. Many of the questions on the examination will come directly from the review questions, exactly as they appear. The rest will be chosen from among the weekly discussion questions, but will be in the form of short answer questions, and will not need to be answered as comprehensively as they would be when you respond to them as weekly posts during the semester. The exam will be closed book and you will have 3 hours to complete the exam.

Assignments:

Weekly Discussion Questions (140 points)

·  Each week you will be required to post four responses to online discussion questions

·  The discussion questions will be posted no later than the beginning of each week

·  You will be graded based on the accuracy and thoroughness of your responses

·  Your postings should demonstrate your understanding of the posted lecture notes and text. Students may also be directed to current research articles addressing course topics, for summary and discussion.

·  You do not need to cite the texts or the lecture material, as you should not be quoting either source. The goal is for you to read the relevant section of the material to answer the questions, then summarize what you’ve read in your response.

·  Postings that are late will not be accepted and you will not receive credit for the assignment

Due dates for weekly discussion postings:

·  Four weekly responses are due each Saturday evening (the exact time is immaterial). There are seven modules in this course, each module will run for one week. Thus, students will be choosing four discussion questions to respond to for each module each week.

Feel free to submit your postings early in the week if it is more convenient for you. Your postings for the discussion questions will be reviewed and graded at the end of each week and posted to the grade book by Tuesday morning. You will not receive a grade for each individual posting; you will receive a summary score for the week. At the beginning of each week (starting week 2) you should check your grade for the previous week’s postings. If you receive a score below 16 out of 20 I will provide you with immediate feedback explaining why your postings were inadequate. Please utilize the feedback to improve your postings the next week.

Modules: There are seven modules of learning distributed across the semester. Each module lasts one week. You will be provided with a selection of 6-10 questions to post responses to for each module. You may respond to any of the posted questions, so long as you respond to a total of 4 for each module. The on-line grade book is organized by modules (7 modules, 20 points each – for a total of 140 points). Please refer to the class schedule below for further due dates.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: It is the policy of the Argosy University/Chicago to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations to complete the instructor’s course requirements, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedure for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodation will be provided to students upon request. Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. It is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor in order to receive the requested accommodations in class. In an effort to protect student privacy, Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors.

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism Statement: The University seeks to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity. Any work submitted by a student must represent original work produced by that student. Any source used by a student must be documented through normal scholarly references and citations, and the extent to which any sources have been used must be apparent to the reader. The University further considers resubmission of a work produced for one course in a subsequent course or the submission of work done partially or entirely by another to be academic dishonesty. It is the student’s responsibility to seek clarification from the course instructor about how much help may be received in completing an assignment or

exam or project and what sources may be used. Students found guilty of academic dishonesty

or plagiarism shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the University.

Technology Statement: Argosy University encourages the use of technology throughout the curriculum. Videos will be shown during a number of class sessions. Recommended web links are included at the end of this syllabus. .

CLASS SCHEDULE

Content Sequence:

Module
/ Weeks / Topic / Readings / Assignments Due
1 / Week 1 (May 10-May 15) / Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Visual Perception: Basic Processes
Object Recognition
Visual Disorders
Theories of Perception, Movement & Action
Attention & Performance Limitations
Disorders of Attention
Assessment of Attention / Carter Ch. 1 - 3
Eysenck Ch. 1
Eysenck Ch. 3
Carter Ch. 5,Eysenck Ch2
Eysenck Ch. 4
Carter pages 297 – 307
Eysenck Ch. 5 / Week 1: Choose four discussion questions for MODULE 1 and respond by Saturday, May 15, 12 midnight.
2 / Week 2 (May 16 – May 22) / Memory: Structure & Processes
Disorders of Memory / Siegel Ch. 2
Carter Ch. 7
Eysenck Ch. 6 – 8 / Week 2: Choose four discussion questions for MODULE 2 and respond by Saturday, May 22, 12 midnight.
3 / Week 3 (May 23- May 29) / Mental Representation: Propositions & Images
Objects, Concepts & Categories
Childhood Disorders (Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Asperger’s, Bipolar Disorder)
Speech Perception and Reading
Language: Comprehension and Production
Dyslexia
Planning and Decision Making / Eysenck Ch. 9 – 10
Carter pages 141 – 145
Eysenck Ch. 11-13 / Week 3: Choose four discussion questions for MODULE 3 and respond by Saturday, February 14, 13 midnight
4 / Week 4 (May 30 – June 5) / Frontal Lobes
Problem Solving and Expertise
Reasoning
Relations, Events & Schemata
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Reinforcement Learning / Carter Ch. 8
Extra Learning Activities
Eysenck Ch. 13, 16 / Week 4: Choose four discussion questions for MODULE 4 and respond by Saturday, June 5, 12 midnight..
5 / Week 5 (June 6 – June 12) / Judgment and Decision Making
Cognition and Emotion
Stress
Values and Reward Prediction
Emotion and Self-Regulation / Eysenck Ch. 15
Carter Ch. 4
Siegel Ch. 4
Siegel Ch. 8 / Week 5: Choose four discussion questions for MODULE 5 and respond by Saturday, June 12, 12 midnight
6 / Week 6 (June 13 – June 19) / Theories & Principles of Learning
Creativity and Genius
Regret and Trust
How Neurons Generate Preference
Representations and Processing / Lecture Notes
Eysenck ch. 14
Siegel Ch. 5 / Week 6: Choose four discussion questions for MODULE 6 and respond by Saturday, June 19, 12 midnight.
7 / Week 7 (June 20 – June 26) / Perceiving Groups – Prejudice
Sexual Behavior and the Brain
Trauma: False Memory Syndrome &
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Integration / Lecture notes
Carter pages 68 - 76
Siegel Ch. 9 / Week 13: Choose two discussion questions for MODULE 7 and respond by Saturday, June 26 midnight.
Week 15 (June 27 – July 2) / FINAL EXAM

1. Gain a basic understanding of cognitive psychology.

2. Gain a basic understanding of the visual system.

3. Gain an understanding of disorders of the visual system.

4. Review theories of perception.

5. Review the construct of attention.

6. Examine disorders of attention.

7. Examine several instruments used to assess attention.

Learning Activity:

Basic Visual Pathways - http://thalamus.wustl.edu/course/basvis.html

*Visit this website and review information about the visual pathways.

Brain Scans: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/scanning/index.html

*Visit this site and review information about different brain scanning techniques.

The first ever Photo of Phineas Gage is discovered
See the photo here: http://brightbytes.com/phineasgage/index.html

Review this press release regarding an innovative diagnostic technique to

dramatically fast-track the detection of mental and
neurological illnesses. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/mu-ft101409.php

MODULE 2:

Course Objectives:

1. Define memory.

2. Examine different types of memory.

3. Examine the neuroanatomical structures responsible for the storage and recall of memories.

5. Review several disorders of memory.

6. Introduce Computational Theory of Mind

Learning Activity:

The Anatomy of Memory - http://www.exploratorium.edu/memory/braindissection/index.html

*Visit this website and view the slide that shows the dissection of a sheep brain with a focus on the structures responsible for memory.

Memory Reconsolidation: How accurate is memory?

*View this news clip for a brief discussion on memory reconsolidation http://tinyurl.com/mcnl3c

Review this press release regarding dopamine pathways and adhd http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/dnl-dib090309.php

MODULE 3:

Course Objectives:

1. Examine how the brain organizes and categorizes information.

2. Review neuroanatomical structures responsible for language.

3. Review core symptoms of Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, cerebral palsy and Bipolar Disorder.

4. Examine the methodological difficulties of diagnosing children with Bipolar Disorder.

5. Review core symptoms of dyslexia.

6. Examine subtypes and symptoms of various forms of aphasia.

7. Examine brain structures involved in planning for decision making

Learning Activity:

Prosopagnosia - http://www.choisser.com/faceblind/

*Visit this website and review information about the disorder of “face blindness” (prosopagnosia).

Dyslexia - http://www.medicinenet.com/dyslexia/article.htm

*Visit this site and explore the different types of, and treatments for, dyslexia

MODULE 4:

Course Objectives:

1. Develop a basic understanding of the functions of the frontal lobes.

2. Examine the importance of the frontal lobes in human behavior.

3. Define executive functions.

4. Examine theories of problem solving and reasoning.

5. Examine how schemata develop and influence thoughts and feelings.

6. Examine the cognitive and affective consequences of the illicit drug Ecstasy (MDMA).

7. Review basic principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

8. Examine brain processes involved in goal selection.

Learning Activity:

Frontal Lobes – http://biology.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.waiting.com/frontallobe.html

*Visit this website and review the “motor and prefrontal area” and “prefrontal cortex” and other frontal lobe sections.

Problem Solving: http://web.eng.ubu.ac.th/~m_eng_pd/WebCD%20on%20CNC-CAD-CAM%20(Charoenc)/courses/problems.htm

*Visit this site and test your problem solving skills

Review these articles on teen brain development: http://tinyurl.com/5q7rfn http://tinyurl.com/aqn39d
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-08/eu-sri082509.php

*Visit this website to learn more about various brain disorders: http://www.brainsource.com/brain%20injury.htm

MODULE 5:

Course Objectives:

1. Examine similarities and differences between thoughts and feelings.

2. Examine differences between feelings and emotions.

3. Develop a basic understanding of the neuroanatomical structures responsible for emotions and feelings.

4. Develop an understanding of the ventral and dorsal pathways that can result in a fear response.

5. Examine the effects of stress.

6. Examine basic biological, cognitive and emotional factors associated with sexual offending and serial homicide.

7. Examine neural processes of valuation.

8. Understand the critical role that emotion plays in regulation of the self.

Learning Activity:

Brain Facts - http://apu.sfn.org/content/Publications/BrainFacts/index.html

*Visit this website and click “download Brain Facts in pdf format.” Review the section entitled Learning and Memory.

Review this article about a new neurosurgical procedure for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
http://tinyurl.com/yf3qteg

MODULE 6:

Course Objectives:

1. Review the basics of operant and classical conditioning.

2. Review the basics of social learning theory.

3. Develop a basic understanding of creativity and genius.

4. Examine the cognitive constructs that underlie the development of prejudice.

5. Examine how neurons function to generate preference.