Spring 2025: PSY 338, Section 002 – Cognitive Processes, 7 Weeks Term 2
Course Dates: March 17 - May 2
Instructor: Jessica L. Park, M.A.
University: Northern Kentucky University
Email: parkj1@[Link]
Phone: 970-640-0706 (Emergencies only)
*I teach remotely for NKU from Colorado and do not have an office on campus nor will I be on campus during the semester. I
check email/access Canvas daily during the weekdays (M - F) and at least once on the weekends. If you need to get in touch
with me, you should do so through the email address located above or message me through Canvas.*
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The main objective of this course is to provide you with an understanding of how the mind works, which is enabled through many
complex brain and behavioral processes. Each day, every one of us performs countless cognitive tasks, such as remembering how to
get to school, knowing which buildings your classes meet in, singing along with the radio, recognizing your friend’s face in a crowd,
deciding which cafeteria option to consume for lunch, reading your favorite magazine, engaging with social media, deciding which
courses to register for, and communicating with our loved ones. Much of what we know is due to the research methods used to
understand cognitive processes, so you will learn about methodology as well as the theories used to explain the various facets of
cognition. Throughout the course you will be participating in simple cognitive experiments that are intended to demonstrate the
methods used by cognitive psychologists. These experiments illustrate many of the classic cognitive experiments that have been used
to form the basis of what we know about how the mind works.
COURSE PREREQUISITES:
PSY 100 - Introduction to Psychology
COURSE FORMAT:
This course will be conducted entirely online and it is your responsibility to complete all course requirements by the due dates.
Throughout the semester you will:
1. Complete assigned readings from the online text, review Powerpoint slides, and listen to podcasts related to course
material
2. Participate in discussion forums that address course material.
3. Take quizzes on course material presented in the assigned readings, podcasts, and CogLab experiments.
4. View/listen to/read supplemental course materials associated with each section of material.
5. Complete 10 CogLab experiments and assignments.
6. Write four reflection papers on topics covered in the course.
7. Take the final exam.
COURSE MATERIALS
• ISBN: 9781337408288 – MindTap Goldstein’s Cognitive Psychology
o This ISBN # provides access to the eBook version of the text we are using for this course as well as access to the
CogLab experiments that are assigned as part of this course. Do not purchase a hard copy of the text because you
need access to MindTap which is necessary to complete the CogLab experiments assigned as part of this course. All
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eBook chapters and CogLab experiments will be linked directly to the Canvas course. A course key is NOT
required to access these materials. Instead, head to the Canvas course page, click on Modules from the left
sidebar, then you’ll see folders for the eBook Chapters and CogLab Experiments. The first chapter or experiment
you attempt to access will require you enter the login ID/password you created when purchasing the MindTap
course. Once you do this, you will have access to all materials directly through Canvas.
o If you are taking multiple courses this semester that require Cengage materials, then purchasing a Cengage
Unlimited subscription is the best option as you will have access to all course materials assigned that are published
by Cengage. Here is the ISBN # for Cengage Unlimited: ISBN #9780357700006 – Cengage Unlimited – One
semester Instant Access Code
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing this course, you will:
- Understand the basic processes associated with human cognition, including memory, attention, perception, knowledge,
visual memory, language, problem solving, reasoning and decision-making.
- Be able to describe the current explanations and research methods used to evaluate and understand cognitive processes
- Have an awareness of the brain areas important for cognition.
- Have acquired the skills necessary to critically evaluate the methods used to assess cognitive abilities and the type of
knowledge gained from such experiments.
- Have direct experience participating in cognitive experiments, which are intended to illustrate the many unseen processes
associated with cognition and the methods used to understand such hypothetical constructs.
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (see below this section for a description of each)
1. Your knowledge and comprehension of course material will be evaluated by your performance on six quizzes (50 points
each). Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
2. You will complete 10 cognitive experiments that specifically relate to course content and methodology used by
cognitive psychologists (15 points each).
3. You will complete discussion board posts that relate to course material (100 points total).
4. You will write four reflection papers on topics covered in this course (25 points each).
5. You will take a comprehensive final exam at the end of the course. See Final Exam section for further details (100
points).
(1) QUIZZES:
Six quizzes worth 50 points each will be administered throughout the semester and your lowest quiz score will be dropped.
The quizzes will consist of multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false questions and will cover about 2 chapters of
material. For each quiz, study guides will be provided. Material covered on the quizzes will include textbook readings,
information from powerpoint slides and podcasts, and CogLab experiments. You must take each quiz within the specified window
of time (see schedule). If you miss the deadline for taking a quiz, whatever the reason, it will count as your dropped grade, unless
you choose to take advantage of the grace period extension. (See grace period section) Otherwise, your lowest quiz score of the
six will be dropped. You can access quizzes during the time period listed on the schedule and must begin taking each one before
the end of the testing period (e.g. you must start taking a quiz before 11:59 p.m. on the night the testing period closes). You will
have 60 minutes to take each quiz which must be taken in one sitting.
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(2) COGLAB ASSIGNMENTS
Throughout the course, you will complete 10 experiments through CogLab online. The purpose of these exercises is to increase
your familiarity with the research methods used to understand cognition and the ways that cognitive scientists develop and test
theories. Each CogLab experiment and the assignment on Canvas must be completed by the due date listed on the course
schedule. Each CogLab assignment is worth up to 15 points and you will earn 5 points of the 15 by completing the actual CogLab
experiment and the other 10 points based on your responses to questions about the experiment you completed. At the end of
every experiment, you will see a summary of the results and an explanation of the experiment. If your computer crashes, you lose
your internet connection, or you are not sure you have completed an experiment, you can check your account to see whether your
participation in the experiment was recorded. If it was not recorded, you must complete the experiment again fully in order to earn
credit for it. The grace period cannot be used for CogLab assignments.
(3) REFLECTION PAPERS
As part of this course, you will complete four reflection papers relating to specific topics covered in the course. The reflection
papers will ask you to define and discuss cognitive phenomena we have covered as well as provide personal experiences that
illustrate this cognitive experience in your own life. Each paper will be 2 - 3 pages in length and is worth 25 points. See the
guidelines for specific details regarding how to properly complete each reflection paper.
(4) DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS
There will be discussion posts associated with each chapter of material as well as Introductory and Concluding posts. Depending
on the actual post, the points possible will vary but in total 100 points will be offered from this component of the course. On some
occasions, you will be asked to comment on a classmate’s posts in order to earn full credit for the discussion posts for that week.
This will be clearly specified in the discussion post guidelines. Contributions should be written in complete sentences using
proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. To receive full credit for discussion posts, students must write in complete sentences,
using proper grammar, and the content of each post must directly address the content of each original discussion thread published
by the instructor. Posts must be submitted by the due dates listed in the guidelines for each post. For any posts written using text
message language, without proper punctuation, grammar, and capitalization, or those that are off topic or too short, you
will receive 0 points for that particular contribution. The grace period cannot be used for discussion board posts and late
discussion posts will be given a score of 0.
(5) FINAL EXAM
The 100-point comprehensive final exam will be available on the last two days of the course, May 1 - 2. Taking the Final Exam
is required and must occur during this period. No grace period extensions will be offered for the final exam. More details will
be provided closer to the end of the course along with a study guide.
GRACE PERIOD:
If you should encounter technical problems with your computer or internet service, have an unexpected emergency occur, or otherwise
be legitimately unable to complete the course requirements by the specified due dates, you will be given a 24-hour grace period to
complete the work you missed. The grace period can be used for quizzes and Reflection papers. The grace period CANNOT be
used to extend deadlines for discussion board posts, CogLab assignments, any extra credit offerings, or the final exam. Should
you need to use the grace period, please inform me by email or message me through Canvas. This 24-hour window is non-negotiable
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in terms of length - you have 24 hours after the due date/time to submit the work you missed, no more. You must submit the
assignment or quiz by the end of the 24-hour grace period to receive full credit. If you do not submit by the end of the 24-hour
extension, you will receive 0 points for a quiz and will lose a letter grade for each day a writing assignment is late past the extension
deadline. The grace period can be used a maximum of two times during this course and you MUST inform me prior to the due
date/time should you need to use it. It does not matter to me why you decide to use a grace period, but I need to know prior to the
due date/time of the specific course requirement for which you need an extension. An email or message should be in my inbox and
time-stamped prior to the due date/time. In some cases, particularly if you email late at night right before a deadline, I will most likely
not respond until the following day. However, you can still use the extension so long as I have documentation that you have emailed
me prior to the deadline passing.
LATE PAPER GRADING POLICY
If a Reflection Paper is submitted past the due date, without request of a grace period extension, 20% of the total value of the paper
per day it is late will be deducted, unless a grace period extension is requested prior to the deadline. If you exceed the 24-hour grace
period extension after requesting one, 20% of the total points of the paper will be deducted per day it is late after the extension passes.
For Reflection Papers worth 25 points each, 5 points will be deducted per day the paper is late.
FINAL GRADES
Your final grade in this course will be based on the points you earn on your five highest quiz scores, completion of 10 experiments
using CogLab, discussion board points, the scores you receive on all papers, and the final exam score. Please note that all grades will
be listed in your gradebook on Canvas but I will calculate your final grade at the end of the semester using the breakdown
below. That means that the ‘grade’ you see on Canvas is not accurate and will provide an overestimation of your actual grade
because it includes all 6 quiz scores. I will drop your lowest quiz score so your total points earned in the course will not include your
lowest quiz score whereas your gradebook on Canvas will include all six of your quiz scores.
Quizzes (5 X 50 pts) 250 points
CogLab Experiments (10 X 15 pts) 150 points
Discussion Board Posts 100 points
Reflection Papers (4 X 25 pts) 100 points
Final Exam (1 X 100 pts) 100 points
TOTAL POINTS 700 points
COURSE GRADING
Your final grade in this course will be based on the points you earn on your five highest quiz scores, CogLab assignments, discussion
board contributions, the scores you receive on both research papers, and your final exam score. In order to receive FULL credit on
any writing assignment, it must be completed by the due date. Please see the Late Paper Grading Policy section of this syllabus
for a full discussion of penalties associated with late paper submission.
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Letter % Equal to or Total points earned Grade Point
Grade Greater Than in Course
A 93 700 - 651 4.00
A- 90 650 - 630 3.67
B+ 87 629 - 609 3.33
B 83 608 - 581 3.00
B- 80 580 - 560 2.67
C+ 77 559 - 539 2.33
C 73 538 - 511 2.00
C- 70 510 - 490 1.67
D+ 67 489 - 469 1.33
D 60 468 - 420 1.00
F 0 419 - 0 0
GRADING FEEDBACK
Students should expect to receive feedback on assignments, discussion posts, and writing assignments within 7 days of submission
except when faculty provides notification via announcement of a different timeline. Quizzes and the final exam are scored
automatically and grades will be available immediately upon submission of each quiz. Other grade items including discussion posts,
CogLab assignments, and papers require manual grading.
MID TERM GRADES
Midterm grades will be provided to all students in 100 - 400 level courses, except in cases where the Department Chair and Dean have
waived midterm grade reporting for pedagogical reasons. Midterm grades are only an estimate of performance as of the middle of the
semester and are not an absolute predictor of final performance. Mid-term grades will be posted in myNKU by the deadline
established in the Academic Calendar ([Link] For the Spring semester 7 weeks 2nd term the
date for final submission of midterm grades by faculty is April 9..
GRADE APPEAL
Please see the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities Section V: Academic Policies & Processes for any final grade appeal. The
specifics of the process are detailed in subsection G: Student Academic Grade Appeal. [Link]
students/[Link]
CREDIT HOUR POLICY STATEMENT
In accordance with federal policy, NKU defines a credit hour as the amount of work represented in the achievement of student
learning outcomes (verified by evidence of student achievement) that reasonably approximates one hour (50 minutes) of classroom
instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work. For every course credit hour, a typical student should expect to
spend at least three hours per week of concentrated attention on course-related work including, but not limited to, class meeting time,
reading, reviewing, organizing notes, studying and completing assignments. At least an equivalent amount of time is expected for
other academic activities such as online courses, laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work and other academic work leading
to the award of credit hours.
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Estimates of the time required for a typical student to complete course expectations are as follows:
Required textbook readings: 12 chapters x 2.5 hours each = 30.0 Hours
Online PowerPoints/Podcasts: 13 units x 2.5 hours each = 32.5 Hours
Discussion board responses: 14 sets x 2 hour each = 28.0 Hours
Viewing supplemental materials: 14 units x 45 minutes each = 10.5 Hours
CogLab experiments/assignments: 10 experiments x 2 hours each = 20.0 Hours
Preparation of two reflection papers: 4 papers X 4 hours each = 12.0 Hours
Total = 133.0 Hours
COURSE POLICIES:
Course attendance/participation policy: You are expected to check email and log into the Canvas site for this course at least 4 times
per week. Any course changes, announcements, due dates, etc. will be communicated through Canvas announcements. It is your
responsibility to keep up with this information.
Attendance Policy: Since this is an online course, there is no in-class attendance required.
Non-attendance Policy: If the student does not log onto Canvas and access course materials or contact the instructor by Thursday,
March 20 at 5 pm, the instructor is required to drop this student for non-participation (i.e., non-attendance).
Communication (online): Students can expect a response on weekdays within 12 hours of sending an email/Canvas conversation. If
you contact me over the weekend, I will respond by Monday morning, usually earlier, however.
STUDENT HONOR CODE
This Student Honor Code [the "Honor Code"] is a commitment by students of Northern Kentucky University, through their
matriculation or continued enrollment at the University, to adhere to the highest degree of ethical integrity in academic conduct. It is a
commitment individually and collectively that the students of Northern Kentucky University will not lie, cheat, or plagiarize to gain an
academic advantage over fellow students or avoid academic requirements.
Students, faculty, staff, and administrators at NKU strive to achieve the highest standards of scholarship and integrity. Any violation of
the Student or Graduate Student Honor Codes is a potentially serious offense because it threatens the quality of scholarship and
undermines the integrity of the community. All NKU faculty members are asked to report incidents of academic misconduct to the
office of Student Conduct Rights and Advocacy. While academic in scope, a violation of the NKU Honor Code may be considered a
violation of the NKU Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities and will follow the adjudication processes described therein.
Through the NKU Honor Code, students who are responsible for academic dishonesty may receive sanctions, including, but not
limited to, a final grade of “F,” or removal from the course in which the violation occurs. Repeated violations of the NKU Honor
Code, or when suspension or expulsion from NKU may be a possible outcome of the violation, the incident will be referred to the
office of Student Conduct, Rights and Advocacy.
Additional information is available at: [Link]
ACCOMMODATION DUE TO DISABILITY
The University is committed to making reasonable efforts to assist individuals with disabilities in their efforts to avail themselves of
services and programs offered by the University. To this end, Northern Kentucky University will provide reasonable accommodations
for persons with documented qualifying disabilities. If you have a disability and feel you need accommodations in this course, you
must present a letter to me from the Disability Programs and Services Office (SU 303), indicating the existence of a disability and the
suggested accommodations. More information can be found at [Link]
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STUDENT EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTOR AND COURSE
Northern Kentucky University takes Instructor and Course Evaluations very seriously as an important means of gathering information
for the enhancement of learning opportunities for its students. It is an important responsibility of NKU students as citizens of the
University to participate in the instructor and course evaluation process. During the two weeks* prior to the end of each semester
classes, you will be asked to reflect upon what you have learned in this course, the extent to which you have invested the necessary
effort to maximize your learning, and the role your instructor has played in the learning process. It is very important that you complete
the online evaluations with thoughtfully written comments.
Student evaluations of courses and instructors are regarded as strictly confidential. They are not available to the instructor until after
final grades are submitted, and extensive precautions are taken to prevent your comments from being identified as coming from you.
Students who complete an evaluation for a particular course (or opt out of doing so in the evaluation) will be rewarded for their
participation by having access to their course grade as soon as that grade is submitted by the instructor. On the other hand, any student
who does not complete the course evaluation (or opt out of doing so in the evaluation) should expect to incur a two-week delay in
access to his or her course grade beyond the university's official date for grade availability. To complete online evaluations, go to
[Link] Click on "student login" and use the same USERNAME and PASSWORD as used on campus.
In addition, you should be aware that:
• Evaluations can affect changes in courses. Evaluations without comments are less valuable and less credible than those filled
out thoughtfully. Comments that are expressed well are more effective than those that are not.
• Positive feedback is just as important as criticism. Moreover, negative evaluations without any explanation and specifics are
not especially useful.
• Once grades are submitted, all evaluations are read not only by the instructor, but also by the instructor’s department
chairperson.
• Evaluations not only provide feedback to your instructor, but also provide information to the department chair for use in
performance evaluations. This information affects reappointments, promotions, salaries, and teaching assignments.
DIVERSITY
Diversity describes an inclusive community of people with varied human characteristics, ideas, and world views related, but not
limited, to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, color, creed, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status,
geographical region, or ancestry. Institutions that value diversity provide a supportive environment that respects those human
differences. It is our responsibility as citizens of the NKU community to promote and value a campus environment and classroom
climate that is safe, fair, respectful, and free from prejudice.
Allied Zone: I am a member of the Allied Zone community network, and I am available to listen and support you in a safe and
confidential manner. As an Ally, I can help you connect with resources on campus to address problems you may face that interfere
with your academic and social success on campus as it relates to issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity. My goal is
to help you be successful and to maintain a safe and equitable campus.
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Name / Pronoun: My gender pronouns are she, her, hers. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name and/or
gender pronouns from what is contained in NKU’s student records. Please advise me of these early in the semester so that I may make
appropriate changes to my records.
Sexual misconduct: Northern Kentucky University is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive educational and work environment
free from sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, non-consensual sexual contact, non-consensual sexual intercourse, sexual
exploitation, sexual harassment, dating and intimate partner violence, relationship and domestic violence, stalking and gender-based
bullying. For more information please see: [Link]
Observance of Religious Holidays for Class Attendance: NKU values diverse religious perspectives and beliefs and recognizes
that religious practice is for many individuals an important element of personal identity, intellectual development and psychological
well-being, and, in many cases, is inseparable from cultural identity. As the diversity of our community has increased, additional
religious holidays now affect a significant number of students. Consistent with our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive
community, Northern Kentucky University believes that every reasonable effort should be made to allow members of the NKU
community to observe their holidays without jeopardizing the fulfillment of their academic obligations. NKU students who are unable
to attend classes or participate in any examination, study or work requirement on some particular day(s) because of his or her religious
belief must submit a formal request to the instructor within 3 weeks of the beginning of the semester so appropriate arrangements can
be made.
