PSY241 ‘Cognitive Psychology’

MO: Tom Staffordt.stafford@shef.ac.uk

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• T.stafford@shef.ac.uk

Questions?

t.stafford@shef.ac.uk