Announcements

Office Hours: 
M: 1:30-2:30 pm
T: 9-10 am
W: 4-5 pm
Th: 1:30-2:30 pm
Others by appointment

This is the revised Syllabus taking into account the changed to online class beginning March 20, 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 virus pandemic. This syllabus will be a work in progress throughout the term check and announcements on Teams for any changes. Please check here for information about academic credit policies that the college has put in place as a result of the changes to instruction (Link not available yet.).

Mar 23, 2020
The initial approach to this course will be synchronous using Microsoft Teams.  Thurs, our first class on the resumed schedule will be at 2:40 pm March 30, 2020.  Please contact me as soon as possible if you have any issues.  I will record the classes so they will show up on the Teams site and on Microsoft Stream.  Before Monday, please make sure you have Microsoft Teams and that you see the sensation and perception class on your list of teams.  Below I will indicate the first draft of the changes to the schedule.

Schedule:

 Apr 27-May 1 Final Examination (During Final Examination Period)

Laboratory Schedule:

In all types of inquiry, the knowledge gained is fundamentally dependent upon the methods used to gain that knowledge. Therefore, the laboratory portion of this course is set up to allow you to both experience some fundamental phenomena and also to gain experience in how scientific questions are asked, answers sought and discoveries communicated. Below is the schedule of laboratories that are part of the course.

Assignments and Examinations:

Homework.

Throughout the term there will be homework problems assigned.  They will be due the next class day.  Problems will come from the problems at the end of the text chapters and from others I will hand out in class.  Often they will require the use of the text media.  Problems of this sort will also be on the exams.  Homework will be collected and graded and will total to 100 points.

Examinations.

There will be three tests. The tests will be a combination format of short answer items (such as identification) and longer essays. All examinations will be of a similar format. Also, all examinations will be cumulative because all later material builds on or relates to earlier material. Since each successive examination covers more material, each successive examination will be worth more according to the following table. THE FINAL EXAM FORMAT HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED.

Laboratory Assignments.

There will be several types of laboratory assignments including problems, data analysis, graphing of results, and laboratory reports. These assignments are listed above in the schedule of the laboratories and will be described more in the labs where they are involved.  However, the labs have a cumulative set of purposes.  These purposes are two-fold: to develop skills at experimentation using the methods of sensation and perception and to develop skills at critically analyzing the results of these experiments.  Thus, assignments such as graphing may seem purely as a skill, but even here, how one graphs can greatly impact the way we interpret data.  Thus, understanding the impact of how a graph is constructed on interpretation can assist in a critical understanding of data.

The different types of assignments will be worth different point values depending on the size of the assignment.  The points are listed in the syllabus above in the laboratory schedule.  The information for the format and guidelines for the laboratory format are here. For the final lab, Critical Bands, you will be asked to do a short in class group presentation relating to the results you have found. We will discuss the presentation and its expectations when we get to the lab.

Important Links

• Laboratory Format

Research Participation

One of the objectives of the science CCR is to show you different ways that science is conducted.  However, this class can only introduce a small number of methods.  So this assignment is to give you experience with alternative methods, but from a psychological perspective.  You can earn this credit in two ways. First, you can participate in research or you can write a critique of an article. To complete this assignment for the class, you must do three of these activities (participate in a study or write a journal critique).  By participating in these studies, you can gain valuable, first-hand knowledge about how research is conducted. By critiquing journal articles, you will gain insight in to how researchers do and present their findings. You will receive up to 100 points this assignment.

If you chose to participate in a study, there are three ways that you can participate.  As you read below, not that the different ways of participating give you different levels of credit towards the assignment.  ALL CURRENT EXPERIMENTS COUNT THE SAME REGARDLESS OF FORMAT

To receive credit for participating in an in-person study, you MUST: a) obtain the signature of the researcher, and b) answer some basic questions about the nature and purpose of the study [see linked Research Participation Form]. To received credit for participating in an online study, either Hanover or Not Hanover, you MUST: a) print out the debriefing form of the study, and b) fill out and answer the questions related on the online participation form [see attached Online Participation Form].  To receive credit for writing a journal critique, write a 2-page summary and critique of an approved psychological journal article [The guidelines are here].

Extra Credit

You may earn extra credit by completing two more of these assignments for up to 20 points each (the relative weight of the research participation holds for the extra credit as well). The Research Participation Forms and/or Article Critiques will be collected the Friday before the beginning of dead week.

Relevant Links

• Research Participation Form
• Online Research Participation Form (For Hanover Studies, online studies count as 3/4 of a study. For non-Hanover Studies, online count as 1/2 of a study.)
  • Link to Online Studies
• Journal Critique Guidelines

Grading and Class Policies:

Class Participation:

Participation in and regular attendance of classroom activities and discussions will be worth 100 points. I expect each student to participate fully in discussions in class and laboratories. These discussions are integral to getting the greatest possible benefit from this class in addition to being a part of the development of your speaking abilities.

Late Policy:

An assignment is late one minute after the beginning of class. One letter grade will be subtracted for the first day late and another letter grade for each additional day, also beginning at the time of class plus one minute.  Nothing will be accepted more than three days late.

Grading:

This class is graded on a point system which means that each assignment of the course is worth a certain amount of points towards the final grade. When you get an assignment back you will be given a grade with the points earned over the total number of points. Thus, you should be able to follow your progress in the course on your own.

The table below summarize the grading for each class assignment.

Activity	Points
Test 1	100
Test 2	150
Test 3	200
Homework	100
Lab Assignments
Psychophysics 1	25
Psychophysics 2	25
Psychophysics 3	25
Acuity Lab	75
Size Constancy Lab	100
Frequency Discrimination Lab Presentation	100
Research Participation	100
Participation	100
Total	1100

Grades will be converted to percentiles and letter grades will be assigned as follows: