*This semester Undergradaute Perception (PSY 440) is being co-taught with Graduate Perception (PSY 506)
Course Basics (instructor, text, prerequisites
and objectives)
Common course components (Psy 440 and 506)
Undergraduate-only components (Psy 440)
Graduate-only components (Psy 506)
Course mechanics (extra credit, grading,
etc.)
We also have a class web site that documents the reserach projects and the service-learning trip to McMichael Middle School.
How to contact me:
email: lscharff@sfasu.edu
office phone 468-1415
webpage: http://hubel.sfasu.edu/Scharff.html
TEXT:
Sensation and Perception 6th Edition
by E. Bruce Goldstein
Be sure to get the new edition that includes the S&P Virtual Lab CD!
There will also be articles / readings handed out in class and possibly some articles on reserve in the library or placed on my webpage. Some class announcements and assignments will be sent to you via email. I will use your titan account that you are assigned through SFASU. It will be your responsibility to check your email regularly. It is possible to forward your titan account email to another account if you prefer (e.g. a hotmail account). I will also send Psychology news updates; these are optional readings unless otherwise noted.
Prerequisites PSY 440: Twelve hours of Psychology including PSY 341 or the equivalent, with a grade of C or better.
Objectives PSY 440: The objectives of this course are to provide you with a general background of psychophysical and physiological perception research, and to integrate this content into a senior capstone experience that draws on your Psychology background, especially in statistics and experimental psychology. This course will place an emphasis on vision, and secondarily, on audition.
As part of the course you will perform short experiments, be shown perceptual demonstrations, and be involved in several individual and group projects (one will be a major group experimental project). My assessment of your understanding of the material will be based on exams, papers, and homework assignments.
Applied and developmental perception issues will be discussed, with an emphasis on the effects of aging. To complement these emphases, service learning will be incorporated by sharing what you've learned with junior high students at TJR Middle School. Service learning has been defined as "the process of integrating volunteer community service combined with active guided reflection into the curriculum to enhance and enrich student learning of material" (David Johnson, Miami-Dade C.C.).
Objectives PSY 506: This course should provide you with a background of psychophysical and physiological perception research as related to the study of the normal visual system as well as cases where the system has incurred damage, or changed due to aging or disease. Applied perception topics will also be incorporated. Commonalties with the other senses will be pointed out. In order to clarify the material, demonstrations will be incorporated whenever possible.
Chapter Exams: There will be no major exams; instead, there will be an exam approximately every two weeks. The 12 chapter exams will consist of short answer and short essay questions. I will use your top 10 exam grades when calculating your final grade for the course. The questions will be drawn from the assigned readings as well as from the lectures and assignments. Each chapter exam will be worth 40 points. Chapter exams are scheduled to last 30-35 minutes at the beginning of class (except Exam 12, which will be given at the scheduled time of the final).
The (highly) probable exam schedule is:
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NO make-ups will be given except for a DOCUMENTED emergency. (In other words, weddings, vacations, oversleeping etc. will not qualify as a legitimate excuse.) In order to qualify for a make-up, you must contact me as soon as your emergency allows, and you must take the make-up within one week of returning to class. If you know ahead of time that you have a university-related conflict, get me documentation prior to missing the exam.
Homework Assignments: You will perform several demonstrations and experiments throughout the semester. Many will use the S&P Virtual Lab CD or some software on the computers in ED 127. For the five homework assignments you will answer some questions given on a handout (5 points each assignment). They do not need to be typed.
Attendance/Lateness: Attendance will be recorded in both class and lab. You will be allowed one unexcused absence without a grade penalty. Any unexcused absences after the one will result in a 1% deduction from your final course average (out of 100%). Missing the TJR trip (undergraduates only) without an excuse will result in a 3% deduction from your final course average.
You are strongly urged to attend class everyday, because at least 25% of the material on each test will ONLY be covered in lectures (i.e. it will not be in the textbook). Therefore, it will be to your advantage to attend the lectures. Lateness to class interrupts the lecture and is not fair to those who do arrive on time. If you must arrive late or leave early for some reason, please let me know, and sit by the door so as to minimize the interruption.
Reflection Papers: You will be required to write two short "reflection" papers for this class (one at the beginning of semester and one near the end of the semester). They will each be ~2 pages in length, and will consist of responses to questions regarding perception and its application, the aging process and class activities. More detailed instructions will be given in class.
Experimental Project and Research Paper:
The undergraduates in class will help design and conduct an experimental study. This project will have several written components. You will first submit an annotated bibliography summarizing 4 journal and 4 web references that apply to the topic. The second written component will be the introduction and methods sections with a complete reference page. We will run the experiment during a class period (collect data on ourselves) and outside of class/lab times* (to collect data using naïve participants, similar to what you did for your individual project in experimental psychology). We will analyze the data together during a class period. The final written component will be the full APA formatted paper (10 pages in length, length not including title page, figures or tables) containing all of the APA sections. You will turn in a printed version, as well as an electronic version on a disk. (I will return your disk.) I will place a composite version on the class web page.
* This project will make an original contribution to the state of knowledge on the topic. Thus, I hope that we can present it at SWPA (March 24-26). I am hoping that 2-4 of you would be interested in being official co-authors (along with me) on the project. The rest of the class will be officially acknowledged on the presentation. Co-authors would have the following responsibilities IN ADDITION to what your are required for class: help collect data outside of class time using naïve participants, help sort and organize data for analyses, help write the abstract, and help prepare the conference presentation. You will not be required to attend the conference, although you certainly will be welcome to attend (and encouraged to do so). The SWPA conference will be held this year in Memphis, TN. We may receive some travel money from the university, but we cannot expect that all travels costs would be covered. You will have to cover any remaining travel costs if you attend.
Service-Learning Project:
As mentioned above, for our service-learning project we will interact with middle-school students (GT students, grades 6-8). These interactions will be during our scheduled class time, so the event will be organized as an after-school workshop for the middle-school students. Below is a brief description; more details about this project will be given several weeks ahead of time in class.
During the workshop you will give a short presentation over a topic in applied perception (you will choose your topic with my approval; no two people can have the same topic). You will prepare a handout on your topic that we will give each student. At the workshop, most of the time will be spent sharing perceptual demonstrations as learned in class. The service-learning project will be documented on the class web page. Your handout, presentation, and the interactions will be worth 35 points.
Research paper and handout based on book chapter / Class presentation:
Here is a brief description; more details about this project will be given several weeks ahead of time in class. I have picked 10 chapters from specialized books on aspects of vision (e.g. Visual changes with Alzheimer's Disease or Downs Syndrome or mental retardation, Unconscious perception: blindsight, Neonatal development issues). Each of you will pick a chapter (random selection for who chooses first, etc.). You will read the chapters, find 5 additional related references, write a 5-page research paper over the topic, make a summary handout to give to all students in the class, and give a presentation in class. The presentations will be 15 minutes (10-12 minutes plus 3-5 minutes for questions). I have parts of four Thursday class times scheduled for the presentations (Oct 28 - Nov 18). I will first ask for volunteers and then randomly draw names to assign you to your presentation date.
Extra Credit: The will be several opportunities for extra credit throughout the semester. Opportunities will include pop quizzes, activities, short assignments. The maximum number of extra credit points allowed is 2% of the possible course points (department policy).
Academic Dishonesty: THE NEW POLICY STATES: "After a determination of dishonesty, the faculty member shall notify the Office of the Dean of the student's major by submitting a Report of Academic Dishonesty form, along with supporting documentation as noted on the form. This report shall be made part of the student's record and shall remain on file with the Dean's office for at least four years. The Dean shall refer second or subsequent offenses to the University Committee on Academic Integrity established under this policy. The faculty member shall also inform the student of the appeals process available to all SFA students (Policy A-2)."
WebCT: All your grades will be posted on WebCT. To access WebCT, you will use your mySFA ID and password. There are further instructions on the class web page. You will also have all your assignments returned to you in class after they have been graded.
Course Grading:
The evaluation of your writing assignments will be based primarily on how fully and effectively you complete the assignment. However, I will expect all writing to use the conventions of standard written English, which includes usage, punctuation, and mechanics (especially spelling). All papers should be turned in typed, using 12-point font. See below for the point values for each paper.
I will also be happy to review drafts of your paper. My review process requires your presence - I won't be "pre-grading" your paper, but instead will discuss with you your paper's strengths and weaknesses - thus, think ahead and schedule an appointment with me!
You must have documentation to turn in a late paper without penalty. Otherwise you will lose 10% of the paper points per day (or partial day) that it is late.
The final course grade will be determined using the following points:
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Individuals receiving at least 90% of the points will receive an A, 80 - 89.9% a B, etc.
Note: It will be to your benefit to keep up with the chapter readings as they are covered in lecture. If you have any questions over the course material, please come discuss them with me. (It helps to do this before the tests rather than after...) You may also email me at any time.