Description:
The aim of this major is to provide students with a practical and conceptual understanding of visual perception and cognition. Including an historical review of different theoretical and practical approaches to perception and thinking, biological substrates of such processes, and understanding of neuroscience and neuropsychology, philosophical aspects of human cognition. Laboratory classes will highlight specific processing strategies by the brain and visual system, and demonstrate various psychophysical techniques.
Learning Goals:
Students who have completed the Cognitive Psychology minor will be able to:
- Explain major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
- Differentiate theoretical and empirical frameworks that have defined and shaped the field.
- Define key concepts that characterise psychology as a field of scientific inquiry as well as things that differentiate it from other related disciplines.
- Relate how social (eg environmental/cultural), and biological (genes, hormones) factors jointly shape human behavior.
- Apply basic research methods in psychology to investigate psychological questions and to research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
- Use critical inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.
- Identify relevant psychological mechanisms/issues and apply to real world or other context
- Apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organisational issues.
- Critically analyse data and research, including methodology, results and conclusions.
- Articulate some of the central questions and issues in contemporary psychology.
- Critically evaluate the presentation of scientific ideas and research in the popular media.
- Identify and critically evaluate appropriate disciplinary research sources
- Evaluate information from a statistical perspective drawing on basic statistical concepts.
- Develop competence in interpreting graphical data to understand what is being compared/manipulated (independent variables) and what is being measured (dependent variables).
- Clearly communicate psychological processes and principles to both science literate and non science literate audiences.
- Adapt the collaborative and independent experiences of psychology laboratory, project and course work to other contexts.
- Identify and reflect on the values that underpin the discipline of psychology and its practice.
Other Information
Advice to Students:
What 1st year courses should you enrol in? Some of these subjects require 1st year prerequisites, and both PSYC1003 and PSYC1004 are highly recommended for all 2000 and 3000 level psychology courses.
Students should seek further course advice from the academic convener of this Cognitive Psychology minor.
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Requirements
This minor requires the completion of 24 units, which must include:24 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC1003 | Psychology 1: Understanding Mind, Brain and Behaviour | 6 |
| PSYC2008 | Cognition | 6 |
| PSYC3011 | Perception | 6 |
| PSYC3015 | Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience | 6 |
