PSYC 3761 - Cognition
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section A01, CRN 43327,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
James Juergensen
Email: jejuergensen@ysu.edu
Course Description
Professor’s Additional Course Description:
Cognitive Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes. We will explore how the mind works (and how it often times doesn’t work). We will study how perceptual information enters the mind, how attention is used to select from the array of available incoming sensory information, how knowledge is organized in memory, how new information is added to memory, how information is retrieved from memory, how information is conveyed to others via language, and how current knowledge is transformed and expanded by inductive and deductive reasoning. We will also discuss how mental processes are carried out in the living brain. Throughout the course we will discuss theories of mind in which simple ideas are built into powerful psychological theories. We will discuss how cognitive psychologists build theories (or models) of mental processes, and how these models are used to understand and predict behavior. We will also explore the idea within Cognitive Psychology that our minds often interpret information in ways that, although may be more efficient, can lead to systematic errors in judgment and reasoning.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Thinking, Fast and Slow | Daniel Kahneman | 2818440023354 |
| Required | Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience - Enhanced MindTap | Bruce Goldstein | 8220127943703 |
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Week of | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/19 | Kahneman Chapters 1, 3, 4 | Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 3 Perception Two systems; cognitive effort | 6 lecture videos; Module Exam; Perusall Assignment for Kahneman Chapters 1, 3, 4; 2 labs |
| 10/26 | Kahneman Chapters 5, 7, 9 | Chapter 4 Attention Emotion Cognitive Ease, Substitution | 6 lecture videos; Module Exam; Perusall Assignment for Kahneman Chapters 5, 7, 9; 2 labs |
| 11/2 | Kahneman Chapters 10, 11, 12 | Chapter 5 STM & WMC Law of Small Numbers; Anchoring; Availability Heuristic | 6 lecture videos; Module Exam; Perusall Assignment for Kahneman Chapters 10, 11, 12; 2 labs |
| 11/9 | Kahneman Chapters 14, 15 | Chapter 6 LTM: Structure Chapter 7 LTM Representative Heuristic; Tom W; Linda | 6 lecture videos; Module Exam; Perusall Assignment for Kahneman Chapters 14, 15; 2 labs |
| 11/16 | Kahneman Chapters 17, 19, 20 | Chapter 8 LTM Emotion Regulation Regression to the Mean; Illusions of Skill and Validity | 6 lecture videos; Module Exam; Perusall Assignment for Kahneman Chapters 17, 19, 20; 2 labs |
| 11/23 | Kahneman Chapters 23, 25, 26 | Loftus TED Talk Chapter 11 Language Part 1 Planning Fallacy; Bernoulli’s Error; Utility; Prospect Theory | 6 lecture videos; Module Exam; Perusall Assignment for Kahneman Chapters 23, 25, 26; 2 labs |
| 11/30 | Kahneman Chapters 27, 29, 34 | Chapter 11 Language Part 2 Chapter 12 Problem Solving Endowment effect; Fourfold Pattern; Framing | 6 lecture videos; Module Exam; Perusall Assignment for Kahneman Chapters 27, 29, 34; 2 labs |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.