Teaching
I teach courses related to research
and cognitive psychology mainly. At present I teach:
- Effective Thinking
(PSYC 477.5)
This course is a practical, applied course in how
to think more effectively (also known as critical thinking).
We cover topics such as how to use and understand language
more effectively, improve memory and logical thought,
analyze and development good arguments, and spot pseudoscientific
and otherwise flawed ideas. The format of the course
is some lecture, group activities, and discussion. The
ideas in this course will help you in other classes
as well as in your everyday life (I hope...). Some cool
websites used in class are below.
- Understanding Psychological
Research (PSYC 300)
A course in the scientific method as it is applied
to psychological research. We cover everything from
the purpose of the scientific method to how, to write
a good survey, to what the heck do you do with data
once you've collected it. With what you learn in this
course, you're ready to go on to some really juicy stuff
like...
- Cognitive Psychology and
Cognitive Lab (PSYC 304 and 304L)
Taught as 2 separate courses, these classes introduce
you to the world of mental processing through both behavioral
and brain research. The lecture course covers topics
including memory, perception, language, attention, decision
making, and problem solving. These topics are presented
in lecture, reading assignments, films, demonstrations
(including some really cool and funny ones you can impress
your friends with!), discussions, and a poster session.
The lab offers hands-on opportunities to see how cognitive
research is really done. Using the department's computer
lab, you can learn to run cognitive experiments, collect
data, analyze the data, and write up your results.
- Psychology of Language
(PSYC 477/577)
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to
the psychology of language. Language is a tool you
use everyday, and yet most people have no idea just
what a magnificent accomplishment language is. By
the end of the quarter, I hope that you will have
developed an appreciation for the complexities of
the gift of human language, and an understanding of
the mechanisms responsible for this gift. The class
explores: the basic psychological and neural mechanisms
and functions of language, animal communication in
comparison to human language, language and thought,
language development, American Sign Language, bilingualism,
reading and writing, and language disorders. Each
of these topics will open a window onto the most common
tool you use everyday, one without which you would
have many difficulties dealing with the modern world.
And if you decide that being a psychology undergraduate
just isn't enough... You can apply to one of our graduate
programs in which you can take:
- History and Systems of Psychology
(PSYC 575)
This course is an overview of the historical roots
of psychology, the major influences in psychological
thought, and a chance to think about what the future
may hold for psychology. The format of the course is
mostly discussion, student presentations, and papers
with very little straight lecture.
- Proseminar in Cognitive Psychology
(PSYC 577)
This course will introduce you to cognitive psychology
at a graduate level through textbook readings, research
articles, and discussions. Topics such as perception,
attention, memory, language, categorization of concepts,
and judgment and decision making will be explored
in depth. You will both learn and critically evaluate
current and past research and theories in assignments
and examinations.
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