Cognitive Psychology: Theories and Applications

Welcome to PSYC A320 Cognitive Psychology: Theories and Applications. This is a ten-credit higher-level distance-learning undergraduate course within the Bachelor of Social Sciences in Psychology Studies (BSSCPS) and Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours in Psychology Studies (BSSCHPS) programmes. This course intends to explain the scientific study of cognitive psychology. It covers the major concepts, theories, and theoretical perspectives of cognitive psychology based on a rich coverage of research and empirical findings. It also highlights the applications of cognitive psychology in our daily experiences.

PSYC A320 is delivered using a custom textbook, supplemented by a Study Guide, online multimedia components and face-to-face sessions.

Course aims

PSYC A320 Cognitive Psychology: Theories and Applications aims to provide you with a critical understanding of:

• the major concepts and theories of cognitive psychology;
• the research and empirical findings of cognitive psychology;
• the major theoretical perspectives of cognitive psychology;
• the applications of cognitive psychology in daily experiences; and
• the current development and debates in cognitive psychology.

Course learning outcomes

Upon the completion of PSYC A320 Cognitive Psychology: Theories and Applications, you should be able to:

• explain major concepts and theories of cognitive psychology (LO1);
• interpret and explain major empirical research findings of cognitive psychology (LO2);
• critically compare and/or evaluate major theoretical perspectives of cognitive psychology (LO3);
• apply concepts and theories of cognitive psychology to daily experiences (LO4); and
• examine the current development and/or debates in cognitive psychology (LO5).

In this custom textbook approach, different learning modules have been carefully selected by the course team from two textbooks on cognitive psychology and organised into two volumes specifically designed for PSYC A320 students. By incorporating the latest editions of book chapters and online experiments (CogLab), the custom textbook will provide you with comprehensive coverage of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, applications and development in cognitive psychology.

In addition to the custom textbook, you will be working through the course using an HKMU- produced Study Guide. The Study Guide leads you along your study pathway unit by unit, providing commentary on each textbook chapter and supplementary self-learning and self- assessment opportunities.

The third main point of reference for learning resources during the course is HKMU's Online Learning Environment (OLE). There, you will have access to multimedia materials such as the introductory video and PowerPoint slides, and you will be able to discuss topics with other students and your tutor on the course discussion board. This course is further supported by regular face-to-face meetings in the form of tutorials and day schools.

Introductory video

To start off, you should watch the introductory video for the course in the ePub version of this Course Guide or on the OLE. Then turn to the Study Guide for further guidance through the course.

The custom textbook

The title of the custom textbook is PSYC A320 Cognitive Psychology: Theories and Applications. The chapters are selected from the following textbooks:

• Goldstein, E. B. (2019). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday experience (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Reed, S. K. (2013). Cognition: Theories and applications (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.

The Study Guide will indicate at which point you should read each chapter of the custom textbook.

The Study Guide

The Study Guide sets out your study pathway through the custom textbook and other course learning resources. It serves several functions. First, as no textbook is able to cover all aspects of cognitive psychology perfectly, the Study Guide will fill the gaps where necessary. Second, it serves as a guide to the textbook chapters, helping you to organise major ideas with tools like tables and diagrams. Third, it contains activities and self-tests to facilitate your learning and revision. You'll therefore need to keep it by your side as you work through the course.

The Study Guide is divided into ten units. The titles of the units and the custom textbook chapters they will cover are set out in the following table.

(*) The book chapter for Unit 10, which is taken from Sternberg and Sternberg (2016) Cognitive Psychology, is not included in the custom textbook and it will be provided in the form of an assigned reading.

E-Library E-Reserve readings

In the Study Guide, you may be instructed to read articles in the E-Library E-Reserve. To read these items, go to the University's E-Library homepage and click on 'E-Reserve'. Log in, click 'Accept/Agree' on the Copyright Restrictions page, fill in the 'Course Code' box, and click 'Search'. Alternatively, you may access the readings via a hyperlink in the online course materials.

The Online Learning Environment (OLE)

A dedicated area for PSYC A320 students has been set up on HKMU's OLE. You will need to log on regularly to the OLE to read the latest news from your Course Coordinator. You can also access the course materials, online discussion board and other online learning components through the OLE.

Face-to-face support

You will be supported throughout the course by regular face-to-face meetings in the form of tutorials and day schools. Basically, every unit will be covered by a tutorial whilst three day schools will be arranged around the beginning, middle and end of the course. You can find the arrangement of these face-to-face sessions in the 'Course overview' section (page 5 of this Course Guide). Details of the dates and times of these sessions can be found in the Course Schedules page of the OLE.

Assessment

This course is designed to assist you in moving easily from the stated objectives, through the study units, readings, and materials to the assignments and examination. During the course, you will have your progress assessed both formally and informally.

Formative assessment includes various activities and self-tests that you will undertake while working your way through the study units, textbook, and readings.

Summative assessment consists of assignments and a final examination.

Assessment summary

The summative assessment items are outlined in the following table.

Assignments

There are five assignments for the course. You will be expected to apply concepts and techniques acquired during the course when completing assignments.

• Assignment 1, worth 12.5%, evaluates materials covered in Units 1 to 3.
• Assignment 2, worth 12.5%, evaluates materials covered in Units 4 and 5.
• Assignment 3, worth 12.5%, evaluates materials covered in Units 6 and 7.
• Assignment 4, worth 12.5%, evaluates materials covered in Unit 8.
• Assignment 5, worth 12.5%, evaluates materials covered in Units 9 and 10.

You will be graded on the best four scores out of the five assignments, which take up 50% of your course grade (i.e. 4 × 12.5% = 50%).

How to submit assignments

You must use word processing software (such as Microsoft Word) to prepare the assignments. The Assignment File gives you details on how to present and submit your assignments. Please refer to the OLE Assignments → General Information section. Please also read the Student Handbook for HKMU's policy on late assignments.

Assignments must reach your tutor by the due date shown on the Presentation Schedule (available on the OLE). If, for some good reason, you are unable to submit your assignment on time, you should, before the due date, ask your tutor or Course Coordinator for permission to submit it late. In general, you are expected to submit your assignments via the OLE. Assignments will be returned to you, marked and with commentary, as soon as possible.

Examination

The final examination for PSYC A320 Cognitive Psychology: Theories and Applications will be of three hours' duration and have a value of 50% of the total course grade. The examination will consist of questions that reflect the types of practice exercises and assignments you have previously experienced, covering Units 1 to 10.

The following table gives a general overview of the course structure. It suggests the amount of time you should allow for completing units and provides a broad schedule for you to plan your work. This estimation includes time for reading the units and custom textbook, completing activities, self-tests and assignments, and attending tutorials and day schools. You can also find a rough schedule of the tutorials and day schools below.

PSYC A320 provides you with a critical understanding of cognitive psychology from different theoretical perspectives and the research and empirical findings. It also discusses the applications of cognitive psychology in daily experiences as well as the current development and debates in the field. You should then be able to achieve the intended learning outcomes through guided deliberation, feedback on coursework and assessment.