Psychology 343

Location: NSC 225

Sensory Processes and Perception

Course Goals / Course Outline / Readings / Class_Requirements

Fall 2012

Mon, Wed, Fri

12:00 - 12:50

Instructor: James R Sawusch

Office: 360 Park Hall

Email: jsawusch@buffalo.edu

Phone: (716) 645-0238

Office Hours:

Mon 2:00 - 5:00

or by Appointment

Teaching Assistant: Timothy Pruitt

Office: 312 Park Hall

Email: tapruitt@buffalo.edu

 

Office Hours:

Tues 11:00 - 12:00 and Fri 2:00 - 3:00

or by Appointment

Course Goals

This class covers the basics of the human senses and our perception of the world around us.  Neuroscience and the physiology of the sensory systems is integrated with behavioral research to understand the processes of the brain that underly our experience of the world: perception.  The visual system and the auditory system are the primary focus of the course but touch, taste, and smell will also be briefly examined.  Major theoretical perspectives are treated along with classic and contemporary empirical studies.

The basic goal of the class is to provide students with a sufficient background understand the operation of the senses, how perception is both veridical with and different from the world around us, and the basis for sensory deficits.

Objectives for Student Learning

Understand the basic operation of the human senses and how perception results from the interaction of sensory information with other brain/mind systems (attention, memory, language):

1. Be able to explain the major theories of perception and how they can be examined and tested with behavioral data.  Assessed by exams and short papers.

2. Understand the nature of the energy (stimulus) that each sensory system responds to and the limits that this places on perception.  Assessed by exams.

3. Be able to explain the nature of sensory impariments, their causes, whether they can be remediated and how they can be remediated.  Assessed by exams and short papers.

4. Be able to describe situations where reality and our perception of it are not veridical (illusions) and how these inform us about the nature of perception.  Assessed by exams and short papers.

5. Be able to understand and evaluate possible relationships between the mind (our experience) and the brain as they relate to perception.  Assessed by exams and short papers.

Course Outline:

DATE

TOPIC

READING

Readings

Goldstein, E. B. (2010). Sensation and Perception (8th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.  ISBN 978-0-495-60149-4    Required.

Class Requirements

The class is a lecture-discussion format. Material is from the text and lecture. The text for the Fall, 2012 semester is Sensation and Perception (8th edition) by Goldstein. The accompanying Virtual Lab CD has demonstrations keyed to topics in the text.  The lecture notes will be posted on the web.  Sample multiple choice exam questions will also be posted.  Notes can be accessed by the link in the syllabus (the topic in the tentative course outline, above).  Answers to the sample questions are on a separate page at the end of the set of questions. If you have trouble with the sample questions, discuss them with the instructor or TA.

Exams.  There will be three (3) examinations.  The exams are not cumulative, but new material often builds upon the previous material.  The third exam is given during final exam week.  Make up exams are only given for legitimate reasons per University guidelines. The examinations are multiple choice. Sample questions are posted with the lecture notes.

Short papers.  There will be three (3) short (one page) papers. They topics will be posted on the web along with the criteria that will be used for their evaluation. The short papers are due on the date indicated in the exercise (see Course Outline above for approximate dates). The short paperss can be submitted on-line via UBLearns (prefered) or hard copy (typed only).  Papers are to be done individually (no group or collaborative work).

Grades.  The score on each exam will be normalized (a z-score) and the sum of the three short papers will be normalized.  The lowest of these four scores (one exam or the sum of the short papers) will be dropped and the arithmetic mean of the remaining 3 normalized scores will be used to determine the final grade based on a normal curve. Plus and minus grades will be given for scores in the upper and lower thirds of each grade range. The approximate final curve is shown below. The final curve for this semester will have the same proportion of the class in each grade range.

If the final grade for any student would be higher using a flat scale of 89% to 100% - A; 77% to 88% - B; 65% to 76% - C; 51% to 64% - D and 50% and below - F, then this flat scale will be used. Plus and minus grades will be given for averages in the upper and lower thirds of each grade range.

Due Dates & Exam Dates

Make up exams are only given for legitimate reasons per University recommendations. Similarly, extensions for due dates for the short papers will only be given for legitimate reasons.

Academic Integrity

The University has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect for others' academic endeavors. By placing their name on academic work, students certify the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgments.

Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability which makes it difficult for you to carry out the course work as outlined and/or requires accommodations such as recruiting note takers, readers or extended time on exams, please contact the office of Accessibility Resources, 25 Capen Hall, phone 645-2608. Also contact the instructor, preferably within the first two weeks of class. AR will provide you with information and review appropriate arrangements for reasonable accommodations.