APU PSYC303 2018 November Full Course Latest

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 1 Forum

Introduction to Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

Part I:

Introduce yourself to the class.

Who are you? Where are you from and currently residing or stationed?

What are your current and/or future educational aspirations and goals?

What are your learning goals for this course?

What are your interests outside of college?

Part II:

What is your understanding of cognitive psychology? How does cognition play into one's awareness, recollection, understanding, communication, and even learning? How does one's cognition play a key role in one's identity?

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 2 Forum

Working Memory Capacity

As we move into Week 2 and begin to dig deeper into cognition and learning, we see there are many important topics to discuss this week and in the weeks to follow! An intriguing topic that affects us all is that of memory. Working memory, which is often conflated with short-term memory (STM) is the topic of our forum this week. Our course materials inform us of the limited capacity of the working memory and the need to essentially flip the data processed in immediately, transferring it into a meaningful information we can use to address the issues presented.

Let’s take a moment to review a great Ted Talks video with speaker Peter Doolittle (2013), who discusses the concept of working memory and how it influences our day to day activities.

https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_doolittle_how_your_working_memory_makes_sense_of_the_world

The Working Memory tests linked below provide us with an excellent opportunity to test our working memory capacity!

https://www.memorylosstest.com/free-working-memory-tests-online/

http://opencoglab.org/memtest1/

https://youtu.be/l6TrsYI1Grk

For this week’s Forumforum, complete the Working Memory Capacity Demo provided in the link.

Complete at the working memory tests on each site and view/summarize your results for each.

Share your results with the group in your initial forum post.

Discuss how you performed on each test, noting whether your working memory capacity was significantly greater on one test over the others.

Note why this may have been; did the course materials offer support to suggest an explanation for your results?

Finally, share your greatest take away from the activity as it relates to your working memory capacity.

References

Doolittle, P. (2013, June). Peter Doolittle: How your “working memory” makes sense of the world [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_doolittle_how_your_working_memory_makes_sense_of_the_world    

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 3 Forum

Motivation and Emotion

In our day-to-day experiences, cognition and motivation are two, intertwined processes that guide our behavior and even the planning of future behavior. As an inherent process, motivation serves to direct our needs-driven behaviors, at the most basic level, ensuring survival; at more sophisticated, complex levels, motivation directs our goals-driven behaviors, working to satisfy those higher-order needs we hold. Various factors (e.g. other individuals, situations, awareness, etc.) may influence the just how motivated one becomes in each situation. Similarly, emotional regulation plays an important role in directing goal related behavior; identifying the effects of emotional leverage is important in motivationally directed behavior.

For this week’s forum, reflect on your personal experiences, thinking about the influence of motivation and emotion in your own life.

Discuss the theory of motivation you see as most applicable to your life and behaviors, sharing how you become and remain motivated to reach your goals. 

Based on your reflection, how has emotion affected your motivation-driven behaviors?

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 4 Forum

Evolutional Perspectives on Cognition

Our behaviors are affected by many factors, including the way in which we receive and process information. The knowledge, awareness, and perceptual processes we have can all be influenced by both external and internal occurrences. Albert Ellis, in his Forumof Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, provides us with food for thought in understanding how our internal discussions, or self-talk, serve as a buffer in behavioral change at the emotional level. From an evolutionary perspective, behavior may develop from knowledge, awareness, perception, labeling, and retention, among other forces.

After reviewing the course materials for the week, share your thoughts on how the Theory of Evolution helps one develop and change over time.

In addition, discuss how you identify changes you have seen in your development, noting the specific theory that is most closely related to your developmental changes.

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 5 Forum

Observational Learning

Below is a link to Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment, which is addressed in our course materials for the week. The experiment reminds us of the foundational makeup of social learning theory and the role observational learning may have in shaping behaviors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqNaLerMNOE

For your initial post this week, think about the modeling steps in observational learning.

Discuss the ways in which prosocial and antisocial learning affect one’s observational learning.

Think about how children and adults are influenced by behaviors and how they mimic actions of others.

What are a few suggestions one can offer to help others be more cautious of their behaviors and how those behaviors can influence others in the role of observer?

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 6 Forum

Expressing Creativity

his week, in our course materials, we are challenged to consider aspects of intelligence and creativity. Creativity, we learn, is an important skill applied in solving novel problems and creating unique goods, products, services, or ideas.

Elizabeth Kirk (2016) explores the role of gesturing in encouraging creative thought in young children. The study conducted revealed gesturing increased the number of novel ideas generated by children. This gives us much to consider as we look at what drives our creativity!

Considering the course materials for the week, think about the situations in which your creativity is at its highest. In what format is your creativity best expressed?

If you were asked to define and develop a measure appropriate for your ideal display of creativity, how would the definitions and instruments of measures be described?

ReferencesKirk, E. (2016, December 14). Gesturing can boost children’s creative thinking. Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/gesturing-can-boost-childrens-creative-thinking.html

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 7 Forum

Problem-Solving, Reasoning, and Decision-Making

In our course materials this week, we were introduced to some very useful information about the processes in which we engage to solve problems, reason, and make important (and not so important) decisions. Several methods and strategies were explained in our reading and now we will take the time to put some of the information to use!

Click the link below to get to the game for this Forumforum; you will be relatively familiar with it, some more than others.

http://www.y8.com/games/deal_or_no_deal

Rules to the game are available on the website for those needing additional instructions. While playing the game, be sure to keep note of your steps, the processes in which you are engaging throughout the game, and why.

After completing the game, it should only take about 5 to 7 minutes to play, discuss your processes throughout the selection and decision-making steps of the game.

Discuss the influence of reasoning, risk-taking, framing, emotions, mental models, and other processes and factors in the decision-making process on your final decision to make a deal or not make a deal.

Identify and explain the problem-solving and decision-making models you feel you used while navigating the game and how these may have been improved upon reflection of the activity.

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 8 Forum

Take-Aways

This week's forum is a space for reflection on learning opportunities as we wrap up our course.

First: Share three "take-away" elements of the course that added to your understanding of cognitive psychology and that you believe will serve you well in the future in both your personal and professional lives and explain why.

Second: Describe the most meaningful three experiences you had while participating in the course discussions with your classmates, focusing not on the forum topics but rather on what was meaningful about building knowledge via dialogs with your fellow learners.

Third: Complete the sentence below. In filling in the blanks, think about information that you learned in completion of the course rather than a preformed opinion in place at the time we started 8 weeks ago and elaborate in the space following the word "because" about why you picked what you did (just one pick; no hedging with multiple ideas).

If I could pick just one thing that the world would be well served to better understand about cognitive psychology, it would be ________________. I chose this because ________________.

Please don’t breeze through this forum. It is graded as much for substance, insight and careful thought as all the previous discussions were.

Note: Please make sure your responses are scholarly and are supported by connections to readings and concepts from the literature. Citations are not required for Forumforums.

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 3 Around the Web Paper

Assignment Instructions

Week 3 Around the Web with Cognitive Psychology

This assignment is intended to enhance your ability to make connections between the course readings and “real-life” situations and the everyday occurrence of cognitive processes as depicted in popular media and professional research sources. This is your opportunity to express your thoughts succinctly and coherently.  Be creative, but ensure that the reader is to able to discern that you can critique the article/media source in a scholarly way as related to course material. This is a great launching point as you begin brainstorming for the Week 7 Creative Project.

Assignment Instructions

For this assignment, you are tasked with identifying a research article or reliable, popular media source (news segment, blog article, etc.) that focuses on a topic related to cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, of a specific process or function of these area have addressed in the first three weeks of the course.

Upon identifying your select media option, you will draft a 5 to 6-page reflection paper, summarizing the media sources’ topic, and its relevance to our understanding of cognition and learning.  Any topic discussed in our readings is fair game, but needs to be clearly depicted in the source you chose.

In your submission, please be sure to clearly address the following topics:

Briefly describe the article/media source you selected (e.g. its plot, characters, themes, etc.).

This description does not need to be lengthy (the entire plot or process explained does not need to be explained; hit the high points).

Rather, the summary should be sufficient to demonstrate that you reviewed the article/media source and can convey the most relevant aspects as they relate to cognitive psychology.

Describe the cognitive psychology concept.

What does it mean in relation to your article/media source?

How you see it displayed in the article/media source you chose?

What new information have you learned about cognitive psychology and how it is portrayed in the public eye?

Does the information portrayed in the article have broader implications for the field of cognitive psychology as it is presented?

Why or why not, and what might the effects be with changes or remaining the same?

Close your work with a brief, but succinct summary of the major take away points from your exploration around the web with cognitive psychology.

Include a minimum 5 to 6 pages, not including the required APA formatted required title and reference pages; submit APA style in-text citations throughout the work as well.

The basic parts of a paper should also be included; these are the opening, introduction section, with a precise thesis statement, the body of the paper with clear, discernable headings where appropriate, and a conclusion that restates the thesis and summarizes the major points of the entire paper.

The APUS Library provides APA formatting resources at Writing@APUS. You may also see Purdue’s OWL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for general APA formatting information and for formatting help on many topics.

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 5 Paper Brain Structures and Functions

For this assignment, you are tasked with completing a 6-8-page paper that addresses the major structures of the brain and the influence these have on cognition and learning. By completing this assignment, you will demonstrate (a) an understanding of the major brain structures, (b) fluency in the processes that occur within the brain, leading to the learning of specific behaviors, and (c) the connections of the relationships required between major brain structures and cognitive functions to facilitate the learning process.

In completing the assignment, include the following, ensuring details are provided to fully elucidate the concepts presented:

Select 2-3 learning experiences, describing, in detail, how each experience generally occurs.

Examples of learning experiences one might consider are learning to ride a bike, learning a new language, learning to bake a cake, to name a few.

In describing each learning experience, identify at least 4 specific brain structures or functions that contribute to or impede the selected learning processes.

For each identified function or structure, describe and define the structure of the brain and purpose, with detail.

Include a diagram, a process model, or provide another visual representation of the brain structures and functions depicting accurate examples of the structural changes that might occur or steps in the process of the learning tasks selected.

As a major purpose of the work is to demonstrate an understanding of the brain structures related to learning processes, close your work with a succinct summary of the major aspects of the topic from the learning experiences you selected.

Share your conclusions as a result of completing this project; how is the knowledge you have gained useful to the field of cognitive psychology, the larger field of psychology, and society overall?

Include a minimum 6 to 7 pages, not including APA formatted required title and reference pages; submit APA style in-text citations throughout the work as well.

The basic parts of a paper should also be included; these are the opening, introduction section, with a precise thesis statement, the body of the paper with clear, discernable headings formatted to APA style levels of heading where appropriate, and a conclusion that restates the thesis and summarizes the major points of the entire paper.

The APUS Library provides APA formatting resources at Writing@APUS. You may also see Purdue’s OWL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for general APA formatting information and for formatting help on many topics.

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 7 PowerPoint Creative Project

The goal of the presentation is to demonstrate your understating of the fundamental role of learning and cognition in numerous processes and functions including perception, pattern recognition, attention, consciousness, learning, memory, concept formation, thinking, imaging, remembering, language, intelligence, emotions, and developmental processes, to name a few. This project is intended to provide you an opportunity to examine the concepts of cognition and learning that are of greatest interest to you, with the course content as a guide.

Drawing on your knowledge of course concepts, identify a topic of interest related to cognitive psychology. Examples of topics one might consider include learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, emotional regulation, memory enhancement, or learning a language.

In a PowerPoint presentation of at least 20 slides, not including title or reference slides, present your selected topic, demonstrating clear connections to cognitive psychology concept(s) introduced the course. In your presentation, include the following elements:

Identify, describe, define, and discuss, with detail, the selected topic related to a cognitive psychology concept.

Provide critical analyses in the examination of the topic; the relevance of the topic on its own and its connection to cognitive psychology should be established early and effectually in the work.

Note the topic’s relation to cognitive psychology, discussing the major functions/processes involved.

This may include multiple structures of the brain, functions, and processes of cognition; be thorough and inclusive.

In the discussion, identify whether the topic is an occurrence of normal or abnormal cognitive functions/processes and how these functions/processes may be enhanced or impeded.

Provide clear definitions and/or explanations for the cognitive psychology concepts included within the work as links to the selected topic are made.

Close your work with the major take away points of the presentation.

Include appropriate attributions to sources for photographic, artistic, and/or graphic depictions displayed within the presentation.

In developing your work, be sure to rely upon academic, scholarly sources to support the information included. Scholarly sources should be cited both in-text and on the reference slide of the submission. A minimum of three (3) academic, scholarly sources are required to be cited in the work.

 

Work should be submitted in a PowerPoint file or other compatible file, and be at least 20 slides in length, excluding the required title slide and separate reference slide. Detailed speaker notes should accompany slides containing mostly bullet point data to include the details expected in the instructions above.

The Week 7 assignment should be submitted by SUNDAY of Week 7, NLT 11:55 pm ET to the Week 7 Assignment Link accessed through the Assignments Link on the left of the main course screen. The school Late Policy applies to all course assignments and can be found in the course syllabus.

Citations and reference pages of the submission should be formatted per 6th edition (revised) APA standards. For assistance and resources on APA formatting style, please see the APUS Writing Center at Writing@APUS.  You may also see Purdue’s OWL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for general APA formatting information and for formatting help on many topics.

 

PSYC303 Learning and Cognition

Week 8 Final Essay Exam

The Final Essay Exam is due for submission by 11:55 pm ET Sunday of WEEK 8 of the course to the Week 8 Assignment Link accessed through the Assignments Link on the left of the main course screen. The school Late Policy applies to all course assignments and can be found in the course syllabus.

Each response must be a minimum of 250 words, include APA formatted, in-text citations, and a full, APA formatted reference list at the end of each response. For assistance and resources on APA formatting style, please see the APUS Writing Center at Writing@APUS. You may also see Purdue’s OWL https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for general APA formatting information and for formatting help on many topics.

The total possible points for the Final Essay Exam is 180 points; point allocation for each short essay response is indicated above each question. Please see the assignment rubric for complete point breakdown and contact your professor with additional questions or concerns.

The following questions are worth 40 possible points each.

Maslow noted that humans have some needs that press over others. Discuss, with adequate detail, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and provide an example of how his structure allows people to prioritize the various needs experienced.

Increased cue availability in the decision-making process generally leads to better, more accurate decisions being made. Ecological rationality is, in part, grounded by this assertion. Explain the concept of ecological rationality, its accepted limitations, and benefits as a model in decision-making. Share your thoughts on its usefulness to your own decision-making processes.

Define and discuss the concept of intelligence. Considering the types of intelligence presented in the course materials, which conceptualization do you believe most comprehensively represents human intelligence? Provide your rationale for your selection.

Discuss the relationship between memory and learning, exploring whether one process disproportionately affects the other or if these two processes have reciprocal influences on each other. Share a few methods or techniques that might be applied to enhance or improve the affected process or processes in this relationship, ultimately resulting in better memory or improved learning capabilities.

The following question is worth 20 points.

Discuss the most useful information you have learned in Cognition and Learning. Share the ways the new knowledge will affect your day-to-day activities, or thoughts about your activities, moving forward.