Sensation and Perception
Psy 3680
Spring 2012
| Instructor: | Jeffrey R. Stowell |
| Office Room: | 1055 Physical Sciences |
| Office Phone: | 581-2279 (Office) |
| Home Phone: | 348-6286 (Home) |
| E-mail: | jrstowell@eiu.edu |
| Office Hours: | M/W 1:00-2:30 pm; T 9-10 am |
| Class Web Site: | https://online.eiu.edu/ |
| Textbook Web Resources: | http://www.sinauer.com/wolfe2e/home/startF.htm |
Teaching Philosophy
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled" --Plutarch
Course Materials
Required textbook: Wolfe, J. M., Kluender, K. R., Levi, D. M., et al. (2009). Sensation & Perception (2nd ed.). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.
Catalog Description
Survey and study of the basic principles of sensation and perception relative to a person's interaction with the environment. Significant applied and life span trends are considered.
Guidelines for Studying and Test Taking
- Please read my guidelines to improve your chances for success in this course (and others).
- I strongly recommend viewing Dr. Stephen Chew's video series on "How to get the most out of studying"
Course Objectives
- Evaluate major concepts, theories, and research in sensation and perception.
- Analyze individual differences in sensation and perception.
- Apply your knowledge of sensation and perception to real-world issues.
- Critically examine and write about current research on sensation & perception.
- Connect the anatomy/physiology of each of the major senses with our perceptual experiences.
- Develop a greater appreciation for your senses.
- Enjoy learning!
TurningPoint
TurningPoint is the EIU campus standard for classroom response systems. I use TurningPoint technology combined with peer instruction to create an active learning environment that promotes participation and engagement in class. The benefits of using TurningPoint are that
- All students can respond to questions posed in class.
- Students give more honest answers of what they are thinking and learning because their responses are anonymous to other students.
- I am more aware of how much students are learning and can immediately adjust my teaching strategy based on student feedback (This is sometimes called "agile teaching").
- It works well with peer instruction, which has also been shown to increase student learning.
A portion of your grade will depend on TurningPoint participation. As part of this class, you are required to purchase and register a TurningPoint keypad (aka "clicker"). At the MLK Union Bookstore, the cost for a new keypad is $35 + tax, or $25 for a used one. You may also be able to find a used keypad from another student who is not using it this semester. If you buy the keypad from the bookstore, the bookstore will register the keypad at the time of purchase. If not, you can register the keypad yourself at: http://www.eiu.edu/~cats/clickerRegistration/survey.php You only need to register your keypad once. If you already have a keypad from a previous course, you don't need to register it again.
As long as you participate in at least 70% of the class periods that I record participation, you will receive the full participation points. If you participate less, your participation points will be reduced accordingly. Tracking individual participant responses is only done for the purposes of grading, course development, and research.
Requirements and Grading
| Assignment | Points | Final Grade | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online quizzes (9 x 25 pts) | 225 | A (90%) | 436-485 | |
| Midterm Exam | 50 | B (80%) | 388-435 | |
| Final exam | 50 | C (70%) | 339-387 | |
| Journal article critiques (2 x 40 pts each) | 80 | D (60%) | 291-338 | |
| Sensory deprivation paper | 40 | |||
| Dangerous Decibels | 10 | |||
| TurningPoint participation | 30 | |||
| Total | 485 | |||
Quizzes
- Chapter quizzes will be administered online through WebCT. They will be available for up to 3 days after we complete the associated chapter in class. Questions on the chapter quizzes are multiple choice and short answer from material covered in class and the textbook. Quiz questions are randomly selected from a set of questions. Thus, you may end up with 2 questions that test similar concepts and you will probably not have the exact same questions as another student. Don't worry, across all the quizzes, the average difficulty for everyone in the class will be very similar.
- The quizzes are timed (1 hour). The timer begins once you open the quiz. If you would rather take your quizzes in a classroom, you must tell me before the first quiz. If you choose this option, you must take all of your quizzes in a classroom.
- If you have problems while taking a quiz, such as the network going down or your computer crashing, please complete the quiz at the next possible time. You may have a warning that your time has expired, but it will still save your answers. Then, send me an e-mail explaining why your time went over. WebCT records all the quiz times.
- Your web browser must be java-enabled to take the quizzes. Before you take the first quiz, you should test your web browser from the link on the WebCT login page. Also be aware that pop-up ad killer software may also "kill" your pop up WebCT quiz.
- If you can't see more than 10 quizzes listed on the assessment page, you need to click on the drop down box at the bottom right of the page (see below) to go to the 2nd page of assessments. Or, click the icon at the bottom right of the page and change the settings to display more than 10 items per page.
- After the quiz has been graded, you can view your results by going to the quiz page and clicking on the action menu icon to the right of the quiz name. Select "View Submission", then click on the attempt number link to see your graded quiz. Watch a brief video on how to do it.
- You may use your textbook and notes on the quizzes, but not other sources or your classmates.
- Make up quizzes will only be given for University-approved absences that extend beyond the 3 day window to take the quiz.
- View EIU Student Success Center's test taking tips at: http://www.eiu.edu/~success/testtaking.php
Midterm and Final Exams
The midterm and final exam are comprehensive online exams. The midterm covers material from chapters 1-6 and the final exam covers material from chapters 8-14. Both exams will contain questions randomly selected from prior quizzes. Thus, you should study the results from your chapter quizzes to prepare. The midterm exam will be available for up to one week, while the final exam will only be available during the designated 2-hour final examination period.
Journal Article Critiques
- Rationale for assigning journal article critiques.
- It provides you an opportunity to research areas of learning that interest you.
- You gain valuable practice analyzing and writing about published research.
- It provides a way for you to earn course credit through critical writing, as a complement to taking tests.
- You will gain experience using the electronic library resources to become better at finding information
- View the complete journal critique instructions
Sensory Deprivation Paper
Your assignment is to deprive yourself of vision, hearing, or both for a minimum of 4 consecutive hours during part of the day that you would normally be active. You may choose to go without vision (blindfolded) or hearing (ear plugs) or both! Include a title page with your name on it. Write at least 2 full pages (double-spaced, 1" margins) describing what you did, for how long, how it affected you, how you view people who have a permanent visual or auditory disability, and how you would deal with a permanent loss of that sense.
Technology Policy
- Cell phones should not be used during class, except with the instructor's permission. Texting or talking on cell phones disrupts the learning environment, especially for the person doing it :)
- Laptops may be used in class only for taking notes.
Academic misconduct
Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Academic misconduct will result in failure of the course and appropriate disciplinary action, according to university guidelines.
Reading Schedule, Important Dates
Please read the chapters in the textbook before class in order to enhance understanding of demonstrations, examples, and group discussions. Please note this schedule is subject to change.
| Lecture Topic | Chapter |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Perception | 1 |
| First steps in Visions | 2 |
| Perceiving and Recognizing Objects | 4 |
| Perception of Color | 5 |
| Space perception and binocular vision | 6 |
| Attention and Scene Perception | 8 |
| Hearing: Physiology and Acoustics | 9 |
| Hearing in the environment | 10 |
| Touch | 12 |
| Olfaction | 13 |
| Taste | 14 |
| Important Event | Date |
| Journal Critique #1 | Feb 15 |
| Journal Critique #2 | Mar 21 |
| Midterm Exam | Sometime shortly after chapter 6 is done (estimated date: 2nd week of March) |
| Dangerous Decibels | Mar 28 |
| Sensory Deprivation Paper | Apr 6 |
| Final Exam | Mon, April 30, 2:45-4:45 pm |
If you have a documented disability and wish to receive academic accommodations, please contact the coordinator of the Office of Disability Services (581-6583) as soon as possible.