Psychology is in part about how we represent ourselves and the world
around us. We seem to be privileged observers of our mental lives, but
are we really? In this course, we will look at many types of
illusions that result in false perceptions, false knowledge, false
memory, etc. Illusions are of interest because they tell us
something about how our cognitive apparatus works, so in looking at the
types of illusions we are subject to, we also have to come up with
theories of why those illusions happen. Thus, the objectives in
this course include introducing you to various types of illusions, and
the theories behind them. I also hope that in teaching you how
off our common sense and intution and memory can be, I will also make
you better aware of some of the factors that may make you less likely
to be caught up in some of these illusions, and more aware of their
consequences, many of which have practical applications.
For a text, we will use a book that wasn't actually written to be a
text but that I hope you will find as interesting and enjoyable as I
did: Chabris, C., & Simons, D. (2010). The invisible gorilla.
New York: Crown. (Also available in Kindle and other electronic
formats.) I will probably occasionally supplement the
book with journal articles that may be found online, and these will be
announced in class. Readings
from the text and approximate starting dates for the various topics are
as follows
(Note that changes may be announced in class concerning test dates and
topics to be covered
in each test!):
TOPICS READINGS
1/13
1. The
Illusion of Attention
Ch. 1
1/27
2. The Illusion of Memory
Ch. 2
2/17
3. The
Illusion of
Confidence
Ch. 3
2/29
4. The Illusion of
Knowledge
Ch. 4
3/9
5. The Illusion of
Cause
Ch. 5
3/23
6. The Illusion of Potential
Ch. 6
4/11
7. The Illusion of
Communication
(to be
announced)
4/20
8. (to be announced)
(to be
announced)
2/15
TEST 1: Topics 1-2
3/14
TEST
2: Topics 3-4
4/11 TEST
3:
Topics 5-6
5/5 TEST 4: The
Rest (11-1:30)
GRADING
The tests generally will involve brief essays, although you may occasionally receive terms to identify. Each test will be worth 100 points. Essays will be graded on a letter scale, with letter grades converted to numbers for an overall score (in a 20-point essay, for example, 20, 19, and 18 will respectively represent A+, A, and A-). In addition, there will likely be a project worth 30 points that will involve running through several experiments in the lab, and writing each up for comparison with the theories & data presented in class and in the text (I anticipate that each write-up will be short - 3 to 4 pages per experiment). Aspects of these labs could appear on a subsequent test.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
I will allow makeup work only if (a) due to an unforeseeable and
excusable
absence, or (b) due to a foreseeable and excusable absence of which I
have
been notified DAYS IN ADVANCE. As the tests will include a reasonable
amount
of material from classroom lectures, you would be wise not to miss too
many
lectures. Note that I will NOT automatically drop you from class for
absences
(you need to go through official drop procedures if you decide to drop
the
course!).
OFFICE HOURS
Office hours are generally going to have to be by appointment this semester. I anticipate being physically on campus one out of every three weeks, due to circumstances (the weeks I am not physically here, we will videoconference in your classroom through skype). So, when I'm here, office hours will be after class. And when I am not, I can answer questions through email, or via skype. You can contact me via e-mail by clicking on the following: cech@louisiana.eduEMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURE
A map of this floor is posted near the elevator marking the evacuation route & the Designated Rescue Area. This is an area where emergency service personnel will first look for individuals who need assistance in exiting the building. Students who may need assistance should identify themselves to the teaching faculty.