PL3233 Module Review

PL3233 Cognitive Psychology

AY2017/18 Semester 2

Taught by Dr. Melvin Yap

Textbook: Eysenck (2012)

Another core, another non-Pearson textbook that was in it’s early editions. Several inconsistencies and typos in this edition but the Prof did well to notify us of crucial errors.

The content was fairly interesting after you get past the initial few weeks, unless you’re a fan of perception (I’m not). Topics on language were a little dry to me but thankfully EL1101E and even PL3234 gave me a head-start on them.

Lectures usually start with ungraded Kahoot quizzes. If you don’t know what Kahoot is, it’s a really fun group survey/test platform. These were fun, I always tried to get first place but failed half the time. The lecture proper is nothing new, although it is worth mentioning that the lecturer did really well to describe studies that were vaguely or poorly described in the textbook, along with other interesting studies related to the topic at hand.

The only real quibble I had with the lectures was the way “processes” and “biases” were pronounced but that’s not a deal-breaker.

There were relatively few components up for grading, a 25% mid-term, 25% term assignment, and 50% finals. Mid-terms comprised 50 MCQs that can test pretty much anything in the textbook, which reminds me, try not to oversummarise your textbook for some psych modules. When you study these truncated notes, you just end up missing out on some info.

The term paper was similar to that of developmental psych’s, find a reputable journal article related to something in the course, summarise it and describe it’s impact on the field/real life. The key is to get started early. It’s tempting to wait till later in the semester to start because you “don’t know enough about the course yet”. This “problem” is easily circumvented by just reading ahead. Weeks 1 and 2 are particularly useful, considering that there are no tutorials yet. Make the most of the freedom afforded. A stitch in time saves nine.

Finals had MCQs + short answer questions. Most of these open response questions required us to describe studies/summarise certain concepts. For those summarising questions, relevant information could be scattered throughout the textbook, so integrating chapters while you study is important.