Welcome to PS1509

Introductory Psychology II: Concepts and Theory

L1 Course Administrators

Dr Philip Benson PS1509 coordinator

Mrs Emma Chambers Level 1 Secretary

Dr David Pearson PS1510 coordinator

Philip.benson@abdn.ac.uk

e.chambers@abdn.ac.uk

d.g.pearson@abdn.ac.uk

PS1509
Lectures in ALT on Mondays 11:00-12:00, Tuesdays 13:00-14:00 & Thursdays 11:00-12:00 Debate Workshops in Weeks 4, 6, 8, and 10 (week 4 begins February 18th)

Sensation & Perception Mondays 1100-1200

Dr Amelia Hunt Week 1-6

Dr Karin Pilz Week 7-12

Emotion Tuesdays 1300-1400 Week 1- 6

Dr Margaret Jackson

Evolution Thursday 1100-1200 Week 1- 6

Dr Rama Chakravarthi

Social Psychology Tuesday 1300-1400 and Thursday 1100-1200 Week 7-12

Dr Doug Martin

The Schedule
Week 1-6 Monday 1100-1200 Tuesday 1300-1400 Thursday 1100-1200 Sensation & Perception (Dr Hunt) Evolution (Dr Chakravarthi) Emotion (Dr Jackson) Week 7-12 Sensation & Perception (Dr Pilz) Social Psychology (Dr Martin) Social Psychology (Dr Martin)

PS1009 Perception: Sensory Transduction

Lectures
Turn up on time The course textbook is Gleitman, H., Gross, J. & Reisberg, D. (2011). Psychology. (8th Edition: International Student Edition)). New York/London: W.W. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-11682-3 Copies (Ref 150.Mar) in DRL heavy demand and 3 day loan Other texts and readings may be assigned by individual lecturers Lecture slides, course guide and recordings will be available on MyAberdeen

PS1509 Assessment
75% of your final course grade is A one hour multiple choice exam 25% of your final grade is Peer assessments of your contribution to workshops Whats a workshop?

If you are new or need to change groups, get a sign-up sheet from the main office. Final group allocations will appear on the Level 1 noticeboard (in foyer) and MyAberdeen. Workshop guidelines and topics are also posted on myAberdeen.

Workshop Debates
#1, Week 4, Introduction: Effective debating Topic allocations* for #2 #2, Week 6, Debate [Perception], peer assessment, feedback Topic allocations for #3 #3, Week 8, Debate [Emo/Evo], peer assessment, feedback Topic allocations for #4
*Note unlike last term, you will be allocated to group A or B only once

Meet your group Research topic Prepare debate

#4, Week 10, Debate [Social], peer assessment, feedback

What happens if I miss a workshop ?

Contact your tutor or Emma ASAHP!
Dear (STUDENT NAME), You are receiving this email to follow up your absence from (COURSE CODE) on (DD/MM/YY). It is important to us that our students are well-informed and well-supported so please read the following carefully. If your absence was due to illness, you need to submit either a self-certification (https://abdn.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/xid-15016_1 ) or a medical certificate from your doctor/student health within 7 days of your absence. If your absence was due to other circumstances then I would strongly encourage you to contact Student Support Services (located at the InfoHub) where a wide range of information and support can be obtained. Links for some of the services provided by the university to support students are provided below. If you were absent from the class because you are experiencing difficulties with the course including its content then please make an appointment to meet with me so we can discuss your concerns and identify solutions to improve your attendance. Any information discussed with me would be regarded as confidential. Please acknowledge that you have received this email. If you intend submitting or have submitted a self-certification or medical certificate then please let me know. If I do not hear from you within the next 4 5 days I will follow-up this email with a telephone call to ensure you have received this information. Be assured that your attendance is important to us and we are motivated to ensure that your student experience and academic performance are well-supported. Do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to meet. Kind regards, (SUPPORT TEAM MEMBER) Contact details: General Advice and Support: (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/student-support/support-office.php) Disability Advice / Support: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/disability/ Advice for International Students: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/students/international/index.php Financial Assistance (Hardship / Discretionary Funds, Childcare) http://www.abdn.ac.uk/students/financial-assistance.php

Failure to attend workshops can result in a loss of your class certificate (C7). If youre having problems with attendance or have questions about the policy contact our student support team: Nicola Thompson (n.thompson@abdn.ac.uk) Toni Fallon (toni.fallon@abdn.ac.uk)

Exams

Lecture slides/recordings are not sufficient for exams Attending live lectures is always the best idea Past paper in the library/online (PS1509)

Where to get help, and find more information:

1. Handbook and MyAberdeen 2. Level 1 notice board 3. Psychology Office 4. Philip Benson (philip.benson@abdn.ac.uk)

Sensation & Perception Lectures 1-6

Dr. Amelia Hunt

Contact me via email: a.hunt@abdn.ac.uk Office hours: by appointment Course material posted on MyAberdeen - lecture slides - lecture recordings - extra reading material Read Gleitman et al Chapter 4

What is Perception?

everything!

Everything you see, feel, hear, taste, and smell is a product of the biological machinery inside your brain.

What do we sense?

What do we actually sense? Just four things.

Light Chemicals Mechanical forces Temperature

Physical World / Distal Stimuli

Input from the physical world

Mental World / Proximal Stimuli

psychophysics

PS1009 Perception: Introduction

What is the relationship between the real world and our perception of it?
Similar / the same Empiricism knowledge comes from outside the mind The environment shapes the brain and our experience of the world Blank Slate / Nurture Farther apart / unknowable Rationalism certain fundamental principals drive/shape knowledge Our brains architecture shapes and constrains experience Innate tendencies / Nature

How is the brain and perception shaped by exposure to different environments? e.g. neural plasticity, development, short and long-term effects of stimulus exposure

What are the basic substrates and laws that drive perception? e.g. illusions, psychophysical laws, functional brain anatomy

PS1509 Perception: Sensory Transduction

This course:

How do we get from there to here? Three steps:

1. Sample physical information 2. Integrate and encode it in the brain 3. Interpret and use it

The next six weeks . . .

Step 1. Sample information Process Sensory Transduction - light (the eye) - pressure (the ear, skin, etc.) - chemicals (tongue, nose, etc.) - temperature (skin, etc.) 2. Encode / register it Sensory Pathways and Networks - vision - audition & somatosensation 3. Organize, interpret, and use it Perception 5 6 7-12 (Dr Pilz) 2 3 4 4 Lecture

Perception @ Aberdeen

Academic staff studying visual perception:

Dr Rama Chakravarthi visual awareness, reading Dr Constanze Hesse visually-guided actions (reaching, grasping) Dr Frouke Hermens models of eye movement control Dr Amelia Hunt eye movements and spatial attention Dr Jasna Martinovic neural mechanisms of object recognition Dr Karin Pilz motion perception, vision across the lifespan Prof Arash Sahraie visual deficits and rehabilitation

Academic staff studying related concepts:

Dr Philip Benson eye movements in clinical populations Prof Mike Burton face recognition Dr Margaret Jackson visual working memory Dr Rachel Swainson executive attention

Methods in perception @ Aberdeen

Psychophysics Reaction time Eye tracking Motion capture EEG Patient studies Computational modeling fMRI