Time Schedule:
Anthony G. Greenwald
PSYCH 448
Seattle Campus
Selected research topics of contemporary interest. Quarterly listings of specific offerings are available at departmental advisory office.
Class description
Starting in about 1980, cognitive and social psychology experienced a conceptual revolution that has produced widely useful research methods and an ever-expanding understanding of the ways which human cognition and behavior function outside the reach of introspective awareness. This course surveys the methods and findings of that research. Some of the topics are implicit memory, subliminal priming, and implicit attitudes.
Student learning goals
Students will gain knowledge of the most important methods used to study implicit and unconscious cognition.
Students will gain knowledge of empirical findings established by these methods.
Students will gain knowledge of major theoretical issues concerning implicit and unconscious cognition.
Students will be challenged to apply their analytic skills to topics that they find especially interesting.
Students will identify a significant unanswered theoretical or empirical question.
Students will be challenged to propose research that could contribute to answering the significant unanswered question.
General method of instruction
The instructor will lecture on several of the longer-established topics and methods early in the quarter. Later students will have more active roles in class meetings, with opportunities to organize, analyze, synthesize, and present material that they select from among a variety of available topics. Students should be prepared to spend at least 4 hours per week outside of class meetings on various types of preparation for class meetings. In weeks in which they have presentation responsibilities, more time than that is likely to be needed.
Recommended preparation
Because some knowledge of statistics is essential in reading the literature for the course topics, Psychology 315 or 318 (the latter of which can be concurrent) is a prerequisite. Because the focus will mostly be on material of cognitive and social psychology, one of the department's relevant 300-level courses is a second prerequisite (i.e., Psychology 335, 345, or 355).
Class assignments and grading
Readings of greatest conceptual and methodological significance will be assigned to all. There will be multiple opportunities to earn credit via options for individual work that will be announced through the quarter. Some assignments will call for short-format writing (no major paper will be assigned).
A closed-book midterm exam worth 25% of the course grade will be given about 1/3 of the way through the quarter, based on these important readings and on material covered in lectures. Students will have individual presentation responsibility for selected pieces of research (within their focus). There will be no final exam.
