THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
PSYC2008
Visual Perception & Cognition
Course Outline 2015

General Overview of PSYC2008

PSYC2008 builds on the basic perception and cognition material presented in first year,
by examining in-depth some of the phenomena which are of contemporary interest.
Perception and cognition are sub-disciplines of psychology which are characterised by
an experimental orientation. This orientation will be reflected in both the theory and the
research introduced in PSYC2008. Perception and cognition are not only subdisciplines of psychology, but are also aspects of a broader endeavour termed cognitive
science, which transcends traditional disciplines in its investigation of the
representations and processes involved in human knowledge and higher-level
functioning. A cognitive scientist might have a background in perception and/or
cognitive psychology, but might also come from other disciplines, such as computer
science, engineering, linguistics, philosophy or anthropology.
PSYC2008 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of PSYC2008, students should be able to:
(i)

(ii)

(iii)
(iv)

Describe the core concepts and major questions in visual perception and
cognitive psychology and the theoretical and methodological approaches
that have been used to address these
Compare and contrast particular approaches to studying visual perception
and cognition (including psychophysics, behavioural, neuropsychological
and neuroimaging) in light of their use to answer a particular research
question
Critically analyse empirical evidence in visual perception and cognitive
psychology
Conduct and produce written reports of experiments designed to test
different hypotheses or theories.

Teaching Staff
Lecturers
A/Prof Mark Edwards (Course Coordinator Perception)
Rm: 125B Psychology Building
Phone: 6125 5530
Mark.Edwards@anu.edu.au
Dr Emma Axelsson (Course Coordinator Cognition)
Rm: 216 Psychology Building
Phone: 6125 5023
emma.axelsson@anu.edu.au
Tutors
Tamara Gradden (TA)
Rebecca Lawrence
Elizabeth Shen
Alex Smith

Tamara.gradden@anu.edu.au
u5197645@anu.edu.au
u5014182@anu.edu.au
Alex.smith@anu.edu.au

Office Hours
Mark: Tuesday 2 - 3 and Friday 2 - 3, and at other times by appointment.
Emma: by appointment.
Tutors will make their own arrangements regarding office hours once they
commence teaching.
Consultation with staff
Who to ask. See Mark or Emma for questions about their own lecture material. In the
first instance, see your tutor for questions about lab material, lab reports, and lab
marking; see Emma (cognition labs) or Mark (perception labs) if you still need help.
See Mark for all questions about the administration of the course.
How to find us. Lecturers will be available specifically for consultations with PSYC2008
students during their office hours noted above. If you cant make these times, please
phone or email first to make an alternative time. Email is also a good way to ask quick
or simple questionswe will normally respond within 24 hours.
Class Times
Lectures
Tuesday
Friday

9 10am
9 10am

(Physics T (Building 39a)

(Physics T (Building 39a)

All students are expected to attend lectures.

Laboratories
Laboratory classes will be held on six of the 13 weeks of the semester. Laboratory
classes will be held in Weeks 2 (starting 27th July), 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. Attendance at
laboratories is compulsory (see more on this later).

See the timetable. It may be that not all the lab times will run -- it will depend on final
student numbers.
Laboratories will be held in Room 148 (Lab3) or 151 (depending on needs), in the
Psychology Building (39).

Web notes & lecture recordings

Lecture notes, PowerPoint slides, digital recordings of lectures and course announcements will
be on WATTLE. Please note that despite our best efforts to record lectures, technical and/or
human error means that lectures might not always be recorded.
Lab Enrolment and Attendance
Lab sign-up will be via WATTLE. Note, if you can only do one lab time, you need to
submit a priority form. Information on the procedure is given at
http://psychology2.anu.edu.au/_special/labsignup/
or go to the link on the WATTLE page.
The Research School of Psychology considers the laboratory component of all courses
to be an integral part of each course laboratory classes may supplement and consolidate
material covered in lectures or they may introduce entirely new material pertinent to the
objectives of the course. As such, attendance at laboratory classes is considered to be
compulsory.
It is therefore the policy of the Research School of Psychology that students will attend
all laboratory classes scheduled for any course. Absences must be notified (in advance,
if possible) to the tutor or course convenor, and accompanied by adequate and
appropriate documentation justifying the absence. Only reasons entirely beyond the
students control and unable to be anticipated and adjusted for at the beginning of the
course will be accepted reasons will be restricted to illness or significant personal
crisis, and the accompanying documentation must be a medical certificate or other
professional evidence of incapacity to attend. Clashes with other courses or with work
commitments will not be accepted as reasons for absence since these can be anticipated
and adjusted for at the beginning of the course.
The following points outline the range of circumstances which may characterize missed
laboratory classes, and set out the consequences which the Research School of
Psychology will adopt in relation to those circumstances:
1. Failure to attend one laboratory class, but supported by acceptable documentation:
No penalty will be applied and no catch-up work will be required. However, where
the laboratory has an assessable component (e.g. a quiz, laboratory book/log, or
assessed presentation) the student will still be required to present this work (or
equivalent, after discussion with the course convenor) in order to receive these
marks. In this situation, the course convenor may also choose to pro-rate a grade
based on performance in the remainder of the laboratory classes, in lieu of additional
assessable work.
2. Failure to attend more than one laboratory class, but supported by acceptable
documentation: Catch-up work for all missed laboratory classes (other than the
allowable one class) must be discussed with, and completed to the satisfaction of
the course convenor in order to avoid the penalty for each missed laboratory class.
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Where any laboratory class has an assessable component (e.g., a quiz, laboratory
book/log, or assessed presentation), the student will still be required to present this
work (or equivalent, after discussion with the course convenor) in order to receive
these marks.
3. Failure to attend one laboratory class without acceptable documentation: A 5%
course grade penalty will be applied for the missed laboratory class with no
opportunity to negotiate catch-up work. Where any laboratory class has an
assessable component (e.g. a quiz, laboratory book/log, or assessed presentation)
the student will not be permitted to complete this work and will forfeit these marks
in addition to the 5% course grade penalty.
4. Failure to attend more than one laboratory class without acceptable documentation:
The 5% grade penalty will be applied for each missed laboratory class with no
opportunity to negotiate catch-up work. Where any laboratory class has an
assessable component (e.g. a quiz, laboratory book/log, or assessed presentation)
the student will not be permitted to complete this work and will forfeit these marks
in addition to the 5% course grade penalty.

Assessment
Exam Rule
It is the policy of the Research School of Psychology that the assessment package for
all courses will include an invigilated component or components (that is, taken under
supervised examination conditions) accounting for at least forty percent (40%) of the
overall grade, and that a Pass mark (50% or greater) is required in at least one part of
the invigilated component that counts for at least 50% of the total invigilated component,
before the course can be passed as a whole.
Students failing to achieve this, but who otherwise have an overall grade of 45% of
better, will be offered the opportunity to sit, and pass, a further (supplementary)
invigilated examination. Students achieving a passing grade (50% or better) in that
supplementary invigilated examination will be eligible to pass the course overall but
their final recorded course mark will be 50%.

With respect to assessment, the following rules/procedures of the Research School of

Psychology should be observed/noted.
a)

b)

c)

To pass a unit, a student must gain a pass mark in one or more supervised
(invigilated) component of assessment, worth at least 20%. In total,
invigilated assessment components must account for at least 40% of the final
marks of the unit.
Assignments must be submitted in the appropriate assignment box, with the
appropriate Psychology cover sheet (add link to cover sheet) attached, and
a copy of submitted work must be kept by the student.
Plagiarism is penalised. The Research School of Psychology considers both
the direct copying and the paraphrasing of another persons (published
authors, students, etc.) writing, without acknowledgement, to be very
serious offences. Students are referred to the Schools 1001 Manual for the
measures required where there is evidence of plagiarism. Anything taken
verbatim from an authors book or article should be placed in quotation
marks and referenced in detail, and any paraphrasing of an authors ideas
should be accompanied by an acknowledgement of that author. In addition,
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d)

submitted written work must be prepared by students INDIVIDUALLY

(this does not preclude oral discussions or interchange of ideas between
students but it does mean you have to write your final reports/essays by
yourself).
The Research School also has a policy allowing for the re-scaling of
grades/marks awarded for assessable work.

Proposed Assessment
The assessment scheme for PSYC 2008 will be discussed in the first week of classes.
The proposed scheme, due dates and percentages are given below.
Assessment Task
Lab Report

Word
Count
2,000

Percentage of
Final Mark
20%

Mid Semester & end of

year exam

75%
(37.5% each)

Research participation

5%

Due Date
To be announced
To be announced

Major Assignment
The major assignment will be a lab report, using the findings obtained in the Shape
Constancy Lab held in Week 2 of Semester (week starting July 27th). The due date for
the major assignment is to be announced and will be put up on the agreed assessment
page on Wattle.
We will aim to have all assignments handed in by the due date to be returned, fully
marked to students by one month after the due date.
It is in everyones best interests that assignments are handed in on time. However, we
recognise that there are reasons why it may be necessary to seek an extension of time to
complete your assignment. Typically, these reasons include unexpected medical
concerns, work or family commitments. For this reason, an extension of up to two
weeks may be made available. Those seeking an extension should collect an extension
form from the Psychology Office and see Mark Edwards for approval. The signed form
should then be returned to the Psychology Office.
Late Penalties
Any lab report handed in late without an extension approval will incur a late penalty of
2% per day (e.g., if you hand your assignment in 5 days late, you will be penalised 10%-hence the maximum score you can get for your assignment is 90%). Weekends are
counted as 2 days.
Remarking Policy
If you have any questions about the assessment of a submitted piece of work, or if you
wish to have some of the comments clarified, you may approach the staff member
responsible for marking the assignment to arrange an appointment where you can
discuss your concerns. If, after such discussion, you feel that a piece of work has not
been adequately assessed, the following procedure applies.
5

Ask the marker to reassess your work. Before doing so, it is your responsibility to
outline in writing why you think the original mark does not reflect the true worth
of the work. Give this outline to the original marker.
If the original marker agrees to reassess the work and alters the mark, and you accept
this change, then the procedure ends, and you will not be eligible for any further
remarking of the piece. The original marker will advise the course coordinator of the
new mark so that they can ensure that the final records are accurate.
If following a discussion with the original marker, you still feel that the work has been
inadequately assessed you may approach the course coordinator with a request for an
independent remark. Bring with you the original marked copy and a clean copy of the
work. Please note that the mark that the course coordinator assigns will be the final
mark. It is possible that this mark could be lower than the original mark.
Prescribed Reading
COGNITION
Braisby, N., & Gellatly, A. (Eds). Cognitive Psychology (2nd ed.). Oxford University
Press (available at the Co-op Bookshop). Copies are also in library.
PERCEPTION
A Reading Brick can be downloaded from WATTLE.
Readings selected to relate to the specific content of this unit.
Reading will be set for each week. Material additional to the textbook and Reading
Brick may also be prescribed, all of which will be included in the Reading Brick or a
pdf file will be provided. It is important that all set material be read thoroughly.
Supplementary reading for your own interest might also be suggested from time to time.
The distinction between prescribed and suggested will be made very clear. Generally
speaking, reading set from the textbook and reading brick is designed to provide an
appropriate background to the material covered in class; the substance of this unit will
be contained principally in lecture and laboratory/tutorial material.
University Policies and requirements on academic honesty
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Code of practice for student academic honesty
Code of practice for teaching and learning

Student Representatives
By the end of Week 2, each course must elect a Student Representative, whose role
is to represent the interests of the students in the course with the lecturer. From all the
Student Representatives, two College Representatives are chosen to represent the
interests of students at the College level.

The Student Representative for this course is TBA, who can be contacted at
uTBA@anu.edu.au

Students are also represented through the ANU Students' Association (for
undergraduates) and the ANU Postgraduate and Research Students' Association (for
postgraduates).
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General Academic/Enrolment/Administrative advice

Contact
Email:
Phone:
Fax:

College Student Administration, Frank Fenner Building # 42

science.enquiries@anu.edu.au
+61 2 6125 2809
+61 2 6125 0102
Other help for students

1.Special Consideration for NESB

http://info.anu.edu.au/Policies/_REG/Policies/Assessment_Arrangements_for_
Students_from_Language_Backgrounds_Other_Than_English.asp
2.ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre
http://www.anu.edu.au/academicskills/
3.ANU Disability Services Unit http://www.anu.edu.au/disabilities/
4.ANU Equity and Diversity Unit http://www.anu.edu.au/equity/
5.ANU Counselling Centre http://www.anu.edu.au/counsel/
6.JABAL Indigenous Higher Education Centre http://www.anu.edu.au/jabal/
7.International Student Services http://info.anu.edu.au/studyat/International_Office
Students who need assistance in undertaking the Course because of disability or other
circumstances should inform the Course Convener or the Disabilities Services Unit as
soon as possible so that necessary arrangements can be made.

Wk Starting

Lectures

Labs and assessment items

Visual Perception
_____________________________________________________________________
1
July 20
1. Theoretical Perspectives
2. Continued
_
2
July 27
3. Perceptual Constancies
Shape constancy
4. Size Constancy
__(For lab report) ______
3
August 3
5. Moon Illusion
6. Light & the Eye
_______ _____________
4
August 10 7. Light Adaptation
Receptive Fields
8. Receptive fields
__
5
August 17 9. Cortical Organisation
10. Cortical Development
_______________
6
August 24 11. Multiple Pathways
Tilt Aftereffect
12. Clinical Evidence& Review
& size perception_______
7
August 31 1. Introduction to Cognition &
methodological approaches I
2. Exam
Mid-Semester Break
8

Sept 21

Sept 28

10

Oct 5

11

Oct 12

12

Oct 19

13

Oct 26

3. Methodological approaches II
4. Spatial Attentional Mechanisms
5. Visual Search
6. Fleeting visual representations
and short-term memory
7. Failures of Attention
8. Judgement & Decision-Making

Attention Lab

Imagery Lab

9. Faces
10. Object processing
11. Embodied Cognition
Embodied Cognition Lab
12. Attention, Automaticity and Synaesthesia
13. Learning
14. Review