Syllabus 2000 - University of Southern California



SYLLABUS for: SENSATION & PERCEPTION

Psychology 304, Fall 2020, Lecture Section 52552D

12:00 – 1:50 PM TTH (see below for online adjustments)

Ernest Greene, Instructor

CONTACT: Ernest Greene

email: egreene@usc.edu

Cell phone (213) 500.0169 **

**Prof. Greene's cell number is given above so that you may contact him in an emergency (not just that you are ill and won't be in class). It is best to not call in the late evening, but you may call as early as 7:00 a.m.

TEXT: A TEXTBOOK WILL NOT BE REQUIED. If you want to get a text to more completely understand the subject matter, you can choose any that has been published in the last ten years. I can recommend “Sensation and Perception, written by E. Bruce Goldstein and published by Cengage Learning. Both the 9th and 10th editions are reasonably up to date. This text may be available in paperback and even for rental.

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE COURSE: This course deals with one of the most basic issues of Psychology -- how we know about the things that are present in the world, and of the events that occur. The subject matter is commonly divided (somewhat arbitrarily) into topic areas called "sensation" and "perception." "Sensation is most concerned with the study of the physical sources of energy that provide information to our senses and with the design and operation of the sensory structures. "Perception" generally refers to the integration of information to provide a unified judgment and subjective awareness of the objects or events being sensed. This dichotomy will not be emphasized in the lectures, because even very early stages of sensory processing are often influenced by complex, relational factors.

We will follow the convention, of dividing the subject matter in this course according to sensory modality, e.g., touch, taste, smell, hearing, and vision. After quickly covering history of the field and some basic neurophysiology, I expect to deal with those topics in roughly that order.

The field of perception often draws upon basic principles in a number of related areas. An analysis of sensory operations may require an understanding of basic energy transduction, which involve principles and methodology derived from physics. The evaluation of the perceptual activities will also focus on biological substrates, including basic concepts of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. Additionally, a comprehensive understanding of perception will include concepts from electronics and systems engineering, especially the fields of image processing and computer architecture. A student who has background training in these related fields will find that preparation to be of value. If you do not, every effort will be made to provide an explanation of any major fact or concept, and to build the more advanced explanations on what has been conveyed in earlier lectures.

ONLINE LECTURE PLAN: Course content is extensively supported by Blackboard slides. The lectures expand upon what is provided in the slides, these being delivered through audio files that will be posted along with the slide sets. The lectures will not be delivered on Zoom, so except for the dates on which an exam will be given (discussed further below), you will be able to download and go through the slide content when it is convenient for you to do so. Once posted, the slides and audio files will continue to be available through the remainder of the semester. Topics and approximate date for posting the files are provided in the calendar. Orange highlight indicates the expected dates for exams. If the content that fits together has not been covered by the date that is shown, the test may be given on a subsequent day.

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TESTS AND GRADING

Your mastery of course content will be assessed with three tests, all administered on-line. Unless you are informed otherwise, you must take the exam through Blackboard during the time at which the lecture is officially scheduled. Exceptions include special dispensation by the DSP Center and time-of-testing adjustments for those who have remained overseas during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Most exam questions will be true/false, but a few multiple choice questions will be included. Questions will be scored by a simple subtraction of errors from the total possible score, i.e., there will be no correction for guessing.

Each exam will be on lecture and slide content that was not previously tested. In other words, Exam 1 will be on the initial lectures, and “advisory letter grade ranges” will be posted after the exam. The grade ranges are advisory only. Exam 2 will be on lectures that were given after the first exam, and advisory letter grade ranges will be based on cumulative test scores for the first two exams, i.e., E1+E2. Exam 3 will be given at the scheduled time for the final. Grade ranges will then be provided on the basis of the cumulative test scores across the three exams, i.e., E1+E2+E3, and your final letter grade will be determined by where you fall within those grade ranges.

Do not expect to be able to average across advisory letter grades provided by the first two exams. If you received a B+ on (E1) and a B- on (E1+E2), you might think that this would average to a solid B. But the second advisory letter grade includes what you did on the first exam. It is providing information as to where you are after having taken both. And the same will be true for the final letter grade that is based on the cumulative scores for all three exams. Grades are most fair when they are based on quantitative scores, rather than trying to average qualitative categories, e.g., letter grades. So your final grade will be based on your cumulative score across all three exams, not an average of the advisory letter grades.

Unless otherwise advised by the Administration, and with appropriate time adjustments for those remaining overseas, it is not possible to change the time that has been scheduled for the final.

ACADEMIC CONDUCT

Presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standards violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university police on scientific misconduct, .

Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university. You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity --

University of Southern California, 3601 Watt Way, GFS-315, Los Angeles, California 90089-1695 Tel: (213) 740-9033, Email: gradsch@usc.edu or to the Department of Public Safety . This is important for the safety of the whole USC community. Another member of the university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person. The Center for Women and Men provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage describes reporting options and other resources.

SUPPORT SYSTEMS: A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute , which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students. The Office of Disability Services and Programs provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations. If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.

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