PSYCH 85
Introduction to Cognitive Science
Description: Lecture, three hours. Exploration of computer metaphor of mind as an information-processing system, focusing especially on perception, knowledge representation, and thought based on research in cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and artificial intelligence. Many examples from visual information processing.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
3 of 4
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Most Helpful Review
Summer 2020 - This class is unlike other psychology/life science classes. It questions theoretical probabilities rather than simply lecturing facts and expects the students to form their opinions while remaining open-minded on topics such as consciousness, free will, and judgement. The textbook does not help, although it is available for $25 pdf copy. Pros: Professor McAuliffe respected the time of his students; he always started and ended in the designated time slot. His materials outside of his slides (videos, examples, personal stories) were engaging and interesting. He does a good job of not imposing opinions and encourages discussion. Cons: However, his instructions for a video project (15% of grade) were vague. Although I appreciated the artistic freedom, it would've been nice to have more guidance. Lecture recordings were sometimes uploaded 3 days late. Sometimes, he accelerates and skimps his explanations of important topics for the sake of time, and in my class, explicitly said that he would skip a topic that later showed up in 5 questions on the final exam. Especially for a class that relied on Zoom and slides, I would've liked more prompt email communication between the professor and student.
Summer 2020 - This class is unlike other psychology/life science classes. It questions theoretical probabilities rather than simply lecturing facts and expects the students to form their opinions while remaining open-minded on topics such as consciousness, free will, and judgement. The textbook does not help, although it is available for $25 pdf copy. Pros: Professor McAuliffe respected the time of his students; he always started and ended in the designated time slot. His materials outside of his slides (videos, examples, personal stories) were engaging and interesting. He does a good job of not imposing opinions and encourages discussion. Cons: However, his instructions for a video project (15% of grade) were vague. Although I appreciated the artistic freedom, it would've been nice to have more guidance. Lecture recordings were sometimes uploaded 3 days late. Sometimes, he accelerates and skimps his explanations of important topics for the sake of time, and in my class, explicitly said that he would skip a topic that later showed up in 5 questions on the final exam. Especially for a class that relied on Zoom and slides, I would've liked more prompt email communication between the professor and student.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2023 - The Professor is nice and his lectures are usually pretty good. He tends to read off the slides a lot. The workload isn't bad at all because the readings are more recommended than required. The tests weren't too difficult either, especially since he made the final a take-home test. As long as you keep up with the material and study before the midterm and final, you should be fine. There are also group quizzes, so it would be helpful to form a group to do the quizzes with early on.
Winter 2023 - The Professor is nice and his lectures are usually pretty good. He tends to read off the slides a lot. The workload isn't bad at all because the readings are more recommended than required. The tests weren't too difficult either, especially since he made the final a take-home test. As long as you keep up with the material and study before the midterm and final, you should be fine. There are also group quizzes, so it would be helpful to form a group to do the quizzes with early on.
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Fall 2023 - Avoid taking this class with this professor if you can. He relies on a bunch of readings, his lectures don't really do much to help you digest the readings. Attendance is graded and midterm and final are most of your grade which is based on the readings. His lectures are boring and its easy to fall asleep to them sometimes. I had to drop the class after the midterm. I thought it was me who couldn't understand or learn the topics. A year later I took it again with a different professor and all I have to say that it was not me it was definitely the Professor. The class is hard and has lots of different topics to learn and digest. But this professor does not make that any easier, he was off on conferences some days and the TA had to substitute. My advice if your not a reader take it with anyone but him.
Fall 2023 - Avoid taking this class with this professor if you can. He relies on a bunch of readings, his lectures don't really do much to help you digest the readings. Attendance is graded and midterm and final are most of your grade which is based on the readings. His lectures are boring and its easy to fall asleep to them sometimes. I had to drop the class after the midterm. I thought it was me who couldn't understand or learn the topics. A year later I took it again with a different professor and all I have to say that it was not me it was definitely the Professor. The class is hard and has lots of different topics to learn and digest. But this professor does not make that any easier, he was off on conferences some days and the TA had to substitute. My advice if your not a reader take it with anyone but him.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - I took this as a prerequisite class. Coming in as a transfer, I was honestly disappointed that this ended up being one of my intro psych courses. I found the professor not very engaging with the material, and attending class didn’t feel as helpful as I expected. I’ve heard she’s relatively new, which might explain some of her teaching habits. If you’re looking for engaging lectures, this probably isn’t the class for you. Most of the time, she reads directly from the slides without expanding on the content or offering new insights. While she genuinely seems sweet as a person, she isn’t the most effective teacher. If you learn best from professors who explain things clearly and go beyond what’s on the slides, you may struggle here. The exams require a good amount of time and preparation. The study guide helps, but it is important to review the readings and outside materials too. Some questions on the exams can be surprisingly specific, so keeping up with the course content is key. Asking for clarification on homework was also frustrating. Feedback was often vague or unhelpful. During office hours and after class, I heard multiple students being told that their questions couldn’t be answered, and no real alternatives were offered. The TAs were not much better, and it often felt like students who were confused remained confused. Maybe this only affected a small group, but it made asking questions feel uncomfortable. The class is point-based. Homework is assigned through a shared document, but the grading system was unclear. It supposedly combined effort and correctness, but this was never clearly explained, even when students ased. Losing major points without knowing why made it hard to gauge progress. With relatively few assignments, plus quizzes and exams, one slip-up can really impact your final grade. Overall, the class required a lot of self-teaching. I would only recommend it if it is necessary for your major or prerequisites.
Fall 2024 - I took this as a prerequisite class. Coming in as a transfer, I was honestly disappointed that this ended up being one of my intro psych courses. I found the professor not very engaging with the material, and attending class didn’t feel as helpful as I expected. I’ve heard she’s relatively new, which might explain some of her teaching habits. If you’re looking for engaging lectures, this probably isn’t the class for you. Most of the time, she reads directly from the slides without expanding on the content or offering new insights. While she genuinely seems sweet as a person, she isn’t the most effective teacher. If you learn best from professors who explain things clearly and go beyond what’s on the slides, you may struggle here. The exams require a good amount of time and preparation. The study guide helps, but it is important to review the readings and outside materials too. Some questions on the exams can be surprisingly specific, so keeping up with the course content is key. Asking for clarification on homework was also frustrating. Feedback was often vague or unhelpful. During office hours and after class, I heard multiple students being told that their questions couldn’t be answered, and no real alternatives were offered. The TAs were not much better, and it often felt like students who were confused remained confused. Maybe this only affected a small group, but it made asking questions feel uncomfortable. The class is point-based. Homework is assigned through a shared document, but the grading system was unclear. It supposedly combined effort and correctness, but this was never clearly explained, even when students ased. Losing major points without knowing why made it hard to gauge progress. With relatively few assignments, plus quizzes and exams, one slip-up can really impact your final grade. Overall, the class required a lot of self-teaching. I would only recommend it if it is necessary for your major or prerequisites.
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