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Concentration iN CoGNITION AND PERCEPTION (CAP)
B.S. In psychology
In the Department of Psychology at Wright State University, undergraduates have the option of receiving a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Cognition and Perception (CAP). The (CAP) concentration focuses on how the brain works when we interact with our environment. Discoveries about the functioning of the brain have been escalating at an ever more rapid pace in recent decades but have yet to cease to amaze. We now know that we do not passively register information that happens to pass us by but actively select and interpret what we perceive, remember, decide, and act upon, in concert with our immediate and long-term objectives and constraints. This is the case whether we are interacting with people, the environment, or a piece of equipment such as an automobile.
For example, a perception psychologist might ask how the brain perceives 3-D objects from a 2-D display (such as discerning the altitude of an approaching airplane from a cockpit display) and a human factors specialist would use this information to design a display that optimizes perceptual accuracy. A cognitive psychologist and a public policy maker might ask how one divides attention and whether it is safe to drive and talk on the cell phone at the same time. In a court of law, knowing the impact of the power and limits of memory is paramount for weighing eyewitness testimonies. Understanding basic human reasoning and decision making provides critical information for a training psychologist when devising safeguards and training regimens to ensure medical safety.
The CAP concentration prepares students for more advanced studies in experimental psychology and related fields (e.g., cognition, perception, human factors or engineering psychology, medical school, law school) as well as for work in applied settings. The required and recommended courses for the CAP concentration will equip students with not only the domain knowledge about how the brain works but also the analytic skills to evaluate and apply scientific data. More general information can be viewed here. All of the required and recommended courses for the CAP concentration will count towards satisfying the Psychology B.S. degree or the General Electives requirement. A list of required and recommended classes can be viewed here and can be obtained from the Psychology Undergraduate Program (PUP) Office in 342 Fawcett. In addition to the required and recommended courses in Psychology, students in the CAP concentration are encouraged to take additional basic science, math, computer programming, and engineering classes to gain a background in methods of scientific inquiry, analytic reasoning, and research skills. It is also highly recommend that students in the CAP concentration gain research experience as an undergraduate. This may be obtained in a variety of ways, including working with a faculty member as a research assistant in his or her laboratory for pay or for Independent Research credit (PSY 4060). In addition to getting to know your professors through your classes, you are invited to browse the description of their research areas on our webpage, http://www.wright.edu/cosm/departments/psychology/faculty.html
More Information:
- General Information: pdf word
- Required and Recommended Courses: pdf word
- Sample Program of Study: pdf word
- Course Checklist: pdf word
- Application: pdf word
Recent CAP Honors Topics:
“Is Attention Capture by Irrelevant Color Stimuli Affected by Expectations?”
“Assessing Auditory Memory with Suffix Effect and Backward Recognition Masking Paradigms”
“The Role of Automation in Blood Analysis”
“Haptic Processing Resources”
“Spatial Retrieval Cues for Structure in a Recognition Task”
“Factors Influence Using Online Health Information Technology”
For more information and applications, students should visit the Psychology Undergraduate Program Office, 342 Fawcett Hall. Applications will be reviewed around the eighth week of each academic quarter.
Psychology Undergraduate Program Office
Phone: (937) 775-4155
Fax: (937) 775-3347
