Teaching



I teach courses in cognitive science and statistics. Most often, I teach an upper-level undergraduate lecture/lab course on cognitive processes (PSY 427), a required undergraduate course in statistics (PSY 216), and the first-semester graduate course in graduate statistics (PSY 610).

My teaching philosophy in my cognitive processes class emphasizes process skills; the content material is as much a vehicle for promoting skills as it is the subject of the course. I am more concerned that students be able to critically evaluate a theory or an experiment than that they be able to remember the particulars of the theory or experiment. I want them to be able to read and understand an empirical article. I want them to be able to take a position on a theoretical issue and support their arguments with empirical evidence. I want them to be able to communicate clearly in writing and when speaking. And I want them to become comfortable with the currency of the discipline (i.e., hypotheses, experiments, data). To these ends, my assignments never involve memorization of any kind.

My teaching philosophy in statistics is to try to strike a balance between theory and application; that is, I want my students to become better researchers. I do not present derivations, but I do present important concepts. I expect students to understand the logic of the statistical procedures they are presented. I do everything that I can to discourage students' from taking a rote approach to the material. I do not require memorization of any formulas or procedures; exams are open-note.