Criteria & Marks Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor Unsatisfactory

Criteria & Marks Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor Unsatisfactory

Introduction and Overview

(6 marks) (6 Marks)

Provides a clear and concise introduction to the topic.

Effectively outlines the main aspects of visual processing and understanding of visual scenes.

Demonstrates an excellent understanding of relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings.

Sets up a logical structure for the essay. (5 Marks)

Provides a strong introduction to the topic.

Outlines the main aspects of visual processing and understanding visual scenes.

Demonstrates a very good understanding of relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings.

Sets up a clear structure for the essay. (4 Marks)

Provides a satisfactory introduction to the topic.

Outlines most aspects of visual processing and understanding visual scenes.

Demonstrates a good understanding of relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings.

Sets up a mostly clear structure for the essay. (3 Marks)

Provides a basic introduction to the topic.

Outlines some aspects of visual processing and understanding visual scenes.

Demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings.

Sets up a basic structure for the essay. (2 Marks)

Provides an incomplete introduction to the topic.

Outlines few aspects of visual processing and understanding visual scenes.

Demonstrates a poor understanding of relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings

Sets up an unclear structure for the essay. (1 or 0 Marks)

Provides an unclear or no introduction to the topic.

Outlines very few or no aspects of visual processing and understanding visual scenes.

Demonstrates little or no understanding of relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings.

Sets up an unclear or no structure for the essay.

Evaluation and Synthesis

(12 marks) (11-12 Marks)

Provides a thorough and well-organised evaluation of the basic concepts, and biological and cortical foundations of the Gestalt principles.

Comprehensively explains the functional role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing.

Skilfully synthesises relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings, demonstrating a deep understanding of the concepts.

Critically evaluates the evidence, effectively incorporating different viewpoints and arguments. (9-10 Marks)

Provides a comprehensive and well-organised evaluation of the basic concepts, and biological and cortical foundations of the Gestalt principles.

Offers a thorough explanation of the functional role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing.

Effectively synthesises relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings, indicating a solid understanding of the concepts and their interconnections.

Evaluates the evidence, incorporating different viewpoints and arguments to present a nuanced analysis of the topic. (7-8 Marks)

Offers a detailed evaluation of the basic concepts, as well as the biological and cortical foundations of the Gestalt principles.

Explains the functional role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing adequately.

Demonstrates competence in synthesising relevant material from the textbook and supplied readings, though there may be occasional gaps in understanding or integration.

Provides a reasonable evaluation of the evidence, incorporating different viewpoints and arguments to present a coherent analysis of the topic. (5-6 Marks)

Provides a basic evaluation of the fundamental concepts and foundations of the Gestalt principles.

Offers a limited explanation of the functional role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing, with gaps in understanding or clarity.

Attempts to synthesise material from the textbook and supplied readings but may struggle to integrate them effectively, resulting in a somewhat disjointed presentation.

Presents a rudimentary evaluation of the evidence, with limited incorporation of different viewpoints or arguments. (3-4 Marks)

Provides a superficial or incomplete evaluation of the basic concepts and foundations of the Gestalt principles.

Offers minimal explanation of the functional role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing, with significant misunderstandings or inaccuracies.

Struggles to synthesises material from the textbook and supplied readings, resulting in a fragmented or disjointed presentation.

Provides a cursory evaluation of the evidence, with little incorporation of different viewpoints or arguments. (1-2 Marks)

Provides an inadequate or unclear evaluation of the basic concepts and foundations of the Gestalt principles.

Fails to explain the functional role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing, demonstrating significant confusion or misunderstanding of the topic.

Little to no synthesis of material from the textbook and supplied readings, resulting in a disjointed or incoherent presentation.

Offers little to no evaluation of the evidence, with minimal incorporation of different viewpoints or arguments.

Illustrative application

(6 marks) (6 Marks)

Provides a clear and insightful illustration of the role of Gestalt principles in visual perception.

Demonstrates a deep understanding of how these principles aid in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes.

Effectively integrates evidence from the textbook and supplied readings to support the argument. (5 Marks)

Provides a clear illustration of the role of Gestalt principles in visual perception.

Demonstrates a very good understanding of how these principles aid in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes.

Integrates evidence from the textbook and supplied readings to support the argument. (4 Marks)

Provides a satisfactory illustration of the role of Gestalt principles in visual perception.

Demonstrates a good understanding of how these principles aid in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes.

Includes some evidence from the textbook and supplied readings to support the argument. (3 Marks)

Provides a basic illustration of the role of Gestalt principles in visual perception.

Demonstrates a satisfactory understanding of how these principles aid in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes.

Includes limited evidence from the textbook and supplied readings to support the argument. (2 Marks)

Provides an incomplete illustration of the role of Gestalt principles in visual perception.

Demonstrates a poor understanding of how these principles aid in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes.

Provides minimal or no evidence from the textbook and supplied readings to support the argument. (1 or 0 Marks)

Provides an unclear or no illustration of the role of Gestalt principles in visual perception.

Demonstrates little to no understanding of how these principles aid in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes.

Provides no evidence from the textbook and supplied readings to support the argument.

Conclusion and Future Directions

(3 marks) (3 Marks)

Provides a concise and insightful summary of the main take-aways from the essay.

Identifies key gaps in knowledge and suggests relevant future directions for research. (2.5 Marks)

Provides a clear summary of the main take-aways from the essay.

Identifies some gaps in knowledge and mentions possible future directions for research. (2 Marks)

Provides a clear summary of the main take-aways from the essay.

Identifies limited gaps in knowledge and briefly mentions future directions for research. (1.5 Marks)

Provides a basic summary of the main take-aways from the essay.

Identifies limited gaps in knowledge and briefly mentions future directions for research. (1 Mark)

Provides an unclear or no summary of the main take-aways from the essay.

Identifies no gaps in knowledge or suggests very limited future directions for research. (0 Marks)

Provides a very unclear or no summary of the main take-aways from the essay.

Identifies no gaps in knowledge and suggests no future directions for research.

Literacy and Written Communication (including APA formatting)

(3 marks) (3 Marks)

The organisation of the essay is extremely clear.

Punctuation, spelling, and grammar are completely correct, no correction of text required.

Sentences are succinct and articulate, and word choice is precise.

Correct APA formatting. (2.5 Marks)

The organisation of the essay is clear and effectively supports the content.

Punctuation, spelling, and grammar are predominantly correct with minor errors that do not impede understanding.

Sentences are mostly concise, and word choice is appropriate.

Mostly correct APA formatting. (2 Marks)

The organisation of the essay is generally clear, though some areas could be better structured.

Punctuation, spelling, and grammar contain occasional errors

Sentences are mostly concise, and word choice is generally precise, though some improvement is needed for greater clarity.

Generally correct APA formatting. (1.5 Marks)

The organisation of the essay is somewhat clear, but improvements are needed for more coherence.

Punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors are noticeable.

Sentences are generally clear but often lack conciseness, and word choice occasionally lacks precision.

Sometimes incorrect APA formatting. (1 Mark)

The organisation of the essay is unclear and lacks coherence.

Punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors are frequent and significantly impact readability.

Sentences lack clarity and conciseness, and word choice often leads to confusion or ambiguity.

Incorrect APA formatting. (0 Marks)

No clear organisation to the essay, many errors in punctuation, grammar, and spelling.

Essay is difficult to follow.

Incorrect or no APA formatting.

Total Marks (30) Assessment 2 Written Essay

Criteria Sheet

Please Note: Where there are multiple aspects to a grading section you may do very well in one aspect and not so well in another. For example, if you express yourself clearly, but fail to conform to academic APA style or the requirements in the task details, then you may get a low mark in this section.

PSYC12012 : Physiological Psychology

Assignment 2: Written Assessment

Length:2000 words (+/- 10%, excluding reference list & title page)

Due Date: Week 9 Monday (6 May 2024) 11:55 pm AEST

Method of Submission: Moodle.

Assessment value: 40% of final grade.

Results release:Week 11 Monday (20 May 2024) 11:55 pm AEST

Essay Topic

Topic: Describe the Gestalt principles in late-stage visual processing, with a focus on their functional role in understanding visual scenes. Outline the key evidence for the existence of these processes with reference to their biological/cortical foundations. Explain their importance for the comprehension of complex or cluttered scenes.

Task

In this essay, students are expected to critically evaluate the role of the Gestalt principles in late-stage visual processing and explain their importance in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes. In writing this essay, students should provide the reader with:

An evaluation and synthesis of the functional role of Gestalt principles in understanding visual scenes, with reference to their biological/cortical foundations.

An introduction and overview of the most relevant and applicable information* provided in the textbook and supplied readings (three articles).

An application of the available evidence to justify the importance of these principles in understanding and comprehending complex or cluttered visual scenes.

A brief conclusion that summarises the main take-aways for the reader, with some mention of the gaps of knowledge in the field, and potential future directions.

*Note: There is a lot of somewhat applicable information in the textbook and the readings: more than can be easily compressed into a 2000-word essay. An important part of the assignment is to show discernment and understanding, focusing on the material most relevant to the explaining the influence Gestalt principles have in the processing of complex visual scenes. Students should not assume that every topic mentioned in textbook are of relevance.

An important part of academic writing is efficiency in communicating concepts and ideas. You will want to budget your words to give yourself space to accomplish the four points mentioned above. As a rough guide, you may want to allocate 60% to (a) and (b), 30% to (c) and 10% to (d).

Citations

Students are expected to cite both the supplied readings and the textbook. There is no expectation for students to cite or refer to other literature apart from the text and supplied readings. However, you will not be penalised for doing so, should you wish. Referencing should be done in APA format, with the (minor) exception of citations to the text. Please provide page numbers for all references (even indirect citations) when citing the text.

The readings provided are:

Guberman, S. (2015). On Gestalt theory principles. Gestalt Theory, 37(1), 25-44.

Spillmann, L., Hsu, L.-C., Wang, W., Chen, C.-C., Yeh, C.-I, & Tseng, C.-H. (2023). Gestalt neurons and emergent properties in visual perception: A novel concept for the transformation from local to global processing. Journal of Vision, 23(14):4, 115. https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.23.14.4Wagemans, J., Elder, J. H., Kubovy, M., Palmer, S. E., Peterson, M. A., Singh, M., & von der Heydt, R. (2012). A century of Gestalt psychology in visual perception: I. Perceptual grouping and figure-ground organization. Psychological bulletin, 138(6), 11721217. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029333Structure

There are no strict instructions regarding the structure, if it is suitable to the task described above. However, to provide some guidance for students who are unsure how to structure an academic essay, a potential example structure is described below.

Introduction: Briefly introduce the concept visual processing and understanding visual scenes.

Overview of Gestalt principles in visual perception: Provide a comprehensive explanation of the functional role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing, discussing the basic concepts, biological and cortical foundations, and relationship to visual perception. Draw from the textbook and the provided research articles to support your discussion.

Explain their importance for the comprehension of complex or cluttered scenes: Discuss the role of the Gestalt principles in visual perception, illustrating how these principles aid in the comprehension of complex or cluttered visual scenes. Use evidence from the relevant literature to support your arguments.

Potential implications and future directions: Briefly discuss the potential implications of understanding Gestalt principles for processing complex visual scenes in cognitive science, psychology, and related fields. Mention possible future research directions that could further elucidate the role of the Gestalt principles in visual processing.

Submission requirements

Each submission should be in the form of a word document (.doc or .docx) and contain the following sections:

Title page

Essay

References

The 2000-word count applies only to the essay.

Title Page

The title page should include:

Name

Student Number

Unit Code

Course Coordinator

Due Date

Title of the essay

Word count (excluding reference list and title page)

Presentation

The essay should adhere to American Psychological Association (APA) 7 guidelines. Guides to APA 7 are available via Moodle or through the CQU Academic Learning Centre website. Headings are not required; however, students may use them where appropriate.

Marking Details

This assignment weighs 40% of the final grade. Your essay will be marked against the criteria specified in the marking and feedback sheet (provided in a separate document) and will receive a mark out of 30.

Due Date, Late Assignments & Extensions

The essay is due Week 9 Monday (6 May 2024) 11:55 pm AEST.

Students wishing to request an extension of time for assessment must request this through the University Assessment Extension (AES) request system which can be accessed via My CQU and Moodle.

Please refer to the Universitys Assessment Policy and Procedures document for further information about the grounds and process for extension requests, including both acceptable and unacceptable reasons for extensions.

If a student does not submit an extension request or does not demonstrate sound reasons (meeting the Universitys guidelines) for a late request, a penalty of five per cent (5%) of the total available marks for the assessment will be deducted for each full or part calendar day the assessment task is overdue.

Please apply for extensions as soon as you believe there to be an issue and do not leave the request until the last minute. No guarantee is made for replies to extensions on the weekend prior to due date. However, if the request meets the Universities guidelines for an extension, it will be honoured.

Results

The assignments submitted on time will be returned within 3 weeks (beginning of Week 12). Changes to this return date may be made in the event of unforeseen issues during the marking period; the unit coordinator will advise if there are any changes to the return of results and feedback date.

Marks (out of 30) and feedback will be provided on the mark and feedback sheet.

If you have any questions about your marks or feedback, please direct these to the unit coordinator in the first instance. A lot of time is invested in marking and feedback. Sometimes this feedback is challenging, and we acknowledge students have invested a lot of time in preparing assignments that they care about. The aim of feedback is to assist you in your future studies, not to cause undue stress or concern. In any event, please refrain from contacting the unit coordinator for 24 hours after grades have been released. After this time, unit coordinators will be more than happy to discuss any issues.

Please refer to the Universitys Assessment Policy and Procedures document for further information about the processes, timelines and outcomes of informal consultation following the release of assessment marks and feedback. Please see the Universitys Assessment Policy and Procedures document about the formal review of grade processes, timelines and outcomes.