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.

for anyone reading during the 2021-22 school year:
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solid class. you have to put in the preparation for the exams but rissman wants you to do well!

Let me start off and say that I had a D+ after I took the midterm. I got a 61.5 on the midterm and I had an average of 80% on the quizzes. I was so nervous for my future in this class. I didn’t know if I should drop or just accept I would probably get a D+ or a C in the class. I talked to both the professor and TA, and they encouraged me to stay and find different ways to study. I started to get 100% on the quizzes. However, I knew I had to get at least a C on the final to get a C in the class. I had to do exceptionally well to get a low B, so I decided to aim for a C. The class started to get more interesting towards the end when we started to talk about artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, COVID-19 started to disrupt our classes and eventually brought an end to in person lectures. Professor Rissman was so encouraging and understanding during this time. He decided to reweigh the class and basically whatever test we did better on, would count as 45% of your grade. This gave me high hopes but once again, I wasn’t expecting much. I ended up doing super well on the final and ended up with an A-. Professor Rissman made the final very fair and as long as you studied the slides, you were guaranteed an A. Professor Rissman, is a passionate and funny professor who honestly cares for his students , so go to his office hours, you won’t regret it :).

The material was pretty dense at first but got progressively better (and more interesting) as the quarter went on. There are a lot of terms and nuances to pick out so make sure to read the slides in depth and listen to lecture a second time.

Professor Rissman can come off as shy/awkward but is very approachable and kind. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to take our final online. In order to make things better for us, he adjusted the weights of the midterm/final and changed the structure of the final just a tad bit.

A great class with a great professor!

Professor Rissman was a really good professor! The content in the course was very interesting and exams are extremely fair. To do well in the class you do have to put in the work, which means knowing all of the info on the slides and quizzes, which can admittedly be alot if you dont manage your time or study efficiently. Overall, really enjoyed taking Psych 85 with him, he was nice and very direct with the tested concepts.

This class was tough but fair. The amount of effort you put in is what you'll grade you'll get. I didn't put that much work in and ended up with a B. As the other reviews say, the tests and clicker quizzes are entirely based on the lectures which are bruincasted and the slides are posted. Study them in depth and you're fine. No need to read anything else. Don't buy the textbook there's no point. He's a good lecturer and you will learn a lot so overall it's a good class.

I've never written an evaluation on bruinwalk before, but I just had to for this professor because this guy and his class was bomb. Professor Rissman's class was very interesting and organized. I actually enjoyed going to class each lecture. His grading breakdown goes as follows:

Midterm Exam 33%
Final Exam 37%
Term Paper 15%
i>clicker Quizzes 10%
Class Participation 5%

Honestly, there isn't much workload but you do learn a lot of material as long as you go to class. Each lecture was very organized and funny, because Dr.Rissman would have some kind of joke somewhere and uses picture, but everything was relevant to the material being taught at hand. His syllabus lays out what reading to do every week (which isn't very much) and what material we will be learning. The midterm was very fair. Honestly, just pay attention during lecture (I NEVER TOOK NOTES IN THIS CLASS), and just reread each lecture before midterm/final and you will do fine. The book/pdfs can help fill gaps you couldn't quite get, but isn't essential in getting a good grade in the class, as I either skimmed the readings or didn't do them at all, and I got A+ on both midterm and final - just from reading the slideshows. The midterm/final consists of multiple choice, matching, fill in the blanks, short answers, and a short essay. Sounds like a lot, but easy if you study.

To do well in the class, I recommend:
*Study for the small iClicker quizzes every tuesday (Which are solely from the lectures)
*Go to class, and just listen to the lecture (As I mentioned, I never took notes)
*Study the lectures THOROUGHLY before the midterm/final
*Do the extra credits (1% EC from going to some CogSci presentation 1-2 hours long and writing what you thought about it, and %2 EC from participating in studies, where 1 credit = 0.5% EC for a maximum of 4 credits)

Then, you will earn A+ in class, like me :D

THE CLASS IS ORGANIZED, FUN, FAIR, AND INTERESTING. THE PROFESSOR IS NICE AND CARES A LOT ABOUT HIS STUDENTS. TAKE HIS CLASS!!! ESPECIALLY THIS ONE. YOU WILL LEARN A LOT, HAVE FUN, AND DO WELL!!!

Great professor! His lectures are clear and the tests are fair. I highly recommend taking any course taught by Dr. Rissman.

Professor Rissman has been my favorite professor at UCLA thus far. No other professor has been as organized, enthusiastic, witty, and has truly shown how much he cares about student's learning. I absolutely LOVED his course, and how interactive, interesting - and at times, humorous - he always made it. One day in class he mentioned that he felt his office hours were not well attended. You wanna know my theory? He did such a great job of teaching during class that students did not need further help. It was an honor being his student, and taking this class has gotten me every excited about being a Cognitive Science major. I really hope I am able to taken another course taught by him, for he singlehandedly restored my faith in UCLA professors, and caused me to once again realize how incredibly blessed I am to attend such a prestigious institution.

I liked this class a lot. You can tell that Rissman truly cares about his students and the class that he teaches, and wants to make you love the class too. His tests are fair; definitely re-watch the lectures and notes if you want to pass them. Honestly, I wouldn't bother reading the book...I did, and that was a mistake, because everything he asks if based on his old lectures.

Overall, I don't regret taking this class, and I say you should take it too.