3223F-001
Psychology 3223F-001
Emergence of Cognition
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Where does the mind come from? This course will introduce the emergence of cognition in infants and the accompanying changes in the brain, and the effect of socioeconomic status, prematurity, and brain injury. It will survey the methods and overarching theories of developmental cognitive neuroscience before the first birthday.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3295F/G if taken in 2015/16
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, and one of Psychology 2040A/B, 2410A/B, 2220A/B, 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000
3 seminar hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Rhodri Cusack
Office and Phone Number: NSC 203, x86381
Office Hours: By appointment, please email.
Email: rcusack@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Laura Cabral
Office: NSC 242
Office Hours: By appointment, please email.
Email: lcabral@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Wed 9.30-12.30, SSC 3018
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
There is no textbook for this class. Course readings will be articles and other materials made available through OWL (see section 8.0 for examples).
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
Cognitive systems can only be truly understood if we know how they develop. Infant cognition undergoes enormous development by the first birthday, and identifying what emerges when is an exciting frontier for developmental cognitive neuroscience. On completing this course, students should be able to:
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Describe methods for probing the developing mind and brain in preverbal infants
- Articulate current understanding of the emergence of sensorimotor, language, executive, memory and and social functions
- Discuss overarching theories of development, such as perspectives of nature and nurture, which have been called the Batman and Robin of developmental cognitive neuroscience – readily available to solve problems, but never around for long enough to be unmasked.
- Describe how cognitive development is affected by socio-economic status
- Summarize the consequences of prematurity and neurodevelopmental disorders
5.0 EVALUATION
Participation in class 10%
Critique a paper – sign up at first class (written submission, 375-625 words) 8%
Choose a paper relevant to the class at which you present, using the methods core to the course (behavioural tests and neuroimaging).
This should not be just a summary, but primarily your evaluation of the strengths and
weakness of the paper
Due at start of class chosen during sign up.
Two tweet critique - sign up at first class
(Write 2x140 characters, 5 min discussion in class) 8%
Choose a paper relevant to the class at which your present, using the methods core to the course (behavioural tests and neuroimaging).
For your chosen paper, write
(1) A strengths tweet: as if you were the author’s media advisor, trying to attract as much scientific and popular interest to the paper as possible
(2) A weaknesses tweet: as if you were a skeptical peer reviewer, trying to highlight your greatest concerns about the paper.
Your tweets should demonstrate a thoughtful reading of the paper, so do not make generic criticisms like “the sample size was tool small/not representative”
Due at start of class chosen during sign up.
Mini-mid term (short answers on lecture material) 20%
Grant proposal
Progress report (250 words) 4%
Due on Nov 9, 2016
Oral presentation lightening talks 10%
Written grant proposal (2000 words) 20%
Due on Dec 9, 2016
Final exam (short answers on lecture material) 20%
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
|
Oct 19 |
Mini mid-term |
|
Dec 7 |
Final exam |
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Sept 7 |
Orientation to Course |
|
Sept 14 |
Measuring Infant Behaviour. |
|
Sept 21 |
Measuring Infant Brain Development |
|
Sept 28 |
Audition and Language (guest lecture from Conor Wild) |
|
Oct 5 |
Emotion and Memory |
|
Oct 12 |
Executive Function and Theory of Mind |
|
Oct 19 |
No lecture [Mini mid-term] |
|
Oct 26 |
Socioeconomic Status |
|
Nov 2 |
Preterm Birth |
|
Nov 9 |
Brain Injury and Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
|
Nov 16 |
Vision and Face Processing (guest lecture from Laura Cabral) |
|
Nov 23 |
No lecture [Lightning talks on grant proposal] |
|
Nov 30 |
Consciousness, Metacognition, Samurai Swords, Love and Caffeine |
|
Dec 7 |
Final exam |
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2016/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2016 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
