Psychology 3138G 001 FW25
Human Memory
Western University
London Canada
Department of Psychology
Fall/Winter 2025
Psychology 3138G Section 001 FW25
Human Memory
1 Calendar Description
A review of data and theories from cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience that bear on how people form, retain, and retrieve memory representations. Emphasis will be placed on studies that address cognitive processes, but some research on brain mechanisms will be covered as well.
Antirequisite(s): Not applicable.
Prerequisites: Prerequisite(s): Both Psychology 2801F/G (or one of Health Sciences 2801A/B, Psychology 2840F/G, Psychology 2855F/G) and Psychology 2811A/B (or one of Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, Economics 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2830A/B, Psychology 2850A/B, Sociology 2205A/B, Statistical Sciences 2035, Statistical Sciences 2141A/B, Statistical Sciences 2143A/B, Statistical Sciences 2244A/B, Statistical Sciences 2858A/B, the former Social Work 2207A/B), or the former Psychology 2820E, or both the former Psychology 2800E and the former Psychology 2810, and one of Psychology 2115A/B, Psychology 2134A/B, Psychology 2135A/B, Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B, Neuroscience 2000. Minimum grade of 60% required in all prerequisite courses.
Lecture Hours: 3h
Course Weight: 0.5
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol 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 Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Stefan Köhler
Office and Phone Number: see Brightspace; 519-661-2111 ext. 86364
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: stefank@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistants: TBA
Office: TBA
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: TBA
Time and Location of Classes: see Timetable on Student Centre
Delivery Method: In-Person
3 Course Materials
Required textbook: Schwartz, B.L. (2024). Memory. Foundations and Applications (5th Edition). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Earlier editions of this textbook are not suitable for this course. The latest edition is available for purchase as hardcopy at Western Book Store or for purchase/rental in digital format at
https://www.vitalsource.com/en-ca/products/memory-bennett-l-schwartz-v9781071930687
e-text: $119-$172
Additional required readings will be posted on OWL Brightspace.
Reading Guidelines and Lecture Notes will be posted on OWL Brightspace.
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Course Objectives
- To provide a comprehensive research-oriented overview of the history, methodology, theories, and contentious issues in the study of human memory in psychology and cognitive neuroscience (what we know; how we know what we know).
- To encourage reading and provide opportunity for writing about primary source material in memory research; to encourage critical thinking about memory research; to explore and appreciate the limits of current scientific knowledge in the field.
- 3. To provide training for public (in-class) presentations on a specific research question and its empirical study; to encourage discussion of contentious issues in memory research.
Any course of this sort contains material that must be learned from both lectures and readings. Some material from the text will not be covered in lectures; similarly, some material from the lectures will not be covered in the readings. Therefore, it is critical that students attend the lectures, participate in class discussions, and do the readings regularly for successful completion of the course.
An important component of the present course relates to the in-class discussion of the content covered. Students will be asked to participate actively in this exchange of thoughts and ideas, which may include group discussions in breakout format. The in class-presentations, as well as targeted questions from the course instructor, will serve to stimulate this discussion.
For the in-class presentations, students are expected to work in groups of three individuals. It is the responsibility of each group to obtain the reference for the primary research article to be presented prior to starting any work on it.
To offer practice in writing, the course also requires the completion of a scholarly essay on primary research and several thought papers. Topics for the thought papers will be assigned by the instructor (see Evaluation section). For the essay, students are expected to choose their own topic, which must be directly relevant to the course as specified in the essay guidelines.
Learning Outcomes
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Knowledge and Understanding |
||
|
Describe and explain key concepts and research findings that address how human memory works
Describe applications of memory research to everyday experiences and to memory disorders
|
· Reading · Participation in class discussion · Preparing class presentations · Writing thought papers · Writing quiz exam · Writing final exam
|
· Class presentations · Thought papers · Quiz exam · Final exam
|
|
Critical Thinking |
||
|
Summarize and synthesize research findings
Identify and describe limits of current knowledge in memory research
|
· Preparing class presentations · Participation in class discussion · Writing quiz exam · Writing final exam · Writing thought papers · Writing final essay |
· Class presentations · Quiz exam · Final exam · Thought papers · Final essay |
|
Communication |
||
|
Communicate ideas, methods, and findings from memory research in oral form
Communicate ideas, methods, and findings from memory research in written form |
· Participation in class discussion · Preparing class presentations
· Writing thought papers · Writing quiz exam · Writing final exam · Writing final essay
|
· Class presentations
· Thought papers · Quiz exam · Final exam · Final essay |
5 Evaluation
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4, and completion is necessary for meeting these learning objectives.
Course performance will be evaluated based on five different sources:
- Quiz exam 15% of total grade
- Final exam 25% of total grade
- Original scholarly essay 25% of total grade
- Thought papers 15% of total grade
- Oral in-class presentation 20% of total grade
Quiz Exam
This quiz will cover the materials from the lectures, videos, readings, and presentations up until that point (i.e., the first five classes). Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Final Exam
This exam will cover the materials from the entire course; it is a cumulative exam. Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Thought Papers
Students are required to write two thought papers (maximum 500 words each) on articles assigned for presentations over the course of the term. Thought papers are intended to be brief reflections on presented articles that are meant to increase students’ engagement with select research content. Additional guidelines will be posted that must be followed in the Thought Papers.
Presentations
Students are required to give one presentation on an assigned primary research paper over the course of the term (see schedule for dates of sessions with presentations). Presentations must offer a complete summary of the article and will typically be given in teams of 3 students. Presentations are expected to be 12 min in length (total) and supported by visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint), followed by a Q & A. Students are encouraged to include questions and comments in their presentations to stimulate discussion in the Q & A period. They are also expected to be prepared to answer any questions about the article they present. Additional guidelines will be posted that must be followed in the Presentations.
Essay
Students are required to submit an essay on a topic covered in this course. The paper must be a proposal for a research project that would follow up on specific research covered in this course. Essays are expected to include (i) an introduction with a brief review of pertinent background, (ii) the specification of the critical research question and a justification why it is important, (iii) a description of research methods and the study design proposed to answer that question, (iv) a description of anticipated results, and (v) a summary of conclusions that can be drawn if the outcome is as expected. The essay may not exceed a maximum of 8 double-spaced pages (i.e., maximum of 2000 words) in 12 point font, excluding cover page and references. Additional guidelines will be posted that must be followed in the Essay.
Policy on Missing Coursework
Essays. There will be a penalty for late submissions (10% per day) of the essay unless submitted within the 48h grace period specified as part of the flexible assessment format. Please note that because the submission deadline for these assessments already includes flexibility in the form of this grace period, the instructor reserves the right to deny academic consideration for assignments that are submitted following the end of the period of flexibility.
Thought Papers. Late submissions of the thought papers will not be accepted unless submitted within the 48h grace period specified as part of the flexible assessment format. Please note that because the submission deadline for these assessments already includes flexibility in the form of this grace period, the instructor reserves the right to deny academic consideration for thought papers that are submitted following the end of the period of flexibility.
Presentations will be rescheduled if missed. If rescheduling is not feasible, students may be asked to upload a recorded version on OWL Brightspace instead (at a time determined by the course instructor). If only one of the presenters is available at the assigned presentation spot they will be encouraged to offer their presentation individually. Presentations missed without rescheduling will be assigned a 0 mark.
Quiz Exams and Final Exams will be rescheduled as make-up exams if missed due to medical, compassionate or extenuating circumstances approved for academic consideration. If make-up exams are missed, a mark of 0 will be assigned. The Quiz Exam is a designated assignment that requires formal supporting documentation if the exam is missed. As Final Exams scheduled by the Registrar’s Office always require documentation if missed, students cannot use an undocumented absence for either exam.
Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
In the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding
Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered.
6 Assessment/Evaluation Schedule
Quiz Exam
There will be a 45-minute in-class quiz exam on February 12 2026 at 9:30am in our regular classroom. This quiz will cover the materials from the lectures, videos, readings, and presentations up until that point (i.e., the first five classes). Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Final Exam
There will be a 2 hour in-class final exam in the final-exam period that will be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office. This exam is cumulative and will cover the materials from the lectures, videos, readings, and presentations of the entire course. Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Thought Papers
Due dates for thought papers will be determined for each student at the start of the course (within first 2 weeks). Thought papers must be uploaded to the course website by 12 noon on these due dates (typically the Tuesday after the corresponding presentations). Deadlines adhere to the new flexible assessment format with an added grace period of 48h (see implications for academic consideration in section on ‘Policy on Missing Coursework’ above).
Presentation
Presentation dates will be determined for each student at the start of the course (within first 2 weeks).
Essay
The deadline for submitting essays is Tuesday April 7 2026 at 11:55pm. Essays must be uploaded to the course website via Turnitin (for academic consideration see section on ‘Policy on Missing Coursework’ above). The deadline adheres to the new flexible assessment format with an added grace period of 48h (see implications for academic consideration in section on ‘Policy on Missing Coursework’ above).
7 Class Schedule
|
|
Topic |
Presentations |
Assigned Readings |
|
Jan 08 |
General course introduction |
No |
-- |
|
Jan 15 |
Historical overview |
No |
Textbook Ch. 1 |
|
Jan 22 |
Memory and the brain: Basics |
No |
Textbook Ch. 2 |
|
Jan 29 |
Working memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 3 |
|
Feb 05 |
Learning |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 4, 13 |
|
Feb 12 |
Quiz Exam followed by: Semantic memory |
No |
Textbook Ch. 5 |
|
Feb 19 |
Reading week -- no class |
No |
-- |
|
Feb 26 |
Episodic memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 4 |
|
March 05 |
Amnesia and related memory disorders |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 10 |
|
March 12 |
Autobiographical memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 6 |
|
March 19 |
Memory and emotion |
Yes |
TBA |
|
March 26 |
False memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 7, 12 |
|
April 02 |
Final set of presentations; Q & A for Essays |
Yes |
-- |
|
April 09 |
To be selected by class |
No |
TBA |
8 Academic Integrity
Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
Statement on Use of Electronic Devices
Use of laptops or tablets is only allowed for note taking and display of readings during class. Use of cell phone is not permitted. During the quiz exam, no use of electronic devices is permitted.
Plagiarism Detection Software
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. 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.
Use of AI
The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content.
AI Policy for Psychology:
Responsible use of AI is allowed in Psychology. This includes using AI for brainstorming, improving grammar, or doing preliminary/background research on a topic.
AI is not to be used in place of critical thinking.
The misuse of AI undermines the academic values of this course. Relying on AI to create full drafts or fabricate sources is prohibited. You are ultimately responsible for any work submitted, so it is highly advised that you critically review your Generative AI output before incorporating this information into your assignments.
If you use AI, you must clearly explain its role in your work. All written assignments will require an AI Usage Statement, in which you will indicate what tools you have used, what you have used them for, and (broadly) how you have modified this information. Assignments without an AI Usage Statement will not be accepted.
Violations of this policy will be handled according to Western’s scholastic offense policies.
9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education
View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link.
Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western.
If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information. Email: aew@uwo.ca Phone: 519 661-2147
10 Absence & Academic Consideration
Academic Considerations: https://registrar.uwo.ca/academics/academic_considerations/index.html
11 Other Information
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Student Development Services: sdc.uwo.ca
- Psychology Undergraduate Program: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/index.html
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness@Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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.
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf. Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal in writing to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
Copyright Statement
Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
