Psychology 3224A 001 FW25

Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience 

Western University

London                   Canada

 

Department of Psychology

Fall/Winter 2025

 

Psychology 3224A Section 001

 

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE

 

 

1     Calendar Description

 

Neural mechanisms in human perception, spatial orientation, memory, language, and motor behavior.

 

https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/academics/timetables.html

 

Antirequisite: Psychology 3227A/B 

 

Prerequisites: 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 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000. 

 

3 lecture hours

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. Christine Tenk

Email:                          ctenk2@uwo.ca

 

Email replies are usually within 24 hours Monday - Friday. I do not check email Friday evenings and check infrequently on weekends and holidays. If you email Friday after 4:00 pm or on the weekend, expect a reply Monday afternoon.

 

Office & Phone:          see OWL

Office Hours:              see OWL

 

Teaching Assistant:    TBD

Email:                          TBD

 

Time and Location of Classes: See OWL or Student Centre for Timetable

 

For courses that include an online component, students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with online learning system requirements.

 

3     Course Materials

You are responsible for obtaining and using the materials needed for your learning success.

 

  1. OWL (required)

 

Course information and materials, such as announcements, lecture slides, assignments, and grades, are posted on OWL. You are responsible for checking OWL and your Western email frequently.

 

  1. Course Readings (required)

Download weekly course readings from Western course readings website: https://coursereadings.lib.uwo.ca

 

  1. Textbooks (recommended)

The 2 books listed below expand on & supplement the topics and readings discussed in class. This is especially useful for students who have questions or want additional elaboration/clarification. These books are not required, but additional reading is recommended. Both books are available for 2 hour loan through Western Libraries Course Reserve Service.

Recommended: Banich, M. T., & Compton, R. J. (2023). Cognitive neuroscience (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

 

Recommended: Ward, J. (2025). The student's guide to cognitive neuroscience (5th ed.). Psychology Press.

 

              

              

 

4     Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

 

 

Learning Outcome

Learning Activity

Assessment

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge

·       Describe basic anatomical/functional systems relating to human cognition including sensory, motor, language, executive function, & memory systems

·       Analyse the principles of brain development and plasticity, and their implications for cognitive functions and neuropsychological outcomes

·       Catalogue the cognitive and behavioural features of various psychopathologies and their neural underpinnings

 

 

Lectures, pre-recorded videos

In-class activities & discussions,

Readings

 

Exams

Knowledge of Methodologies

·       Understand how various cognitive neuroscience methodologies contribute to the current state of knowledge in this field

·       Present and discuss research in cognitive neuroscience

 

Lectures, pre-recorded videos

In-class discussions,

Seminar project

Readings

 

Exams,

Seminar Project

Application of Knowledge

·       Identify relevant neuropsychological mechanisms/issues and apply to real-world contexts

·       Analyse personal experiences and the lived experiences of others to draw insights about human cognition

 

Lectures,

In-class discussions,

Seminar project

 

 

Exams,

In-class discussions

Seminar Project

Communication Skills

·       Engage effectively in class discussions, offering meaningful contributions

·       Effectively communicate scientific findings related to cognitive neuroscience through a group oral presentation

 

 

In-class discussions,

Seminar project

 

 

In-class discussions

Seminar Project

Awareness of Limits of Knowledge

·       Develop awareness about the complexity of researching cognitive functioning in humans and the limitations of existing research

 

Lectures,

In-class discussions,

Readings

 

 

In-class discussions

Exams,

Seminar Project

Autonomy and Professional Capacity

·       Listen and share with openness during group discussions

·       Collaborate with peers in a group project to meet shared goals

 

In-class discussions

Seminar Project

 

In-class discussions

Seminar Project

 

5     Evaluation

 

The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4 and are necessary for meeting these learning objectives

 

Midterm Exam                                           28%

Final Exam                              35%

Seminar Project                      32%

Discussion Participation             5%

 

Exams. There will be a midterm exam and a final exam.  The midterm is worth 28% of your final grade and the final exam is worth 35%. Exams will be a mixture of question types and may include multiple choice, fill in the blank, label the diagram and short answer or essay style questions.

 

The midterm exam will assess course material from Sept. 8 – Sept. 29, inclusive. You will have 2.5 hours to complete the midterm exam. The final exam will assess course material from Oct. 20 – Dec. 8, inclusive. You will have 3 hours to complete the final exam. More details about the exams’ formats will be available as we approach the exam dates.

 

Seminar Project

Students will work in groups of 3 or 4 to complete a seminar presentation project on a chosen topic in behavioural neuroscience and eating. All group members are expected to contribute equally to this project and all group members will receive the same grade.

 

The seminar presentation project consists of 4 different parts which together contribute 32% to your final grade. Each component has its own due date and contributes a different amount to your final grade. Descriptions of the different parts and their contribution to your final grade are below.

 

Seminar Project Components:

  • Form a group: choose who you will work with, complete and sign the group contract form posted on OWL with your group. Due Oct. 3. (1% of final grade). Only one submission required per group.
  • Submit your group’s seminar article for approval. Your group must choose an article from a scholarly journal to present for your seminar. The article must be a primary research article (original research article or case reports/case series) or secondary research article (review article or systematic review). Your group’s article must be approved by the instructor before you are able to use it in your seminar. Due Oct. 17 (1% of final grade). Only one submission required per group.
  • Seminar presentation & discussion. Each student-led seminar includes 2 parts 1) a presentation on the article 2) a class discussion on the article. Presentation: Groups must prepare a 10 min pre-recorded presentation on their chosen article to deliver to the class. Presentations must summarize required components as detailed in the seminar materials posted on OWL including introduction & background, brief methodology, important findings and implications/conclusions of the article and any other requirements. Discussion: Groups must facilitate a 10 – 15min class discussion on their article that will run concurrently in 2 different formats. Groups must moderate a live discussion in the classroom as well as moderate an online discussion in Zoom.  These discussions should not be a further factual summary or analysis of the article but instead should direct the other learners to think about the following:
    1. How do the topics or concepts discussed in the article relate to ideas already discussed in class?
    2. How does this article relate to your personal experiences or lived experiences of others?
    3. What further questions does this article raise? What would you investigate next?

 

A key point of the discussion is for group members to practice guiding participants to stretch their mental muscles and think about the implications and applicability of the knowledge. The total length of the presentation cannot be longer than 25mins. You are responsible for managing the time of your presentation. Presentation slides and discussion materials need to be submitted on your presentation date. Due Nov. 17 – Dec. 8. (25% of final grade). Groups will be assigned a presentation date using a lottery draw on Oct. 27

 

  • Exam Questions. Student presentations will be testable material for the final exam. Each group will create and submit 4 multiple questions with answers that may be used as possible questions for the final exam. Detailed requirements and guidelines for these exam questions will be provided. Exam questions are due on OWL by 11:59pm the day after your presentation. Due Nov. 18 – Dec. 9 (5% of final grade). Only one submission required per group.

 

Note that acceptable documentation and approval through your faculty’s academic counselling office is required for missing your seminar presentation. Academic consideration based on self-attestation cannot be used for the seminar presentation.

 

Discussion Participation

Active engagement in learning is a critical component for student success. Therefore, 5% of your

final grade will come from participating in the student-led discussions after the seminar presentations on Nov. 17, Nov. 24 & Dec. 1. There is no graded discussion on Dec. 8.

 

The marking scheme for discussion participation is:

3 marks: Consistent and meaningful participation (contributed multiple times to oral or online discussions with thoughtful, relevant ideas that reference the article or class material directly)

2 marks: Adequate participation (contributed once or twice to oral or online discussions with relevant & appropriate ideas or lacked specific references to material)

1 mark: Minimal participation (Contributed once with vague, repetitive, brief or superficial ideas)

0 marks: No participation or absent for class

 

Your best 2 of 3 participation marks will be counted toward your final grade.

Note that no academic consideration based on self-attestation will be given for missed discussion participation. The flexibility included in these assessments, best 2 of 3 counting, is the consideration.

 

Policy on Missing Coursework

 

  1. Students who miss the midterm exam will be provided one opportunity for a makeup exam. If the makeup exam is missed due to a further accommodation, students may take the midterm exam the next time the course is offered and will receive an INC for the course until this midterm is completed.

 

  1. Academic consideration based on self-attestation cannot be used for the seminar presentation. If a group member has a legitimate documented reason approved by their home faculty’s academic counselling office, the seminar presentation for the group will be delivered as follows:

 

Missed group presentations with documented approval will be delivered on the last day of the course, Dec. 8. The presentation will include the pre-recorded 10min summary of the group’s chosen article. There will be no class discussion following this make up presentation. Instead, all group members will submit an individually completed reflection in response to instructor prompts due Dec. 9 @ 11:59pm on OWL.

 

  1. No make-ups will be provided for discussion participation. Students who miss more than one discussion participation class with valid medical or other accommodations will have their marks reweighted within that category.

 

  1. The final exam must be written on the scheduled date unless you have a legitimate documented reason approved by your home faculty’s academic counselling office. A student who misses the scheduled exam for other reasons or does not have approval from an academic counselling office/Accessible Education will be assigned a mark of 0 for the exam. Students who have university approval to miss the final exam will be provided one opportunity for a makeup exam. This makeup exam will be on the date of the common makeup exam held by the university or the instructor. If the makeup exam is missed due to a further accommodation, students may take that exam the next time the course is offered and will receive an INC for the course until the final exam is completed.

 

 

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

 

Component

Weight

Due Date

 

Midterm (Sept. 8 – Sept. 29, inclusive)

28%

Oct. 6

Seminar Project (4 different parts with different due dates)

Total = 32%

Breakdown below

Dates below

Pick your group & submit signed group contract

1%

Oct. 3

Submit article for approval

1%

Oct. 17

Presentation & Discussion

25%

Nov. 17 – Dec. 8; Date determined by lottery on Oct. 27

Exam Questions

5%

Nov. 18 – Dec. 9; Due one day later than your seminar presentation

Discussion participation (best 2 of 3)

5%

Nov. 17

Nov. 24

Dec. 1

Final Exam (Oct. 20 – Dec. 8, inclusive)

35%

During December Final Exam Period – Date TBA

 

7     Class Schedule

 

Week

Date

Topic

Reading

Assessments & Due Dates

1

Sept. 8

Welcome to the Course

Brain Anatomy & Methods Review

 

Topic #1

 

2

Sept. 15

Neurodivergence

Topic #2

 

3

Sept. 22

Perceptual Streams

 

Introduction to Seminar Project

Topic #3

 

4

Sept. 29

Memory & Associated Disorders

 

How to Read a Journal Article

Topic #4

Oct. 3: Submit team contract

5

Oct. 6

Midterm

Topics #1-4

 

6

Oct. 13

Thanksgiving Holiday – NO CLASS

 

Oct. 17: Submit your seminar article for approval

7

Oct. 20

ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE - Language

Topic #5

 

8

Oct. 27

Psychopathologies

Topic #6

Oct. 27: Lottery for presentation date

Article approval returned

 

 

Nov. 3

Reading Week – no classes

9

Nov. 10

Sample Seminars – Social Cognition

How to give a great presentation

Topic #7

 

10

Nov. 17

Student seminars & discussions

Readings TBA

Discussion Participation

*possible presentation date

11

Nov. 24

Student seminars & discussions

Readings TBA

Discussion Participation

*possible presentation date

12

Dec. 1

Student seminars & discussions

Readings TBA

 

Discussion Participation

*possible presentation date

13

Dec. 8

Student seminars & discussions

Readings TBA

 

*possible presentation date

NO Discussion Participation

 

Dec. Final Exam Period: 11 - 22

Final Exam – DATE TBA

Topics #5 – 7 & student presentation articles

 

 

 

 

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

 

You can bring your own laptop, tablet or other device to class to assist your learning.

 

However, if you are going to use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, etc or engage in other activities not related to course content, please sit at the back or edges of the classroom.

 

Research has shown that non-academic use of laptops and smartphones during class has a negative correlation with exam grades (Ravizza et al., 2014). That is, the more students use their devices in class on non-class tasks, the lower their marks on tests and exams, regardless of intellectual ability.  What is most concerning is that not only do those students have lower marks, the students sitting behind them who can be distracted by their screens also score significantly lower on tests and exams (Sana et al., 2013). 

 

If you choose to hurt your own academic performance, that is your decision.  However, if in doing so you compromise the experience and success of those sitting near you, that is not acceptable.  It is a matter of respect for your classmates.

 

Students who are distracting others or disrupting the learning environment will be asked to refrain from these activities and/or asked to leave the classroom.

 

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.

 

Multiple Choice Exams

 

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

 

 

 

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

 

 

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.

 

12   Land Acknowledgement

 

Western University is located on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as both the original caretakers, and contemporary stewards of the land, as well as vital contributors of our society.

 

We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.