Psychology 3295G 001 FW25
Special Topics in Psychology: Cognitive Neuroscience for the Real World
Western University
London Canada
Department of Psychology
Winter 2026
Psychology 3295G Section 001
Special Topics: Cognitive Neuroscience for the Real World
1 Calendar Description
Selected topics of current interest in cognitive, developmental and brain sciences.
https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/academics/timetables.html
Antirequisites: None
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: Jody Culham
Office & Phone: see Brightspace
Office Hours: By appointment through http://jodyculham.youcanbook.me/
Email: jculham@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: see Student Centre for Timetable
3 Course Materials
Course materials will be journal articles in PDF format provided on Brightspace. Some readings may be made available through a course pack for purchase (to be determined).
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
The course will introduce students to novel concepts and approaches to understand behaviour and brain function in the real world. The emphasis will be on human cognitive neuroscience, though animal research will also be discussed. We will contrast the conventional reductionist approach to research with newer approaches that consider the interaction between organisms and the environments in which they evolved and develop. We will also examine newer technologies (e.g., virtual reality, video games, head-mounted neuroimaging methods) and analytic approaches (e.g., data-driven analyses) that can facilitate research under more naturalistic, complex situtations.
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
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Depth and Breadth of Knowledge
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Knowledge of Methodologies
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Application of Knowledge
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Communication Skills
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Awareness of Limits of Knowledge
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Autonomy and Professional Capacity
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5 Evaluation
Class Participation 10% of final grade
Students are expected to attend in person classes (at least 10/13 classes, unless documentation is provided for additional absences); students who miss more than 3 classes will lose 1 point for every class missed. If you require a longer-term accommodation for a health or wellness concern lasting more than a week, please seek official accommodation for these weeks by submitting your documentation to the academic counselling office in your home faculty. The grade will be based not only on attendance but on participation in the general discussion of assigned readings, lecture material, and other students’ presentations. Good participation scores (7+) require moderate participation while top scores require insightful questions and comments.
Midterm Exam (Lectures 1-7): 30% of final grade
The midterm will cover reading and lecture materials. Tests will be a combination of simple items (e.g., multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false) and short answer questions. The emphasis will be on a conceptual understanding of the main ideas rather than the memorization of details.
In-class Presentation: 25% of final grade
Students will give a presentation on a scientific paper, either a theoretical paper or an empirical research paper. Students can work individually (10-min presentation) or in teams of two (15-minute presentation). Students must stick to the time allotted and ensure that their presentations are working on the computer prior to the start of class. Each talk will be followed by 5 minutes for questions.
Grades will be based on the content of the presentation (10/25), the quality of the slides and oral presentation (10/25), and the depth of understanding and critical thought (5/25).
Research Proposal Outline: 10% of final grade
Research Proposal: 25% of final grade
Students are required to submit a 2,500- to 3,000-word research proposal for an experiment in real-world neuroscience. The project should be novel but can build upon past research on the topic (including content from the class presentation). An outline of the proposal is due in advance so that students can get preliminary feedback from the professor prior to writing the full proposal.
The outline is due at 11:55 pm on Monday March 23. The paper is due by 11:55 pm on Monday April. 6.
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
Policy on Missing Coursework
Class Participation
Students can miss up to three (of 13) classes without penalty. Beyond that, undocumented absences will be subject to a 1% (of final grade) penalty for each missed class.
Midterm Exam
This exam is a designated assessment. In other words, students cannot use an undocumented absence for this “designated assessment”. Students who miss the test and receive accommodations will be given an opportunity to write a make-up test.
In-class presentation
A schedule of student presentations will be worked out on January 20. If a conflict arises and you know you will be unable to present on your assigned week, please find a classmate willing to swap dates and let the instructor know. For students who cannot deliver their talks in the assigned slot, an arrangement will be made to present the talk on another date. This may be on the final presentation day (Mar 31, space permitting), or it may be outside of the regularly scheduled hours, in which case questions will come from the professor only.
Research Proposal and Outline
These deadlines have a one-week “no late penalty” period, after which a penalty of 2.5% of the final grade will accrue per day. Students who submit their research proposal outline late will not be granted any additional consideration for the fact that they have less time to prepare between the time they receive feedback and the time the proposal is due.
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
See bold font in section 7 below
7 Class Schedule
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Tues. Jan. 6 |
Lecture 1: Class Logistics and “Why Real-World Cognitive Neuroscience?” |
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Tues. Jan. 13 |
Lecture 2: Cognitive Neuroscience 1.0: History and Context |
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Tues. Jan. 20 |
Lecture 3: Cognitive Neuroscience 2.0: New Methods |
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Tues. Jan. 27 |
Lecture 4: Cognitive Neuroscience 2.0: A Call to Action |
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Tues. Feb. 3 |
Lecture 5: Evolution and Development in the Real World |
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Tues. Feb. 10 |
Lecture 6: Stimulus Realism including VR |
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Tues. Feb. 17 |
READING WEEK |
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Tues. Feb. 24 |
Lecture 7: Task and Process Realism |
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Tues. Mar. 3 |
Midterm Exam (30%) |
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Tues. Mar. 10 |
Class 9: In-class presentations (6-8 x 15-20 min) |
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Tues. Mar. 17 |
Class 10: In-class presentations (6-8 x 15-20 min) |
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Mon. Mar. 23 |
Research Proposal Outline Due (10%) |
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Tues. Mar. 24 |
Class 11: In-class presentations (6-8 x 15-20 min) |
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Tues. Mar. 31 |
Class 12: In-class presentations (6-8 x 15-20 min) |
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Mon. Apr. 6 |
Research Proposal Due (25%) |
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Tues. Apr. 7 |
Lecture 13: Wrap-up discussion: Where next? |
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
Electronic devices will not be allowed during tests.
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
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Student Development Services: www.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.
