3285F-001

Psychology 3285F-001

Research in Behavioural Neuroscience

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

An introduction to techniques used to investigate the neural and endocrine bases of behaviour.

 

Prerequisites: Psychology 2800E, 2810, and one of Psychology 2220A/B, 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000, plus registration in third or fourth year Honors Specialization in Psychology or Honors Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Honors Specialization in Neuroscience, or Honors Specialization in Animal Behavior.

 

Third or fourth year Psychology Majors and Psychology Special Students who receive 70% or higher in Psychology 2820E (or 60% or higher in Psychology 2800E and 2810), plus 60% or higher in one of Psychology 2220A/B, 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000 also may enroll in this course.

1 lecture hour, 3 laboratory 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:       Dr. Shelley Cross-Mellor         

Office:  SSC 8210 (locked area)                      

Office Hours: By appointment                        

Email: scrossmellor@gmail.com                                

 

Teaching Assistant: Pavlina Faltynek              

Office:   TBA

Office Hours: By appointment                        

Email:  pfaltyne@uwo.ca                                          

 

Time and Location of Classes:   Mondays 1:30-4:30pm; Fridays 11:30am-12:30pm; 8440 SSC


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

Vanderwolf, C.H. and Cooley, R.K. (1990)  The sheep brain:  A photographic series (2nd edition). London, ON: A.J. Kirby.

- it is also recommended that you purchase a dissection kit from the bookstore to aid in the sheep brain dissections.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES


   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, successful students will be able to:

 

  • Articulate current state of knowledge, key concepts and the advantages and disadvantages of main research techniques and issues in behavioural neuroscience (assessed through written lab reports, class presentations, class participation)
  • Engage in neuroanatomical dissections and be able to identify neuroanatomical areas (assessed through neuroanatomical practical exam, class participation)
  • Formulate research hypotheses and/or questions to address topics within behavioural neuroscience and implement a research project to test these (assessed through written lab reports, class participation)
  • Apply relevant statistical techniques and skills to the analysis and interpretation of the data to the experiments conducted within class (assessed through written lab reports)
  • Use evidence to support claims for past research findings and lab experiments conducted in class (assessed through written lab reports, class presentations)
  • Engage in scholarly discussion on topics relevant to lab experiments and techniques in behavioural neuroscience (assessed through class presentations, class participation)
  • Apply appropriate ethical standards to practice of behavioural neuroscience research (assessed through class participation)
  • Communicate orally and in writing accurately, clearly and logically, using the discourse of behavioural neuroscience (assessed through written lab reports, class presentations, class participation)
  • Work collaboratively with relevant others (e.g., instructor, TA,  other students in the class) to complete the in-class behavioural neuroscience experiments in an ethical and timely fashion that also demonstrates an appropriate level of effort and professionalism (assessed through class participation)
  • Show initiative and autonomy in executing neuroanatomy dissections as well as each phase of the in-class experimentation (assessed through neuroanatomy practical exam, written lab reports, class participation)

5.0     EVALUATION


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

Evaluation Summary:

Lab Reports (3)                                                55%

Class Presentation                                            20%

Neuroanatomy Practical Exam                        20%

Participation                                                       5%

 

Your mark for this course will be based on a neuroanatomy practical exam (Sept 30), three research reports, a class presentation, and class participation. Attendance at laboratory meetings is mandatory.   Failure to attend a laboratory meeting without valid (documented medical or compassionate) reason will lead to the loss of 1 mark from Participation for each meeting missed.  Please note that the Participation mark is also for active participation, it is not based just on attendance.  Participation at both the Monday lab meeting and the Friday class is considered for the Class Participation mark.



6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

 

Lab Reports                                                                       Due Date                     

Lab Report #1 – LPS & Locomotor Activity                   Monday October 31 - 15%

                       - Methods and Results Only

Lab Report #2 – LPS & Morris Water Maze                   Friday November 18 - 20%

                       - Full Lab Report

Lab Report #3 – LPS & Operant Conditioning               Monday December 5 - 20%

                        - Full Lab Report                                                    

Class Presentations                                                        Oct. 21, Nov 4, 7, 25, 28 - 20%

Neuroanatomy Exam                                                    Friday September 30 – 20%

 

 

Laboratory Projects:

 

In the 3285 lab sessions you will carry out three research projects and become familiar with neuroanatomy by dissecting and studying the sheep brain.  Experience with scientific writing will be gained by writing reports on each of the research projects.  Your research projects will explore a variety of behaviours following pharmacological manipulation of the immune system in male Long Evans rats.  Your initial research project will be to observe the effects of immune stimulation on locomotor activity. Your data will be compared to that obtained by other observers to assess reliability.  In your second and third projects you will assess the effects of immune stimulation on different types of learning (spatial and operant conditioning).  More details about each of the lab projects will be provided prior to each of the labs.  Please note attendance at the animal ethics lecture and participation in the handling workshop is absolutely MANDATORY in order to participate in any of the animal labs.  If you are not in attendance it will be your responsibility to arrange with ACVS the proper training (and incur any costs associated).

 

The data that you obtain from each of the lab projects will be pooled with the data obtained from the rest of the class. The pooled data will be available to you within a few days after completing the project on the course website.  You are encouraged to discuss data analysis, data interpretation, theoretical issues, etc., with your classmates.  However, each student must write and submit their own written report.   The report that you submit needs to be your work, not a paraphrase of a common group report, or a collection of shared passages linked by a few brief bridge passages that you write.  A lab report that is substantially the same as one submitted by another member of the class is plagiarism. Please note that all labs must be submitted to Turnitin.  Plagiarism will be dealt with according to University Regulations (the penalty for plagiarism ranges from an automatic grade of F in the course to expulsion from the university).

 

Note:  Lab reports are due at the start of the class.  Reports submitted after the start of the class session will be marked as late and the late penalty will be applied. If you do not submit your lab report at the lab/class meeting, you must make arrangements with myself or the TA to hand it in.  No late final lab reports can be accepted unless the student has permission of their Dean for an INC.  A  grade of INC (Incomplete) can only be assigned if the student has prior approval from their Dean's office.

 

 Late reports will be penalized 10% for each day late. 


7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

LAB SCHEDULE – MONDAYS (Tentative)

Date                                                                  Topic

Sept. 12                                 Neuroanatomy: Sheep Brain Dissection

19                                           Neuroanatomy: Sheep Brain Dissection

26                                           Neuroanatomy: Sheep Brain Dissection

Oct. 3                   ANIMAL ETHICS AND HANDLING - MANDATORY

10                                                       Thanksgiving – no class

17                                              Lab #1: LPS & Locomotor Activity

24                                        How To Write a Lab Report/Lab 1 Review       

Oct. 31/Nov. 1               Lab #2: LPS & Morris Water Maze (Lab 1 Due)

Nov. 7                                                    Class Presentations

14                     Lab #3: LPS & Operant Conditioning (train rats throughout week)

21                                    Lab #3: LPS & Operant Conditioning (test day)

28                                                           Class Presentations

Dec. 5                                                    Lab 3 Due

 

 

LECTURE SCHEDULE – FRIDAYS (Tentative)

Date                                                                  Topic

Sept. 9                                                 Introduction to Course

16                                                       Lecture - Neuroanatomy

23                                                              Neuroanatomy

30                                                Neuroanatomy Practical Exam

Oct. 7                                                     no class scheduled

14                                                           no class scheduled

21                                                           Class Presentations

28                                                             Fall Study Break

Nov. 4                                                    Class Presentations  

11                                                               Lab 2 Review

18                           no class scheduled – be sure to train your rats! (Lab 2 Due)

25                                                           Class Presentations

Dec. 2                                                        Lab 3 Review


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.