Psychology 3138G-001
Human Memory
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
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.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810, and one of
Psychology 2115A/B, Psychology 2134A/B, Psychology 2135A/B, Psychology 2220A/B,
Psychology 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000. Minimum grade of 60% required in all prerequisites
courses.
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.
3 lecture/discussion hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Stefan Köhler
Office and Phone Number: WIRB 5138; 519-661-2111 ext. 86364
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: stefank@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Kayla Ferko
Office: by appointment
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: kferko@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thurs 9:30am – 12:30pm; SSC-3028
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
Schwartz, B.L. (2018). Memory. Foundations and Applications (3rd Edition). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Additional required readings will be posted on OWL (see Schedule). These readings are mandatory
and will also be covered in the exams.
Reading Guidelines and Lecture Notes will be posted on OWL.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. 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.
2. To encourage reading and 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 imperative that students attend the lectures 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. The in-class presentations will serve to stimulate this discussion.
For the in-class presentations, students are expected to work in groups of two 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. Students are required to request this information from the instructor at least one
week prior to the date of presentation.
To familiarize students with writing (academic and for the broader public) in this field of psychology, the
course also requires the completion of a scholarly essay on primary research and several mini-reviews
of presentations. Students are expected to choose their own topic (which must be directly relevant to the
course) for this essay
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning Outcome Learning Activities How Assessed
Knowledge and Understanding
Describe and explain key
concepts and research findings
that address how human
memory works
Describe and explain key
methods used to study human
memory
Describe applications of
memory research to everyday
experiences and to memory
disorders
Reading
Participation in class discussion
Preparing class presentations
Writing mini-reviews
Writing quiz exam
Writing final exam
Class presentations
Mini-reviews
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 mini-reviews
Writing final essay
Class presentations
Quiz exam
Final exam
Mini-reviews
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 mini-reviews
Writing quiz exam
Writing final exam
Writing final essay
Class presentations
Mini-reviews
Quiz exam
Final exam
Final essay
5.0 EVALUATION
Course performance will be evaluated based on five different sources:
1. Quiz exam 15% of total grade
2. Final exam 25% of total grade
3. Original scholarly essay 25% of total grade
4. Oral in-class presentation 20% of total grade
5. 3 Mini-reviews 15% of total grade
Feedback on the Quiz exam (15% of the final grade) will be provided on or before March 3, 2019.
PLEASE NOTE: 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 (Essay
plus Mini-reviews) must be at least 50%.
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 Western's 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
Quiz Exam: Thursday February 14, 2019; 9:30 am – 10:30 am. This quiz will address the materials
from the lectures and readings covered up until that point. Mixed format: multiple choice and short
answers. Feedback on the Quiz Exam (15% of the final grade) will be provided on or before March
3, 2019.
In-class Presentation: Dates (one per student) will be determined in first two weeks of classes.
Mini-Reviews: Due one week (Thursday 9:30 am) after the reviewed presentation. Dates (three per
student) will be determined in first two weeks of classes. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Each Mini-Review consists of a discussion of strengths and weaknesses of the research reviewed in
one of the in-class presentations. Length per Mini-Review: maximum 500 words.
Essay: Complete essay due April 4, 2019, 9:30 am (last week of class) in hardcopy and electronic
submission to TurnItIn via OWL. There will be a penalty for late submissions. Length: 8 doublespaced pages, 12-point font (i.e., roughly between 1800 and 2300 words).
Final Exam: During final exam period April 11-30. This test will cover the materials from the entire course; it is a cumulative exam. Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Jan 10 General course introduction No --Jan 17 Historical overview No Textbook Ch. 1
Jan 24 Memory and the brain No Textbook Ch. 2
Jan 31 Working memory Yes Textbook Ch. 3
Feb 7 Learning Yes Textbook Ch. 4, 13
Feb 14 Quiz Exam; Semantic memory No Textbook Ch. 5
Feb 21 Reading week -- no class No --
Feb 28 Episodic memory Yes Textbook Ch. 4
March 7 Amnesia and related memory disorders Yes Textbook Ch. 10
March 14 Autobiographical memory Yes Textbook Ch. 7
March 21 Memory and emotion Yes reading provided online
at OWL
March 28 Memory distortions and memory illusions Yes Textbook Ch. 8
April 4 To be selected by class Yes reading provided online
at OWL
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://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
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
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
