Psychology 3209G-001
Neuroscience of Motivation and Emotion
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 examination of motivation and emotion from a variety of perspectives. Biological, cognitive, developmental, evolutionary, physiological and social approaches to motivation and emotion may be considered.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E (or both Psychology 2800E and 2810), AND one of Psychology 2220A/B, 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000
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.
Antirequisite: Psychology 2280E
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
3 lecture/discussion hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. James Boylan
Office: SSC 7440
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: jboylan4@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Tuesdays 7:00pm – 10pm in SSC 3006
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ 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. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Empirical journal articles, review articles, and book chapters will be made available as the required reading materials for the course.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course will provide a general introduction to current research and theory in a wide array of topics that fall under the heading of motivation and emotion. This will include examination of behavioural, ethological, evolutionary, neural, hormonal, physiological and social processes involved in motivated behaviors and emotional expression. Topics to be considered include: feeding and hunger, aggression, social neuroscience, sexual behaviour, stress and arousal, fear and anxiety, decision making.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:
- Identify, describe, and explain concepts and research findings in motivation and emotion from a neuroscience perspective
(Assessed by quizzes, assignments, and exam)
- Critically evaluate concepts and theories in the areas of motivation and emotion
(Assessed by paper writing, class discussion and exams)
- Describe theories, hypotheses, and predictions in the areas of motivation and emotion
(Assessed by paper writing and exams)
- Explain techniques and methods used in the field of behavioral neuroscience of relevance to motivation and emotion
(Assessed by paper writing, exams, and class discussion)
- Distinguish different questions about motivation and emotion and their regulation (behavioral and cellular neuroscience, physiology, and immune system)
(Assessed by class discussion, exams, and paper writing)
- Be able to apply evolutionary concepts to hypotheses in the areas of motivation and emotion
(Assessed by paper writing and exams)
- Extract and describe key elements from primary journal articles in the fields of motivation and emotion
(Assessed by exams, assignments, and class discussion)
- Critically evaluate evidence for and against current theories or topics of controversy
(Assessed by exams, assignments and paper writing)
- Locate and independently read research literature on a particular topic and integrate your ideas in the form of written assignments
Clearly communicate ideas orally and in writing using the acceptable vocabulary of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience (Assessed by exams, assignments, quizzes and class discussion)
5.0 EVALUATION
Final grades will be based on 5 written assignments (500 words, 7% each; 35% in total), 5 in-class quizzes (6% each; 30% in total), and the final written exam (35%). Both the quizzes and the final exam will be in a written format consisting of definitions of terms, short essay questions, or a longer integrative essay.
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 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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
In-class Quizzes 5 x 6% (30%)
Written Assignments 5 x 7% (35%)
Final Exam – Exam Period April 6-26 (3 hr) 35%
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE SCHEDULE (TENTATIVE)
January 7: Introduction to Motivation and Emotion
January 14: Neurobiological Mechanisms in Motivation and Emotion
*Assignment #1 due Friday Jan 17
January 21: Evolutionary and Genetic Aspects of Motivation and Emotion
**In-class Quiz #1
January 28: Parasites, Disgust, and Sexual Selection
* Assignment #2 due Friday Jan 31
February 4: Neuroscience of Stress and Fear
**In-class Quiz #2
February 11: Neuroscience of Aggression
* Assignment #3 due Friday Feb 14
February 18: Reading Week (no class)
February 25: Feeding and Homeostasis
**In-class Quiz #3
March 3: Neuroscience of Sexual Behaviour
* Assignment #4 due Friday March 6
March 10: Neuroscience of Love
**In-class Quiz #4
March 17: Neuroscience of Humour and Boredom
March 24: Neuroscience of Emotional Decision making
* Assignment #5 due Friday March 27
March 31: Neuroeconomics and Exam Review
**In-class Quiz #5
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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2019-2020 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, 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 lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
