Psychology 4295G-001

Special Topics in Behavioural and Cognitive Psychology

"Human Sensorimotor Control and Motor Learning"

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

Given the University’s directive to move all Winter 2020 classes online beginning Wednesday, March 18, it is necessary to revise the course outline for the course specified above. The purpose of this document is to communicate these revisions in a clear and concise manner. This document serves as a formal revision to the course outline and any revisions to the grading scheme supersede previously agreed-upon course requirements.

Table 1: Course Schedule¹

Week of	Original course content / learning outcomes	Revised course content / learning outcomes	Revised means of delivery
March 9		N/A	N/A
March 16	Class presentation	Powerpoint	OWL
March 23	Class presentation	Powerpoint	OWL
March 30	Class presentation	Powerpoint	OWL

¹ This schedule is considered binding as of March 18, 2020.

Table 2: Course Grading Scheme²

Assessment/Component	Original Weight	Revised Weight	Revised Date or Due Date	To whom does the change apply?³
Class Participation	10%	Same
4 thought papers	5% each	Same	2 before and 2 after Feb. 26
Class Presentation	35%	Same	3 remaining on March 18, 25, and April 1
Essay	35%	Same	Within 2 weeks after class presentation

² Note that previously completed assessments may have been re-weighted. Since alternatives to final exams are still under discussion, this scheme may need to be revised. Any revisions will be announced as “Revision 2” by April 3, 2020.

³ Some changes may only apply to some students (e.g., those who have missed a make-up exam)

1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

Selected topics of current interest in Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience.

Prerequisite: Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000, and registration in third or fourth year Honors Specialization in Psychology, Honors Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Honors Specialization in Neuroscience, or Honors Specialization in Animal Behaviour. Other Psychology students and Psychology Special Students who receive 70% in the prerequisite course(s) may enroll in this course

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 seminar hours, 0.5 course

2.0 COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Paul Gribble

Office and Phone Number: WIRB 4122

Office Hours: by appointment

Email: pgribble@uwo.ca

Time and Location of Classes: Thursdays 9:30-12:30pm in WIRB 1160

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

No textbook. Required readings will be provided electronically on the OWL course website.

4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES

The general goal of the course is to review current neuroscience research and theories in sensorimotor control and motor learning. The specific goals are:

To provide a research-oriented overview of key findings, methodology, theories, and contentious issues in the study of sensorimotor control and motor learning, drawing from the neuroscience literature on both human and animal studies.

To encourage reading and writing about primary source material in neuroscience research; to encourage critical thinking about the topics; to explore and appreciate the limits of current scientific knowledge in the field.

To provide training for public (in-class) presentations on a specific research question and its empirical study; to encourage discussion of contentious issues in neuroscience research.

4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning Outcome

Learning Activities

How Assessed

Knowledge and Understanding

Describe and explain key concepts and research findings in the field of human sensorimotor control and motor learning

Describe and explain key methods used to study sensorimotor control and motor learning in humans

Reading

Participation in class discussions

Preparing class presentations

Writing short papers

Class participation

Class presentations

Short papers

Critical Thinking

Organize and synthesize research results

Describe and explain limits of current knowledge in research on human sensorimotor control and motor learning

Design novel future studies

Develop hypotheses and predictions for future studies

Preparing class presentations

Participation in class discussions

Writing short papers

Writing final essay

Class presentations

Class participation

Short papers

Final essay

Communication

Communicate ideas, methods, and findings from research on human sensorimotor control and motor learning orally

Communicate ideas, methods, and findings from research on human sensorimotor control and motor learning in written form

Participation in class discussion

Preparing class presentations

Writing short papers

Writing final essay

Class participation

Class presentations

Short papers

Final essay

5.0 EVALUATION

Students are expected to attend all classes and read assigned material incl. background readings.

Students will select an assigned primary research article and they will prepare (i) a presentation and (ii) a short thought paper. Each student will do this twice over the course of the term: once in the period before reading week and a second time in the period after reading week. Students will present in groups of two but each student must submit their own original short paper. Students will also (iii) select one of the papers discussed in the course and write an essay, submitted at the end of term.

For undergraduate students, evaluation will be based on:

(1) two in-class presentations

(2) two short papers

(3) one end of term essay

(4) class participation

2 x Presentations (12.5% each)

2 x Short papers (10% each)

25 %

20 %

End of term Essay (35%) & proposal presentation (10%)

45 %

Participation in class discussions

10 %

For graduate students, evaluation will be based on:

(1) two in-class presentations

(2) two short papers

(3) two essays

(4) class participation

2 x Presentations (10% each)

2 x Short papers (10% each)

25 %

20 %

2 x Essays (17.5% each) & 2 x proposal presentations (5% each)

45 %

Participation in class discussions

10 %

In-class Presentations

Students are required to give two presentations on the assigned primary research papers over the course of the term. Each presentation will typically be given by groups of two students, but the course size in a given year may also require presentations in other formats. Presentations should be 15–20 min in length, and must be supported by visual aids (e.g., Keynote/PowerPoint). Students should offer a summary of the article, including coverage of (i) background and motivation of the study; (ii) the specific research question addressed, (iii) the specific hypotheses tested (if any), (iv) the design and methods used, (v) the main results reported (with Figures and/or Tables), and (vi) the main conclusions drawn. Students are strongly encouraged to link the study to broader issues discussed in the background readings. Students are invited to consult other academic resources (papers, books, online resources) for inclusion of additional background, and they should reference them when used. In the final section of the presentation, students are asked to include questions and critique so as to stimulate class discussion. The presenters should consider themselves as experts on the topic and the study they present. They are expected to take on an active role in the discussion and should also be prepared to answer related questions.

In addition to these two paper presentations, all students are expected to orally present and defend the study they propose in their essay in the last one or two classes in the course, at the end of the term. These presentations will be brief (~ 5–7 min plus 2–3 min for discussion each).

Short Papers

Students are required to write two short papers (maximum 500 words; approx. 1.5–2 double-spaced pages in 12-point font) on the research articles they present in class (described above). Short papers should include a brief summary of the study as well as independent thoughts, which could focus on strength and weaknesses, alternative interpretations, comparisons to other research findings, proposals for follow-up research, or application to daily experiences outside the laboratory. Students are also strongly encouraged to link the study to issues discussed in the background readings. Short papers are meant to get students thinking about what they want to discuss in class. Short papers must be uploaded to the course website in PDF format no later than 11:55 pm 7 days after the student presents the research article on which the short paper is based.

Essay

Students are required to submit one essay on a topic covered in the course. The paper must be a proposal for a research project that would follow up on one of the studies covered in the primary research articles associated with the course. Essays may be based on one of the two papers that the student presented in class, or alternatively on any other paper presented or assigned during the course. Essays should include (i) an Introduction with a brief review of pertinent background, (ii) a clear specification of the research question and a statement about why it is important, (iii) a description of research methods and the proposed study design, (iv) a description of anticipated results, and (v) a summary of the conclusions that can be drawn if the outcome is as expected. Students will present these study proposals in the last week of classes in a brief 5–7 minute presentation. The paper should not exceed a maximum of 10 pages (12-point font, double-spaced, about 2500 words, excluding cover page and references) and should be written in the format of a typical article in the Journal of Neurophysiology. Essays must be submitted electronically through the course website no later than 11:55 pm on April 10, 2010. Graduate Students are required to submit two essays as described above. The first is required to be submitted no later than 11:55 pm on Feb 16, 2020. The second must be submitted no later than 11:55 pm on April 10, 2020.

Class Participation

Students are expected to participate in class discussion and will be graded on their participation.

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%.

PLEASE NOTE: 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.

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

There are no tests or examinations in this course. Evaluation is based on the components summarized in Section 5.0.

7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE

January 9 Introduction and Course Organization

Background readings assigned

January 16 no class—preparation time for paper choices

January 23 Organization and Planning of Movement