Psychology 3138G-001 (Online for 2020-21)
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
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 online
Email:stefank@uwo.ca
Course Coordinator:n/a
Teaching Assistant:Haopei Yang (HY)
Office:by appointment online
Office Hours:by appointment online
Email:hyang336@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thurs 9:30am – 12:30pm; virtual synchronous (Zoom)
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
Schwartz, B.L. (2021). Memory. Foundations and Applications (4th Edition). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
(available for purchase as hardcopy at Western Book Store or for purchase/rental in digital format at
https://www.vitalsource.com/en-ca/products/memory-bennett-l-schwartz-v9781544363301)
Additional required readings will be posted on OWL.
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 provide opportunity for 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.
- 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 critical that students attend the lectures, participate in class discussions, 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, which also includes group discussions in breakout rooms. The in class-presentations, as well as targeted questions from the course instructor, will serve to stimulate this discussion.
For the in-class presentations (given synchronously without pre-recording), 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.
To offer practice in writing, the course also requires the completion of a scholarly essay on primary research and several thought papers. Topics for the thought papers will be assigned by the instructor (see Evaluation section). Students are expected to choose their own topic, which must be directly relevant to the course, for the 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 applications of memory research to everyday experiences and to memory disorders
|
Reading Participation in class discussion Preparing class presentation Writing thought papers Writing final essay
|
Class presentation Thought papers Essay outline Final essay
|
|
Critical Thinking |
||
|
Summarize and synthesize research findings
Identify and describe limits of current knowledge in memory research
|
Participation in class discussion Preparing class presentation Writing thought papers Writing final essay |
Class presentation Thought papers 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 Class presentation
Writing thought papers Writing essay outline Writing final essay
|
Participation Class presentation
Thought papers Essay outline Final essay |
5.0 EVALUATION
Course performance will be evaluated based on five different sources:
1.Course participation 08% of total grade
2.Essay outline06% of total grade
3.Original scholarly final essay25% of total grade
4.In-class presentation 25% of total grade
5.6 Thought papers at 6% each 36% of total grade
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 outline, Original scholarly essay, and Thought papers) 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.
Final grades in this class reflect student achievement. Per Department policy, grades that are close to the next grade level (e.g., 79%, 89%) will not be rounded up.
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 Presentation: Dates (one per student) for synchronous presentations will be determined in first two weeks of classes. If any accommodations are required, students will be asked to record and upload their presentations to OWL instead.
Thought Papers: Presentation-based thought papers (three per student) are due one week (Thursday 9:30 am) after the presentation. Reading-based thought papers (three per student), they are due one week (Thursday 9:30 am) after the assigned reading. Selection of dates (6 total) will be determined in first two weeks of classes. Each thought paper has a maximum length of 2 pages (500 words). Dates (six per student) will be determined in first two weeks of classes. There will be a penalty for late submissions (5% per day).
Essay Outline: Essay outlines are due between February 25, 2021 and March 25, 2021. Later submissions will not be accepted. The outline requires a summary of the research question you plan to address and a brief summary of the two selected primary research papers. Maximum length of 200 words for complete outline.
Final Essay: Complete essay due April 8, 2021, 9:30 am (last week of class) with electronic submission to TurnItIn via OWL. There will be a penalty for late submissions (5% per day). Length: 8 double-spaced pages, 12-point font (i.e., roughly between 1800 and 2300 words).
All written assignments must be submitted in digital format and uploaded to OWL.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
|
Topic |
Presentations |
Assigned Readings |
|
Jan 14 |
General course introduction |
No |
-- |
|
Jan 21 |
Historical overview |
No |
Textbook Ch. 1 |
|
Jan 28 |
Memory and the brain |
No |
Textbook Ch. 2 |
|
Feb 4 |
Working memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 3 |
|
Feb 11 |
Learning |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 4, 13 |
|
Feb 18 |
Reading week -- no class |
No |
-- |
|
Feb 25 |
Semantic memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 5 |
|
March 4 |
Episodic memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 4 |
|
March 11 |
Amnesia and related memory disorders |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 10 |
|
March 18 |
Autobiographical memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 6 |
|
March 25 |
Memory and emotion |
Yes |
reading provided online at OWL |
|
April 1 |
False memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 7, 12 |
|
April 8 |
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 offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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 will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
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.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES
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
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 must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It 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 hoursafter 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 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence during the course that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.
11.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE
In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:
- please “arrive” to class on time
- please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
- please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
- to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
- In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
- In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
- Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting
The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:
- If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
- Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
- Self-identify when speaking.
- Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).
General considerations of “netiquette”:
- Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
- Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
- Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
- Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.
Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.
12.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: 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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
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.
