Psychology 3485F-001 (Online for 2020-21)
Research in Developmental Cognitive 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 the design, administration, and interpretation of developmental cognitive neuroscience research. Students receive instruction in the formulation of developmental research questions and the choice of appropriate methods, and training in the analysis, and interpretation of pediatric evoked response potential (ERP) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2800E, Psychology 2810 and one of Psychology 2040A/B, Psychology 2410A/B, Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B, Psychology 2410A/B or Neuroscience 2000, plus registration in third or fourth year Honours Specialization in Psychology, Honours Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience or, Honours Specialization in Neuroscience. 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 Psychology 2810), plus 60% or higher in one of Psychology 2040A/B, Psychology 2410A/B, Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B, Psychology 2410A/B or Neuroscience 2000 also may enrol 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.
4 lecture/laboratory hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: J Bruce Morton
Office and Phone Number: 519-661-2111 x84795
Office Hours: 11am-12pm (M); by appointment
Email: bmorton3@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Masood Rezaei
Office: WIRB 4th floor
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: mrezaei3@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes:
Lectures: Tuesday 9:30 – 11:30am Zoom
Tutorials: Thursday 9:30 – 11:30am 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
Huettel, S. A., Song, A. W., & McCarthy, G. Functional Resonance Magnetic Imaging, 3rd Edition. Sunderland MA: Sinauer Associates.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course provides an introduction to the design, administration, analysis, and interpretation of experiments in developmental cognitive neuroscience focusing in particular on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)—and their use with developing populations. The course combines lecture-style instruction on select topics with hands-on experience analyzing existing fMRI data.
4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activities |
Assessment |
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Knowledge and Understanding |
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Identify (I), describe (De), and explain (E) concepts related to paediatric neuroimaging. |
Reading.
Class discussion.
Group exercises. |
Examination (IDeE)
Group presentation (DeE)
Writing assignment (DeE) |
|
Abilities |
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Propose a falsifiable hypothesis about age-related change in brain activity. (Pr)
Learn and implement an analysis strategy for testing the hypothesis with fMRI data (Im).
Interpret results of an fMRI analysis (In).
Identify limitations of fMRI findings and their interpretation (Id). |
Reading.
Class discussion.
Group exercises.
Computer assignment. |
Computer assignment (Im).
Writing assignment (Pr,Im,In,Id,Co,Di)
Examination (Co, Di,In,Id)
Group presentation (Pr,Im,In,Id,Co,Di,Ci) |
|
Communicate (Co) ideas and research-based evidence orally and in writing.
Distinguish (Di) cognitive and neurophysiological explanations of behaviour
Participate in collaborative partnerships (Ci) |
Reading.
Class discussion.
Group exercises.
|
Writing assignment (Pr,Im,In,Id,Co,Di)
Examination (Co, Di,In,Id)
Group presentation (Pr,Im,In,Id,Co,Di,Ci) |
5.0 EVALUATION
COMPUTER ASSIGNMENT: 10%
WRITING ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION: 15%
TAKE HOME MIDTERM EXAM: 30%
GROUP PRESENTATION: 20%
WRITING ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE DOCUMENT: 25%
The take-home Midterm exam will be mixed format MC and SA questions based on readings, lectures, and in-class discussions. Writing Assignment will be a 20-page write-up of an independent developmental fMRI research project. The Introduction of the Writing Assignment will be a 5- to 7-page document in which reviews extant literature, proposes a falsifiable hypothesis, and a design for testing the hypothesis via fMRI. This Introduction will form the first part of the final Writing Assignment, which includes separate Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. Group presentations are shared research presentations required of each research group in the class. The computer assignment will be an exercise in MATLAB in which students need to open a data set and view data using figures and plots.
Students who are unable to attend the MIDTERM examination are required to either declare a self-reported absence or to provide adequate documentation to the Academic Counseling Office in the student’s home faculty. Failure to do so will result in a grade of 0 for the MIDTERM. Students with an approved accommodation will be given an opportunity to write a MAKE-UP examination. There will be one date and time for the MAKE-UP exam which will be determined after the MIDTERM exam date. The format of the MAKE-UP exam will be different than the format of the MIDTERM exam.
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%.
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.
Grades will be rounded only to the nearest whole number, that is, marks ending in a 4 or a 9 (e.g., 74 and 79) will not be rounded up a mark. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade, nor will any requests be considered for additional marks because they are needed for a grad/law/med school application, etc. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every component during the course.
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
Tuesday, September 29: COMPUTER ASSIGNMENT DUE ON OWL
Tuesday, October 13: WRITING ASSIGNMENT INTRODUCTION DUE ON OWL
Tuesday, October 20: TAKE-HOME MIDTERM EXAMINATION ASSIGNED
Tuesday, October 27: TAKE-HOME MIDTERM to be SUBMITTED ON OWL
Tuesday, December 8: Final Research paper due on OWL
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Tuesday, September 15. Introduction to Research in DCN. Formulating a research question
Tuesday, September 22. fMRI Signal & Measurement; Experimental Design; Intro to MATLAB
Required reading: READING 1 (posted) or Chapter 9 from textbook
Recommended reading (not for the faint of heart): Chapter 3 from textbook (not posted; AND please note, this is not required. The basics will be covered in class and that is all you will need to know).
Tuesday, September 29. Ethics & Pre-processing
Required reading: READING 2 (posted) or Chapter 8 from textbook
Tuesday, October 6. Single-subject analysis: Introduction to General Linear Modeling
Required reading: READING 3 (posted) or Chapter 10, pp. 331 - 357
Tuesday, October 13. Spatial Normalization and Pediatric fMRI; Group analysis & Second-level GLM
Required reading: Burgund et al, 2002, NeuroImage. Find in Resources folder on OWL
Tuesday, October 20. Statistical thresholds
Required reading: Chapter 10, pp. 357 - 369
TAKE-HOME EXAM ADMINISTERED
Tuesday, October 27. Conducting an analysis I
Required reading: Wilk, H. A., & Morton, J. B. (2012). Developmental changes in patterns of brain activity associated with moment-to-moment adjustments in control. NeuroImage, 63(1), 475-484.
TAKE-HOME EXAM DUE
Tuesday, November 3. READING WEEK
Tuesday, November 10. Conducting an analysis II
Tuesday, November 17. In-class group presentations.
Tuesday, November 24: In-class group presentations.
Tuesday, December 1: Feedback on group presentations.
Tuesday, December 8: FINAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE ON 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.
