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.
Revised Jan 13, 2022
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2021-2022
Psychology 3138G Section 001
Human Memory
- 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.
Antirequisite: Not Applicable
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.
Prerequisite: 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.
Lecture Hours (including in-class discussion): 3h
Course Weight: 0.5
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.
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
Course Coordinator: n/a
Teaching Assistant: Helena Shizhe Wang
Office: TBA
Office Hours: TBA
Email: swan689@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Thurs 9:30am – 12:30pm; UCC 54B
Delivery Method: In-Person (or synchronously online if not deemed safe)
Although the intent is for this course to be delivered in-person, the changing COVID-19 landscape may necessitate some or all of the course to be delivered 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 assessments affected will be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ 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.
(Earlier editions of this textbook are not suitable for this course. The latest edition is 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 & LEARNING OUTCOMES
- 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.
- 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, 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.
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Learning Outcome |
Learning Activities |
How Assessed |
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Knowledge and Understanding |
||
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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
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Reading Participation in class discussion Preparing class presentations Writing mini-reviews Writing quiz exam Writing final exam
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Class presentations Mini-reviews Quiz exam Final exam
|
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Critical Thinking |
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Summarize and synthesize research findings
Identify and describe limits of current knowledge in memory research
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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 |
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Communication |
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Communicate ideas, methods, and findings from memory research in oral form
Communicate ideas, methods, and findings from memory research in written form
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Participation in class discussion Preparing class presentations
Writing mini-reviews Writing quiz exam Writing final exam Writing final essay
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Class presentations
Mini-reviews Quiz exam Final exam Final essay |
5.0 EVALUATION
Course performance will be evaluated based on five different sources:
- Quiz exam 15% of total grade
- Final exam 25% of total grade
- Original scholarly essay 25% of total grade
- Oral in-class presentation 17% of total grade
- 3 Mini-reviews 15% of total grade
- Participation 3% of total grade
5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK
If individual mini reviews or completion of the quiz exam are missed due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, they will be pro-rated in the final grade. All other course components for evaluation will be rescheduled if missed due to illness or other extenuating circumstances.
There will be a penalty for late submissions (10% per day) of mini-reviews and essays.
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 (Original scholarly essay and Mini-reviews) 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.
The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level to 2099-level courses
72% 2100-2999-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
Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.
Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Quiz Exam: Thursday February 17, 2022; 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.
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. There will be a penalty for late submissions (10% per day).
Essay: Complete essay due April 7, 2022, 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 double-spaced pages, 12-point font (i.e., roughly between 1800 and 2300 words). There will be a penalty for late submissions (10% per day).
Final Exam: During final exam period. 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
|
|
Topic |
Presentations |
Assigned Readings |
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Jan 13 |
General course introduction |
No |
-- |
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Jan 20 |
Historical overview |
No |
Textbook Ch. 1 |
|
Jan 27 |
Memory and the brain |
No |
Textbook Ch. 2 |
|
Feb 3 |
Working memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 3 |
|
Feb 10 |
Learning |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 4, 13 |
|
Feb 17 |
Quiz Exam then: Episodic memory |
No |
Textbook Ch. 4 |
|
Feb 24 |
Reading week -- no class |
No |
-- |
|
March 3 |
Semantic memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 5 |
|
March 10 |
Amnesia and related memory disorders |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 10 |
|
March 17 |
Autobiographical memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 6 |
|
March 24 |
Memory and emotion |
Yes |
TBA reading provided online at OWL |
|
March 31 |
False memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 7, 12 |
|
April 7 |
To be selected by class |
Yes |
TBA reading provided online at OWL |
8.0 Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum.
With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.
9.0 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.
10.0 POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE
When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, you will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded.*
If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf
* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us
11.0 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
Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.
12.0 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown: IN-Person & Blended classes
In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event 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.
13.0 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.
14.0 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
- 2021-2022 Calendar References
If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf
Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).
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.
Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.
