Psychology 3138G 001 FW24
Human Memory
Western University
London Canada
Department of Psychology
Winter 2024-25
Psychology 3138G Section 001
HUMAN MEMORY
1 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.
Prerequisite:
Both Psychology 2801F/G (or one of Health Sciences 2801A/B, Psychology 2840F/G, Psychology 2855F/G) and Psychology 2811A/B (or one of Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, Economics 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2830A/B, Psychology 2850A/B, Sociology 2205A/B, Statistical Sciences 2035, Statistical Sciences 2141A/B, Statistical Sciences 2143A/B, Statistical Sciences 2244A/B, Statistical Sciences 2858A/B, the former Social Work 2207A/B), or the former Psychology 2820E, or both the former Psychology 2800E and the former Psychology 2810, and one of Psychology 2115A/B, Psychology 2134A/B, Psychology 2135A/B, Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B, Neuroscience 2000. Minimum grade of 60% required in all prerequisite courses.
Lecture Hours: 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 Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Stefan Köhler
Office and Phone Number: see BrightSpace for details
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: stefank@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistants: Daniela Herrera Chaves
Office: TBA
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: dherrer3@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: see TimeTable on Student Centre
Delivery Method: In-Person
For courses that include an online component, students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with online learning system requirements.
3 Course Materials
Required textbook: Schwartz, B.L. (2024). Memory. Foundations and Applications (5th 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-v9781071930687 (88$-160$ e-rental)
Additional required readings will be posted on OWL Brightspace.
Reading Guidelines and Lecture Notes will be posted on OWL Brightspace.
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Course Objectives
- 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 (what we know; how we know what we know).
- 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.
- 3. 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 may include group discussions in breakout format. 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 three 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). For the essay, students are expected to choose their own topic, which must be directly relevant to the course as specified in the essay guidelines.
Learning Outcomes
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
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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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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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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5 Evaluation
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4, and completion is necessary for meeting these learning objectives.
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
- Thought papers 15% of total grade
- Oral in-class presentation 20% of total grade
Quiz Exam
This quiz will cover the materials from the lectures, videos, readings, and presentations up until that point (i.e., the first five classes). Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Final Exam
This exam will cover the materials from the entire course; it is a cumulative exam. Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Thought Papers
Students are required to write two thought papers (maximum 500 words each) on articles assigned for presentations over the course of the term. Thought papers are intended to be brief reflections on presented articles that are meant to increase students’ engagement with select research content.
Presentations
Students are required to give one presentation on an assigned primary research paper over the course of the term (see schedule for dates of sessions with presentations). Presentations must offer a complete summary of the article and will typically be given in teams of 3 students. Presentations are expected to be 12 min in length (total) and supported by visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint), followed by a Q & A. Students are encouraged to include questions and comments in their presentations to stimulate discussion in the Q & A period. They are also expected to be prepared to answer any questions about the article they present.
Essay
Students are required to submit an essay on a topic covered in this course. The paper must be a proposal for a research project that would follow up on research covered in this course. Essays are expected to include (i) an introduction with a brief review of pertinent background, (ii) the specification of the critical research question and a justification why it is important, (iii) a description of research methods and the study design proposed to answer that question, (iv) a description of anticipated results, and (v) a summary of conclusions that can be drawn if the outcome is as expected. The essay may not exceed a maximum of 8 double-spaced pages (i.e., maximum of 2000 words) in 12 point font, excluding cover page and references.
Policy on Missing Coursework
Essays. Please note that this assessment is considered to be central to the learning objectives for this course. Accordingly, students seeking academic consideration for this
assessment will be required to provide formal supporting documentation. Students who are granted academic consideration for this assessment will be provided with an extended new deadline for submission of the essay. There will be a penalty for late submissions not covered by formal academic consideration (10% per day).
Thought Papers. Late submissions of the thought papers will not be accepted unless submitted within the 48h grace period specified as part of the flexible assessment format. Please note that because the submission deadline for these assessments already includes flexibility in the form of this grace period, the instructor reserves the right to deny academic consideration for thought papers that are submitted following the end of the period of flexibility.
Presentations may be rescheduled if missed by a team member due to medical, compassionate, or extenuating circumstances approved for academic consideration. If rescheduling is not feasible, students may be asked to upload a recorded version on OWL Brightspace instead (at a time determined by the course instructor). If two of the presenters are available at the assigned presentation slot they will be encouraged to offer their presentation without the missing third team member. Presentations missed without approved academic consideration will be assigned a 0 mark.
Quiz Exams and Final Exams will be rescheduled as make-up exams if missed due to medical, compassionate or extenuating circumstances approved for academic consideration. If make-up exams are missed, a mark of 0 will be assigned.
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 plus 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.
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
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
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.
6 Assessment/Evaluation Schedule
Quiz Exam
There will be a 45-minute in-class quiz exam on February 13 2025 at 9:30am in our regular classroom. This quiz will cover the materials from the lectures, videos, readings, and presentations up until that point (i.e., the first five classes). Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Final Exam
There will be a 120-minute in-class final exam in the final-exam period that will be scheduled by the Registrar’s Office. This exam is cumulative and will cover the materials from the lectures, videos, readings, and presentations of the entire course. Mixed format: multiple choice and short answers.
Thought Papers
Due dates for thought papers will be determined for each student at the start of the course (within first 2 weeks). Thought papers must be uploaded to the course website by 12 noon on these due dates (typically the Wednesday after the corresponding presentations). Deadlines adhere to the new flexible assessment format with an added grace period of 48h (see implications for academic consideration in section on ‘Policy on Missing Coursework’ above).
Presentation
Presentation dates will be determined for each student at the start of the course (within first 2 weeks).
Essay
The deadline for submitting essays is Wednesday April 2 2025 at 9:30am. Essays must be uploaded to the course website via Turnitin (for academic consideration see section on ‘Policy on Missing Coursework’ above).
7 Class Schedule
|
|
Topic |
Presentations |
Assigned Readings |
|
Jan 09 |
General course introduction |
No |
-- |
|
Jan 16 |
Historical overview |
No |
Textbook Ch. 1 |
|
Jan 23 |
Memory and the brain: Basics |
No |
Textbook Ch. 2 |
|
Jan 30 |
Working memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 3 |
|
Feb 6 |
Learning |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 4, 13 |
|
Feb 13 |
Quiz Exam followed by: Semantic memory |
No |
Textbook Ch. 5 |
|
Feb 20 |
Reading week -- no class |
No |
-- |
|
Feb 27 |
Episodic memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 4 |
|
March 06 |
Amnesia and related memory disorders |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 10 |
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March 13 |
Autobiographical memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 6 |
|
March 20 |
Memory and emotion |
Yes |
TBA |
|
March 27 |
False memory |
Yes |
Textbook Ch. 7, 12 |
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April 03 |
To be selected by class |
Yes |
TBA |
Research articles covered in presentations and assigned readings other than the textbook will be made available on OWL Brightspace.
8 Academic Integrity
Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf.
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.
Statement on Use of Electronic Devices
Use of laptops or tablets is only allowed for note taking and display of readings during class. Use of cell phone is not permitted. During the quiz exam, no use of electronic devices is permitted.
Plagiarism Detection Software
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. 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.
Use of AI
The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content.
9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education
View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link.
Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western. If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information. Email: aew@uwo.ca Phone: 519 661-2147
Students should review the policy for Accommodation for Religious Holidays.
Where a student will be unable to write examinations and term tests due to a conflicting religious holiday, they should inform their instructors as soon as possible but not later than two weeks prior to writing the examination/term test. In the case of conflict with a midterm test, students should inform their instructor as soon as possible but not later than one week prior to the midterm.
10 Absence & Academic Consideration
University policy on academic considerations are described here:
https://uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/academic_consideration_Sep24.pdf
This policy requires that all requests for academic considerations must be accompanied by a self-attestation. Further information about academic considerations, and information about submitting this self-attestation with your academic consideration request may be found at the link.
Students must familiarize themselves with the Policy on Academic Consideration –
Undergraduate Students in First Entry Programs. Students missing course work for medical, compassionate or extenuating circumstances can request academic consideration by completing a request at the central academic consideration portal. Students are permitted one academic consideration request per course per term without supporting
documentation. Note that supporting documentation is always required for academic consideration requests for examinations scheduled by the office of the registrar (e.g. December and April exams) and for practical laboratory and performance tests typically schedule during the last week of the term. Students should also note that the instructor may designate one assessment per course per term that requires supporting documentation. This designated assessment is described elsewhere in this document. Please note that any academic considerations granted in this course will be determined by the instructor of this course, in consultation with the academic advisors in your Faculty of Registration, in accordance with information presented in this course outline. Supporting documentation for academic considerations for absences due to illness should use the Student Medical Certificate or, where that is not possible, equivalent documentation by a health care practitioner.
11 Other Information
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Student Development Services: www.sdc.uwo.ca
- Psychology Undergraduate Program: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/index.html
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.
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 in writing 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.
12 Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton. Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of our society.
