Psychology 3226A 001 FW24

Hormones and Behaviour

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

 

Western University 

London                   Canada 

 

Department of Psychology 

Fall/Winter 2024-2025 

 

Psychology 3226A   Section 001 

 

Hormones and Behaviour 

 

 

1 Calendar Description 

 

An in-depth review of current research problems in the field and the biological mechanisms by which hormones can affect behaviour. Topics may include hormones and brain development, sexual differentiation, sexual and courtship behaviour, parental behaviour, aggressive behaviour, stress, food intake, and endocrine disorders in humans. 

 

Antirequisite(s): Psychology 3215F/G. 

Prerequisite(s): 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 a grade of at least 70% in one of Psychology 2220A/B, Psychology 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000.

 

Extra Information: 3 lecture/discussion hours. 

 

Course Weight: 0.50 

 

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: Prof. Scott MacDougall-Shackleton 

Office & Phone: see Brightspace 

Office Hours: see Brightspace

Email: smacdou2@uwo.ca 

 

Teaching Assistant: TBA 

 

Time and Location of Classes: See Student Centre for Timetable 

 

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 

 

An Introduction to Behavioral Endocrinology, Sixth Edition 

RJ Nelson & LJ Kriegsfeld, Oxford University Press 

Hardcover ISBN:  9780197542750 

e-Book ISBN:  9780197542736 

 

4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes 

 

This course will examine how hormones affect behaviour. Students completing this course will acquire a strong foundation in behavioural endocrinology and will understand current research topics in the field on a variety of species. There will be a strong emphasis on biological processes that regulate behaviour.  

 

 

Learning Outcome  

Learning Activity  

Assessment 

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.  

  • Identify and describe key concepts in behavioural endocrinology  
  • Identify major hormone systems and how they affect brain and behaviour 
  • Describe how hormones are similar and different to other chemical messengers 
  • Interpret evidence used to determine the effects of hormones on behaviour 

Lectures and textbook readings. 

In-class activities 

Midterm and Final Exams 

Weekly Quizzes 

Knowledge of Methodologies.  

  • Understand experimental paradigms for behavioural endocrinology 
  • Understand methods used to measure and manipulate hormones. 

Lectures and textbook readings. 

In-class activities 

Midterm and Final Exams 

Application of Knowledge.  

  • Critically evaluate popular media coverage of how hormones affect brain and behaviour. 

Short written assignments  

Short written assignment 

Communication Skills.  

  • Writing short opinion pieces using clear and concise writing style 

 

Short written assignments with peer feedback 

Short written assignment 

 

 

 

5 Evaluation 

 

Evaluation in this course will be based on the following: 

 

Weekly Online Quizzes (Best 10 of 12) 10%  

Short Written Assignment 20% 

Midterm Exam 35% 

Final Exam 35% 

 

  1. Weekly online quizzes will be 5 multiple choice or similar questions. Students will have 30 minutes to complete the quiz; each quiz will be available for several days but must be completed before the weekly class meeting. The quizzes are open book. 
  1. The short (approx. 500-800 words) written assignment will involve critiquing a media piece on how hormones affect behaviour. 
  1. The midterm exam will be scheduled in a regular class meeting time. It will cover materials from weeks 1-6 and will contain multiple choice and short-answer questions. 
  1. The final exam will be scheduled during the December exam period. It will cover material from weeks 7-12 and will contain multiple choice and short-answer questions. 

 

The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4 and are necessary for meeting these learning objectives 

 

Policy on Missing Coursework 

 

  1. Only the top 10 of the 12 quizzes will be included in the final grade. No make-up quizzes are provided because each quiz is worth only 1% of your final grade in the course and you may miss up to 2 without penalty. You will receive a score of 0 for any missing quizzes, over and above the dropped two. If you require a longer-term accommodation for a health or wellness concern lasting more than a week, please seek official accommodation by submitting your documentation to the academic counselling office in your home faculty. In these cases, the final quiz grade will be reweighted within category. 
  1. Written assignments will be available for at least 2 weeks prior to the due date. Students who miss the deadline for a valid reason approved by their academic counsellor will receive an extension of 48 hours to submit their assignment. Otherwise, a grade of zero will be applied. 
  1. Students who miss the midterm or final exam for valid reasons and are approved to have a make-up exam will be offered a make up exam at a time to be scheduled after the original exam date.  
  1. See Section 10 below for information on seeking accommodations. Please note the Western policy that instructors are not permitted to receive documentation directly from a student, whether in support of an application for medical grounds, or for other reasons. All documentation required for absences that are not covered by the absence reporting policy must be submitted to the Academic Counselling Office of a student’s home faculty.   

 

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 

 

Weekly online quizzes Available weekly and must be completed by Thursday 11AM 

Written Assignment Due Nov 15, 5 PM 

Midterm Examination October 24, in regular class time 

Final Examination to be scheduled during December exam period 

 

 

 

7 Class Schedule 

 

Tentative schedule, see OWL site for updates 

Week 

Date 

Topic 

1 

05-Sep 

Introduction 

2 

12-Sep 

Endocrine System 

3 

19-Sep 

Sexual Development and Differentiation 

4 

26-Sep 

Sex Differences in Brain and Cognition 

5 

03-Oct 

Male Sexual Behaviour 

6 

10-Oct 

Female Sexual Behaviour 

 

17-Oct 

FALL READING WEEK 

 

24-Oct 

MIDTERM EXAM 

7 

31-Oct 

Parental Behaviour 

8 

07-Nov 

Aggression and Affiliation 

9 

14-Nov 

Eating and Drinking 

10 

21-Nov 

Biological Rhythms 

11 

28-Nov 

Stress 

12 

05-Dec 

Learning and Memory 

 

 

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. 

 

NOTE: Include the sections below only if they apply to your course 

 

Statement on Use of Electronic Devices 

 

No electronic devices will be allowed during midterm and final examinations. Devices may be used during class and weekly quizzes. 

 

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. 

 

Multiple Choice Exams  

 

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. 

 

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 

 

10 Absence & Academic Consideration 

 

View Western’s policy on academic consideration for medical illnesses this link 

 

Find your academic counsellor here: https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html 

 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain academic considerations. Students must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence. 

 

Medical Absences 

 

Submit a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for Academic Consideration. 

 

Nonmedical Absences 

 

Submit appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate. 

 

Religious Consideration 

 

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. 

 

11 Other Information  

 

 

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.