Psychology 3254 001 FW24

The Brain, Food, & Eating

Western University

London                   Canada

 

Department of Psychology

Fall/Winter 2024

 

Psychology 3254   Section 001

 

THE BRAIN, FOOD, & EATING

 

 

1     Calendar Description

 

This course explores the neuroscience of eating by examining the interrelationships among food, eating and biopsychology. Topics may include the chemical senses, biology of appetite, food reward and addiction, eating, cognitive function and mental health, development and learning, and sociocultural, evolutionary, and genetic influences.

 

https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/academics/timetables.html

 

Prerequisites: At least 0.5 Psychology course in Research Methods at the 2000 level or above and registration in third or fourth year of a Major, Specialization, or Honours Specialization in Psychology module.

Antirequisites: Psychology 2054A/B

 

3.0 lecture hours

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. Christine Tenk

Email:                          ctenk2@uwo.ca

 

Email replies are usually within 24 hours Monday - Friday. I do not check email Friday evenings and check infrequently on weekends and holidays. If you email Friday after 4:00 pm or on the weekend, expect a reply Monday afternoon.

 

Office & Phone:           see OWL

Office Hours:               see OWL

 

Teaching Assistant:     None

 

Time and Location of Classes: See OWL or 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

You are responsible for obtaining and using the materials needed for your learning success.

 

  1. OWL

 

Course information and materials, such as announcements, lecture slides, assignments, learning activities, and grades, are posted on OWL. You are responsible for checking OWL and your Western email frequently.

 

  1. Course Readings

Download weekly course readings from Western course readings website: https://coursereadings.lib.uwo.ca

 

4     Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

 

 

Learning Outcome

Learning Activity

Assessment

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge

·         List the brain areas and biochemicals important to eating behaviour and explain their role

·         Describe biological processes related to eating behaviour including appetite, chemosensation, & digestion

·         Illustrate how normal and abnormal psychological states influence eating behaviour

·         Examine how eating behaviours develop over the lifespan and are influenced by learning and experience

 

Lectures,

In-class activities & discussions,

Readings

 

Exams

Knowledge of Methodologies

·         Discover the interdisciplinary nature of research examining eating behaviour

·         Present and discuss behavioural neuroscience research examining eating

 

Lectures,

In-class discussions,

Seminar project,

Readings

 

Exams,

Seminar Project

Application of Knowledge

·         Analyse personal experiences and the lived experiences of others to draw insights about eating behaviour

·         Select and integrate research and information to illustrate intersections of the brain, food & eating

 

Lectures,

In-class discussions,

Seminar project

 

 

Exams,

In-class discussions

Seminar Project

Communication Skills

·         Engage effectively in class discussions, offering meaningful contributions

·         Effectively communicate scientific findings related to the neuroscience of eating through a group oral presentation

 

 

In-class discussions,

Seminar project

 

 

In-class discussions

Seminar Project

Awareness of Limits of Knowledge

·         Develop awareness about the complexity of researching eating behaviour in humans and limitations of existing research

 

 

Lectures,

In-class discussions,

Readings

 

 

In-class discussions

Exams,

Seminar Project

Autonomy and Professional Capacity

·         Listen and share with openness during group discussions

·         Collaborate with peers in a group project to meet shared goals

 

In-class discussions,

Seminar Project

 

In-class discussions

Seminar Project

 

5     Evaluation

 

 

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

 

Midterm Exam                        30%

Final Exam                               36%

Seminar Project                      28%

Discussion Participation         6%

 

Exams. There will be a midterm exam and a final exam.  The midterm is worth 30% of your final grade and the final exam is worth 36%. Exams will be a mixture of question types and may include multiple choice, fill in the blank, label the diagram and short answer or essay style questions.

 

The midterm exam will assess course material from Weeks #1-4 (Jan. 8 – 29), inclusive. You will have 2 hours to complete the midterm exam. The final exam will assess course material from Weeks #6-12 (Feb. 12 – Apr. 2), inclusive. You will have 3 hours to complete the final exam. More details about the exams’ formats will be available as we approach the exam dates.

 

Seminar Project

Students will work in groups of no more than 3 to complete a seminar presentation project on a chosen topic in cognitive neuroscience. All group members are expected to contribute equally to this project and all group members will receive the same grade.

 

The seminar presentation project consists of 5 different parts which together contribute 28% to your final grade. Each component has its own due date and contributes a different amount to your final grade. Descriptions of the different parts are below.

 

Seminar Project Components:

  • Form a group: choose who you will work with, complete and sign the group contract form posted on OWL with your group. Due Jan. 31. (1% of final grade). Only one submission required per group.
  • Submit your group’s seminar article for approval. Your group must choose an article from a scholarly journal to present for your seminar. The article may be a primary research article (original research article or case reports/case series) or secondary research article (review article or systematic review). Your group’s article must be approved by the instructor before you are able to use it in your semina Due Feb. 14 (1% of final grade). Only one submission required per group.
  • Seminar presentation & discussion. Each student-led seminar includes 2 parts 1) a presentation on the article 2) a class discussion on the article. Presentation: Groups must prepare a 15 – 20min presentation on their chosen article to deliver to the class. These presentations can pre-recorded and shown as a video, or delivered live.  The presentations must summarize the introduction & background, brief methodology, important findings and implications and conclusions of the article. Discussion: Groups must facilitate a 10 – 15min class discussion on their article.  This discussion should not be a further factual summary or analysis of the article but instead should direct the other learners to think about the following:
    1. How do the topics or concepts discussed in the article relate to ideas already discussed in class?
    2. How does this article relate to your personal experiences or lived experiences of others?
    3. What further questions does this article raise? What would you investigate next?

 

A key point of the discussion is to stretch our mental muscles to think about the implications and applicability of the knowledge. The total length of the presentation should not be shorter than 25 mins AND cannot be longer than 35mins. Presentation slides and discussion materials need to be submitted on your presentation date. Due Mar. 12 – Mar. 26 TBD. (presentation 18% of final grade; discussion 4% of final grade). Groups will be assigned a presentation date using a lottery draw on Feb. 26.

 

  • Exam Questions. All student presentations will be testable material for the final exam. Each group will create and submit 2 short answer questions with answers that may be used as possible questions for the final exam. Detailed requirements and guidelines for these exam questions will be provided. Due Mar. 12 – Mar. 26 TBD. (4% of final grade). Only one submission required per group.

 

Note that acceptable documentation and approval through your faculty’s academic counselling office is required for missing your seminar presentation. Academic consideration based on self-attestation cannot be used for the seminar presentation.

 

Discussion Participation

Active engagement in learning is a critical component for student success. Therefore, 6% of your

final grade will come from participating in the student-led discussions after the seminar presentations.

 

The marking scheme for discussion participation is:

0 marks: absent for class

1 mark: present for class and submitted a response at end of class to instructor-posted discussion question

2 marks: present for class, submitted a response at end of class to instructor-posted discussion question, and made a substantive contribution to at least one seminar presentation that date

Your best 2 of 3 participation marks will be counted toward your final grade.

Note that no academic consideration based on self-attestation will be given for missed discussion participation. The flexibility included in these assessments, best 2 of 3 counting, is the consideration.

 

Policy on Missing Coursework

 

 

  1. Students who miss the midterm exam will be provided one opportunity for a makeup exam. This make up midterm will be held on Fri. Feb. 14. If the makeup exam is missed due to a further accommodation, students may take the midterm exam the next time the course is offered and will receive an INC for the course until this midterm is completed.

 

  1. Academic consideration based on self-attestation cannot be used for the seminar presentation. Seminar presentations can only be postponed if a group member has a legitimate documented reason approved by their home faculty’s academic counselling office.

 

Missed group presentations with documented approval will be delivered on the last day of the course, Apr. 2. In the event that one or more group members is still unable to present on Apr. 2, the presentation must be pre-recorded to include the missing group member. The remainder of the group will deliver the presentation and discussion, and the missing member(s) will have their marks for the seminar project reweighted.

 

  1. No make-ups will be provided for discussion participation. Students who miss more than one discussion participation class with valid medical or other accommodations will have their marks reweighted within that category.

 

  1. The final exam must be written on the scheduled date unless you have a legitimate documented reason approved by your home faculty’s academic counselling office. A student who misses the scheduled exam for other reasons or does not have approval from an academic counselling office/Accessible Education will be assigned a mark of 0 for the exam. Students who have university approval to miss the final exam will be provided one opportunity for a makeup exam. This makeup exam will be on the date of the common makeup exam held by the university or the instructor. If the makeup exam is missed due to a further accommodation, students may take that exam the next time the course is offered and will receive an INC for the course until the final exam is completed.

 

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

 

Component

Weight

Due Date

 

Midterm (Weeks #1 – 4, Jan. 8 – Jan. 29, inclusive)

30%

Feb. 5

Seminar Project (5 different parts with different due dates)

Total = 28%

Breakdown below

Dates below

Pick your group & submit signed group contract

1%

Jan. 31

Submit article for approval

1%

Feb 14

Presentation

18%

Mar. 12 – Mar 26; Date determined by lottery on Feb. 26

Discussion

4%

Mar. 12 – Mar 26; Date determined by lottery on Feb. 26

Exam Questions

4%

Mar. 12 – Mar 26; Date determined by lottery on Feb. 26

Discussion participation (best 2 of 3)

6%

Mar. 12

Mar. 19

Mar. 26

Final Exam (Weeks #6-12, Feb. 12 – Apr. 2, inclusive)

36%

During April Final Exam Period – Date TBA

 

7     Class Schedule

 

Week

Date

Topic

Reading

Assessments & Due Dates

1

Jan. 8

Welcome to the Course

Neuroscience Basics

 

Topic #1

 

2

Jan. 15

Food & Digestion

Introduction to Seminar Project

Topic #2

 

3

Jan. 22

Control of Appetite

Topic #3

 

4

Jan. 29

The Senses & Eating

How to Read a Journal Article

Topic #4

Jan. 31: Submit team contract

5

Feb. 5

Midterm

 

 

6

Feb. 12

Why we eat what we eat

Topic #5

Feb. 14: Submit your seminar article for approval.

 

Feb. 19

Reading Week – no classes

7

Feb. 26

Psychological Disorders & Eating

Topic #6

Lottery for presentation date

Feb. 28 – Article approval returned

 

8

Mar. 5

Sample Seminar - Food Reward

How to give a great presentation

Topic #7

 

9

Mar. 12

Student seminars & discussions

Readings TBA

Discussion Participation

*possible presentation date

10

Mar. 19

Student seminars & discussions

Readings TBA

Discussion Participation

*possible presentation date

11

Mar. 26

Student seminars & discussions

Readings TBA

 

Discussion Participation

*possible presentation date

12

Apr. 2

Summary Class

 

 

Apr. Final Exam Period: 7 - 30

Final Exam – DATE TBA

 

 

 

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

 

You can bring your own laptop, tablet or other device to class to assist your learning.

 

However, if you are going to use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, etc or engage in other activities not related to course content, please sit at the back or edges of the classroom.

 

Research has shown that non-academic use of laptops and smartphones during class has a negative correlation with exam grades (Ravizza et al., 2014). That is, the more students use their devices in class on non-class tasks, the lower their marks on tests and exams, regardless of intellectual ability.  What is most concerning is that not only do those students have lower marks, the students sitting behind them who can be distracted by their screens also score significantly lower on tests and exams (Sana et al., 2013). 

 

If you choose to hurt your own academic performance, that is your decision.  However, if in doing so you compromise the experience and success of those sitting near you, that is not acceptable.  It is a matter of respect for your classmates.

 

Students who are distracting others or disrupting the learning environment will be asked to refrain from these activities and/or asked to leave the classroom.

 

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.