Psychology 2220A-650

Introduction to Behavioural and 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 structure and function of the nervous system in relation to behaviour in humans (cognitive neuroscience) and other animals (behavioural neuroscience). Topics covered include: brain anatomy, neuronal function, drugs & addiction, research methods, sensory perception & motor actions, learning & memory, cognition, and neurological & psychiatric disorders.

 

Prerequisite: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level. 

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.

Antirequisites: Neuroscience 2000, Psychology 2221A/B 

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.

0.5 course 

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

       Instructor: Dr. Laura Rosen                                                

       Office: SSC 7440                                         

       Office Hours: By appointment over Zoom

            Email: lrosen3@uwo.ca                                                                                   

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

Pinel, J. P. J. & Barnes, S. J. (2017). Revel for Biopsychology, 10th edition. Pearson.

ISBN: 9780134567730

 

Students can access Revel here: https://console.pearson.com/enrollment/j9kljj

 

Please note: The Revel access code for this course is REQUIRED, as it includes an online platform with quizzes.

 

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • Learn how the nervous system works at the macro (anatomical) and micro (neural) level
  • Learn how the nervous system evolves and develops
  • Learn how the brain can be studied and linked to behavior
  • Get an introduction to the role of the brain in a variety of sensory, motor and cognitive functions
  • Get an introduction to some of the ways that behavior can be affected by brain dysfunction
  • Develop an appreciation for the wonder, beauty and sophistication of the brain

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

By the end of the course students will be able to:

 

Learning Outcome

Assessment

Identify the key structures and chemicals of the nervous system and their function

Quizzes

Midterm

Final Exam

Readily communicate brain principles using the vocabulary acquired in this course

Online Discussion

Midterm

Final Exam

Describe and apply the major principles of biopsychology including:

       a. Behaviour is caused by brain activity

       b. Behaviour is determined by on-going events and previous experiences

       c. Describe and understand the specialized methods to examine the biology of behaviour

       d. Brain function and dysfunction can be used to describe much of human and animal behaviour

 

Quizzes

Midterm

Online Discussion

Final Exam

Actively participate in discussions to integrate elements in biopsychology

 

Online Discussion

 

 

5.0     EVALUATION

The evaluation for this course is comprised of quizzes, tests, and discussions. The non-cumulative tests and exam will be a mixture of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, and label the diagram questions based on lecture and OWL videos.

 

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating. Please note that grades cannot be adjusted on the basis of need. Your mark in the course will be the mark that you earn. Tests and exams cannot be re-written to obtain a higher mark and there are no extra credit assignments available. For questions regarding missed tests or exams, see the academic policies section attached, or consult the professor or an Academic Advisor.

       5.1 GRADE BREAKDOWN

 

Revel Quizzes – 10% (choose 10 of 11 weeks, 1% per week. Cannot complete 11 for extra credit)

Discussion – 25% (10 topics, 2.5% each)

Midterm – 30%

Final – 35%

 

       5.2 ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARDS

 

There will be a discussion board on the course website. A total of 10 questions about issues related to the textbook chapters will be posted on the discussion board, one each week (except for the first week and the week of the midterm). Students are expected to participate in all of these discussions, both by posting their own thoughts or observations and by commenting constructively on other students’ comments. 20% of your grade will be assigned based on the quantity and quality of your contributions to these discussions. In the Discussion area of the course, you, as a student, can interact with your classmates to explore questions and comments related to the content of this course. A successful student in online education is one who takes an active role in the learning process. You are therefore encouraged to participate in the discussion to enhance your learning experience throughout the course.

 

The discussions will be graded for the quality and content of your contributions. Examples of quality posts include:

  • providing additional information to the discussion;
  • elaborating on previous comments from others;
  • presenting explanations of concepts or methods to help fellow students;
  • presenting reasons for or against a topic in a persuasive fashion;
  • sharing your own personal experiences that relate to the topic; and
  • providing a URL and explanation for an area you researched on the Internet.

 

A new discussion question will be posted each Monday at 12:00 p.m. These discussion questions will be related to one of the textbook chapters. The discussion will be open until the following Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Although you are only required to make one posting that responds to each discussion question, you are strongly encouraged to respond to other students’ postings in addition to replying to students who have responded to your post.

 

For each discussion, you will be assigned a grade out of 2 based upon your discussion. Grades will be assigned as follows:

 

0 = Incomplete (no posting, question not answered)

1 = Satisfactory (question answered fully, contributes to discussion)

2 = Excellent (posting(s) goes beyond basic requirements, presents additional information from outside the textbook, and interacts well with the other students) 

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

Midterm exam: Week of June 8 – Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 + OWL material

Final exam: August 4-7 (TBA by Registrar) – Chapters 7, 11, 10, 15, 17, 18 + OWL material

Revel chapter quizzes: Weekly

Discussion: Weekly

 

There is a strict policy that late submissions will not be accepted and given a grade of zero. There are no make-ups for a missed assignment 

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Week

Date

Topic

Chapter

Discussion

1

May 4

Intro and what is biopsychology?

1

 

2

May 11

Anatomy of the nervous system

3

Topic 1

3

May 18

Neural conduction and synaptic transmission

4

Topic 2

4

May 25

Research methods in biopsychology

5

Topic 3

 

June 1

Summer Reading Week (no assigned readings)

5

June 8

Visual system

6

Topic 4

6

June 15

Midterm Exam – Chapters 1, 4-7

 

No discussion

7

June 22

Mechanisms of perception

7

Topic 5

8

June 29

Learning, memory and amnesia

11

Topic 6

9

July 6

Brain damage & plasticity

10

Topic 7

10

July 13

Drug addiction

15

Topic 8

11

July 20

Emotion, stress and health

17

Topic 9

12

July 27

Psychiatric disorders

18

Topic 10

 

Aug 4-7

Final Exam – Chapters 10, 11, 15, 17, 18

 

 

 

Note: June 15 is the last day to drop a half course without academic penalty.

 

Topics will be covered in the order given above. Approximate lecture dates are listed so that you can keep up with the readings. I will post videos on OWL that discuss parts of the chapters that I feel are the most important, most difficult, or the most interesting, and may update and expand upon the topic. Testable resources posted to OWL may include lectures, video clips, demonstrations and activities to help further understand material. You are not responsible for chapters that do not appear on the class schedule.


8.0     STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense 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 offenses. 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 may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.



9.0    POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

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


Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html

 

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:

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. 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 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 hours after 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        OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site:  http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: http://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
- 2019-2020 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, 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 lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.