Psychology 3224A 200 FW23
Neuropsychology 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.
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2022-2023
WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON CANADA
Department of Psychology
2022-2023
Psychology 3224A Section 200
Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
- CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Neural mechanisms in human perception, spatial orientation, memory, language, and motor behavior.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3227A/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.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E, or both Psychology 2800E and 2810, and one of Psychology 2220A/B, 2221A/B or Neuroscience 2000
3 lecture/discussion hours, 0.5 course.
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. Laura Batterink
Office: Western Interdisciplinary Science Building 6124
Phone Number: 519.661.2111, ext. 85409
Office Hours: Friday, 11-12 (held on Zoom), or by appointment
Email: lbatter@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Carolynn Hare
Email: chare6@uwo.ca
Delivery Method: Blended Format. Online asynchronous lectures and in-person graded synchronous tutorials.
Time and Location of Tutorial Sessions: inperson. See student centre.
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 contact Accessible Education at aew@uwo.ca or 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Required: Marie Banich & Rebecca Compton. (2018). Cognitive Neuroscience. Cambridge University Press.
Physical copies of the text are available through the Western bookstore, or you may also purchase an e-copy of the text at this link:
On most weeks, additional readings will be required and they will be posted on OWL in PDF format (see Lecture Schedule).
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES
- To familiarize students with the human mind as a phenomenon whose biological basis can be studied in scientific research; to explore and appreciate the limits of current scientific knowledge in the field.
- To provide a comprehensive overview of the methodology, research findings, theories, and contentious issues in the study of cognitive neuroscience.
- To encourage the reading of primary source material on research in cognitive neuroscience; to encourage critical thinking and discussion of contentious issues.
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 necessary that students view the prerecorded lectures, attend class sessions, and do the readings regularly for successful completion of the course.
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activity |
Assessment |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.
|
Pre-recorded lectures
Assigned textbook readings
Assigned primary article readings
Tutorial/discussion sessions |
Tests
Final exam
|
|
Knowledge of Methodologies.
|
Pre-recorded lectures
Assigned textbook readings
Assigned primary article readings
Tutorial/discussion sessions |
Tests
Final exam
|
|
Application of Knowledge.
|
Assigned primary article readings
Synchronous group work and group assignments
Written review paper
|
Group assignments
Written review paper
Tests
Final exam |
|
Communication Skills.
|
Data blitz presentation Assigned primary article readings
Synchronous group work and group assignments
Written review paper
|
Group assignments
Written review paper
Data blitz presentation |
|
Awareness of Limits of Knowledge.
|
Assigned primary article readings
Synchronous group work and group assignments
Written review paper
|
Group assignments
Written review paper
|
5.0 EVALUATION
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4.0 and are considered necessary for meeting these learning objectives.
- Test #1– 15%
- Test #2 – 15%
- Written Mini Review – 22%
- Final Exam – 36%
- Participation in Class Discussions (during live tutorials) and Small Group Assignments - 7%
- Data Blitz Presentation – 5%
5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK
Missed In-Class Test: No make-up tests will be scheduled in this course. If you have received academic consideration for an absence, your final exam will be reweighted more heavily to account for the missed test. Note that questions on the final exam may be more challenging than those on the in-class tests so students should carefully consider the implications of missing a scheduled in-class test. Without submitted documentation, a mark of 0 will be assigned.
Missed Class Session/Missed Groupwork: The grade for this component of the course will be assessed by the following: group worksheets to be turned in to the TA each week for grading, and in-class participation. For this component, your lowest weekly grade will be dropped from your overall grade. Therefore, if you miss only one week of synchronous class time for the term, you do not need to worry about this affecting your grade. No other make-up opportunities will be provided (no exceptions).
Mini Review: Without submitted documentation, a late penalty of 10% of the assignment’s value per day (e.g., 2 of the 20-point total value) will be applied to papers submitted after the deadline. If you have received academic consideration for this assignment, the deadline will be adjusted as recommended by Academic Counselling.
Data Blitz: Without submitted documentation, a mark of 0 will be assigned for a missed data blitz presentation. If you have received academic consideration for this assignment, please contact me and we will make arrangements for you to present your data blitz talk at an alternative time.
The final exam can be rescheduled only with documented academic consideration. Completion of the final exam and written mini review are required to pass this class.
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: https://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
Test 1 Oct 3
Test 2 Nov 7
Mini-Review Dec 1
Data Blitz Presentations Dec 5 (in class)
Final Exam TBA – scheduled by Office of the Registrar
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
PowerPoint Notes will be posted on OWL, typically before each day's lecture. Textbook readings refer to the course textbook, Cognitive Neuroscience (5th ed.). Additional required readings not found in the course textbook and journal articles will be posted on the OWL website.
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
Readings to Complete Prior to Class |
# of textbook pages |
Tutorial Activities/Synchronous Group Work |
|
1 |
Sept 12 |
Course Introduction Review of brain anatomy |
Chapter 1 (1-18, 26-38 [from beginning up to and not including Neurotransmitters; beginning again at Closer Look at Cerebral Cortex to end] |
39 |
Neuroanatomy Brain Game |
|
2 |
Sept 19 |
Methods of Understanding the Brain |
Chapter 3 |
29 |
“Method Experts” Worksheet + Research Scenarios Activity |
|
3 |
Sept 26 |
Brain Development, Neuroplasticity and Critical Period Effects |
Chapter 15 (pp. 455-468 [from beginning up to Developmental Disorders]; 476-485 [Brain Plasticity in Adulthood up to Aging])
Newport et al., 2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
|
23 |
Article Comprehension Questions + Class Discussion |
|
|
Oct 3 |
In Class Test 1 |
|
|
Test will take up to 2 hours and be held during the tutorial session |
|
4 |
Oct 10 |
Object recognition The “what” ventral visual stream
Spatial cognition and the “where” dorsal ventral stream |
Chapter 6; Chapter 7 (pp 199- 201 (beginning up to Coding For Three Dimensions, 210-214 (Space and Action section)
Sahraie et al., 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Heywood et al., 1987, Journal of Neurology
Zeki et al., 1999, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
Schenk et al., 2000, European Journal of Neuroscience
Jakobson et al., 1991, Neuropsychologia
Riddoch et al., 2008, Cognitive Neuropsychology
Servos et al., 1993, Neuropsychologia
Persaud et al., 2011, NeuroImage
|
35 |
Present a Patient: Clinical Case Presentations
|
|
5 |
Oct 17 |
Social Cognition |
Chapter 13 (pp 395-419)
Beadle et al., 2018, Frontiers in Neurology |
25 |
Ultimatum Game + Journal Club Activity
|
|
6 |
Oct 24 |
Long-term Memory Amnesia and Memory Disorders |
Chapter 9 (everything except working memory section pp. 287-291)
Bayley et al., 2005
Isausti et al, 2013 (each group member to focus on one section of results; specified in OWL).
|
33 |
Case study of patient EP
|
|
|
Oct 31 🎃 |
Fall Reading Week – No Class |
|
|
|
|
|
Nov 7 |
In Class Test 2 |
|
|
Test will take up to 2 hours and be held during the tutorial session |
|
7 |
Nov 14 |
Sleep and Memory Consolidation
For students wishing to participate in the optional peer review process for the Mini-Review, a draft of your paper is due on November 17.
|
No readings from course textbook.
Fundamentals of cognitive neuroscience, 2nd ed (Gage & Baars), Chapter 12 -- Sleep and levels of consciousness (posted on OWL) Pages 393-398; 405-422 Only.
Read both of these articles (second is only a single page).
Fuentemilla et al., 2013, Current Biology
Rudoy et al, 2009, Science |
33 |
Journal Club Activity
|
|
8 |
Nov 21 |
Language processing; aphasia and language disorders
|
Chapter 8 (up to and not including p. 242 – Neurological Bases for Visual Language Processing)
Read one of these two articles (as assigned individually). Fill out Journal Article Worksheet (posted under Resources in OWL) and bring to class. Be prepared to explain your article to your classmates. Articles posted on OWL.
Group 1,2,3: Chang et al., 2010, Nature Neuroscience
Group 4,5,6: Levy & Wilson, 2019, Cerebral Cortex
|
17 |
Modified Jigsaw + Class Discussion
|
|
9 |
Nov 28 |
Consciousness
Mini Review Due Friday This Week – Dec 1.
|
Chapter 14 Gazzaniga chapter posted on OWL (EXCEPT for sections 14.4 and 14.8)
Read one of these articles (as individually assigned). Fill out “Consciousness Article Worksheet” posted on OWL and bring to class.
Coleman et al., 2007, Brain
Sharon et al., 2013, Plos One
Yu et al., 2013, Neurology Perrin et al., 2006, Archives of Neurology Naci et al., 2014, PNAS Naci et al., 2013, JAMA |
37 |
Exploring experimental paradigms to measure consciousness
Mini Group Presentations
What does it mean to be conscious? How can we measure consciousness in the vegetative state?
|
|
10 |
Dec 5 |
Final Data Blitz Presentations
|
No assigned readings but come to class prepared to ask questions!
|
|
|
|
|
TBA |
Final Exam – scheduled by Registrar – to be held in person |
|
|
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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: https://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
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. 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:
https://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
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:
- 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.
https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- 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
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: https://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services: www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site/Current Student Information for information on the following:
- 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
- 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.
