white UWO coat of arms The UNIVERSITY of WESTERN ONTARIO
Department of Psychology
Course Outline of Psychology 338b Spring 2001


1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

A review of the theories and data bearing on how people encode, store and retrieve information, both from permanent and temporary memory stores. Emphasis will be given both to laboratory studies and the study of memory in ecologically valid settings.

Antirequisite: The former Psychology 238F/G.
Prerequisites: Psychology 235a/b or 280E and registration in third or fourth year of Honors Psychology Program.
Note: Third or fourth year Honour's Psychology Students who receive a passing grade in the prerequisite course Psychology 235a/b or a 70% in Psychology 282E may enrol in this course. General and Special Students who receive 70% in the prerequisite course 235a/b or 70% in Psychology 282E or 280E may also enrol in this course.

2.0 COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Stefan Kohler
Office and Phone Number: SSC 6314
661-2111 ext. 86364
Email: stefank@uwo.ca
Office Hours: Thursday 9:30 - 10:30 am
Time and Location(s) of Lecture(s): Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
SSC 4103

3.0 TEXTBOOK

Baddeley, Alan (1998). Human Memory: Theory and Practice (revised edition). Toronto: Allyn and Bacon.

Schacter, D.L. (1996). Searching for Memory. The Brain, the Mind, and the Past. New York: Basic Books.

4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES

  1. 1. To provide a comprehensive overview of the history, methodology, research findings, theories, and contentious issues in the study of human memory.
  2. 2. To encourage the reading of primary source material on research in psychology; to encourage critical thinking about memory research; to familiarize students with thinking about 'memory' as a phenomenon that can be studied empirically; to explore and appreciate the limits of current scientific knowledge in the field.
  3. 3. To provide training for public (in-class) presentations on a specific research question and its empirical study in psychology; to encourage discussion of contentious issues.

Any course of this sort contains material that must be learned from both lectures and readings. Please note that 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, for successful completion of the course, it is imperative that students attend the lectures and do the readings regularly.

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. The preparation of questions and comments on the lectures and readings and the in class-presentations will serve to stimulate this discussion.

For the in-class presentation and essay, it is the responsibility of each student to discuss the topic, and get approval from the professor prior to starting to work on it. For in-class presentations, students are required to discuss the topic with the professor at least one week prior to date of presentation.

5.0 EVALUATION

Course performance will be evaluated based on four different sources:

  1. Preparation and in-class discussion of Critique and Comments on readings and lectures, worth 20% of total grade
  2. In-class presentation on selected topic, worth 20% of total grade
  3. Original scholarly essay, worth 30% of total grade (incl. 5% for outline with references)
  4. Final exam with short-answer and brief-essay components, worth 30% of total grade

6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Critique and Comments: Due 5 times during the term on Thursdays at 1pm. Schedule varies across students; selection of exact dates for each student will be determined on first day of classes.
Essay: (a) Outline with references due Friday March 9, 2001, 10:00 am.
(b) Complete essay due Friday March 30, 2001, 10:00 am (second-last week of classes).

Final Exam: During final exam period. This test will cover the materials from the entire course.

7.0 LECTURE SCHEDULE

See sheet attached (includes specification of required readings).

8.0 POLICY ON CHEATING & ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT*

Students are responsible for understanding the nature of and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other academic offences. Students are urged to read the section on Scholastic Offences in the Academic Calendar. Note that such offences include plagiarism, cheating on an examination, submitting false or fraudulent assignments or credentials, impersonating a candidate, or submitting for credit in any course without the knowledge and approval of the instructor to whom it is submitted, any academic work for which credit has previously been obtained or is being sought in another course in the University or elsewhere. In writing scholarly papers, you must keep firmly in mind the need to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged borrowing of another writer's words or ideas. The following rules pertain to the acknowledgements necessary in academic papers: in using another writer's words, you must both place the words in quotation marks and acknowledge that the words are those of another writer; in adopting another writer's ideas, you must acknowledge that they are his/hers. If you are in doubt about whether what you are doing is inappropriate, consult your instructor or TA. A claim that "you didn't know it was wrong" will not be accepted as an excuse.

The penalties for a student guilty of a scholastic offence include refusal of a passing grade in the assignment, refusal of a passing grade in the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

9.0 PROCEDURES FOR APPEALING ACADEMIC EVALUATIONS*

In the first instance, all appeals of a grade must be made to the course instructor (informal consultation). If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the course instructor, a written appeal must be sent to the Executive Officer of Undergraduate Affairs. If the response of the department is considered unsatisfactory to the student, he/she may then appeal to the Dean of the Faculty in which the course of program was taken. Only after receiving a final decision from the Dean, may a student appeal to the Senate Review Board Academic. A Guide to Appeals is available from the Ombudsperson's Office.

10.0 POLICY ON ATTENDANCE

Attendance is required for the full class period, including all lectures, student presentations, and discussions.

11.0 POLICY REGARDING MAKEUP EXAMS AND EXTENSIONS OF DEADLINES*

Students are entitled to a rescheduling of exams or an extension of deadlines for legitimate medical or compassionate reasons. However, it is the student's responsibility to inform the instructor prior to the due date, to arrange a timely makeup, and, if requested, to provide acceptable documentation to support a medical or compassionate claim. In the case of a final examination or assignment in the course, the student must arrange for a Special Examination or Incomplete through their Dean's office, for which you will be required to provide acceptable documentation.

If you feel that you have a medical or personal problem that is interfering with your work, you should contact your instructor and the Faculty Academic Counselling Office as soon as possible. Problems may then be documented and possible arrangements to assist you can be discussed at the time of occurrence rather than on a retroactive basis. In general, retroactive requests for grade revisions on medical or compassionate grounds will not be considered.



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