The University of Texas at Austin
Human Brain Imaging in Psychology
PSY 341K
Fall 09
Lectures: SEA 4.242
TTH 2:00-3:30
Labs: Neuroimaging Analysis Center – SEA 2.210, Learning and Memory lab – SEA
3.312, Imaging Research Center, Pickle Research Campus West.
Times to be arranged
Instructor:
David Schnyer
Associate Professor of Psychology
Office: SEA 5.246, Tuesday 10-noon
Email: schnyer@psy.utexas.edu
Phone: 512- 475-8499
TA:
Jenni Pacheco, M.A.
Email: jpacheco@mail.utexas.edu
Office: SEA 2.210B, Wed. 1-3pm
Phone: 512-471-2727
Overview:
Brain imaging has become pervasive in psychology and cognitive neuroscience
research. What are the various techniques, how do they work and what do they tell us
about mental processes? The course will provide a basic overview of brain imaging
techniques and the mental processes that can be inferred from these methodologies,
with a specific focus on 2 popular “functional” imaging techniques – magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) and the human electroencephalogram (EEG). The course will begin by
covering the philosophical and theoretical foundations of brain/behavior relations,
followed by a short introduction to human neurophysiology in order establish an
understanding of the sources of brain imaging signals. Then each of the brain imaging
techniques will be introduced in depth with hands-on laboratory sessions focusing on
EEG and structural and functional MRI. The final part of the course will have students
branch out into a specific area of interest (i.e. - language, attention, vision, memory,
social psychology) in order to examine in depth how brain imaging has been used in
that area. The course will require several short papers covering specific course topics, a
short review paper covering the student’s topic of interest, an oral presentation, and a
final research proposal designed to answer an important empirical question using brain
imaging technique(s).
Course Goals:
The course is designed to fulfill two major goals. The first is to provide students with an
introduction to the philosophical, historical, physiological, and technical issues
surrounding human brain imaging. Students will be exposed to the main imaging
methodologies currently being used in psychological and cognitive neuroscience
research, and will be introduced to their application across a broad spectrum of
research areas including: attention and visual processing, language, learning and
memory, emotion and social cognition, clinical disorders, executive functions, and
decision making. Three lab sessions will give students direct experience with
conducting and analyzing an experiment using EEG and functional MRI. By the end of
the course students should be able to read and understand research that uses a brain
imaging technique with a sufficient foundation of knowledge to understand what was
done and evaluate its’ scientific merit. Finally, students will begin to explore applying
imaging techniques to their own research interests by thinking about and designing a
functional imaging experiment.
Within the context of the first goal, the second goal of the course is to introduce
students to the format and content of research writing and presentation in psychological
science. Students will design and propose a study using one or more of the functional
imaging methods introduced in the course with enough detail for a reviewer to evaluate
their proposal.
Texts/Readings:
Required course reading packet – available at Jenn’s Copy and Binding.
Optional text - Handbook of Functional Neuroimaging of Cognition, 2nd edition. Edited by
Roberto Cabeza and Alan Kingstone.
Assignments:
Three short content papers (2-3 pages, double spaced) – 20%
Topic background paper (3-5 pages, double spaced) and oral presentation - 30%
Final research proposal (10-15 pages, double spaced) – 40%
Class and lab participation – 10%
The short content papers will follow each section of the course – philosophical
foundations, neurophysiology, EEG, and MRI. One or more questions will be given that
will form the basis of these papers.
A background paper, the presentation, and the final research proposal will be focused
on a specific topic of interest chosen by the student. The topic proposal is due Oct. 12th
and the schedule for student presentations will be chosen by random lottery and
announced on Oct. 16th. An overview and literature review of that topic will serve as the
background paper, which will also serve as the basis for a 15-minute class presentation.
The presentation should end with several open questions that have emerged from the
student’s inquiry and will form the basis of the final research proposal. A draft of the
background paper is due Nov. 6th and the final version, after responding to feedback
from the draft, is due Nov. 24th.
For the final paper, students will construct a research proposal that consists of the
previous background section corrected and combined with a - specific aims, methods
and results sections, and a conclusion. The background establishes the background of
research on the topic of interest and should contain a reworked version of the paper and
presentation. This background should build to a specific unanswered question and
propose a clear testable hypothesis. The methods section describes in detail the
methodology to be used, how the experiment is to be carried out and what are the
expected results. A conclusion will address the implications of the possible findings as
well as future directions.
Grading:
Writing is the major portion of evaluation for this course. While grading written work
seems like a subjective process, there is a lot that can be done to explain the basis of a
grade. First, what you write must be YOUR own work. I cannot emphasize this enough.
If you are unfamiliar with how you should reference ideas then check with the instructor
or the Undergraduate Writing Center. The center can also provide other assistance with
writing - http://uwc.utexas.edu/.
Your goal when writing is to convince, not to fill. In this regard, just writing a lot does not
gain you a better grade. One must make a convincing argument, and this requires
building the background and clearly articulating the conclusions that can be drawn from
that information. If you make a convincing case and it is done with correct writing style
(i.e. intro paragraph, intro and concluding sentences for each paragraph, and final
summary paragraph) then you have earned an 85. From here you can gain points for,
among other things: clear concise writing, innovative thinking, anticipation and
countering of opposing view points, and/or a clear grasp of the imaging methodologies
we have covered. You can lose points for, among other things: sloppy spelling and
grammar (no excuse for this with spell and grammar checking built into word processing
software) or not understanding the imaging methodology you are discussing. We will not
read pages over the size range indicated above, so don’t even try to write more. You
will be asked to write in “pseudo” APA style, so you should make some attempt to
structure the paper in this style, particularly with respect to references. A good overview
of this style can be found at - http://www.docstyles.com/apacrib.htm#Abbrev. The link is
on the blackboard site.
Writing Center: I strongly encourage you to use the Undergraduate Writing Center, FAC
211, 471-6222: http://uwc.utexas.edu). The Undergraduate Writing Center offers free,
individualized, expert help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on
a drop-in basis. Any undergraduate enrolled in a course at UT can visit the UWC for
assistance with any writing project. They work with students from every department on
campus, for both academic and non-academic writing. Whether you are writing a lab
report, a resume, a term paper, a statement for an application, or your own poetry,
UWC consultants will be happy to work with you. Their services are not just for writing
with "problems." Getting feedback from an informed audience is a normal part of a
successful writing project. Consultants help students develop strategies to improve their
writing. The assistance they provide is intended to foster independence. Each student
determines how to use the consultant's advice. The consultants are trained to help you
work on your writing in ways that preserve the integrity of your work.
Participation in class, doing the readings and attendance in both class and lab will make
up 10% of the grade. This is a given if you just show up and stay engaged. Labs are
mandatory. Reading ahead of time will help you to make informed comments during the
class sessions.
Prerequisites:
(a) PSY 301 with a C or better
(b) PSY 418 (or an equivalent listed in the course schedule) with a C or better
(c) Upper-Division standing (60 hours completed)
(d) Deep curiosity about the brain and its relationship to mental functions!
Course timeline and reading schedule - (subject to change with notification)
Date
August 27
Week 1
Sept 1
Content
Introduction and
scope. Syllabus
review.
The Mind Body
Problem
Reading
(CP = course packet)
1) CP - Mind and Brain – from Cognition
Brain and Consciousness, B.J Baars
2) CP - The Mind-Body Problem – from The
Psychology of Consciousness, G.W. Farthing
3) CP - Optional - Minds and Bodies: Rene
Descartes and the possibility of a science of
the mind – from the Science of Mind, O.
Flanagan
Sept 3
History of
Neuroimaging
1) CP – Cabeza, Chapter 1- Functional
Neuroimaging: A historical and physiological
perspective
Week 2
1) CP - Psychophysiological Science –
Interdisciplinary approaches to classic
questions about the mind - from Handbook of
Psychophysiology, J.T. Cacioppo, L.G.
Tassinary, Berntson, Eds.
2) CP - Organization of the nervous system –
from Fundamentals of Human
Neuropsychology, B. Kolb and I.Q. Whishaw
Eds
Sept 8
and 10
Specification and
Localization of mental
functions.
Functional neural
anatomy of the
Human brain.
Sept 15
1st content paper due – Philosophical Foundations
Week 3
Sept 15
and 17
Neural Tracks
Week 4
Sept 22
and 24
Brain Electrical
Activity – EEG and
MEG
Week 5
Sept 29 Oct. 1
EEG Lab (SEAY 3.312)
Oct. 6th
2st content paper due – Human Electrophsyiology
Oct. 6
Brain Metabolism –
PET & fMRI
Oct. 8
Brain Metabolism –
PET and fMRI (cont)
Oct. 12
Presentation proposal due, with suggested reading to be posted
online – presentation schedule to be announced by Fri Oct. 16th
Oct. 13
Experimental design in
functional imaging
Oct. 15
Experimental design in
functional imaging
(cont)
Oct. 22
3rd content paper due – fMRI
Week 6
Week 7
1) CP - Cellular organization of the nervous
system – from Fundamentals of Human
Neuropsychology, B. Kolb and I.Q. Whishaw
Eds
1) CP - Chapter 3 – Electroencephalography
and High-density electrophysiological source
localization – from Handbook of
Psychophysiology, J.T. Cacioppo, L.G.
Tassinary, Berntson, Eds.
2) CP - Chapter 4 – Event-related Brain
Potentials: Methods, theory, and applications
– from Handbook of Psychophysiology, J.T.
Cacioppo, L.G. Tassinary, Berntson, Eds.
1) CP – Cabeza,Chapter 2 – Functional
neuroimaging: Basic principles of functional
MRI
Optional) CP - Chapter 2 – Elements of
functional neuroimaging - from Handbook of
Psychophysiology, J.T. Cacioppo, L.G.
Tassinary, Berntson, Eds.
1) CP – Cabeza, Chapter 3 – Functional
neuroimaging: Experimental design and
analysis
Week 9
Oct. 20
Oct. 22
Week 10
Nov. 3-5
Lab 3 – Structural MRI, Navigating the brain (SEAY 2.210)
Lesion studies and
1) The lesion method in cognitive
structural imaging
neuroscience - from Handbook of
Psychophysiology, J.T. Cacioppo, L.G.
Example
Tassinary, Berntson, Eds.
Presentation
Lab 2 – Functional Neuroimaging – Imaging Research Center
Nov. 6
Draft of Background paper due
Nov. 10
and 12
Nov. 17
And 19
Student
Presentations
Student
Presentations
Optional) TB - Chapter 4 – Functional
neuroimaging of attention
Optional) TB - Chapter 13 – Functional
neuroimaging of emotion and social cognition
Nov. 25
Student
Presentations/Ethics
in Neuroimaging
Research
1) CP - fMRI in the public eye
Eric Racine, Ofek Bar-Ilan and Judy Illes
from Nature Neuroscience, 2005
Nov 24
Final version of Background paper due
Dec. 1
and 3
Student
Presentations
5pm
Dec 11
Final paper due
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Optional) TB - Chapter 10 – Functional
neuroimaging of executive functions
Optional readings are in the reading packet.
The Standard of Academic Integrity
A fundamental principle for any educational institution, academic integrity is highly
valued and seriously regarded at The University of Texas at Austin, as emphasized in
the standards of conduct. More specifically, you and other students are expected to
"maintain absolute integrity and a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work"
undertaken at the University (Sec. 11-801, Institutional Rules on Student Services and
Activities). This is a very basic expectation that is further reinforced by the University's
Honor Code. At a minimum, you should complete any assignments, exams, and other
scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to:
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
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acknowledge the contributions of other sources to your scholastic efforts;
complete your assignments independently unless expressly authorized to seek or
obtain assistance in preparing them;
follow instructions for assignments and exams, and observe the standards of
your academic discipline; and
avoid engaging in any form of academic dishonesty on behalf of yourself or
another student.
For the official policies on academic integrity and scholastic dishonesty, please refer to
Chapter 11 of the Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities.
The University of Texas Honor Code
The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery,
freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the
University is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness,
and respect toward peers and community.
University Electronic Mail Notification Policy
All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student
notification policy. It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to
changes in his or her e-mail address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a
frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related
communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is
recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week.
Use of Blackboard in Class
This course uses Blackboard, a Web-based course management system in which a
password-protected site is created for each course. (Student enrollments in each course
arc updated each evening.) Blackboard can be used to distribute course materials, to
communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to take
online quizzes and surveys.
You will be responsible for checking the Blackboard course site regularly for class work
and announcements. As with all computer systems, there are occasional scheduled
downtimes as well as unanticipated disruptions. Notification of these disruptions will be
posted on the Blackboard login page. Scheduled downtimes are not an excuse for late
work. However, if there is an unscheduled downtime for a significant period of time, I will
make an adjustment if it occurs close to the due date.
Blackboard is available at http://courses.utexas.edu. Support is provided by the ITS
Help Desk at 475-9400 Monday through Friday 8 am to 6 pm, so plan accordingly.
Disability Statement
Students who require special accommodations need to get a letter that documents the
disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean
of Students (471-6259- voice or 47 I -4641 - TTY for users who are deaf or hard of
hearing). This letter should be presented to the instructor in each course at the
beginning of" the semester and accommodations needed should be discussed at that
time. Five business days before an exam the student should remind the instructor of
any testing accommodations that will be needed.
See Web site below for more information:
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/providing.php
Religious Holidays
Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class and examination schedules. If you
miss an examination, work assignment, or other project due to the observance of a
religious holy day you will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a
reasonable time after the absence. It is the policy of The University of Texas at Austin
that you must notify each of your instructors at least fourteen days prior to the classes
scheduled on dates you will be absent to observe a religious holy day.
Feedback
Feedback is an important part of any learning. Without feedback on how well you
understand the material or your proficiency in a skill, it is more difficult to make
significant progress. During this course I will be asking you to give me feedback on your
learning in informal as well as formal ways such as assignments or exams. Please let
me know when something we discuss is not clear. It will enable me to provide additional
information when needed or to explain a concept in different terms.