Advanced Human Memory
PSYC 426/526
Fall 2012
Instructor:
Dr. Betty Glisky, Psychology Room 312B, e-mail: glisky@u.arizona.edu
Office hours: Th 2-3:30 or by appointment
This course will focus on the fundamental principles and issues involved in the study of
human memory, primarily from a cognitive perspective but also drawing on findings from
cognitive and clinical neuroscience. We will examine different kinds of memory, the basis for
their differentiation, how they interact both at the cognitive/behavioral level and at the level of
brain systems, and how they are affected by normal aging and brain damage. The structure of
the course is based on a book that I am currently writing, Fundamentals of Memory, which is
targeted at an audience much like you, i.e., beginning graduate students or advanced
undergrads, who already have some background in the area. The book is meant to cover the
fundamentals and to be supplemented with current readings that highlight new discoveries and
empirical findings, additional theoretical perspectives, and ongoing debates and discussion that
will prove interesting and thought-provoking. The readings (in the first two classes) are from
the book.
The class will be structured primarily as a seminar, although during the first half of each
class, I will present the fundamentals of the topic for the week. This section will be based on
(but not limited to) the material in the basic and selected readings assigned for that day.
Questions and discussion are both required and encouraged during this first section (see
requirements below). The second half of each class will be devoted to presentation and
discussion of recent individual papers in the topic area, which will be presented and discussed
by class members (see presentation requirement below). For those of you who find that you do
not have sufficient background in the memory area and want a more introductory overview, you
may consult the Baddeley et al., 2009 text listed below.
READINGS
Background Reference: (Optional) Baddeley, A., Eysenck, M. W., & Anderson, M. C. (2009).
Memory. New York: Psych. Press
Basic and Selected Readings: All readings are required and will be posted on D2L at
http://d2l.arizona.edu.
Course requirements
1a. Each week, in addition to the basic readings listed in the syllabus, individual students will
present a research paper in class that focuses on the memory issue being addressed that week.
Undergraduates will select a paper from a group of papers that I choose. Graduate students
will prepare an annotated bibliography of 4-5 recent papers (2010 or later) and submit it to
me at least one week (preferably sooner) in advance of the class. I will select a paper from
that list for you to present. Each student will make one presentation. Presentations are
intended to be about 15-20 minutes and should highlight the following:
a) The key issues or questions being addressed, a brief rationale for the study
b) The hypothesis (or hypotheses) or theories being tested
c) The main features of the methodology
d) The results and conclusions
1b. Following each presentation, additional time (about 10-15 minutes) will be available for
discussion. The discussion will be led by another student, i.e., the discussant, who will be
assigned to critique the paper (not the presenter) that was presented and lead a discussion.
The discussant should do one or more of the following:
a) Comment on the perceived importance of the paper
b) Note any meaningful methodological problems
c) Address any controversial issues
d) Suggest how the paper relates to other things we’ve been talking about in class
e) Introduce questions that may be raised by the paper but not answered
f) Engage in discussion with other students in the class who may raise questions
Student presentations and discussions will start on September 4.
Presenter = 20%; Discussant = 10%
2. Students in the class, who are not acting as presenter or discussant for that week, should be
prepared to ask questions or raise additional issues for discussion both with respect to the
basic readings and the selected papers. Participation will be monitored. It is not enough just
to show up to class. You need to contribute. Ask a question. Share an idea.
Participation = 5%
3. Book Review. A total of 10 points will be earned for writing book reviews of the first 2
chapters of the Fundamentals Book. Imagine that you have been asked by the publisher to
review the chapters of this book before it is published. Include both positives and negatives,
e.g., what did you particularly like, what was difficult to understand, what was missing,etc.
It is particularly important that you identify ideas, explanations, definitions, or even
individual words that were not clear or that interrupted the flow of your reading. Review of
Chapter 1 is due on August 28 and review of Chapter 2 is due on September 11.
Book reviews = 5% each x 2 = 10%.
4. Comment Papers. Each week, students will write a short comment on one or more of the
readings. The comment may identify an unusual or particularly compelling finding, note a
relation between two or more papers, suggest possible alternative theoretical explanations of
the findings, raise a question or note a problem raised by the reading, present a critical
evaluation of any aspect of the paper, relate the issues in the paper to real-world problems,
etc. Comments can be directed at either the basic readings or the selected or to-be-presented
papers for that particular class and should be posted to the D2L drop box no later than 9 p.m.
(preferably earlier) on the day before class. The comment should be about 1 page long. You
may write a total of 5 comment papers, not more than one per class, and you cannot
comment on papers on the topic for which you serve as presenter or discussant. (There are a
total of 9 opportunities to write comment papers). Comments will be given a grade of 0-3
depending on the thoughtfulness of the comment. Comments will start on Sept. 18.
Comment papers = 3% each x 5 = 15%.
5. Take-Home Examination. A take-home examination will be made available on D2L
following class on November 13 and will be due in the D2L drop box by 12:30 p.m. on Nov.
20. This examination will be in the form of essay questions. Questions will require an
integration of knowledge from across the course. You will answer 2 questions and there will
be a choice.
Take-home Exam = 40%
Advanced Human Memory
Topics and Readings
Fall 2012
Aug. 21 Background: Cognitive Models and Methods
Basic Readings:
Glisky, E. L. (2010). Fundamentals of human memory. Chap. 1, pp. 1-20
Tulving, E. (1985). Memory and consciousness. Canadian Psychology, 26, 1-12.
Aug. 28 Background: Neurobiological Models and Methods
Basic Readings:
Glisky, E. L. (2010). Fundamentals of human memory. Chap. 1, pp. 21-29.
Selected Readings:
Tranel, D., & Damasio, A.R. (2002). Neurobiological foundations of human memory.
In A.D. Baddeley, M.D. Kopelman, & B.A.Wilson (Eds.) (2002), The handbook of
memory disorders (2nd ed., pp. 17-56). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
Aguirre, G. K. (2006). Functional imaging in cognitive neuroscience I: Basic
principles. In M. J. Farah & T. E. Feinberg (Eds.), Patient-based approaches to
cognitive neurosciences (2nd ed., pp. 35-46). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Book Review of Chapter 1 Due
Sept. 4 Working Memory
Basic Readings:
Glisky, E. L. (2010). Fundamentals of human memory. Chap. 2, pp. 1-21.
Selected Readings:
Gazzaley, A., Cooney, J. W., Rissman, J., & D’Esposito, M. (2005). Top-down
suppression deficit underlies working memory impairment in normal aging. Nature
Neuroscience, 8, 1298-1300.
Watson, J. M. & Strayer, D. L. (2010). Supertaskers: Profiles in extraordinary
multitasking ability. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17, 479-485.
Sept. 11 Executive Function
Basic Readings:
Glisky, E. L. (2010). Fundamentals of human memory. Chap. 2, pp. 22-33.
Stuss, D. T. (2011). Functions of the frontal lobes: Relation to executive functions.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 17, 759-765.
Selected Readings:
McFarland, C. P. & Glisky, E. L. (2009). Frontal lobe involvement in a task of timebased prospective memory. Neuropsychologia, 47, 1660-1669.
Book Review of Chapter 2 Due
Sept. 18 Episodic and Semantic Memory
Basic Readings:
Tulving, E. (2002). Episodic memory: From mind to brain. Annual Review of
Psychology, 53, 1-25
Vargha-Khadem, F., Gadian, D.G., & Mishkin, M. (2002). Dissociations in cognitive
memory: the syndrome of developmental amnesia. In BC&A, Chap. 9, pp. 153-
163.
Selected Readings:
Ryan, L., Cox, C., Hayes, S. M., & Nadel, L. (2008). Hippocampal activation during
episodic and semantic memory retrieval: Comparing category production and
category cued recall. Neuropsychologia, 46, 2109-2121.
Scahill, V. L., Hodges, J. R., & Graham, K. S. (2005). Can episodic memory tasks
differentiate semantic dementia from Alzheimer’s disease? Neurocase, 11, 441451.
Sept. 25 Consolidation and Reconsolidation
Basic Readings:
Nadel, L., Winocur, G., Ryan, L., & Moscovitch, M. (2007). Systems consolidation
and hippocampus: two views. Debates in neuroscience.
Selected Readings:
Ryan, L. et al. (2001). Hippocampal complex and retrieval of recent and very remote
autobiographical memories: Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging
in neurologically intact people. Hippocampus, 11, 707-714.
Hupbach, A., Gomez, R., Hardt, & Nadel, L. (2007). Reconsolidation of episodic
memories: A subtle reminder triggers integration of new information. Learning &
Memory, 14, 47-53.
Oct. 2
Encoding and Retrieval Processes
Basic Readings:
Moscovitch, M. (1995). Recovered consciousness: A hypothesis concerning
modularity and episodic memory. Journal of Clinical and Experimental
Neuropsychology, 17, 276-290.
Nyberg, L., Cabeza, R., & Tulving, E. (1996). PET studies of encoding and retrieval.
The HERA model. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 3, 135-148.
Wheeler, M. E., Petersen, S. E., & Buckner, R. L. (2000). Memory’s echo: Vivid
remembering reactivates sensory-specific cortex. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, 97, 11125-11129.
Selected Readings:
Roediger, H. L. III & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory
tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17, 249-255.
Grilli, M. D., & Glisky, E. L. (2011). Self-imagining enhances recognition memory in
memory-impaired individuals with neurological damage. Neuropsychology, 24,
698-710.
Oct. 9
Implicit Memory
Basic Readings:
Roediger, H.L. (1990). Implicit memory: Retention without remembering. American
Psychologist, 45, 1043-1056
Schacter, D. L., & Buckner, R. L. (1998). Priming and the brain. Neuron, 20, 185-195.
Selected Readings:
Knowlton, B. J., Mangels, J.A., & Squire, L. R. (1996). A neostriatal habit learning
system in humans. Science, 272, 1399-1402.
Oct. 16 Organic Memory Disorders
Basic Readings:
Glisky, E. L. (2004). Disorders of memory. In J. Ponsford (Ed.), Cognitive and
behavioral rehabilitation (pp. 100-128). New York: Guilford.
Rapcsak, S. Z. (2003). Face memory and its disorders. Current Neurology and
Neuroscience Reports, 3, 494-501.
Selected Readings:
Oct. 23 Source/Context Memory
Basic Readings:
Johnson, M. K., Hashtroudi, S., & Lindsay, D. S. (1993). Source monitoring.
Psychological Bulletin, 114, 3-28.
Selected Readings:
Glisky, E. L., Rubin, S. R., & Davidson, P. S. R. (2001). Source memory in older
adults: An encoding or retrieval problem? Journal of Experimental Psychology:
Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 27, 1131-1146.
Mitchell, K. J., Johnson, M. K., Raye, C. L., & Greene, E. J. (2004). Prefrontal cortex
activity associated with source monitoring in a working memory task. Journal of
Cognitive Neuroscience, 16, 921-934.
Oct. 30 Recollection and Familiarity/Remembering and Knowing
Basic Readings:
Yonelinas, A. P., & Jacoby, L. L. (2012). The process-dissociation approach two
decades later: Convergence, boundary conditions, and new directions. Memory &
Cognition, 40, 663-680.
Selected Readings:
Davidson, P.S.R., & Glisky, E. L. (2002). Neuropsychological correlates of
recollection and familiarity in normal aging. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral
Neuroscience, 2, 174-186.
Nov. 6
False Memory/Memory Distortion
Basic Readings:
Schacter, D. L. & Dodson, C.S. (2002). Misattribution, false recognition and the sins
of memory. In BC&A, Chap. 5, pp. 71-85.
Rapcsak, S. Z. et al. (2002). The neuropsychology of false facial recognition. In L. R.
Squire & D. L. Schacter (Eds), Neuropsychology of memory (pp. 130-142). New
York: Guilford.
Selected Readings:
Kim, H., & Cabeza, R. (2007). Trusting our memories: Dissociating the neural
correlates of confidence in veridical versus illusory memories. The Journal of
Neuroscience, 27, 12190-12197.
Moscovitch, M. (1995). Confabulation. In D.L. Schacter (ed). Memory distortion (pp.
226-251). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Nov. 13 Autobiographical Memory
Basic Readings:
Conway, M.A. & Williams, H. L. (2008). Autobiographical memory. In J. H. Byrne
(Ed), Learning & memory: A comprehensive reference, Vol.20, pp. 893-909.
Cabeza, R. & St. Jacques, P. (2007). Functional neuroimaging of autobiographical
memory. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 219-227.
Selected Readings:
Schacter, D. L., Addis, D. R., & Buckner, R. L. (2007). Remembering the past to
imagine the future: the prospective brain. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 8, 657661.
Take-Home Exam Assigned
Nov. 20 Take-Home Exam Due by 12:30 p.m. – No class
Nov. 27 Emotion and Memory
Basic Readings:
LaBar, K. S., & Cabeza, R. (2006). Cognitive neuroscience of emotional memory.
Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7, 54-64.
Selected Readings:
Kensinger, E. A. & Corkin, S. (2004). Two routes to emotional memory: Distinct
neural processes for valence and arousal. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 101, 3310-3315.
Davidson, P.S.R., Cook, S. P., & Glisky, E.L. (2006). Flashbulb memories for
September 11th can be preserved in older adults. Aging, Neuropsychology, and
Cognition, 13, 196-206
Dec. 4
Psychogenic Amnesia and Traumatic Memories
Basic Readings:
Kihlstrom, J. F., & Schacter, D. L. (2000). Functional amnesia. In F. Boller & J.
Grafman (Eds.), Handbook of neuropsychology (2nd ed., Vol.2, pp. 409-427).
Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Selected Readings:
Glisky, E.L. et al. (2004). A case of psychogenic fugue: I understand, aber ich verstehe
nichts. Neuropsychologia, 42, 1132-1147.
Kong, L. L., Allen, J. J. B., & Glisky, E. L. (2008). Interidentity memory transfer in
dissociative identity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117, 686-692.
McIsaac, H. K., & Eich, E. (2004). Vantage point in traumatic memory. Psychological
Science, 15, 248-253.