Neuroscience of Learning and Memory
Psy 410-001(W)
120 Psychology Building
Monday & Wednesday 10:20-11:40
Instructor: Kimberly Fenn, Ph.D.
Office: 289B Psychology Building
Office Hours: Monday 11:45-12:45, and by appointment
Email: kfenn@msu.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to give you an overview of research on the biology and neuroscience of
learning and memory. This is an advanced course focusing on current findings in these fields.
Learning and memory will be analyzed at the behavioral, cellular, and systems levels in
invertebrates and vertebrates. We will discuss strategies used to study the neural basis of learning
and memory and explore current topics in memory research in humans and animals.
This course also fulfills the writing requirement and there will be a strong emphasis on writing.
Several class sessions will be entirely devoted to discussing effective writing strategies and students
are expected to develop writing skills consistent with the discipline.
REQUIRED READINGS:
The textbook for this course is Learning and Memory: From Brain to Behavior, written by Mark
Gluck, Eduardo Mercado, and Catherine Myers, and published by Worth Publishers, 2008. The
textbook is available at the MSU bookstore and at online retailers. There is a more recent version of
the book available but we are using the older version because it will be less expensive and you
should be able to find used copies.
In addition to the primary textbook, on some weeks, we will read empirical research papers. These
will be posted on Desire to Learn (D2L) prior to their assigned date.
EXAMS:
There will be two exams in this class. The exams will NOT be cumulative. You will be responsible
for all material associated with the course on the exams. This includes material presented in lecture
as well as information from the textbook and readings from empirical papers, when appropriate.
More information of exam format and structure will be given as the date approaches.
Make-up exams: Make-up exams will only be given in case of: 1) a documented medical or family
emergency, or 2) a documented scheduled conflict, such as a religious holiday or required
participation in a university-sanctioned event. In either case, you must send an email to the
professor as soon as you are aware of this conflict. In case of a scheduled conflict, you must send
this email at least a week in advance of exam day. Absence from an exam for any other reason will
result in a grade of 0 for that exam.
Page |2
PAPERS:
You will write two papers in this course. In the first paper, you will choose an open issue or debate
in the field of learning and memory and you write an argument to support your position regarding
the debate. In this paper, you must have a clear thesis statement and must support your ideas using
findings from empirical papers.
In the second paper, you will work with a group of students to design and conduct an empirical
study in some aspect of learning and memory. You will write research report that describes the
results of your study. Greater detail regarding these papers will be given as the deadline approaches.
Important: Papers are due at precisely 10:20 on the due date. Arrival to class more than 5 minutes
late will result in a two level grade reduction. For example, if the paper would have earned a B+,
the final grade will be a B-. There will be no exceptions to this rule and excuses will not be
tolerated.
All papers will be submitted online using Turnitin, a system designed to ensure honesty and
academic integrity. More information regarding Turnitin can be found on page 4 of this syllabus.
PROJECT PRESENTATION:
Each group will prepare a presentation on their project for the class. This presentation will cover all
aspects of the research report, including a discussion of the background literature, methodology,
results, and a discussion of your findings. Presentations will be approximately 20 minutes with 5
minutes for questions and powerpoint must be used.
CRITIQUE OF FINAL PAPER AND PROJECT PRESENTATION:
In addition to the in-class peer review, each student will write a 2-4 page (double-spaced) critique of
another group’s final paper. This goal of this critique is twofold. First and foremost, it should help
the other group improve their paper. Using principles of writing that we have discussed in class, the
critique should evaluate the paper and provide suggestions for improvement. The critique should
discuss both strengths and weaknesses of the paper and provide concrete suggestions to increase the
strength and effectiveness of the paper. Second, this is an opportunity for you to show the instructor
that you understand basic principles of effective (and ineffective) writing.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS / PARTICIPATION:
Throughout the course, several shorter (~2 page) papers may be assigned. There will also be three
writing workshops during the semester. For these workshops, you may be asked to write material
during class or may be asked to complete an assignment prior to class and bring it to class. In
addition, you will engage in peer review of the material that one of your classmates has written.
Your participation in these exercises is a required part of the course and 5% of your grade will be
determined by this. However, these writing assignments will not be graded in the usual manner.
Instead, if you have satisfactorily completed the assignment, you will receive full credit for the
exercise.
Page |3
ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION:
It is assumed that you will attend and actively participate during all class sessions. If you must miss
class for some reason, please notify me (in advance, if possible). You are responsible for what
transpires during class sessions whether you are there or not.
On the days in which students are presenting their projects (the final four days of the course),
attendance is mandatory. If you miss class without a legitimate excuse, your grade on the final
paper will be dropped one letter grade (10 points). For a list of legitimate absences, please refer to
the section regarding exams.
EXTRA CREDIT FOR RESEARCH PARTICIPATION:
One fundamental way of learning firsthand about psychological research is to participate in research
studies. You may participate in psychological experiments and earn 3 extra points added to your
final percentage. For extra credit, each research credit (½ hour of participation) is worth 0.25% of a
point on your final grade. Therefore, to receive one additional point, you must complete 4 credits or
(for a total of 2 hours). To receive the full 3 extra credit points, you must complete an additional 12
credits (or 6 hours) of experiments. If you would like to sign up to participate in research, you may
do so at https://msu-psychology.sona-systems.com/ . If you have any questions about research
participation, please contact: Leslie Baldwin, the Human Subject Pool Secretary,
lbaldwin@msu.edu. It is your responsibility to sign up, participate in the experiments and to track
your personal history on the computer. The instructor cannot obtain a record of your research
participation until the end of the course. All questions regarding research participation should be
directed to Leslie Baldwin.
Deadline: Research participation must be completed by April 29, 2014 at 5:00 pm.
Alternative to research participation: If you do not wish to participate in psychology experiments,
you may obtain extra credit by writing a one-page paper for each credit-hour of research
participation, for a total of 12 one-page papers. Detailed explanation of the paper requirements will
be posted on D2L.
GRADING:
Your grade will be calculated as follows:
Exam 1: 15%
Exam 2: 15%
First Paper: 20%
Final Paper: 30%
Project Presentation: 10%
Critique of final paper and presentation: 5%
Writing assignments/peer review/participation: 5%
Page |4
Grades will be assigned on the following scale:
90-100% = 4.0
75-79% = 2.5
85-89% = 3.5
70-74% = 2.0
80-84% = 3.0
65-69% = 1.5
60-64% = 1.0
< 60% = 0
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Article 2.III.B.2 of the Student Rights and Responsibilites (SRR) states that "The student shares
with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship, grades, and
professional standards." In addition, the Psychology Department adheres to the policies on
academic honesty as specified in General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and
Grades; the all-University Policy on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00,
Examinations. (See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web site:
www.msu.edu.)
Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all course
assignments, including homework, lab work, quizzes, tests and exams, without assistance from any
source. You are expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit
course work you completed for another course to satisfy the requirements for this course. Also, you
are not authorized to use the www.allmsu.com Web site to complete any course work in this course.
Students who violate MSU academic integrity rules may receive a penalty grade, including a failing
grade on the assignment or in the course. Contact your instructor if you are unsure about the
appropriateness of your course work. (See also the Academic Integrity webpage.) The course will
be run according to these rules without exception. Any student caught cheating or otherwise
violating the MSU academic integrity policy may receive the maximum punishment, including a
grade of 0.0 in the course. Visit the following websites for more details about MSU's Academic
Integrity policies: https://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/academic-integrity/index.html
https://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/academic-integrity/student-faq.html
When in doubt, students are urged to ask the instructor about the appropriateness of any practice.
Important Note: Submitting the same paper for two classes is considered a form of plagiarism
and must be avoided.
TURNITIN POLICY
Consistent with MSU's efforts to enhance student learning, foster honesty, and maintain integrity in
our academic processes, I have chosen to use a tool called Turnitin to compare your papers with
multiple sources. The tool will compare each paper you submit to an extensive database of prior
publications and papers, providing links to possible matches and a 'similarity score.' The tool does
not determine whether plagiarism has occurred or not. Instead, I will make a complete assessment
and judge the originality of your work. All submissions to this course may be checked using this
tool.
You should submit papers to Turnitin. Dropboxes without identifying information included in
the paper (e.g., name or student number), the Desire 2 Learn system will automatically show this
information to me when I view the submission, but the information will not be retained by
Turnitin. If you forget and submit your paper with your identifying information on it, it will be
retained in the Turnitin repository.
Page |5
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all
programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be
made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517-884-RCPD or on the
web at rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be
issued a Verified Individual Services Accommodation ("VISA") form. Please present this form to
me at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc.).
Requests received after this date may not be honored.
DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR: Article 2.3.5 of the Academic Freedom Report (AFR) for students at
Michigan State University states: "The student's behavior in the classroom shall be conducive to the
teaching and learning process for all concerned." Article 2.3.10 of the AFR states that "The student
has a right to scholarly relationships with faculty based on mutual trust and civility." General
Student Regulation 5.02 states: "No student shall . . . interfere with the functions and services of the
University (for example, but not limited to, classes . . .) such that the function or service is
obstructed or disrupted. Students whose conduct adversely affects the learning environment in this
classroom may be subject to disciplinary action through the Student Faculty Judiciary process.
RESPECT AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM: Please respect your instructors and fellow
students by turning off your cellphone ringer and/or other electronic communication devices during
class. Laptop use is permitted. However, distracting activities such as instant messaging, writing email, social networking (twitter, facebook, etc.), or playing games is strictly prohibited.
GETTING HELP: The best way to get help is to come to office hours. If you can’t make office
hours, you can contact the instructor to make an appointment for a different time. I can also be
reached by e-mail. I will try to be diligent about responding, but occasionally your message may be
hidden amongst the spam mail. If you don’t hear back from me in a reasonable time, send the
message again.
ASSISTANCE WITH BASIC WRITING SKILLS: Staff at the Writing Center will consult with you
individually to identify strengths and weaknesses in your writing and to help improve the quality of
your writing. Students who show severe problems with their writing will be required to bring their
papers to the Writing Center before they turn them in to the professor. Meetings can be scheduled
through the Writing Center’s website: http://writing.msu.edu/services/.
Page |6
January 11
Class Orientation
Unit I – Implicit Memory
January 13
Historical background
Chapter 1
January 18
Martin Luther King Day – no class
January 20
Neuroscience of Learning & Memory
Chapter 2
January 25
Non-Associative Learning
Chapter 6
January 27
Classical Conditioning
Chapter 7
February 1
Instrumental Conditioning
Topic for Paper 1 Due
Chapter 8
February 3
Writing Workshop I
February 8
Instrumental Conditioning
Chapter 8
February 10
Skill Memory
Chapter 4
Unit II – Explicit Memory
February 15
Episodic & Semantic Memory
*Thesis statement for Paper 1 Due at 10:20
Chapter 3
February 17
Episodic & Semantic Memory
Chapter 3
February 22
Writing Workshop II
*Rough Draft Paper 1 Due at 10:20
In-class peer review
February 24
Short-term and Working Memory
Chapter 5
February 29
Short-term and Working Memory
Chapter 5
March 2
Exam I
Page |7
March 7
Spring Break – no class
March 9
Spring Break – no class
March 14
Amnesia
Scoville & Milner, 1957
Corkin, 2002
March 16
Amnesia
Scoville & Milner, 1957
Corkin, 2002
March 21
Emotional Learning & Memory
*Final Draft Paper 1 Due at 10:20
Chapter 10
March 23
Emotional Learning & Memory
Chapter 10
March 28
Observational Learning
Chapter 11
March 30Pha P Memory and Aging
Chapter 12
April 4
Sleep and Memory Processing
TBD
April 6
Exercise and Memory Processing
TBD
April 11
Exam II
April 13
Writing Workshop III
*Rough Draft of final paper due
In-class peer review
April 18
Project Presentations
Attendance Required
April 20
Project Presentations
Attendance Required
April 25
Project Presentations
Attendance Required
April 27
Project Presentations
Attendance Required
May 4
*Final Paper Due by 5:00pm