Course Syllabus
PSY 489: SPECIAL TOPIC: LEARNING & MEMORY
Fall (2011)
CONTACT INFORMATION
COURSE DETAILS
Instructor:
Dr. Gretchen Gotthard
Course
Meetings:
Office:
Moyer 224
Meeting
Location:
ggotthard@muhlenberg.edu
Email:
[best way to reach me]
Phone:
484-664-3422
Wednesday and Friday
12:30 – 1:45
Moyer 101
Wednesday 2:00-4:00
Office Hours:
Friday 10:00-11:00
[also, by appointment]
Blackboard:
http://blackboard.muhlenberg.edu
PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
This course will provide an examination of the broad categories of learning and memory. Emphasis will be
placed on empirical research examining the characteristics of learning and memory in human and animal
populations. We will discuss several learning and memory phenomena, including the context shift effect, state
dependent retention, retrograde and anterograde amnesia, memory modulation, the malleability of memory,
retrieval of “lost” memory, theories of amnesia, and “erasing” memory.
GOALS OF THE COURSE
By the end of the semester, students should be able to:

Critically analyze and synthesize empirical literature.

To accomplish this goal, students will work to:
 Describe, and be able to explain, the major terminology, theories, and research methods
used when studying learning and memory.
 Read, present, discuss, and critically evaluate empirical learning and memory studies.
 Provide a critical analysis of the literature through written and oral exams that includes
a synthesis of findings with concepts discussed in the literature and in class.
READINGS
There is no textbook for this seminar. Several journal articles will be used as our primary readings and are
available on Blackboard (see “Discussion and Reading Outline” for specific article citations). I recommend that
you print copies of all of the articles and bring them to class, because we will be discussing them thoroughly
during our class meetings.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE

EXAMS: There will be two exam formats used in this course: (1) Written Exams and (2) Oral Exams.

Written Exams: There will be three “open article” essay exams in this class. Exams will cover the
readings and any material presented in class (including critical analyses and class discussion). The
goal of written exams is not to force you to memorize multiple citations and results, but rather is to
allow you to organize and synthesize the literature you are reading. Written exams will be worth
150 points total (50 points each).

Final Oral Exam: There will be one cumulative oral exam administered at the end of the semester
that will focus on the last section of readings, but will also include several cumulative questions.
Oral exams will be administered by Dr. Gotthard during a 30-minute meeting in her office (Moyer
224). The advantage of oral examinations is that they allow for greater elaboration and
explanation from the student and allow the professor to explore the student's knowledge of the
topic in more depth than is possible in two or three written essays on a traditional exam. A
handout further describing oral exams is attached to this syllabus. The final oral exam will be
worth 100 points.

LEADING DISCUSSION: Students will lead discussion on several research articles during the term. Your
primary objective should be to provide your personal critique of the article and its findings, and stimulate
class discussion of the article. Come to class prepared to answer questions about your article – remember,
you are the expert on that article for the day. Also, as part of your critical analysis/critique of the article,
bring several questions/discussion points for the class to consider. Keep in mind, you will not be able to
cover every aspect of your article during your presentation, so try to focus on the components of the
article that are most important or most interesting to you – the rest of the critical details will come out in
our subsequent discussion. A handout further describing Leading Discussion and Writing Critical Analyses
(see next section) is attached to this syllabus. Leading Article Discussions will be worth 40 points total (10
points per discussion).

CRITICAL ANALYSES: Each student will hand in a critical analysis for every article discussed in class. Critical
Analyses should be typed and will be worth up to 2 points each (2=above average, 1=average, 0=below
average). These analyses should include a very brief summary of the article (around 3 sentences in length),
and a critical analysis of the article (this can be as long as you want and will vary depending on the article,
but should generally be a short paragraph). Some examples of points to consider in these critical analyses
include, but are not limited to, (1) discussing confounds in the study, (2) pointing out
advantages/disadvantages of methods/rationales/interpretations employed in the study, and (3) discussing
any similarities/differences that exist between the current study and other papers we’ve read during the
semester. The point of this is to allow you to delve deeper into the article and not simply accept the
rationale, method, and findings at face value.
One of the most important skills scientists work to refine is their ability to critically evaluate the literature
in their field and work to synthesize that literature into a coherent, useful collection of information. The
goal of this writing assignment is to give you the opportunity to hone your critical analysis/synthesis skills
and help you organize your thoughts about the literature we are reading. Additionally, these short critical
analyses will be very helpful when taking exams in this class. There will be the opportunity to complete 35
critical analyses. Critical analyses will be worth a maximum of 70 points total.

LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM (LOC): All students taking psychology courses are required to
participate in at least two hours of research (LOC-R), or to complete an alternate assignment, if they do
not want to participate in research. Students will receive an index card on the first day of class and will
use it to obtain a stamp from each researcher whose study they participate in. Do not lose this card,
because it will serve as evidence of your participation. NOTE: You are NOT required to fill out LOC-forms.
LOC will be worth 10 points total. Please see link for important information about LOC-R requirements:
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/academics/psychology/learning_outside_classroom.html

PARTICIPATION: All students are expected to come to every class and participate in class activities and
discussions. This course will be based almost exclusively on discussion, and if you are absent from class
you obviously cannot participate. Active engagement in class is a key factor in learning, and therefore,
plays an important role in grades, especially when a student’s grade is borderline. For example, a student
with an 89.9% who has consistently been an active participant in class will earn a final grade of A-, while a
student with an 89.9% who missed several classes and/or didn’t actively participate when in class will
receive a final grade of B+. Bottom line: Come to class prepared and be an active participant!
GRADING
Assignment
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Final Exam (Oral)
Leading Discussion
Critical Analyses (35 graded CA)
LOC-R
Total
Grade
%
A
94-100
A90-93
Grade
B+
B
B-
Points
50
50
50
100
40
70
10
370
%
87-89
84-86
80-83
Grade
C+
C
C-
%
77-79
74-76
70-73
Grade
D+
D
F
%
67-69
63-66
0-62
AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT GRADING: A grade of “C” is indicative of “average” work in this class. If you
want to earn a grade in the “A” range (exceptional) or “B” range (very good), then you need to be prepared to
work very hard AND produce stellar work. Based on my past experiences teaching this course, students who
earn better than average grades in this course come to class consistently and are actively engaged, earn solid
grades on their exams, produce work that is well-thought-out and that involves a high level of intellectual
sophistication, and consistently offer comments during class that enrich the discussion.
MECHANICS OF THE COURSE

Course Unit Instruction: This class is scheduled to meet for 3 hours per week. Additional instructional
activities for the course include attendance at specified College lectures and events distributed across the
semester. These activities will be announced in class throughout the semester and will add an additional
14 hours of instruction.

Come to class: Although not a requirement, class attendance is strongly encouraged. You are responsible
for any material, announcements, and assignments given (or due) in class on the day you missed. Coming
to class will greatly aid in your understanding of this often difficult material. It has been my experience that
students who consistently come to class do much better than students who do not. Bottom line: It is very
important that you make every effort to attend class.

Turn in assignments on time: Be sure to hand in all assignments by class time on the designated date. All
late assignments will lose one letter grade per day, and this includes assignments turned in shortly after
class. If you know you will not be able to come to class, turn in your assignment early.

Turn off cell phones: The use of cell phones during class is NOT permitted. Students should turn off all
electronic devices prior to the start of class. It is incredibly disruptive to the instructor and the entire class
when students interact with a cell phone during class. If you are expecting an urgent call, please let me
know before class begins and I will be happy to make accommodations for the day.

Show academic integrity: All tests and written assignments in this class are pledged work under the
Academic Integrity Code (AIC; www.muhlenberg.edu/main/aboutus/dean-academic/integrity). I
encourage you to study with other students in the class and to discuss class materials with other students.
However, your tests and written assignments should be your work alone. Additionally, in accordance with
the AIC, please write and sign your name by the following statement on all written assignments: “I pledge
that I have complied with the Academic Integrity Code in this work.” If you have any questions or concerns
about how the AIC applies to work in this class, I will be happy to discuss this with you.
 Students with Disabilities: Students requiring special accommodations for this course must first contact
the Office for Disability Services (Pamela Moschini, Ext. 3825). Please provide me with the appropriate
documentation and I will make every effort to meet your needs.
DISCUSSION AND READING OUTLINE
This is an approximate guide. Material may be added or deleted throughout the semester as time permits. If
changes are made, they will be announced in class as soon as possible.
Date
Day
Aug 31
Wed
Sept 2
Fri
Sept 7
Wed
Sept 9
Fri
Sept 14
Wed
Sept 16
Fri
Sept 21
Wed
Reading
Topic
Introduction to the Course
Learning & Memory: Basic Overview
Learning & Memory Basic Overview (No Assigned Reading)
1. Godden, D. R., & Baddeley, A. D. (1975). Contextdependent memory in two natural environments: On
land and underwater. British Journal of Psychology, 66,
325-331.
2. Saufley, W.H., Otaka, S.R. & Bavaresco, J.L. (1985).
Context effects: Classroom tests and context
independence. Memory & Cognition, 13, 522-528.
3. Goodwin, D. W., Powell, B., Bremer, D., Hoine, H., &
Stern, J. (1969). Alcohol and recall: State-dependent
effects in man. Science, 163, 1358-1360.
4. Lisman, S. A. (1974). Alcohol “blackout”: State
dependent learning? Archives of General Psychiatry, 30,
46-53.
5. Eich, J. E., Weingartner, H., Stillman, R. C., & Gillin, J. C.
(1975). State-dependent accessibility of retrieval cues in
the retention of a categorized list. Journal of Verbal
Learning and Verbal Behavior, 14, 408-417.
6. Weingartner, H., Miller, H., & Murphy, D. L. (1977).
Mood state-dependent retrieval of verbal associations.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86, 276-284.
7. Loftus, E. F. (1975). Leading questions and the
eyewitness report. Cognitive Psychology, 7, 560-572.
8. Peterson, Parsons, & Dean (2004). Providing misleading
and reinstatement information a year after it happened:
Effects on long-term memory. Memory, 12(1), 1-13.
9. Gold, P.E. & Van Buskirk (1975). Facilitation of timedependent memory processes with posttrial epinephrine
injections. Behavioral Biology, 13, 145-153.
10. Gold, P.E. & Sternberg, D.B. (1978). Retrograde amnesia
produced by several treatments: Evidence for a common
neurobiological mechanism. Science, 201, 367-369.
External
Context
Internal
Context
Internal
Context
Malleability of
Memory
Modulation of
Memory
Sept 23
Fri
Sept 28
Wed
Sept 30
Fri
11. McGaugh, J. L. (1966). Time-dependent processes in
memory storage. Science, 153, 1351-1358. [Class
Review]
12. Gold, P. E. (1987). Sweet memories. American Scientist,
75, 151-155. [Class Review]
Exam 1: Context, Malleability, and Modulation
13. Scoville, W.B. & Milner, B. (1957). Loss of recent memory
after bilateral hippocampal ablation. Journal of
Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 20, 11-21.
14. Eichenbaum, H. (2000). A cortical-hippocampal system
for declarative memory. Nature Reviews Neuroscience,
1(1), 41-50.
15. Loftus, E. F., & Burns, T. E. (1982). Mental shock can
produce retrograde amnesia. Memory and Cognition,
10, 318-323.
Oct 5
Wed
Oct 7
Fri
Oct 12
Wed
Oct 14
Fri
Oct 19
Wed
16. Schmidt, S. R. (2002). Outstanding memories: The
positive and negative effects of nudes on memory.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory,
and Cognition, 28(2), 353-361.
17. Bresnahan, E. E., & Routtenberg, A. (1980). Medial
forebrain bundle stimulation during learning and
subsequent retention disruption. Physiological
Psychology, 8, 112-119.
18. Richardson, R., Riccio, D. C., & Morilak, D. (1983).
Anterograde memory loss induced by hypothermia in
rats. Behavioral and Neural Biology, 37, 76-88.
19. Ogden, J. A. (1996). Marooned in the moment: H. M., a
case of global amnesia. In Fractured Minds (pp. 41-58), J.
A. Ogden (Ed.). New York: Oxford. [Class Review]
Fri
Neuroanatomy
of Memory
Amnesic
Agents
Amnesic
Agents
Amnesic
Individuals
Video: Clive Wearing
20. Hirano, M., Noguchi, K., Hosokawa, T., Takayama, T.
(2002). I cannot remember, but I know my past events:
Remembering and knowing in a patient with amnesic
syndrome. Journal of Clinical and Experimental
Neuropsychology, 24(4), 548-555.
21. Cowles, Beatty, Nixon, Lutz, Paulk, Paulk, & Ross (2003).
Musical skill in dementia: A violinist presumed to have
Alzheimer’s Disease learns to play a new song.
Neurocase, 9(6), 493-503.
Oct 21
Modulation of
Memory
Exam 2: Neuroanatomy, Amnesic Agents and Individuals
Amnesic
Individuals
Oct 26
Oct 28
Wed
22. Nader, K., Schafe, G. E., & LeDoux, J. E. (2000). Fear
memories require protein synthesis in the amygdala for
reconsolidation after retrieval. Nature, 406, 722-726.
23. Gotthard, G.H. & Knöppel, A.B. (2010). Cycloheximide
produces amnesia for extinction and reconsolidation in
an appetitive odor discrimination task in rats.
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 93, 127-131.
Consolidation
Theory
Fri
24. Geller, A., & Jarvik, M. E. (1968). The time relations of
ECS-induced amnesia. Psychonomic Science, 12, 169170.
25. Kesner, R. P., & Conner, H. S. (1972). Independence of
short- and long-term memory: A neural system analysis.
Science, 176, 432-434.
26. Lynch, S., & Yarnell, P. R. (1973). Retrograde amnesia
and delayed forgetting after concussion. American
Journal of Psychology, 86, 643-645.
Retrieval
Failure
27. Levy, R. A. (1987). A method for the recovery of mishaprelated events lost to amnesia. Aviation, Space and
Environmental Medicine, 58, 257-259.
Nov 2
Wed
Nov 4
Fri
Nov 9
Wed
Nov 11
Fri
28. Hanson, G. R., Bunsey, M. D., & Riccio, D. C. (2002). The
effects of pretraining and reminder treatments on
retrograde amnesia in rats: Comparison of lesions to the
fornix or perirhinal and entorhinal cortices. Neurobiology
of Learning and Memory, 78, 365-378.
29. Nader, K., Schafe, G. E., & LeDoux, J. E. (2000). The labile
nature of consolidation theory. Nature Reviews
Neuroscience, 1, 216-219. [Class Review]
30. Riccio, D. C., Moody, E. W., & Millin, P. M. (2002).
Reconsolidation reconsidered. Integrative, Physiological,
& Behavioral Science, 37(4), 245-253. [Class Review]
Exam 3: Consolidation and Retrieval Failure Theories
31. Vaiva, G., Ducrocq, F., Jezequel, K., Averland, B., Lestavel,
P., Brunet, A. & Marmar, C.R. (2003). Immediate
treatment with propranolol decreases posttraumatic
stress disorder two months after trauma. Biological
Psychiatry, 54, 947-949.
32. Brunet, A., Orr, S.P., Tremblay, J., Robertson, K., Nader,
K. & Pitman, R.K. (2008). Effect of post-retrieval
propranolol on psychophysiologic responding during
subsequent script-driven traumatic imagery in posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychiatric
Research, 42, 503-506.
Retrieval
Failure
Consolidation
vs. Retrieval
Failure
“Erasing”
Memory
Nov 16
Wed
33. Cohen, H., Kaplan, Z., Matar, M. A., Loewenthal, U.,
Kozlovsky, N., & Zohar, J. (2006). Anisomycin, a protein
synthesis inhibitor, disrupts traumatic memory
consolidation and attenuates posttraumatic stress
response in rats. Biological Psychiatry, 60, 767-776.
34. Cohen, J. & Gotthard, G.H. (2011). Extinction-induced
despair in the sand maze: Effects of cycloheximide and
propranolol on memory for extinction of positive
reinforcement in rats. Neurobiology of Learning and
Memory, 95, 484-490.
“Erasing”
Memory
35. Hernandez, P. J., & Kelley, A. E. (2004). Long-term
memory for instrumental response does not undergo
protein synthesis dependent reconsolidation upon
retrieval. Learning and Memory, 11, 748-754.
Nov 18
Fri
Nov 23
Wed
Nov 25
Fri
36. Block, J. N., Gonzalez, E. J., Einhorn, E. H., & Gotthard, G.
H. (under review). Updated consolidation:
Reconsolidation of appetitive odor discrimination
requires protein synthesis only when reactivation
involves novel information. Manuscript submitted for
publication.
“Erasing”
Memory
Thanksgiving Break: No Class
Thanksgiving Break: No Class
37. Cohen, H., Kaplan, Z., Koresh, O., Matar, M. A., Geva, A.
B., & Zohar, J. (2011). Early post-stressor intervention
with propranolol is ineffective in preventing
posttraumatic stress responses in an animal model of
PTSD. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 21, 230240.
Nov 30
Wed
Dec 2
Fri
“Memento”
Dec 7
Wed
“Memento”
Cumulative Final Oral Exam [to be arranged individually]
“Erasing”
Memory
LEADING ARTICLE DISCUSSIONS
We will be reading almost 40 articles over the course of the semester and discussing them in class. Each
student will lead discussion on FOUR articles during the semester. Leading discussion will consist of three
main components: (1) providing a very brief summary of the article’s key points and implications, (2)
answering questions from the class, and (3) stimulating class discussion of the article. A bit more detail on
these components…
1. Key Points and Implications
Students are expected to provide a very brief summary of the key points and implications of their assigned
article for the class. The primary focus of the summary should be to point out the main findings and
implications of the research being discussed – not to summarize the entire article. Keep in mind, you will
not be able to cover every aspect of your article during your presentation, so try to focus on the
components of the article that are most important or most interesting to you – the rest of the critical
details will come out in our discussion of the article. Also, keep in mind that the rest of the class will have
already read the article, so your brief summary is in place mainly to serve as a reminder for them and to
stimulate discussion. You should spend NO MORE than two or three minutes on this part of your
discussion.
2. Answering Questions
You should come to class prepared to answer questions about your article – remember, you are the expert
on that article for the day. If you are having difficulty understanding any part of your article, come to see
me for help. And please try to plan ahead because I may not be available to work with you if you come to
me right before class on the day you are scheduled to present.
3. Discussion Questions
The bulk of your duties as a Discussion Leader will come from your facilitation of class discussion. Bring
several questions and/or discussion points for the class to talk about. Discussion questions are critical for
facilitating class discussion of the article, so think seriously about the questions you select. For example,
questions that end in a “yes” or “no” response will stop discussion. Try to think of questions that can have
many answers or elicit multiple points of view.
WRITING CRITICAL ANALYSES
One goal of these article discussions is to give you the opportunity to hone your critical analysis/synthesis skills
and help you organize your thoughts about the literature we are reading.

Typically, science articles consist of four sections: Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion. When
reviewing your article for class, you should not plan to discuss each of these in great detail, but you should
be aware of the critical details of each of these sections.
1. Introduction: This section provides background information about the topic at hand. It also describes
very briefly what the current article is examining, how the proposed study will be carried out, and
generally what is hypothesized to occur.

It is important to understand where a particular research question is coming from – what have
researchers done in the past with regard to this area of study? You don’t need to go into
specific details about past studies (e.g., specific methods they used), but you should spend a
little time examining what has been done in the past. This generally leads us to the next logical
step (i.e., the current study). Understand the overview of what the current study will examine
before going onto the Method section.
2. Method: This section describes in great detail exactly what the researchers did in their study. This
section is critical because it is essentially a “recipe” for anyone else who would like to replicate the
study.

You will need to clearly understand the Method. Look at the type of subjects/participants used
(i.e., animal: rat, monkey, mouse, etc.; human: children, adults, elderly, etc.), and the task used
– it is important that we know how the researchers went about collecting their data. Maybe
the task they used doesn’t really get at the memory/amnesia phenomena they intended. It is
also important to understand the dependent variables (what was measured) and independent
variables (what was manipulated) in the study. Include any other information that you think is
critical for understanding the experiment.
3. Results: This section presents the general findings and statistical analyses of the study.

In your review, you should try to focus mostly on the general findings and less on the actual
statistics of the study. Don’t ignore the statistics, but focus mostly on what the results are
telling us in terms of behavior, rather than p-values. Don’t disregard the figures and tables, it is
important to go through these and be sure to understand what the researchers found. If you
feel comfortable with statistics, feel free to discuss any concerns you might have about the
particular ones employed in the study.
4. Discussion: This section goes through the implications of the study (what does it all mean?) and future
directions for research (what should be done next?).


You should spend a lot of your discussion and critical analysis on this section. Discuss why the
study is important. Also, point out any concerns/criticisms you have with the study – discuss
the similarities/differences of this study with other research we have read/discussed. Finally,
talk about future research – what should be done next? Of course, with some of the older
studies, the future research ideas may have already been done, but it’s still important to
consider the next logical step.
General Tips
1. Read the rationale for the study (Introduction), and the Method and Results sections, but not the
Discussion section. Try to figure out the conclusions on your own and then compare them to the
author’s. Were they the same? If your conclusions were different, why do you think they were?
2. Look for patterns in the studies you are reading. Compare the current study with previous research
presented in the Introduction and to other studies we’ve discussed in class.

Look for consistencies and inconsistencies in the findings.

Come up with potential explanations for these consistencies and inconsistencies.

Pay close attention to unanswered questions and describe how you would go about answering
them.
3. Critically evaluate the literature.


Which studies are best and why?

Which studies are worst and why?

Discuss conceptual and methodological strengths and weaknesses of the studies.
NOTE ON REVIEW ARTICLES: Most of the studies we will read during the semester will be empirical studies
(i.e., experiments, as described above). Occasionally, we will read a review article (i.e., a synthesis of a
large number of studies). You will want to write your critical analysis a bit differently for review articles. A
few tips:

Usually, there won’t be enough information to make points about methodology and/or
statistics because these studies tend to be a broad overview of a topic. If any figures are
presented, you should carefully examine these, and try to use them in place of the usual
“Results” section.

Focus on the implications of the studies discussed. Most importantly: you will want to try to
find connections between the review article and any of the other studies we have read during
the semester.

NOTE: you will NOT be handing in a Critical Analysis for review articles (they are designated
“Class Review” on the syllabus), but you should still create one for you own study purposes.