9/25/06
PSYCHOLOGY 115
PRINCIPLES OF BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
FALL 2006
Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:00 - 1:50 PM in Humanities A51 (formerly Kinsey Hall).
Exams & Reviews: Except for the last exam, all exams and review sessions will be in the evening.
See weekly schedule for specific dates, times and rooms.
Description of the course: Designed for majors, this course has three hours of lecture and one
hour of discussion per week. It covers the anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology of the nervous
system, and the relationship of these biological mechanisms to behavior.
Class Website: http://www.lsic.ucla.edu/classes/psych/current/06F/115_06F.htm
Powerpoint slides and Lectures
The slides for each lecture (in powerpoint files) are posted to the lecture on Blackboard under
Course Materials. You may print them out as you wish and bring them to lecture.
Barring glitches, the audio portion of the lectures will also be posted as MP3 files shortly after the
lecture. Students find the recorded lectures useful for review (while looking at the slides) and for
taking notes, but they report that they are less useful if they had never attended the lecture.
As an experiment, the lectures will also be videotaped, and the videotaped versions will be
available on the web (www.bruincast.ucla.edu) by the day after the lecture.
Faculty
Stan Schein:
Office hours: Monday and Wedneday, 4:00 - 6:00 PM, and by appointment
Office: Franz Hall, Room 8522
Phone: 825-0505; email schein@ucla.edu
Books
MR Rosenzweig, SM Breedlove, NV Watson. Biological Psychology. Fourth Edition. Sinauer
Associates, Inc.: Sunderland, MA, 2005. ISBN #0-87893-754-4
This textbook includes a Study Guide on a CD, called Learning Biological Psychology. You
will need to have the CD. If you don’t have it, you can copy a friend’s.
IMPORTANT NOTICES:
1. Except for the final exam, exams will be given in the evening. We do this for several reasons.
First, you will be able to have more lectures. Second, you can have more time to complete your
exams. Third, when it comes time to take the exams, you won't have to wait anxiously for the
previous class to leave the lecture hall or feel the pressure of the students in the next class trying to
get into the room. If you cannot be available during those times, you might consider taking this
course in another quarter. If you must take this course now and cannot be available during those
times, contact Prof. Schein by email without delay.
2. You must enroll in a Discussion Section. They are an integral part of the course and count for
25% of your grade. If you are on a waiting list, you should attend the first Discussion section, and
you will be enrolled automatically.
A, B
Tuesday
Franz Hall 1571
10-11, 11-12
AJ
C, D
Tuesday
Franz Hall 1571
3-4, 4-5
JT
E, F
Wednesday Franz Hall 1571
8-9, 9-10
GF
G
Wednesday Franz Hall A279
4-5
AL
I, J
Thursday
Franz Hall 1571
10-11, 11-12
AL
K
Thursday
Franz Hall 1571
2-3
AL
If you are not enrolled in a Discussion Section by the end of the second week of the quarter,
you will be dropped from the course by URSA. Students with concerns should go to the
Psychology Advising Office, 1531 Franz Hall. If you want to switch sections, you need to find
another student with whom to swap. The website has a forum that you can use to help you find
swap-mates. You and your swap-mate will need to go to the Psychology Advising Office to
make the swap.
(THE BEST) Teaching Assistants (TAs)
Gene Fridman (GF), gfridman@ucla.edu
Adi Jaffe (AJ), adi@ucla.edu
Andy Lin (AL), alin25@ucla.edu
Jameson Tibbs (JT), jtibbs@ucla.edu
Office hours: W 10-11
FH 2567C
Office hours: R 11-12
FH 2567C
Office hours: M 3-4, F 2-3 FH 2567C
Office hours: T 5-6
FH 2567C
Messages: You may leave messages with the Psychology main office, 310-825-2961
Grading
All grades are posted in Gradebook. The course has 200 points and is graded on a curve. All
exams are based on the Textbook, the Study Guide, and Lectures. The exams are NONCUMULATIVE.
First exam, 50 points: Monday, October 23, in the EVENING, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM in TBA. This
exam covers Chapters 1-7 of the text and lectures covering those chapters.
Second exam, 50 points: Thursday, November 16, in the EVENING, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM in
TBA. This exam covers Chapters 8-11 of the text and lectures covering those chapters.
Final exam, 50 points: Friday, December 15, 2006, 3:00pm-6:00pm in TBA. This exam
covers Chapters 12-14, 16-19 of the text and lectures covering those chapters.
The DISCUSSION sections count for 50 points.
Note: The grading is on a curve and is not tied to the top score, so the degree of difficulty
of the exams is of no consequence. In the past, obtaining >80% of points earned an A- and
above, >67% earned a B- and above, and >50% earned a C- and above.
Discussion section
The first five minutes will be taken up by a quiz with four or more questions. During the next part
of the hour, students have the opportunity to raise questions about the lectures and the text. The
TAs may use some of the time to review material covered in the lectures or text. Time permiting,
the TAs may go over the answers to concept questions from the Study Guide. If you miss your own
Discussion section, you may ask your TA for permission to attend a different one that week.
8 points for attendance: 8 sessions x 1 points/session.
32 points for weekly quizzes: 8 quizzes x 4 points/quiz in Discussion section.
Some of the questions will be conceptual ones from the Study Guide.
10 points for the PAPER:
Discussion sections do not meet during the week of Thanksgiving. There are thus 9 scheduled
sessions.
Students who attend fewer than 8 sessions will lose 1 point for each absence and 4 points for each
missed quiz. If you take all nine quizzes, we will drop the lowest score. This one-time
forgiveness policy is in effect in order to avoid our having to deal with problems like traffic and
interviews. We will not entertain requests for a second time forgiveness.
You will write a 3-page paper (double spaced, typewritten) on an article that you will choose
from several that will be available on the class website, along with instructions. The paper is due
in lecture on Monday, Nov. 20 or Wednesday, Nov. 22, before Thanksgiving.
Homework
Like most other universities, the University of California expects that a four-credit course will
require twelve hours of work each week. For this class, that means four hours in class and eight
hours outside of class. To help you understand the material, you should Read the textbook and
Answer all of the concept questions at the end of each chapter in the Study Guide. You will be able
to earn 32 points in DISCUSSION section for weekly quizzes, with many questions taken from the
Study Guide (8 sessions x 4 points/session = 32 points). If you take all nine quizzes, we will drop
the lowest score. The questions selected will be different in different Discussion sections. Some of
these questions will also appear on your exams.
To understand the material and enjoy (!) the course, you should skim the Textbook before lecture,
print out the notes from the webpage and skim them as well, attend the lecture, and read the text
carefully after lecture. You may be able to listen to the lecture again (MP3 file on website) or
watch the video on the website. Then, answer the conceptual questions in the Study Guide CD.
Do not fall behind! If you are confused, get help right away. Do not delay!
Re-grading policy
Exams will not be returned to you. Your TAs will go over the exams in Discussion section. If you
wish to compare your own answers with the Key, you may do so in Prof. Schein's office hours or
by appointment. Midterm exams will be destroyed two weeks after the end of the quarter. If you
disagree with an answer on an exam or quiz, the points you received on an exam or your paper,
or your final grade, you must email your TA (with a copy to Prof. Schein) in a timely manner
(within two weeks of receiving the score). The TA will address your problem in consultation
with the other TAs and Prof. Schein.
College Honors
Honors. Any student interested in attending 10 hour-long biology seminars of your choice and
meeting for an hour 5 times during the quarter in an honors meeting may take this course for
4+1 units of Honors credit. (The 1 credit for Psych 189 does not count against your credit
cap.) Evidence of attendance at a seminar is one page with the following: your name, the course
name (Psych 189), the speaker's name, the seminar title, the date of the seminar, the number out
of the 10 you have attended (e.g., #3), and a brief (!), one-paragraph (!!), typewritten summary.
Summaries are due at the meetings on Friday from 3-4 in Franz Hall 3534. The last summaries
are due at the final exam. You may register for Psych 189 by getting a PTE from Prof. Schein at
a Friday meeting of Week 0, 1, or 2, in person. Seminar listings will be posted on the course
website and updated each week. If you are in the College Honors program, then you must earn
at least a B in order to get College Honors credit.
Cheating
Don't do it. The penalties can be very harsh, the gain small. Don't believe it if you hear that
"everyone does it." (You generally don't hear of the punishments because they are kept
confidential.) If you are caught cheating in an exam, either helping someone else or being
helped, you will be reported to the Dean of Students, who will be encouraged to take strong
action. If you are found guilty, you will receive no points on that exam. (Such a score may cause
you to fail the course.) Past examples of penalties also include loss of an entire term of credit and
suspension for several terms. If you plan to apply to graduate or professional school, such a
blemish on your record may be a major obstacle to admission.
If you plagiarize, you will be reported to the Dean of Students. If found guilty, you will receive
no points for your report. Don't do it. Also, your fellow students are happier when no one
cheats. Indeed, they get angry when they detect cheating, and they are encouraged to report it to
us.
It's just not worth it!!!
Sept
Wk0
29
29
F
F
Lecture
Honors
1.
Introduction (Ch 1)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Oct
Wk1
2
4
6
6
M
W
F
F
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
Honors
Discussion
2.
3.
4.
Neuroanatomy (Ch 2)
Neuroanatomy (Ch 2)
Evolution (Ch 6)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Neuroanatomy (Ch 2)
Wk2
9
11
13
13
M
W
F
F
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
Honors
Discussion
5.
6.
7.
Development (Ch 7)
Membrane potential (Ch 3)
Action potential (Ch 3)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Evolution, Development, and Membrane potential
(Ch 6, 7, 3)
Wk3
16
18
20
20
M
W
F
F
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
Review
8.
9.
10.
Synaptic transmission (Ch 3)
Psychopharmacology (Ch 4)
Hormones (Ch 5)
in the EVENING, 4:00 - 6:00 PM, in Franz Hall
20
F
Honors
Discussion
Wk4
23
23
25
27
27
M
M
W
F
F
Lecture
EXAM #1
Lecture
Lecture
Honors
Discussion
11.
Ch 1-7
12.
13.
Somatosensory system (Ch 8)
in the EVENING, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, in Moore 100
Somatosensory system (Ch 8)
Balance, Taste & Smell (Ch 9)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Somatosensation (Ch 8)
Wk5
Nov
30
1
3
3
M
W
F
F
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
Honors
Discussion
14.
15.
16.
Hearing (Ch 9)
Hearing (Ch 9)
Vision: The eye (Ch 10)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Hearing, Balance, Taste, and Smell (Ch 8 - Ch 9)
Wk6
6
8
9
10
M
W
R
F
Lecture
Lecture
Honors
Lecture
Discussion
17.
18.
Vision: Receptive fields (Ch 10)
Vision: LGN and Visual cortex (Ch 10)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Holiday: Veteran's Day
Vision (Ch 10)
1178
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Neurophysiology and hormones (Ch 3 - Ch 5)
Wk7
13
15
15
16
17
17
M
W
W
R
F
F
Lecture
Lecture
Review
EXAM #2
Lecture
Honors
Discussion
19.
20.
Wk8
20
22
24
M
W
F
Wk9
27
29
1
M
W
F
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
1
F
Honors
Discussion
4
6
8
8
8
M
W
F
F
F
Lecture
Lecture
Lecture
Honors
Review
Discussion
15
F
FINAL EXAM (Ch 12-14, 16-19) from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in TBA
Ch 8-11
21.
Vision: Visual cortex (Ch 10)
Motor control and plasticity (Ch 11)
in the EVENING, 4:00 - 6:00 PM, in TBA
in the EVENING, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, in Moore 100
Sex (Ch 12)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Vision and Motor control (Ch 11)
Lecture
22.
Homeostasis (Ch 13)
Lecture
23.
Biological rhythms and sleep (Ch 14)
Holiday
Thanksgiving
Discussion
No Discussion section this week
NOTE: DISCUSSION PAPER DUE IN LECTURE, Monday (Nov. 20) or Wednesday (Nov. 22)
Dec
Wk10
24.
25.
26.
Psychopathology (Ch 16)
Learning/memory: Biological mechanisms (Ch 17)
Learning/memory: Biol. and Neural mechanisms
(Ch 17/18)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
Sex (Ch 12), Homeostasis (Ch 13), Rhythms (Ch 14),
and Psychopathology (Ch 16)
27.
28.
29.
Learning & memory: Neural mechanisms (Ch 18)
Language and cognition (Ch 19)
Language and cognition (Ch 19)
3:00 - 4:00 in Franz Hall 3534
in the EVENING, 4:00 - 6:00 PM, in TBA
Learning and Memory (Ch 17-18),
and Language and Cognition (Ch 19); Evaluations