Psychology 728

Location: 146 Park

Memory

Syllabus

Course Goals / Course Outline / Readings / Course_Requirements

Fall 2009

Thursday

12:00 - 2:50 pm

Instructor: James R. Sawusch

Office: 360 Park Hall

Email: jsawusch@buffalo.edu

Phone: (716) 645-0238

Office Hours:

Mon 11:00-3:00

or by Appointment

Course Goals

Our topic is human memory.  Since this class is both a distribution class for students from programs other than the Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program and a course for the Cognitive psychology Ph.D. students, it covers both an overview of memory and a more detailed exploration of selected topics.  The basic goal of the course is two-fold.  First, students should acquire a sufficient background in memory to know some of the classic studies and the nature of the underlying concepts, issues, and theories that guide research today.  This is essential for understanding cognitive psychology and for research in virtually any domain of cognition.  Second, by examining recent selected topics in depth, students will acquire a better understanding of the nature of contemporary theories and research.  This should make it possible for you to either teach the topic of memory in an Introductory Psychology course or (together with your other training in cognition) to teach the topic at an undergraduate level in an advanced course.  It may also inform your own research and understanding of research in related topics.

Tentative Course Outline:

DATE

TOPIC

READING

NS6, 8; S3, 6

NS10, 11

NS9, 12; S12, 13, 15

Readings

Texts/Background:

Neath, I & Surprenant, A. M. (2003).  Human memory (2nd Ed).  Belmont, CA:  Wadsworth/Thompson.  (0-534-59562-6)

Surprenant, A. M. & Neath, I. (2009). Principles of memory. New York: Psychology Press. (978-1-84169-422-1)

Baddeley, A., Eysenck, M. W., & Anderson, M. C.  (2009).  Memory.  New York: Psychology Press.  (978-1-84872-000-8)

Squire, L. R. & Schacter, D. L.  (2002).  Neuropsychology of memory (3rd Ed).  New York: Guilford Press.  (1-57230-898-2)

NS refers to Neath and Surprenant chapters, SN to Surprenant and Neath, S to Squire and Schacter.  Chapters in Baddeley are analogous to those in Neath and Surprenant but provide a bit different perspective. The Surprenant and Neath text takes a different approach than the "classic" approach and will be used more extensively in the latter part of the course.  Texts are optional.  They provide a compact source, complete with references, for each topic.  I will use additional items in composing the material for the first 8 weeks and presenters will choose their own readings for the last 6 weeks. Additional readings/resources include:

Tulving, E. & Craik, F. I. M.  (Eds.)  (2000).  The Oxford handbook of memory.  Oxford: Oxford Press.  (0-19-518200-6)

Logan, G. D. (1988). Toward an instance theory of automatization. Psychological Review, 95, 492-527.

Class Requirements

The first eight weeks of class are in a lecture/discussion format.  Material is from texts and related journal articles and book chapters.  The tentative course outline lists the topics and basic readings.  Additional readings for each topic will be announced in class and the on-line syllabus at least one week in advance.  The last six weeks are in a seminar/discussion format which consists of a series of selected topics in memory where we focus on a couple of journal articles and/or review chapters each week and go through the topic in detail.

The course grade will be based on scores on two short papers (on topics from the first eight weeks of class), a topic that you lead the class in discussion, and your participation in class discussions.  The topics for the two short papers will be posted in the on-line syllabus by class on the 10th of September.  The dues dates for the two papers are in the syllabus (Oct 1and Oct 29).  Each is to be no more than 7 pages (double spaced).  Together, they constitute 50% of your grade.  These papers are to be done individually.  While you may study together, discuss ideas and material, etc., the papers that you turn in must be your own work and are not to be done collaboratively.  In contrast, the seminar presentations are collaborative.

In the last six weeks, students will lead discussions in class of selected topics.  The roster of potential topics will be discussed in class on Sept 10th and students are expected to make their choice by Oct 1st of their topic.  Students will work in pairs on their topic.  The work includes finalizing the choice of readings (with instructor approval) and leading the class discussion of the topic.  All students are expected to have read the material for each of the seminars in advance and contribute to the discussion.  The readings for each of the seminar topics will be announced at least two weeks in advance.  The student presentations are to be about 70-80 minutes (one half of class) or longer if discussion warrants. The seminar presentation accounts for 34% of your grade and your participation in class discussions accounts for the remaining 16%.

Each paper is worth 25 points, the seminar presentation is worth 34 points and your contributions to class discussion are worth 16 points.  The total will be used to determine grades using the fixed scale, below.   In the event that the papers prove to be overly difficult and scores are low (less than 25% of the class attains a score of 22 or greater), the final grades will be based on a curve (the scale will slide downward).  Plus and minus grades will be given for scores in the upper and lower thirds of each grade range.

The syllabus can be found at:

http://pluto.fss.buffalo.edu/classes/psy/jsawusch/psy728/728f09.html

Academic Integrity

The University has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect for others' academic endeavors. By placing their name on academic work, students certify the originality of all work not otherwise identified by appropriate acknowledgments.

Students with Disabilities

Any student with a disability that may require note-takers, readers or extended time on examinations should contact the instructor and the Office of Disability Services (25 Capen Hall; phone 645-2608) during the first two weeks of class. The Office of Disability Services will provide information and review appropriate arrangements for reasonable accommodations.

Incompletes

Incompletes are only given for a legitimate reason that precludes the student from finishing the course work before the end of the semester.  Please refer to the university policy on incompletes.