Psychology 4400

Special Topics in Cognition: Human Memory

Fall 2006

http://play.psych.mun.ca/~ams/4400/

News:  Final Grades have been posted:  Final Grades.

Instructor: Aimee M. Surprenant

SN 3072

737-4786

asurpren@mun.ca

Office Hours:  MW 1-3 pm and by appointment

Text: Neath, I., & Surprenant, A. M. (2003). Human memory: An introduction to research, data, and theory (2nd Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Description. This is a course on memory. Research and theory will be emphasized. However, there are also many practical uses of the research, including remembering materials from course lectures and readings. Thus, I will use many techniques to help you remember the material in the class. One of those will involve quizzes every day, a technique that has been shown to substantially increase memory for the material, as long as there is appropriate feedback of the correct answer (Roediger, & Karpicke, 2003). Another long-standing technique is learning by doing, which is one reason why the CogLab demonstrations are required (Dewey, 1938). In addition, they give you an opportunity to remember classic experiments in a different form than in the reading or in lecture. Finally, distributed rehearsal is one of the best ways of remembering material for a long period of time (as opposed to cramming). The quizzes and multiple assignments will help you keep rehearsing the materials throughout the semester (with the added advantage that you will never get behind and will not have to study all night for a test).

Grades. Grades will be based on (i) quizzes (5%); (ii) CogLab assignments (5%); (iii) news summaries (10%); (iv) presentations (20%); (v) tests (3 exams for a total of 30%); (vi) a paper (30%).

Quizzes (5%). The purpose of these quizzes is to encourage arrival at, participation in, and preparation for each class. For the most part, each quiz will consist of multiple choice questions taken from the set of study questions for the current or most recent topic. Alternatively they may concern a recent lecture.  There will be a quiz every day except exam days. You will be allowed to drop six quiz grades.

CogLab assignments (5%). Instructions for registering and using CogLab can be found at:

http://play.psych.mun.ca/~ams/4400/CogLabInstruct.html.

Registration codes will be given out in class. CogLab assignments must be completed on time or no credit will be given.

Two news summaries (each worth 5% for a total of 10%). For these assignments you should find something in the popular press written about human memory. 1) print out the article in a readable format; 2) Find the original source and include a copy; 3) Write a summary in your own words of the main conclusions of the article; 4) Write a critique the conclusions (2-3 pages)--are they warranted from the data?  What confounds might there be in the study? Were the design and Did the researcher make the same conclusions as the news article or have they been distorted?  What conclusions do you make from this study?

2 presentations (each worth 10% for a total of 20%). One presentation will be based on one of the CogLab assignments.  You will find the original article your assigned lab is based on.  Compare the class results to the published results and provide a summary of each for the class. Discuss the implications of the results and possible reasons for any deviations from the published data. Sign-up sheets for the different labs will be available the first day of class.

Three tests (each worth 10% for a total of 30%). The exams will be short answer and will test for material presented in the lectures up to that point and the corresponding sections of the text. The study questions and the quizzes will form an excellent basis for preparation for the tests. Do not be misled by the quizzesÑthe tests will be short answer. Sample questions will be posted on the web site. Two exams will be during the semester and one will occur during the final exam period.

Paper (30%). Paper topics and format will be discussed in class and in one-on-one meetings with me. Together we will agree on a topic, format, and length of the paper. I will require a topic by (28-Sep); an outline by (31-Oct); a draft by (28-Nov) and the final paper by (5-Dec).

Advice. The structure of this class is such that if you get behind on the reading or the assignments you will have a difficult time catching up. Thus, I recommend that you read each chapter as it is assigned and do each CogLab assignment in plenty of time for the due date. Use the study questions to help you focus your reading on the important points of each chapter as you read it. However, if you do keep up, you should not have to spend much additional time studying for the tests. Finally, if you are not doing as well as you would wish, I suggest that you come by office hours and discuss it with me early in the semester while we can still do something about it.

Cell phones, pages, other interruptions. Please turn cell phones, alarms, etc. off before entering the classroom. If you have a particular reason for that you must leave your cell phone on (i.e., a sick child), please inform me before class.

Email policy. I read my email frequently. However, do not expect answers to emails on weekends, or after 5 pm. I also have spam filters. If you have not heard from me in a few working days of sending an email, please ask me in person about it--sometimes it goes to junk accidentally.

Academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as copying someone else's work or ideas. You must cite your sources if presenting someone else's idea and use quotations if you are quoting directly. This includes all written assignments. This includes web sites. If you are in doubt about how to cite a source, or if it is necessary, please ask me.

Schedule of events (note: the topics may change--tests and assignments are firm)