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Challenges of Memory Psychology 115F (First-Year Writing Seminar) Challenges of Memory Psychology 115F (First-Year Writing Seminar) Spring 2014 MWF 11:10 am – 12:00 pm Wilson 121 Professor Dr. Melonie Williams Sexton Office: Commons 225A or Wilson 224 Phone: 615-343-0118 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: TR 11-12 (Commons), W 12-1 (Wilson), or by appointment *Note: This syllabus is subject to change. Any changes will be announced in class or on OAK. Course Description Memory is a cognitive phenomenon that occurs each and every day. The people, places, and experiences that we remember help to define who we are and the decisions we make. Despite this, we know that memory is an imperfect process. This course explores the fallibilities of human memory and discusses how these weaknesses lead to challenges within our lives and society. Students will engage in scientific and professional writing that emphasizes applying material to their own experiences. Assignments will be drawn from psychological journals, articles from the popular press, and media portrayal of memory challenges. Objectives 1. Begin to understand and read literature in psychology and cognitive neuroscience 2. Develop scientific writing skills and communication 3. Learn to apply critical reasoning to everyday interactions and experiences Reading and Class Discussions The core of this class will be discussions from the assigned readings. All articles will be provided in OAK under “Assignments” or they will be printed and handed out in class. Participation in the discussion requires that you read the material prior to coming to class. In class we will discuss the scientific impact of the readings and how the findings are applied in the real world. It is important to try to understand the perspective of the author(s), as well as the message depicted to the general audience. Class Writing Assignments All assignments will be written in APA format. Papers should be typed, double-spaced with 1’’ margins on all sides, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Writing assignments should be uploaded to OAK by the posted deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted. Since this class is largely graded on writing assignments, students are expected to do their own original work. Plagiarism of any kind will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Please see the Student Handbook for a review of Vanderbilt’s Honor System. Analytical Thinking Exercises (ATE): Students are required to read the provided articles per topic area. For each of the five topics, students must write one short essay. These exercises will require brainstorming, arguing theoretical positions, pointing out problems, thinking of implications, and discussing potential ways to improve the research. Students may draw on personal experiences and real world situations for these papers. Analytical thinking exercises will typically be 2-3 pages. Each essay will be worth 10 points, for a total of 50 points. Comparison Paper: To demonstrate an understanding of the literature, students will chose two articles to compare and contrast. This exercise requires the student to think about the theories and findings discussed by each paper. Students may draw from any topic(s) they wish but must receive approval for the two articles they wish to use. The comparison paper must be 4-6 pages and will be worth 40 points. Review Paper: Students will write a 10-12 page paper reviewing one of the topics discussed during the course. The broad topic will be assigned, however, students must expand on the issue for the purposes of the review. The review must evaluate and expand on the research being done in the field. A 1-2 page proposal of review topics will be due mid-semester. Students may draw from the assigned readings and outside articles pending the professor’s approval. The proposal will be worth 15 points and the final review paper will be worth 60 points. Revisions Students will have the opportunity to revise the Comparison and Review papers. Feedback from first drafts will be provided, however, the final grade will not be given until after a revision has been submitted. Presentation As a culmination to the class, students will lead a short presentation based on the topic of their review paper. Students will work in a group defined by the subject area. Each individual is expected to speak for 5-7 minutes. Presentations are worth 15 pts. Class Participation This course requires heavy participation from students. Discussions about readings are to be led by students and facilitated by Dr. Sexton. Additionally, attendance on group days is strongly recommended. Excessive absences will result in a penalty. Participation is worth a total of 20 pts. Grades Grades are calculated based on the writing assignments, final presentations, and class participation for a total of 200 points. A standard grading scale will be applied: 180 – 200 points = A, 160 – 179 points = B, 140 – 159 points = C, 120 – 139 points = D, Less than 139 points = F. Analytical Thinking Essays (10 pts. x 5 topics) – 50 Comparison Paper (Draft Included) – 40 Proposal – 15 Review Paper (Draft included) – 60 Presentation – 15 Class Participation – 20 Reading List Below is a reading list by topic area of the material we will use in class. These readings will be posted on OAK and most are also available through Vanderbilt’s library system, so no purchase is necessary. You may feel free to download them ahead of time. Introduction to Cognitive Psychology: Approaches and Scientific Methodology Chamberlin, T. C. (1965). The Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses. Science, 148(3671), 754-759. Medin, D. L., & Ross, B. H. (1992). Cognitive Psychology. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers Platt, J. R. (1964). Strong Inference. Science, 146(3642), 347-353. Topic 1: Introduction to Memory: What is Memory and how do we study it? Baddeley, A. D. (2003). Working Memory: Looking Back and Looking Forward. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 4(10), 829-839. Medin, D. L., & Ross, B. H. (1992). Cognitive Psychology. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers Shiffrin, R. M., & Atkinson, R. C. (1969). Storage and retrieval processes in long-term memory. Psychological Review, 76(2), 179-193. Fukuda, K., Vogel, E. K., Mayr, U., & Awh, E. (2010). Quantity not quality: The relationship between fluid intelligence and working memory capacity. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17(5), 673-679. Luck, S. J., & Vogel, E. K. (1997). The capacity of visual working memory for features and conjunctions. Nature, 390, 279-281. Topic 2: Memory Loss: Exploring Amnesia and other Clinical Deficits Baddeley, A. D., & Warrington, E. K. (1970). Amnesia and the distinction between long-and-short-term memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 9(2), 176-189. Baddeley, A. D., Bressi, S., Della Sala, S., Logie, R., & Spinnler, H. (1991). The decline of working memory in Alzheimer’s disease: A Longitudinal Study. Brain, 114(6), 2521-2542. Conklin, H. M., Curtis, C. E., Calkins, M. E., & Iacono, W. G. (2005). Working memory functioning in schizophrenia patients and their first-degree relatives: cognitive functioning shedding light on etiology. Neuropsychologia, 43(6), 903-942. Klingberg, T., Forssberg, H., & Westerbrg, H. (2002). Training of Working Memory in Children with ADHD. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 24(6), 781-791. Kopelman, M. D. (2002). Disorders of Memory. Brain, 125(10), 2152-2190. Marslen-Wilson, W. D., & Teuber, H-L. (1975). Memory for remote events in anterograde amnesia: recognition of public figures from newsphotographs. Neuropsychologia, 13(3), 353-364. Squire, L. R., Cohen, N. J., & Zouzounis, J. A. (1984). Preserved memory in retrograde amnesia: sparing of a recently acquired skill. Neuropsychologia, 22(2), 145-152. Topic 3: Directed-Forgetting: Working Memory and Long-term Memory Anderson, M. C., & Levy, B. J. (2009). Suppressing Unwanted Memories. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(4), 189-194. Levy, B. J., & Anderson, M. C. (2008). Individual differences in the suppression of unwanted memories: The excutive deficit hypothesis. Acta Psychologica, 127, 623-635. Williams, M., Hong, S. W., Kang, M., Carlisle, N. B., & Woodman, G. F. (2012). The Benefit of Forgetting. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. DOI 10.3758/s13423-012-0354-3 Williams, M., & Woodman, G. F. (2012). Directed Forgetting and Directed Remembering in Visual Working Memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 38(5), 1206-1220. Woodward, A. E., & Bjork, B. A. (1971). Forgetting and Remembering in Free Recall: Intentional and Unintentional. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 89(1), 109-116. Topic 4: Hyperthymesia: The Inability to Forget Ally, B. A., Hussey, E. P., & Donahue, M. J. (2013). A case of hyperthymesia: Rethinking the role of the amygdala in autobiographical memory. Neurocase, 19(2), 166. Parker, E. S., Cahill, L., & McGaugh, J. L. (2006). A Case of Unusual Autobiographical Remembering. Neurocase, 12, 35-49. Topic 5: False Memory: Remembering what never happened Bernstein, D. M., & Loftus, E. F. (2009). How to Tell if a Particular Memory is True or False. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(4), 370-374. Fabiani, M., Stadler, M. A., & Wessels, P. M. (2000). True But Not False Memories Produce a Sensory Signature in Human Lateralized Brain Potentials. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12(6), 941- 949. Laney, C., & Loftus, E. F. (2009). Eyewitness Memory. Applied Criminal Psychology: A Guide to Forensic Behavioral Sciences, p. 121. Loftus, E. F. (1975). Leading Questions and the Eyewitness Report. Cognitive
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