PSYCHOLOGY 0505‐1065 (16588) SPRING 2015 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPSYCHOLOGY

Days of the Week: Tuesday and Thursday Time & Place: 2:30‐3:45, 152 Textbook: Garrett, Bob; Brain and Behavior: An Introduction to Biological Psychology (4th Edition) ISBN: 978‐1‐4522‐6095‐2 Instructor: Eric Donny Ph.D., 412‐624‐7618, [email protected] Office Hours: Monday 1:30‐2:30, 4119 Sennott Square Graduate TA: April Flynn, [email protected] Office hours: Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:30 at the Cup and Chaucer cafe in

OVERVIEW Biological Psychology is a field of study that examines the biological basis of behavior, cognition, mood, and other complex constructs. It is a huge field. Our goal is to provide you with an introduction to this field. We will be using Courseweb to disseminate information (http://courseweb.pitt.edu/). At this website, you can find the syllabus, lecture notes, instructor contact information and other useful information. The predominant teaching format for this course will be lecture. Despite this format, I hope you will become involved in class ‐‐ asking questions, discussing topics, etc... To facilitate this, a somewhat abbreviated version of my lecture slides will be made available to you on the course web page. I will make every effort to make these slides available at least 24 hours prior to class. This is done to encourage class discussion ‐ so that you do not have to frantically take down notes during class, but can instead add to the slides provided if you choose to print them. However, please note that viewing the on‐line slides IS NOT an adequate substitute for attending class. I post an abbreviated version because I have found that student learn better if they are encouraged to take some notes. Therefore, the posted slides will not provide all of the information delivered in class. You are responsible for all of the information presented in class. Furthermore, although many lecture topics are covered in your text, there will be many details covered in class that are not in the book, and others in the book that will not be discussed in class. You cannot adequately master the subject matter of this course or achieve its objectives by just reading the book or just coming to class. It is expected that you will do both.

OBJECTIVES There are three general objectives for this course. These objectives define the skills and knowledge that you will acquire if you conscientiously complete the tasks assigned to you. Terminology. Each science has its own language and one of the biggest problems encountered by beginning students is in understanding the terms used to describe and characterize research in that science. The important terms will be introduced and defined in the lectures and in the textbook. You should take particular care in learning the definitions of these terms. Concepts. Memorizing terms and their definitions is only the first step. You must then learn how and when to use those terms, the ways in which they are similar to and different from each other, how to apply them to new situations and how to avoid misusing them. This level of understanding will be stressed in this course. You should not be satisfied with your mastery of a topic until you can apply its terms to new situations that were not discussed in class or in the book. Methodology. One cannot really understand a science until one knows its methods, how it goes about studying its subject matter and why it does it some ways and not other ways. Specific terms and concepts come and go, but the real heart of Biopsychology, and the thing that beginning students find the most difficult to master, is the way in which the scientific method is applied to the study of the biological basis of behavior.

COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Lecture Dates Topics Chapters in Garrett January 6 Introduction January 8 Conceptual Background and Behavioral Genetics 1 January 13,15 Neurophysiology, Neurotransmitter Systems, 2 Neuropharmacology January 20 Neuroanatomy 3 (p.55‐75) January 22, 27 Neurodevelopment 3 (p.76‐92) Video: “The Secret Life of the Brain” January 29 Methods in Biopsychology 4 February 3 Catch‐up and Review (if time permits)

February 5 FIRST EXAM

February 10 Learning and Memory 12 February 12 Sex and Gender 7 February 17 Vision 10 February 19 Arousal and Sleep 15 February 24,26 Motor Systems 11 (p.354‐370) Video: “The Case of the Frozen Addict” March 3 Catch up and Review (if time permits)

March 5 SECOND EXAM

March 8‐15 SPRING BREAK

March 17, 19, 24 Motivation, Reinforcement and Addiction 5 Video: “What is Addiction?” March 26 Motivation, Homeostasis and Eating 6 March 31, April 7 Emotions, Stress and Health 8 April 2 CLASS CANCELLED April 9,14 Psychological Disorders 14 April 16 Catch‐up and Review (if time permits)

April 22 @ 10AM THIRD EXAM

EXAMINATIONS

There will be three REQUIRED exams in this course. Each exam will be multiple choice. Material covered in one exam will not be re‐examined in subsequent exams. The exams will test your knowledge and understanding of the material covered in lectures as well as in the book. Each exam will be closed‐book and closed‐notes. You will be required to enter your PeopleSoft number and show ID when you turn in your exams. Finally, please DO NOT be late for exams. If you arrive after the first person has turned in their exam, your exam score will be reduced by 10%. UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WILL BE NO MAKE_UP EXAMS. In the case of documented illness or emergency, a make‐up exam will be administered, as long as Dr. Donny gives his approval IN ADVANCE. Students who fail to obtain advance approval and who do not show up for an exam will not be allowed to take a make‐up exam.

GRADING

Final Grading Criteria: Exam 1 – 33.3% Exam 2 – 33.3% Exam 3 – 33.3%

"Curving" grades Grades for each exam will be computed in the following manner: 1. The two highest scores from the class will be averaged. This average is considered to be the maximum attainable score for this exam. For example, if the two highest scores on Exam 1 are a 90 and a 92 ‐ the maximum attainable score for Exam 1 is 91. 2. All scores are represented as a percentage of this maximum. For example, if your score is a 76, that is 83.5% of 91 ‐ a B. 3. Letter grade estimates are assigned according to a fixed scale as follows A+ 97‐100 A 93‐96 A‐ 90‐92 B+ 87‐89 B 83‐86 B‐ 80‐82 C+ 77‐79 C 73‐76 C‐ 70‐72 D+ 67‐69 D 63‐66 D‐ 60‐62 F Below 60

PLEASE NOTE: You should be concerned if you get an F on any exam. Please contact the TA or instructor so that we can find out what is going wrong early.

Your final grade will be computed by taking the percent of maximum attainable points you have earned and weighing them equally across the three exams. Letter grades will be assigned as above based on your overall percent points earned.

Grades will be posted on the course website (in a manner that respects student privacy) as soon as scores are available.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity

Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of 's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.

Disability Services

If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services no later than the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call (412) 648‐7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Disability Resources and Services office is located in 140 on the campus.

Copyright Notice

The materials used in this course may be protected by copyright. United States copyright law, 17 USC section 101, et seq., in addition to University policy and procedures, prohibit unauthorized duplication or retransmission of course materials. See Library of Congress Copyright Office and the University Copyright Policy.

Statement on Classroom Recording

To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.

G‐grades

Incompletes will only be given under extreme personal circumstances such as hospitalization. If such an event arises, please contact Dr. Donny as soon as possible and before the final exam. Do not assume that an incomplete will be given upon request.

Email policy

Each student is issued a University e‐mail address ([email protected]) upon admittance. This e‐mail address may be used by the University for official communication with students. Students are expected to read e‐mail sent to this account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications. The University provides an e‐mail forwarding service that allows students to read their e‐mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their e‐mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If e‐mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e‐mail address.