307 Human Neuropsychology – Fall 2020 Online

Instructor: James Danckert

PAS 4040
Ext. 37014
Email: [email protected]
Weekly Office Hours via Webex: Fridays at 10:00 a.m.

Teaching Assistants
Allison Drody
Webex hours: Thursdays 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Email: [email protected]

Yadu Sivashankar
Webex hours: Wednesdays 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Email: [email protected]
Course Web Page: Everything will be available on LEARN.

Course Description and Aims

The focus of this course is to develop broad based knowledge concerning human
behaviour from a neuropsychological perspective: primarily, this means viewing
behaviour through the lens of neuro, Dementias and logical damage. Basic research and
clinical examples will be used to explore the brain–behaviour relationships inherent in
vision and attention, memory, executive control, and beyond.
Text book
Cognitive Neuroscience, 4th Edition. Marie T. Banich and Rebecca J. Compton,
Cambridge University Press.

You can order the book through the UW Book Store (https://wstore.uwaterloo.ca/) or
directly through Cambridge University Press. Alternatively, you can purchase an
electronic version of the book from the following sites:

Vital Source
Redshelf
Ebooks.com

Assessment
The in-person version of this class had three non-cumulative exams worth a total of 77%
of the final grade.

This online version of 307 will not have any exams.

Instead, each week’s topic will have a quiz associated with it. The questions for the
quizzes are drawn from the test bank associated with the text book and the mini-lectures
(anything labelled “Cool Tidbits” will not be included in the quizzes). Ten of the 12
quizzes will contribute to your final grade. In other words, you can drop your worst two
quiz results. Each of the 10 quizzes will be worth 6% of your final grade for a total of
60%.

The final 40% of your grade will come from completing two assignments.

Assignment #1
Representing science to the public.

It’s important in doing science (that is paid for largely through the public purse) that we
communicate what we learn to the public. And as a writing exercise it poses challenges
that are valuable in developing your writing skills. The goals of this assignment are:

1. Develop a deep understanding of a specific scientific paper

2. Develop critical reasoning skills through summarizing the paper
3. Develop writing skills by translating the piece into a media representation of the
science

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Find a journal article relevant to the course – broadly, something that relates brain
to behaviour. PubMed is a good search engine for this kind of thing
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed), but you can use Google Scholar too.
2. Summarize that article ~500 words – what was their question, what did they do
and how, what were the main findings and the authors’ interpretations
3. Write a media representation (i.e., a newspaper piece) of the article ~800 words.

Here are some thing to consider for this assignment:

1. Who is your audience?

2. How can you make the science relatable to that audience? People will only read
something they think is relevant to their lives.
3. How can you avoid jargon?
4. How can your media piece go “beyond” the article?
5. How can you maintain the “truth” of the article while still being engaging to your
audience?

To help you with this I will post two things up on LEARN – a recent article from my lab
(Struk et al., 2020) and a Scientific American blog post that discusses that article. You
can use these as a guide to how to write your own media piece.
Assignment #2
Make a Concept Map

Take two topics touched on in this course (e.g., Attention and Memory) and build a
Concept Map outlining how they may be linked. You should include the following levels:

1. Behaviour
2. Brain Structures/Networks
3. Theories

Seek original research articles (through PebMed or Google Scholar) to reference in your
map.

Here’s a resource for making a good Concept Map: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=sZJj6DwCqSU&t=5s

Participation in Experiments
You can earn four percent (4%) in bonus marks from participation in experiments
through the Research Experiences Group (see details below under Research Experiences
Group (REG) Participation in Psychology Research). In this instance .5% can be
earned by participating in one half hour experiment, so to get the full 4% you will need to
complete 4 full hours of experiments (see details below). If you decide you do not want to
participate in experiments you can complete an alternate assignment to be determined by
Dr. Danckert (alternate assignments will each be worth 1% and typically consist of one
page summaries of journal articles).
Experimental credits must all be finalised by December 7th.

Summary of Assessment for Grade

10 of 12 weekly quizzes each worth 6% 60%
Assignment 1 (due date: October 19th) 20%
Assignment 2 (due date: December 14th) 20%
Bonus quiz (neuroanatomy – see below) 5%
Bonus marks
REG participation 3%

NOTE: Quizzes will be on LEARN each week – I will give a period of time from
Friday morning (9:00 a.m.) to the following Monday evening (11:00 p.m.) for you to
complete them. This is intended to help you get into a routine with the class – study
for the topic, do the quiz, move on to the next week’s topic.

Topics (note: I will have small videos to supplement the readings for each topic
placed on LEARN)

** Read Chapter 1 (pp. 2 – 40) to brush up on your neuroanatomy. I will set a Bonus
Quiz. **
Topic 1 History of Neuropsychology Chapter 2 (pp. 42 – 66)

Topic 2 Methodology Chapter 3 (pp. 69 – 91)

Topic 3 Vision Chapter 5 (pp. 136 – 155)

Topic 4 Object Recognition Chapter 6 (pp. 169 – 190)

Topic 5 Spatial Cognition Chapter 7 (pp. 199 – 214)

Topic 6 Memory & Learning Chapter 9 (pp. 257 – 272; 278 – 293)

Topic 7 Attention Chapter 10 (pp. 297 – 330)

Topic 8 Executive Functioning Chapter 11 & 16 (pp. 333 – 365; 493

– 499)

Topic 9 Emotion Chapter 12 (pp. 368 – 393)

Topic 10 Brain Development Chapter 15 (pp. 456 – 470; 472 –

476; 485 – 489; 500 – 514)

Topic 11 Psychopathology Chapter 14 (pp. 423 – 441)

Topic 12 New Frontiers No set readings.

Academic Integrity
In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of
Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.
Check the Office of Academic Integrity website for more information.
Discipline
A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an
academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. [Check the Office of
Academic Integrity for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action
constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g.,
plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance
from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For
information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer
to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the
Assessment of Penalties.
Grievance
A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has
been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70,
Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact
the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals
A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and
Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if
there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer
to Policy 72, Student Appeals.
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall,
Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate
accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic
integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact
of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each
academic term.
Mental Health Support
All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek
out mental health support if they are needed.
On Campus
 Counselling Services: [email protected] / 519-888-4567 ext.
32655
 MATES: one-to-one peer support program offered by Federation of Students
(FEDS) and Counselling Services
 Health Services Emergency service: located across the creek form Student Life
Centre
Off campus, 24/7
 Good2Talk: Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-
866-925-5454
 Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-
4300 ext. 6880
 Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247
 OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or
questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213
Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website
Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)
Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support
information
Territorial Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the
Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The
University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six
Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.
For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the
CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory (PDF).
Academic freedom at the University of Waterloo
Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour states, as one of its general principles (Section 1), “The
University supports academic freedom for all members of the University community.
Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a manner consistent
with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest and ethical quest
for knowledge. In the context of this policy, 'academic freedom' refers to academic
activities, including teaching and scholarship, as is articulated in the principles set out in
the Memorandum of Agreement between the FAUW and the University of Waterloo,
1998 (Article 6). The academic environment which fosters free debate may from time to
time include the presentation or discussion of unpopular opinions or controversial
material. Such material shall be dealt with as openly, respectfully and sensitively as
possible.” This definition is repeated in Policies 70 and 71, and in the Memorandum of
Agreement, Section 6.

Sona Participation and Research Experience Marks

Information and Guidelines

Experiential learning is considered an integral part of the undergraduate program

in Psychology. Research participation is one example of this, article review is
another. A number of undergraduate courses have been expanded to include
opportunities for Psychology students to earn grades while gaining research
experience.

Since experiential learning is highly valued in the Department of Psychology,

students may earn a "bonus" grade of up to 3% in this course through
research experience. Course work will make up 100% of the final mark and a
"bonus" of up to 3% may be earned and will be added to the final grade if/as
needed to bring your final grade up to 100%.

The two options for earning research experience grades; participation in ONLINE
(web-based) research studies, and article review; are described below. Students
may complete any combination of these options to earn research experience
grades.

Option 1: Participation in Psychology Research

Research participation is coordinated by the Research Experiences Group (REG).

Psychology students may volunteer as research participants for online (web-based)
studies conducted by students and faculty in the Department of Psychology. Participation
enables students to learn first-hand about psychology research and related concepts.
Many students report that participation in research is both an educational and interesting
experience. Please be assured that all Psychology studies have been reviewed and
received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Committee. 
How to earn extra marks for your Psychology course(s) this term by
participating in studies ...

 You will earn "credits" which will be converted to "marks" (1 credit = 1%)
 You can schedule your ONLINE studies using the "Sona" website.
 FOR THE FALL 2020 TERM ALL OF YOUR CREDITS can be earned
through ONLINE and REMOTELY/ONLINE OPERATED (replaces in-lab)
studies.

Educational focus of participation in research

To maximize the educational benefits of participating in research, students will

receive feedback information following their participation in each study detailing
the following elements:

 Purpose or objectives of the study

 Dependent and independent variables
 Expected results
 References for at least two related research articles
 Provisions to ensure confidentiality of data
 Contact information of the researcher should the student have further
questions about the study
 Contact information for the Director of the Office of Research Ethics
should the student wish to learn more about the general ethical issues
surrounding research with human participants, or specific questions or
concerns about the study in which s/he participated.

Participation in ONLINE studies has increment values of .25 credits for each 15-
minutes of participation. Researchers will record student’s participation, and at
the end of the term, the REG Coordinator will provide the course instructor with a
credit report of the total credits earned by each student.

How to participate?

Study scheduling, participation and grade assignment is managed using

the SONA online system. All students enrolled in this course have been
set up with a SONA account.  You must get started early in the term.

For instructions on how to log in to your SONA account and for a list of
important dates and deadlines please, as soon as possible, go to:

Participating/SONA information: How to log in to Sona and sign up for studies

*** Please do not ask the Course Instructor or REG Coordinator for information
unless you have first thoroughly read the information provided on this
website.***

More information about the REG program in general is available at:

Sona Information on the REG Participants website or you can check the Sona FAQ
on the REG website homepage for additional information.

Option 2: Article Review as an alternative to participation in research

Students are not required to participate in research, and not all students wish to
do so. As an alternative, students may opt to gain research experience by writing
short reviews (1½ to 2 pages) of research articles relevant to the course. The
course instructor will specify a suitable source of articles for this course (i.e.,
scientific journals, newspapers, magazines, other printed media). You must
contact your TA to get approval for the article you have chosen before writing the
review. Each review article counts as one percentage point. To receive credit, you
must follow specific guidelines. The article review must:

 Be submitted before the last day of lectures. Late submissions will

NOT be accepted under ANY circumstances.
 Be typed
 Fully identify the title, author(s), source and date of the article. A copy of
the article must be attached.
 Identify the psychological concepts in the article and indicate the pages in
the textbook that are applicable. Critically evaluate the application or
treatment of those concepts in the article. If inappropriate or incorrect,
identify the error and its implications for the validity of the article. You
may find, for example, misleading headings, faulty research procedures,
alternative explanations that are ignored, failures to distinguish factual
findings from opinions, faulty statements of cause-effect relations, errors
in reasoning, etc. Provide examples whenever possible.
 Clearly evaluate the application or treatment of those concepts in the
article.
 Keep a copy of your review in the unlikely event we misplace the original.