PSYC-305-02-4208 syllabus PDF

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Psych 305 ● Sephton SE Brain & Behavior ● Fall 2020

Syllabus – PSYC-305-02-4208

Psychology 305-02: Brain & Behavior Goal: Understand how the brain and behavior relate to biology Every behavior---sleep, eating, sex, play, aggression---has a specific biology and corresponding unique brain activity. This course will give you an understanding of how the brain and nervous system work (i.e., neurophysiology and anatomy). You will learn about brain activity and biology related to vision, sensation, movement, neonatal and early child development, hunger and eating, learning and memory, language, emotion, stress responses, sexual development, and sleep.

Course Description Approximately half the course will focus on basic “nuts and bolts” knowledge of neurophysiology and anatomy. This understanding will then be applied to study how we experience our environment and how we interact with it through vision, sensation and control of movement, brain development, and neurobiological mechanisms of emotion, sleep, and circadian rhythms.

Prerequisites Psychology 201 or Biology 240 or consent of instructor.

Student Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to describe the basic structure and function of the nervous system. The majority will be able to use specific examples related to vision, sensation, movement, development, emotion, or sleep to explain how behavior is reflected in biology. Professor: Sandra Sephton, Ph.D., Lutz Hall 442 [email protected] (502) 852-1166 Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Senior Scientist, James Graham Brown Cancer Center Website: https://louisville.edu/psychology/sephton

TA: Melissa Sartain, [email protected] (989) 859-3324. Graduate Teaching Assistant, Psychology.

Email policy - Please use “PSYCH 305” as the subject. Send only from a U of L account.

Course materials Websites - 2 websites are required for use to complete the course Blackboard - https://blackboard.louisville.edu

Packback - https://www.packback.co (not .com)

Computer program - 1 computer program is required for use to complete the course. Called ‘Show Me the Brain,’ it will assist you in learning neuroanatomy. It will be made available to you. With the exception of the text, everything you need is accessible from either your home computer or an

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Psych 305 ● Sephton SE Brain & Behavior ● Fall 2020

Syllabus – PSYC-305-02-4208

Ekstrom library computer. Class communication is largely asynchronous, not occurring at the same time. You can access the course and assignments at most times of the day.

Required text Biological Psychology, 13th Edition James W. Kalat, Cengage Learning; 2019. ISBN: 1337408204 You only need the text, in hardcopy or electronic format; you do not need any companion content.

Lectures You will be required to view lectures on the internet by accessing the Blackboard website at: https://blackboard.louisville.edu, and then clicking “Panopto Recordings” in the Blackboard Course Menu. All the online lectures for the course are currently available to you. Sort by name to find the lecture you want. All lectures will remain available during the entire term. Before viewing it will be helpful to download and print, or use on screen, the corresponding Lecture Outline from the Blackboard Menu item “Lectures –Outlines & Links.” Lecture outlines highlight important material and provide context for notetaking. Do read assigned text before you view lectures. Be sure you have a quality set of headphones so you are able to clearly hear lectures on Panopto.

Technical assistance   

Your Professor and TA are qualified to teach neuroscience, not to provide tech support. For help with technical issues with Blackboard call 852-8833, or email [email protected] during business hours, Monday – Friday 9 AM to 4 PM. For help with technical issues with Packback, email holla@packback, any time 24/7. You can also check their help desk, or click “contact us.” The have help available at all times, day and night.

Packback details (20% of course grade) What is Packback? Packback is an artificial intelligence-assisted technology that builds a discussion community. They use AI for quality control, discussion moderation, and constructive suggestions. Getting started. Check your inbox for an email from from [email protected]. Finish creating your account (if you received an email) OR create a new account. Log in & navigate to the “Join a Community” tab. If you see Psych 305, click “Join Community” to finish registration OR enter this access code into the “Find Community” module: 4bd957c7-610c-414d-bc9f-ceba02268ef1 Grading. You may earn up to 1.43 points each week by posting your thoughts on course material: Each Friday by 11:59 PM, you are required to ask 1 question and respond to 2 of your peer’s questions related to course content from the week. Higher scores will result from questions and answers that are posted early in the week, engage with science; provide valid references; are original, insightful, and constructive; use appropriate terminology; provide specific examples; include illustrative graphs, Page 2

Psych 305 ● Sephton SE Brain & Behavior ● Fall 2020

Syllabus – PSYC-305-02-4208

photographs, or drawings with references; use full sentences with correct grammar, etc.. Specifically, full points will be awarded for average weekly curiosity scores over 70%. You are asked to post in total 14 questions and 28 responses – more will not earn more credit, though you will not be penalized for extra posts. To receive full credit, the average score across your one question and two responses per weekly grading period must equal or exceed 70 curiosity points. If you post a question or response that gets less than 70 curiosity points, you may immediately edit the post to get a higher score. Simply select the "Options" menu and choose "Edit" from the list of available actions. You may add content such as points of evidence that support your statement or flesh out your question with additional information, references, illustrations, quotes, etc.. If you wait until after someone else responds to your post, this option will no longer be available.

Quizzes cover lectures. Tests cover lectures + text readings. Each individual lecture (or video) will be followed by a quiz on that lecture. The five unit tests will again cover the lectures but will also integrate the assigned reading. Tests and quizzes are open-book, opennotes. These are not comprehensive exams, rather, you will be tested separately on each section of the course. There is no final exam. Quizzes account for 21% and tests for 40% of the course grade. Quiz and test dates are listed in the schedule. In total, there are 21 quizzes and 5 tests. Quizzes and tests will open at 12:30 AM and close at 11:59 PM on the dates listed. Taking a test with assistance from another person/allowing someone else to take a test for you is cheating.

Tests (40% of course grade) As tests account for 40% of your grade, each is worth 8%. Tests consist of 30 multiple choice and true/false questions presented in random order. The test items you receive will be randomly selected from large pools of items. No two students will receive the same questions. To access, click “Tests” in the Blackboard Course menu. You may begin any time during the testing period, but you must complete it within 45 minutes after you begin. You will be shown your score when you finish. During the testing period, there will be two versions of each test available to you. You may take both of them, or just one. I will use only your highest scoring test. The intent is to allow you to take the test early during the test period, see how you do, and still have time to study and re-take it later if you are not satisfied with your initial score.

Quizzes (31% of course grade) As there are 21 online quizzes, each one is worth 1.5% (Quiz A, on the syllabus, is worth 1%). Quizzes cover lectures (note: assigned reading will help you understand the lectures). The format is multiple choice, and each has 15 items. Once you begin you will have 30 minutes to complete it. You will be shown your score when you finish.

Answers to Test & Quiz Items To protect the integrity of every student’s work in this online environment, you will not be shown items you missed, nor will you be provided with correct answers during the period when other students may be taking the assessment. However, because the tests and quizzes are open-book and

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Psych 305 ● Sephton SE Brain & Behavior ● Fall 2020

Syllabus – PSYC-305-02-4208

open-notes, you may look up the answer for any question you are unsure about, either during or afterwards. Further, you may contact the TA to meet during office hours or by appointment to see your missed items and the correct answers. Problems You May Encounter with Online Tests and Quizzes Do not attempt to take a test or quiz from a mobile phone. Instead, use a computer with a reliable internet connection. If your internet connection is disrupted during the test, you will not be able to log back into the test. If you have any problems during a test or quiz (e.g., your computer crashes and you can’t log back in), you must email the T.A., Melissa Sartain, during the test window, before it closes. Include in your message a description of your issue.

Research Participation (9% of course grade – 3 Sona Credits) As a student of neuroscience / psychology you will be asked to earn course credit by participating in ONLINE ONLY research via the Sona System. Procedures for each experiment will be described to you. Please sign up at louisville.sona-systems.com. You will need to set up an account the first time you use the system. After participating, you can check your Sona account to keep track of how many credits you have. If you find a particular experiment disturbing or uncomfortable, you may terminate without penalty and find another experiment. This does not mean that you can sign up for an experiment and then simply not show up because you had second thoughts. Once you sign up, you are obligated to appear as scheduled, listen to what the experimenter has to say, and give serious consideration to the experiment. As required by the IRB, please keep in mind that your responses to all studies will be keep strictly confidential. The research requirement is worth 9% of your final grade and credits must be earned before the last week of class. If you do not find yourself eligible for 3 credit hours of online Sona research, please email the professor detailing the issues: you may request an alternate assignment during the first two weeks of class (term paper).

Course Grading 20% 31% 40% 9% 100% A 90-100%;

Packback posts (14 questions, 28 responses –no more) Quizzes covering lecture material Five tests covering lecture + accompanying text material Three hours of research participation on Sona Systems B

80-89%;

C 70-79%;

D 60-69%;

F...