University of Alberta
Psychology 485 A1: Theory in Learning and Comparative Cognition 2018, Fall Term
Instructor: Cody Freas Office: BS-P557
E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Monday 14:00-16:00
Thursday 14:00-16:00 (and by appointment) Teaching Assistant: Brittany Fedor
Lecture Room & Time: M 9:00AM - 11:50AM, BS-G110 Course Prerequisites: PSYCO 381
Readings: Weekly articles.
Course Description: An advanced analysis of selected topics in learning and comparative cognition, including associative learning, memory, spatial cognition, numerical competence and decision processes. We will also discuss the purposes and nature of comparative research, the historical and current developments in learning and comparative cognition, and the relevance of comparative research for other areas of psychology and areas of human concern.
The popular and scientific literatures are full of recent attempts to answer questions such as whether animals can remember the past, plan for the future, use and understand tools, learn a language, know what they know, respond to fairness, recognize themselves or have a theory of mind. These are interesting and complex questions that are relevant to understanding the generality and evolution of cognition and whether or how humans are unique. However, the investigation of these questions requires careful experimentation and cautious interpretation. Part of the goal of this course is to provide a framework for understanding and evaluating the exciting but sometimes controversial literature on animal behavior.
Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes: The objectives of this course are to: 1) expand your understanding of issues, ideas, and approaches to the comparative investigation of learning and cognition as well as to expand your knowledge of the recent advances in the field, 2) provide guided experience in gathering, evaluating, integrating and applying knowledge on learning and comparative cognition, and 3) provide
experience and the opportunity to develop skills in evaluating and critically thinking about research, organizing and integrating research findings, and communicating information and ideas both orally and in writing.
This course is not designed to provide a comprehensive survey of research and theory in learning and comparative cognition. Instead this 400-level course is designed to provide an opportunity to study and have in-depth discussion about selected topics, issues and ideas in the field.
There is no required textbook for this course; instead, each week will include review papers and empirical articles authored by researchers in the field. Written assignments and oral discussion requirements will give students additional experience in reading and
evaluating some of the first-hand literature in the area. These assignments will provide an opportunity to sharpen critical thinking skills and practice effective communicate, both orally and in writing. Thus, the format and assignments of the course are designed to help students develop skills and gain experience in: 1) critically evaluating findings from the primary literature on learning and comparative cognition; 2) summarizing and evaluating research on a particular topic and relating it to issues in psychology and the real world; 3) generating original ideas based on prior research; and 4) effectively communicating information and ideas.
Grade Allocation
18% Participation Mark (in class participation, thought questions, peer feedback) 12% Oral Presentation (individual)
20% Paper (individual assignment) 15% Exam 1
15% Exam 2 20% Exam 3
Participation Mark (18%)
The class is meant to be interactive, with lots of discussion and questions. Attendance at all classes, although not strictly mandatory, is expected and to your benefit. In addition to the participation marks you can earn for attending and contributing, the exams will include some material from class not covered in readings.
Your participation marks can be earned via 3 activities (and will accumulate up to the max of 18% for the term):
1) Contribution to in-class discussion – up to 2% per class. For each class you are present and on time you will earn 0.5%. For each class you are seen to contribute to the class by questions or comments, or by interacting with your group during group discussion periods, you will earn another 0.5%. For each class in which you a) are seen to take a leading role in the discussion, b) serve as a spokesperson for the group, or c) make a significant contribution to discussion during the class (as assessed by the instructor and/or TA), you will receive an additional 1%. In general, be prepared, come to class, and participate!
2) Submitting a thought question – You will earn between 0.5% and 1% for every thought question you submit regarding the readings for the following week.
Thought questions are to be emailed to the instructor by noon on Sunday before a Monday class; questions emailed after this time period are not eligible for points. Thought questions must be about a question or idea that arose for you during the readings for the upcoming class. A good question/idea will show thoughtful engagement with the assigned readings and be directed at eliciting discussion. Most thought questions will earn 0.5% but questions deemed particularly insightful or valuable for eliciting discussion will earn 1.0%
3) Submission of Peer Feedback on Oral Presentations. You can earn 0.5% by submitting constructive feedback on oral presentations. To be eligible for points this feedback must be emailed to the instructor no later than 9 am on the Tues
following the presentation. These comments may be included anonymously in the feedback comments provided to the presenter(s). The comments may pertain to the content or delivery of the presentation and can include what you liked about the presentation or suggestions for improvement.
Oral Presentation (Individual). 12%
Once during the term you will present an article from a list of selected articles; the presentation date will be tied to the article you select. You will present the article individually. Your goal will be to present the key features of the article to the class, by telling us: 1) why the research was done (i.e., what question(s) is it designed to
answer/how is it trying to add to the literature), 2) how the study was done (general aspects of the methodology), 3) what was found, 4) how the results were interpreted and what the relevance or implications of the results are (how do they answer the question or add to knowledge/what do we know now that we didn’t know before), and 5) your thoughts on the article (this is where you have flexibility – what you think was good or bad about it, what questions did it raise for you, what ideas did it give you, how does it relate to any of the issues we talked about or that you have learned in other classes or read about elsewhere, etc.). Importantly, a good presentation will foster class discussion, by (for example) suggesting provocative questions or unresolved issues.
You will also be requested to generate 2 questions that would be suitable for inclusion as short-answer questions on an exam.
Your PowerPoint slides for the class, and your questions, must be emailed to the instructor for posting by Friday at 4pm prior to the Monday class of the presentation.
Start early in preparing your presentation so that you don’t miss this deadline! 1
percentage point (out of 12) will be subtracted if you miss this deadline and an additional 1point per 12 hr period after that. You should spend the weekend before your
presentation practicing your talk not completing the PowerPoint.
The presentation is worth 12% of your mark, divided among: the quality of the
PowerPoint and exam questions generated, and the quality of the oral presentation and answers to questions/ discussion. If you presented as a pair, both of you will receive the same mark for the PowerPoint and exam questions but your mark for delivery and discussion leading may differ.
Selection of the article will be on a first come/first serve basis.
All article selections must be completed by Sept 24. *Note – If you choose an article from the Instrumental Conditioning and Tool Use list (Sept 24th), the PowerPoint is still due the preceding Friday at 4pm. Prepare early.
One or more of the articles that have not been selected by anyone may be deleted from the reading list after this point.
Written Paper (20%)
The written assignment must be typewritten and double spaced, with 1inch margins and font size of 12 or higher. It must include a title page and a reference page and each page
must be numbered. Your paper must follow APA formatting, especially in citations and references. Grading will be based on style, informativeness, and insight. The page limit for your paper is 8 pages, excluding the title page and reference pages, or any tables, diagrams or figures. You have a choice of two formats:
Paper Format A (Research Proposal): Find five empirical articles on comparative cognition research on one of the topics included in this class. Although studies on humans may be included, the focus of your paper should be on a topic that is central to comparative cognition and at least 3 of the articles must be on non‐humans. In addition, the articles must come from a peer‐reviewed scientific journal and at least one of them must be recent (published in 2014 or later). Using these articles, you should generate a question that can be addressed in future research and design an experiment to address this question. In your paper, very briefly summarize the past work as it pertains to the
question you will address, outline your question and the rationale for your experiment, and then describe the general methods you will use to address the question. End your paper with a brief discussion of the results you expect to obtain, how they will address the question, and how they will add to the literature.
Paper Format B (Science Communication): Find a recent (2016 or later) story in the popular press (news article, popular magazine, youtube video, etc.) that reports or
suggests an interesting or impressive behavior or cognitive ability in an animal. Based on issues and ideas discussed in class or in readings for this course, suggest two possible interpretations of the behavior or ability. Write a paper in which you introduce the general topic, describe the article or video reported, and how you might explain the behavior in terms of these possibilities. You must back up your explanations with at least 5 citations to the scientific literature. End your paper with a discussion of which
interpretation you favor and why, or what evidence or experiment would be needed to help differentiate between the interpretations. Note – it is strongly recommended that you show your selected article or video to the instructor or TA as early as possible to confirm that it is appropriate for this assignment.
You are encouraged to hand in a preliminary outline of your paper and references for feedback on appropriateness. To receive feedback, you must email this to the Instructor as soon as possible and no later than Nov 15. For both formats the outline should include your tentative title page and at least 4 of your references. These should be presented in APA format so that you can receive feedback on any formatting errors you are making. For Format A you should also briefly outline your proposed experiment, and for Format B a brief outline of your two interpretations. For both formats you are also encouraged to include a draft of a paragraph so that you can receive feedback on writing style, clarity and APA citation style to help you with the actual assignment.
NOTE: For either assignment you may include articles covered in this course but at least 3 of your citations must be to articles not on the course reading list.
The final paper should be emailed to the instructor and is due at 4pm on Thurs November 30. Deduction for late term papers is 1/20 per 24-hour period (weekends and holidays included) for the first two days and an additional deduction of 2/20 for each additional 24 hour period the paper is late.
Exams 1 and 2 (15% each) and Exam 3(20%)
All exams will be written exams that will be a mixture of short answer questions (may include definitions or fill in the blanks), longer answer questions. A sample exam to illustrate the format will be provided on eClass. All exams will be held during the first 60 min (Exams 1 and 2) or 90 min (Exam 3) of the class. Each exam will cover material from the readings and in class discussions up to the exam. The last exam may also include integrative questions that could be answered on the basis of material from earlier weeks.
For excused absence from either of the first 2 exams, the weight of the missed midterm will be transferred to the 3rd exam. Students who have missed an exam will be required to write a longer final exam (3 hrs rather than 2 hrs) that will include additional questions from the first half of the term. To apply for a deferral, students must contact the instructor by email as soon as possible after missing the exam. If the 3rd exam is missed and an excused absence is granted, the student may write a final exam on Dec 20, 2018 at 9am in the classroom (BS-G110). A student who has missed Exam 3 and cannot write the final examination due to incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling reasons can apply for a deferred final examination. Such an application must be made to the student’s Faculty office within 48 hours of the missed examination and must be supported by a Statutory Declaration or other appropriate documentation (Calendar section 23.5.6). Deferred examinations are a privilege and not a right; there is no
guarantee that a deferred examination will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferred examination is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
Deferral of term work is a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferral will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferral is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour.
Tentative Schedule:
WEEK Topic
1 – September 10 Introduction
2 – September 17 Associative Learning
3 – September 24 Instrumental Conditioning & Tool Use*
4 – Oct 1 Exam 1; Memory*
Thanksgiving – no class
5 – Oct 15 Communication (Guest Lecture) 6 – October 22 Social Learning and Dog Cognition*
7 – October 29 Exam 2; & Episodic Memory and Planning*
8 – Nov 5 Time & Number (Guest Lecture) Remembrance Day/Reading Week – no class
9 – Nov 19 Decision Making & Sub-optimal Choice (Guest Lecture)
10 – Nov 26 Spatial Learning and Navigation*
11 – Dec 3 Exam 3
*Potential Student presentation days.
Exam and assignment marks will be tallied at the end of the course and converted to the 4‐point/letter grade. This course is NOT graded on a curve.
Grades are unofficial until approved by the Department and/or Faculty offering the course.
Percent to Letter Grade Conversion Chart
A+ A A‐ B+ B B‐ C+ C C‐ D+ D F
94+ 90‐93 85‐89 79‐84 74‐78 69‐73 65‐68 60‐64 56‐59 51‐55 45‐50 <45
Student Responsibilities:
Missed Term Exams and Assignments:
For an excused absence where the cause is religious belief, a student must contact the instructor(s) within two weeks of the start of Fall or Winter classes (within three days of the start of Spring or Summer classes) to request accommodation for the term (including the final exam, where relevant). Instructors may request adequate documentation to substantiate the student request.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: "The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the
provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance.ualberta.ca) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University."
All forms of dishonesty are unacceptable at the University. Any offence will be reported to the Associate Dean of Science who will determine the disciplinary action to be taken.
Cheating, plagiarism and misrepresentation of facts are serious offences. Anyone who engages in these practices will receive at minimum a grade of zero for the exam or paper in question and no opportunity will be given to replace the grade or redistribute the weights. As well, in the Faculty of Science the sanction for cheating on any examination will include a disciplinary failing grade (NO EXCEPTIONS) and senior students should expect a period of suspension or expulsion from the University of Alberta.
https://cloudfront.ualberta.ca/-/media/science/research-and- teaching/documents/2017/dont-do-it-august-2017.pdf
EXAMS: Your student photo I.D. is required at exams to verify your identity. Students will not be allowed to begin an examination after it has been in progress for 30 minutes.
Students must remain in the exam room until at least 30 minutes has elapsed. Electronic equipment and cell phones must be turned off during exams.
CELL PHONES: Cell phones are to be turned off during lectures, labs and seminars.
Cell phones are not to be brought to exams.
STUDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR ACCESSIBILITY-RELATED
ACCOMMODATIONS (students registered with Student Accessibility Services - SAS): Eligible students have both rights and responsibilities with regard to accessibility- related accommodations. Consequently, scheduling exam accommodations in accordance with SAS deadlines and procedures is essential. Please note adherence to procedures and deadlines is required for U of A to provide accommodations. Contact
SAS (www.ssds.ualberta.ca) for further information.
STUDENT SUCCESS CENTRE: Students who require additional help in developing strategies for better time management, study skills or examination skills should contact the Student Success Centre (2-300 Students’ Union Building).
RECORDING AND/OR DISTRIBUTION OF COURSE MATERIALS: Audio or video recording, digital or otherwise, of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation plan. Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose
without prior written consent from the content author(s).
Policy about course outlines can be found in the University Calendar
(http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=806&hl="syllabus"&returnto=
search - Evaluation_Procedures_and_Grading_System).
Disclaimer:Any typographical errors in this Course Outline are subject to change and will be announced in class. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes precedence over the final examination date reported in this syllabus.
COPYRIGHT: Dr. Cody Freas, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta (2018)
