Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examination of the phenomena of memory and the retention and reproduction of information. Considers the conditions and principles of retention and recall in short- and long-term memory.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

How is information learned and stored in the brain? How is it retrieved from storage when it is needed? This course investigates learning at different levels of complexity, such as the simplest forms expressed via behavioural changes (e.g., habituation, sensitization, classical and operant conditioning) and more complex processes that underlie memory for skills, general knowledge, and events/experiences. After developing an understanding of multiple learning and memory systems, questions that relate these processes with other aspects of cognition will be addressed, such as: How can emotion and stress influence memory encoding and retrieval? How and what can we learn by observing the behaviour of others? What are learning and memory abilities like in childhood, and how do they change in advanced age? All topics in the course are explored in terms of both behavioural processes and neural substrates (e.g., roles of specific brain structures, synaptic plasticity), with a focus on understanding and thinking critically about the original research that generated predominant theories. Throughout, course topics are also related to clinical points of interest, such as how altered learning and memory processes may be involved in aspects of disorders such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease, phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addictions.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: