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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2014/2015
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Psychology

Undergraduate Course: Learning and Memory (PSYL10108)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryAM = Alexa Morcom; SMP = Sarah MacPherson)
This course aims to give an understanding of long-term memory at a range of levels of analysis. It begins with memory failures and preservation in amnesia, then considers the basic neurobiology of the hippocampus. Next a human cognitive neuroscience perspective on memory provides the framework for applications to learning skills, and an understanding of false memory and eyewitness testimony. The main course content is presented in lectures, with additional class discussions. The course is supported by autonomous peer-learning groups with a revision and feedback session in the final week.
Provisional schedule:
1. Amnesia and memory systems (SMP)
2. The hippocampus and the neurobiology of memory (SMP)
3. Human episodic memory and learning (AM)
4. Constructive memory: its successes and failures (AM)
5. Revision and feedback session (AM & SMP)
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Psychology 2 (PSYL08002)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Psychology courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Block 3 (Sem 2)
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 12, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 86 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework questions (100%)

Students will answer 2 short coursework questions (word limit 1000 each), one from each of two sections. Each question will be worth 50% of the overall mark. The two questions from each section will invite critical evaluation of important issues raised in A) the first two lectures and B) the last two lectures.

In-class feedback exercises will be used to check understanding (e.g. multiple choice questions) alongside informal peer-led discussions, and there will be a revision and feedback session in the final week.
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
Describe and discuss the kinds of memory preserved and impaired in amnesia
Understand the basic neurobiology of the hippocampus and its disruption in amnesia
Evaluate cognitive neuroscientific insights into human memory and their implications for how we learn and study
Discuss the constructive nature of human memory and its pitfalls for eyewitness evidence
Reading List
Purves, D., Cabeza, R., Huettel, S.A., LaBar, K.,S., Platt, M.L., & Woldorff, M.G. (2013). Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience. Chapter 8: Memory: Varieties and Mechanisms (pp. 243-275) and Chapter 9: Declarative Memory (pp. 279-318). Sinauer, Sunderland, MA.

Schacter, D. L., Guerin, S. A., & St Jacques, P. L. (2011). Memory distortion: an adaptive perspective. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(10), 467-474.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Alexandra Morcom
Tel: (0131 6)51 1907
Email: alexa.morcom@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Simon Cann
Tel: 0131 650 9870
Email: Simon.Cann@ed.ac.uk
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