THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Psychology

Undergraduate Course: Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory (PSYL10159)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course explores how memories are formed and retrieved, how the brain supports these processes, and how they can break down in cases of brain damage. Multiple types of memory will be covered, including working memory for the current focus of cognition and long-term memory for past experiences and general knowledge.
Course description In this course, we will explore the cognitive and neural processes that support memory. The course will cover how we hold information in mind over the short term, how we store semantic memories for general world knowledge and how we encode and recall episodic memories of specific events.

The course will draw on evidence from behavioral experiments in healthy individuals, neuropsychological studies in people with brain damage, functional neuroimaging studies and brain stimulation studies. Students will be encouraged to contrast the different types of insights we can gain from these different methodological approaches.

Throughout the course, students will gain an appreciation of how converging evidence from multiple sources can be used to develop and test theories of cognitive processing. They will develop skills in critical analysis, knowledge and understanding of the topic, presenting and structuring arguments and technical writing skills.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Psychology 2A (PSYL08011) AND Psychology 2B (PSYL08012)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should be studying Psychology as their degree major, and have completed at least 3 Psychology courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. **Please note that upper level Psychology courses are high-demand, meaning that they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Understand current research investigating the cognitive and neural mechanisms by which memories are encoded, maintained and retrieved.
  2. Understand some of the major theoretical models of memory and how they relate to brain function.
  3. Identify the ways in which brain damage can impair different aspects of memory.
  4. Appreciate the strengths and limitations of different methods used in cognitive neuroscience/psychology and what kind of research questions can be addressed by each.
  5. Critically evaluate research studies in the field of human memory.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsBiological,Cognitive,Memory,Brain Imaging,Neuropsychology
Contacts
Course organiserDr Paul Hoffman
Tel: (0131 6)50 4654
Email: p.hoffman@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Stephanie Fong
Tel: (0131 6)51 3733
Email: S.Fong@ed.ac.uk
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