PSYC 211 Fall 2022
PSYC 211: Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience
Fall 2022 Mon/Wed 2:35-3:55pm, Leacock 132
Wed 1 s t August – Mon 5 t h December
Instructor: Jonathan Britt
Teaching assts: Christopher Lafferty, Noémie Eustachon, Madeleine Morris, Can Fenerci,
Lidia Panier, Nicia John,
TA office hours: Anytime, just write to
[email protected]Prof office hours: Starting Sept 15th – 10 to 11am Thursdays in Stewart Bio Rm N8/9
Prof email:
[email protected]Course This course provides an introduction to the study of the brain in relation to
Description: behaviour. It brings together evidence from a variety of disciplines,
techniques, and species to understand problems linking brain function to a
scientific understanding of behaviour. The course will emphasize basic neural
structure and function at the cellular and systems level. Much of the evidence
will be drawn from the experimental literature on research with animals.
Prerequisites: These prerequisites are recommended but not critical:
Introductory Psyc (PSYC 100) and Bio (BIOL 111, 112, 115) or equivalents
Recommended Carlson & Birkett (2020) Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience. 10th
textbook: Edition, Pearson Education, Inc: USA. Access to the eText costs $50:
Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience (pearson.com). Class lectures will
generally follow the textbook, but all exam questions will come directly from
material discussed in class.
Instructional The professor will lecture twice a week and hold office hours once a week.
Method: Lectures will be video recorded and posted along with PowerPoint files on
MyCourses. Teaching Assistants will give formal review sessions almost
weekly throughout the semester. They will also answer any questions emailed to
[email protected] and arrange office hours on demand.
Evaluation
Method: 3 multiple choice exams (2 midterms and 1 final)
Disclaimer: All aspects of this course are subject to change without prior notice. The
provisions of this course outline do not constitute a contract, expressed or
implied between any student and the instructor.
Academic McGill University values academic integrity. Students must understand the
integrity: meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic
offences under the Code of Student and Disciplinary Procedures (see
www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more info).
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PSYC 211 Fall 2022
Course content and schedule:
Lecture # Date Chapter Topic
1 Wed Aug 31 Introduction, Consciousness
2 Wed Sept 7 Intro to Biological Systems
3 Mon Sept 12 Chapter 2 The Action Potential
4 Wed Sept 14 Chapter 2 Neurotransmitter Receptors
5 Mon Sept 19 Chapter 3 Brain Anatomy
6 Wed Sept 21 Chapter 4 Drugs
7 Mon Sept 26 Chapter 4 Neurotransmitters
8 Wed Sept 28 Chapter 5 Neuroscience Methods
Cancelled Mon Oct 3 Quebec Elections
9 Wed Oct 5 Chapter 6 Vision I
Exam Thur Oct 13 Midterm 1
10 Mon Oct 17 Chapter 6/7 Vision II, Touch, Taste, Smell
11 Wed Oct 19 Chapter 7 Hearing
12 Mon Oct 24 Chapter 9 Sleep I
13 Wed Oct 26 Chapter 10 Reproductive Behaviour
14 Mon Oct 31 Chapter 11 Emotions
15 Wed Nov 2 Chapter 12 Hunger & Thirst
Exam Mon Nov 7 Midterm 2
16 Wed Nov 9 Chapter 13 Cellular Learning & Memory
17 Mon Nov 14 Chapter 13 Classical & Operant Conditioning
18 Wed Nov 16 Chapter 13 Declarative Learning & Memory
19 Mon Nov 21 Chapter 14 Language
20 Wed Nov 23 Neurological Disorders
21 Mon Nov 28 Chapter 15 Neurodegenerative Disorders
22 Wed Nov 30 Chapter 16 Psychological Disorders I
23 Mon Dec 5 Chapter 17 Psychological Disorders II
Learning Outcomes: Following this course, you should be able to
1) Define basic terms and functions of the nervous system
2) Demonstrate knowledge of different biological and neuroscientific research approaches
3) Explain the significance of using animals in research
4) Explain the main research findings, controversies, and theories in behavioral neuroscience
5) Demonstrate an understanding of neurological and psychological disorders
Special Accommodations & Disability Access:
Please visit mcgill.ca/osd to request special testing accommodations.
Please visit mcgill.ca/wellness-hub if you are concerned about your mental health.
According to McGill policy, instructors are not permitted to make special arrangements for
final exams (mcgill.ca/students/exams/regulations).
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PSYC 211 Fall 2022
EVALUATION METHOD
The exams in this course will consist entirely of multiple-choice questions. Sample exam
questions will be posted on PeerWise and tagged “TA Example Question”.
There will be two non-cumulative, in-class MIDTERM exams:
Midterm 1: Thursday 13th October [2:35-3:55PM]
Midterm exam 1 will cover lectures 1-8 (Textbook chapters 2-5)
Midterm 2: Monday 7th November [2:35-3:55PM]
Midterm exam 2 will cover lectures 9-15 (Textbook chapters 6-12)
There will be one Cumulative Final Exam administered by the university. This final
exam will cover ALL lectures, but post-midterm 2 material will be emphasized.
GRADING: I calculate class grades two ways and give you the higher mark.
• Final exam – 60%
• Midterm with the higher score – 40%
or
• Final exam – 30%
• Midterm with the higher score – 40%
• Midterm with the lower score – 30%
There are also two extra credit opportunities, which are just added to your final grade.
Unfortunately, we cannot offer makeup exam opportunities for individual midterms. If you
miss both midterm exams, your final exam grade will count for 100% of your class grade.
The only exception to this policy is if you email the professor the week of the second
midterm (Nov 7th) and request a combined makeup exam covering lectures 1-16. This
makeup exam will be treated like a normal midterm for grading purposes.
There will be a Supplemental Exam for those approved to take it, which is controlled by the
university (typically available to students who earn a D or F grade). Your supplemental exam
mark will go on your transcript along with your original class grade.
Only final class grades will be rounded (e.g., 84.4 = 84%; 84.5 = 85%).
Post-Exam Review Service: Exam materials must be turned in at the end of each test. If you
wish to review your answer sheet (along with an unmarked exam booklet), you must attend one
of the scheduled post-exam review sessions the week after the exam. Exam viewing
opportunities outside of these sessions are extremely limited. Note that you are not permitted to
take notes or photos during exam viewing sessions. These are simply opportunities for you to
ensure your answer sheet was correctly graded and to inquire about questions you got wrong.
You will not be able to view your specific exam booklet after the test, only your answer sheet.
TEACHING ASSISTANTS (TAs)
This course has 6 TAs with different areas of expertise and scheduling availabilities. To help
them help you, please send all questions pertaining to all aspects of this course to
[email protected]. Do not email the TAs’ personal accounts. Also refrain from emailing
the professor’s directly unless it concerns a personal (health) issue or a problem with the TAs.
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PSYC 211 Fall 2022
Do you have a small question? Big question? Administrative question? Generally feeling lost
and confused about the course material? Please write to [email protected] for help.
MyCourses Discussion Page: This is an online space for students to discuss course material
with each other and the TAs. We encourage you to post questions here rather than sending
private emails to the TA account. All posts on this discussion page must be respectful and in line
with McGill’s Code of Student Conduct.
TA-Led Review Conferences are an opportunity for you to review the material and ask
questions.
Date Day Topic Time & Location
Sept 13 Tuesday Neurons & Receptors
Sept 22 Thursday Brain Anatomy Always
Sept 29 Thursday Pre-midterm 1 6:00-7:30 pm
Oct 20 Thursday Sensory systems in LEA 232
Oct 27 Thursday Sleep & Sex
Nov 3 Thursday Pre-midterm 2
Nov 17 Thursday Memory
Nov 24 Thursday Language
Dec 8 Thursday Pre-final exam
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
1. Psychology Department Subject Pool Program:
You can earn 2% Extra Credit (added to your final grade) if you participate in the
psychology department subject pool program. Participation is entirely voluntary. A video
explaining this program will be posted on MyCourses. Neither the professor nor the TAs
have any involvement in this program. We are simply informed at the end of the semester
who should receive this extra credit. All questions and concerns about this extra credit option
should be directed to the subject pool TA: [email protected]
2. PeerWise Assignment
You can earn up to 1% Extra Credit (added to your final grade) if you complete this
assignment AND your contributions are deemed to be made in good faith by the TAs.
PeerWise is a website that allows students to create, share, and evaluate each other’s
multiple-choice test questions.
You will have access starting Sept 14: https://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz/
Course ID: 25096 (McGill University; 2022 PSYC 211)
User ID: Your McGill student ID
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PSYC 211 Fall 2022
Assignment Details and Deadlines: You must post
Two (and only two) questions before midnight Friday Oct 7th
Two (and only two) additional questions before midnight Thursday Nov 3rd
Two (and only two) additional questions before midnight Tuesday Dec 6th
Do not post more than 6 question in total!!
You must also answer & rate at least 20 questions before each exam (60 in total).
You are encouraged to post your questions far in advance of the deadlines so that the website can
serve as a valuable study tool. Note that you can always edit, delete, and repost questions, but we
take a snapshot of the website on each due date.
For each question you post, provide an explanation for why the correct answer is the best choice
and what is wrong with the alternatives.
All PeerWise activity is anonymous to other students, but not to the professor or TAs.
Evaluation: The PeerWise assignment is worth up to 1% extra credit. You will get full credit if
the TAs believe that you completed the assignment in good faith (i.e., you wrote 2 appropriate,
thoughtful questions before each deadline and you answered at least 60 of your peer’s questions
to the best of your ability. Less than 1% extra credit may be awarded for partial completion of
this assignment (at the discretion of the TAs).
Tips for writing good multiple-choice questions:
• The question should either be a question (?) or an incomplete statement (…), and upon
reading it students should be able to anticipate the answer choices.
o Avoid one-word questions, like “Question 5: Schizophrenia…”. With a one word
question the reader has no idea what to expect in the answer choices (and you
probably are unsure about what exactly you are asking).
o Avoid negative choice questions like “Which of the following is NOT true about
schizophrenia?” These questions can be problematic for many reasons.
• Be clear and concise. As a rule, the fewer words the better, especially for the answer
choices. Do not use ambiguous or difficult language. Do not include irrelevant information.
• Always have 4 or 5 answer choices. Do not use “All of the above” or “None of the above”.
• There should be one and only one correct answer (for example, do not have an answer
choice that says “A and B are both correct”).
• Do not give grammatical cues that point to the correct answer (e.g., A vs An, or plural vs
singular). The correct answer should not be more or less detailed than the alternatives. All
answer choices should be similar in length. Avoid using words like always, only, and never
in the answer choices, since those words are rarely found in correct answers.
• Incorrect answer choices can include true statements that do not answer the question.
Students can be expected to choose the best answer.
• For some questions it may be helpful to include, “According to Prof. Britt…” or “Based on
what was presented in class…”
• For more question writing advice, please consult the following:
- https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/writing-good-multiple-choice-test-questions/
- https://testing.byu.edu/handbooks/betteritems.pdf
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PSYC 211 Fall 2022
GENERAL POLICY STATEMENTS
• Language of Submission: In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights,
students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that
is to be graded. This does not apply to courses in which acquiring proficiency in a language is
one of the objectives.
FRENCH VERSION: Conformément à la Charte des droits de l’étudiant de l’Université McGill,
chaque étudiant a le droit de soumettre en français ou en anglais tout travail écrit devant être
noté (sauf dans le cas des cours dont l’un des objets est la maîtrise d’une langue).
• Academic Integrity: McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must
understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic
offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures” (see McGill’s
guide to academic honesty for more information).
FRENCH VERSION: L'université McGill attache une haute importance à l’honnêteté
académique. Il incombe par conséquent à tous les étudiants de comprendre ce que l'on entend
par tricherie, plagiat et autres infractions académiques, ainsi que les conséquences que
peuvent avoir de telles actions, selon le Code de conduite de l'étudiant et des procédures
disciplinaires (pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez consulter le guide pour
l’honnêteté académique de McGill).
• The University Student Assessment Policy exists to ensure fair and equitable academic
assessment for all students and to protect students from excessive workloads. All students are
encouraged to review this Policy, which addresses multiple aspects and methods of student
assessment, e.g. the timing of evaluation due dates and weighting of final examinations.
• Note that to support academic integrity, your assignments may be submitted to text-
matching or other appropriate software (e.g., formula-, equation-, and graph-matching).
• © Instructor-generated course materials (e.g., handouts, notes, summaries, exam questions)
are protected by law and may not be copied or distributed in any form or in any medium
without explicit permission of the instructor. Note that infringements of copyright can be
subject to follow up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary
Procedures.
• As the instructor of this course, I endeavor to provide an inclusive learning environment.
However, if you experience barriers to learning in this course, do not hesitate to discuss them
with me and the Office for Students with Disabilities, 514-398-6009.
• Please be aware that some of the course content may be disturbing for some students. It has
been included in the course because it directly relates to the learning outcomes. Please contact
the instructor if you have specific concerns about this.
• End-of-course evaluations are one of the ways that McGill works towards maintaining and
improving the quality of courses and the student’s learning experience. You will be notified
by e-mail when the evaluations are available. Please note that a minimum number of
responses must be received for results to be available to students.
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