2016/17 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

PSYC3537 Contemporary Memory Research

15 creditsClass Size: 70

Module manager: Dr Denis McKeown
Email: d.mckeown@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

Pre-requisite qualifications

Successful completion of Year 2 of:
BSc Psychology or MPsyc, BSc Advanced Psychology (and its International and Industrial variants)

Module replaces

PSYC3526: Speech Music Memory

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

A course of lectures on contemporary memory research in psychology, with lectures based on essential readings of selected recent published research papers, largely on human non-verbal visual and auditory memory. The 'standard' models of memory familiar in psychology text books play only a very minor role in the course.

Objectives

Students will specialise in conceptual and theoretical issues relating to core topics in the mind sciences spanning verbal and especially non-verbal memory, introducing students to most recent selected research papers.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should be able to:

1) demonstrate experimentally informed understanding of the literature on (largely) non-verbal memory;

2) gain important insights into research into contemporary advances in encoding and retrieval of information over the short term (from seconds to minutes to hours);
3) understand the development and testing of some selected models of memory beyond the 'standard models' (that is, new models that do not adhere to short- versus long-term memory distinctions; nor rely on sub-vocal rehearsal for maintenance and encoding into long-term memory);
4) critically evaluate published studies and reviews in human memory, especially non-verbal memory.

Syllabus

Auditory non-verbal memory, including memory for pitch and timbre; visual non-verbal short-term memory, including recognition and recall studies of forgetting; mechanisms of maintenance including sub-vocal rehearsal and refreshing; mechanisms of forgetting including proactive and retroactive interference and decay; models of verbal memory as they may apply to maintenance or forgetting of non-verbal information; encoding as pattern separation; retrieval as pattern completion.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	1.50	15.00
Private study hours			135.00
Total Contact hours			15.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

The published journal articles which will be demanding and of current theoretical 'hot topics' in the area of memory and cognition, in high-impact journals (including selected articles published on-line ahead of print) providing students with insight into the development of ideas in the field.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will receive a selection of essay titles in week 1 (3000 word essay due week 11), together with instructions for completing a reflective log (1000 words due week 8). The latter will allow monitoring of progress in the preparation of the essay component.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	3000 words	90.00
Reflective log	1000 words	10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 16/03/2017

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