Overview
PSYC 271 is a course designed to introduce you to the field of Behavioural Neuroscience. This course initially focuses on the basics of how neurons function, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, behavioural neuroscience methods, genetics and evolution. This will be followed by an examination of the sensory and motor systems and finally, topics relevant to lateralization of function will be covered.
Please note that this course requires a considerable amount of memorization of scientific definitions and concepts. If it has been some time since taking PSYC 100, it would be beneficial to go over the biopsychology section of your introductory psychology textbook, especially focusing on the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, before the course begins.
Biopsychology is very multidisciplinary and our body of knowledge comes from various fields of study, including physiological psychology, neuropsychology, neurology and neuroimmunology. By combining research ideas from all of these disciplines, a more complete picture of the brain is beginning to emerge. I say beginning because the brain is truly a challenge for scientists to understand, as its ability to evolve and adapt is so great. I believe understanding the brain and its role in behaviour is the ultimate challenge for science!
Learning Outcomes
- Summarize the foundations of biopsychology including evolution, neuroanatomy, and neuropharmacology.
- Describe the process of neural communication.
- Explain the neural mechanisms of learning and memory.
- Outline Primary research methods in biopsychology.
- Recall and recognize sensory processing in visual, auditory, olfactory, taste, and somatosensory systems. Relate motor system function to sensory processing in humans
Terms
Evaluation
7.5% - Essay Part 1
15% - Essay Part 2
5% - Discussion Forum 1
5% - Discussion Forum 2
17.5% (3.5% each) - Bi-weekly Quizzes (best 5 of 6)
50% - Proctored Final Exam
2.5% (Bonus) - Participant Pool
Students must pass the final exam in order to pass the course.
**Evaluation Subject to Change**
Live Sessions
This course has optional live sessions (e.g. webinars, synchronous activities).
Exam Centre Location, Eligibility, and Fees
Students enrolled exclusively in online courses may choose one of two options to write this course's proctored assessments:
- You may choose to write the assessments online under supervision of an online proctoring service. A $100 fee will be charged to your SOLUS account. This fee is known as the Off Campus Exam Admin Fee and is applied in SOLUS at the earlier of: term tuition posting date, or the date at which exam writing method is changed to online. The fee is assessed once per ASO course with proctored assessments.
- You may choose to write the assessments in-person on ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ campus in Kingston at no additional charge.
Students enrolled in at least one on-campus course are expected to write this course's proctored assessments on-campus during the scheduled exam time. They will not be permitted to write this course's proctored assessments online.
Students were prompted to indicate their preferred exam writing method when enrolling in the course in SOLUS. The exam writing method may be changed by contacting the ASO Exams Team at aso.exams@queensu.ca.
Information for students writing online assessments
Selected assessments in this course will be administered in onQ using online proctoring provided by a third-party, cloud-based service. This proctoring solution was chosen to support our efforts in maintaining academic integrity when online proctoring is required. ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ has conducted an extensive privacy and security review of the service and has entered into a binding agreement with terms that address the appropriate collection, use and disclosure of personal information in accordance with Ontario's privacy legislation. To learn more about online proctoring, please see the information provided by the Office of the University Registrar.
If you registered to write online with the service, all information pertaining to the technical requirements and preparation for writing online will be posted in onQ well in advance of your exam.
The use of the service as described is unique to courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science Online. Other Faculties use online proctoring solutions in different ways under different regulations. Students should contact the appropriate Faculty examination team if they have questions.
Timing of Final Examinations
The exam period dates for each Term are listed on the Faculty of Arts and Science webpage under "Important Dates". Student exam schedules for the Fall Term are posted to SOLUS immediately prior to the Thanksgiving holiday; for the Winter Term they are posted on the Friday before Reading Week, and for the Summer Term they are individually noted on the Arts and Science Online syllabi. Students should not make any travel plans until after the examination schedule has been posted. Exams will not be moved or deferred to accommodate employment, travel/holiday plans or flight reservations. Students experiencing extenuating circumstances preventing them from writing their exams as scheduled should review the information about the Academic Consideration process.
Textbook and Materials
ASO reserves the right to make changes to the required material list as received by the instructor before the course starts. Please refer to the Campus Bookstore website at to obtain the most up-to-date list of required materials for this course before purchasing them.
Course Notes
Students will obtain their lesson notes, assignments, and any supplementary material from the course onQ site beginning the first day of term.
Required Textbook
Available from the :
- Biopsychology, 11th Edition, by John P.J. Pinel & Steven Barnes, with accompanying REVEL access
Time Commitment
A course such as this on campus would have three lecture hours per week. Students can expect to spend, on average, about 9-10 hours per week (120 hours per term) on the course.