MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY
Brain and Behaviour
MSc Experimental Psychology
922C8
Autumn Term 2015-16
Module Convenor: Dr Sarah King
NOTE: Most of the questions you need answers to about this module are in this document.
Please read it fully and carefully before your first lecture.
NOTE: This document concerns the structure and content of the module. If you have questions
about procedures, please consult the School of Psychology Administration Office in Pev1 2A13
or via [email protected].
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MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
MODULE INFORMATION & REQUIREMENTS
Module structure, aims and objectives
The module shows how knowledge of the structure and function of the nervous system can
give us insights to the understanding of human behaviour. The topics build across the term,
starting with the basic properties of neurons and how they carry and communicate information
throughout the body. You will then start to explore how very subtle differences in neuronal
communication can lead to emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression. In these
lectures you will discover, not only the brain mechanisms that underlie these disorders, but
also the development of treatment strategies that have been used in the past, and those which
may be used in the future.
Module learning outcomes.
The broad aim of this module is to demonstrate how a knowledge of brain structure and
function helps us to understand the production of behaviour, and its modification through
learning. After completing the module you should have attained the following objectives:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of underlying biological phenomena to the
explanation of behaviour. e.g. they should understand how the nervous system codes
incoming sensory information and produces integrated sequences of motor action.
2. Describe the ways in which commonly used anxiolytic and psychotropic drugs affect brain
function and should appreciate how the nervous system contributes to adaptive behaviour.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the structure and the functioning of fundamental units of
the brain.
4. Describe and evaluate the role of individual differences in at least one area of biological
psychology.
Pre-requisites
Brain and Behaviour is a compulsory module taken by MSc students in Experimental
Psychology. The module material has been designed to be accessible for students who have
not studied science beyond the equivalent of GCSE standard.
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MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
Module contact information
The key contact for this module is the module convenor, Dr. Sarah King.
Name:
Role:
Email (and web profile):
Phone:
01273
873190
Office:
Dr Sarah Module
King
convenor
[email protected]
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/9946
Dr Eisuke
Lecturer
Koya
[email protected]
01273
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/295304 877776
JMS 5D4
Dr Michael
Lecturer
Morgan
[email protected]
01273
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/126575 877202
Pev 2 1C6
JMS 5D15
Office Hours
The module convenor and lecturers hold office hours each week. The times of these can be
found on their web profiles (see table above). You are welcome to come discuss ANYTHING
module related. You may also email to make an appointment for a specific time.
Teaching and learning
Please see the Brain and Behaviour Study Direct site for module information,
including the module plan, lecture timetable, key concepts, seminar guide and
reading lists. Please check the site regularly as information will appear across
the term as the module progresses.
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MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
Lectures
There will be 23 lectures in the module.
To avoid disruption to the majority, please try to arrive at least 5 minutes before the start time
of the lecture (see lecture attendance etiquette in Psychology programme handbook).
It is CRUCIAL for you to understand that formal examination on this module will be based
on material covered in the lectures, seminars and your “essential reading” for each week.
It is also important for you to understand that lectures will NOT attempt to ‘cover’ all such
material (and nor will seminars). That is, lectures and seminars are not intended to provide
an alternative to you learning the material in your essential reading. Any attempt to rely
solely on learning material presented in lectures and seminars will severely restrict your
ability to do well during formal assessment of this module. Lectures (and seminars) are
intended to fulfil functions other than repeating or précising material covered in the
essential readings.
Lectures on this module are intended to perform several functions. First, they will provide
another ‘channel’ of communication, allowing you to hear as well as read about (selected)
material relevant to the module.
A second function of the lectures is to allow you to review material you have learned so far. If
you have already done the essential reading associated with the lecture, ask yourself how well
the lecturer has covered that material.
A third function of the lectures is to illustrate the nature of a critical approach to students. The
lecturer will sometimes simply explain material. At other times, however, the lecturer will
criticise the material in some way. University education is about learning how to constructively
criticise as well as simply absorb information. Evaluate your lecturer’s criticisms. Are they
simply personal prejudices (e.g., “I don’t like this”) and, if so, are they presented as such? Or
are reasons given for criticisms made (e.g., “I don’t like this because…)?
You should note that all the study skills advice in existence suggests that straightforward
‘absorption’ of material (i.e., reading, listening, rote-learning and memorising) should take up
about 20% of learning time. The other 80% should come from ‘interrogating’ that information
(e.g., looking for links, attempting to summarise and synthesise, looking for strengths and
weaknesses and possible improvements, applying to different areas, etc.).
Seminars
Seminars for this module will last for one ‘teaching hour’ and will occur eight times in the term.
The seminars will be led by the teaching faculty and will be an opportunity to discuss module
material, gain feedback on the practical exercises or present material prepared in the studentled tutorials. Please see your timetable in Sussex Direct for details of when and where your
seminars will be held.
Seminars on this module are intended to perform several functions. First, they allow students
to review material covered in prior lectures and associated essential reading. All students must
do at least the essential reading before the seminar. In addition, there will usually some
additional readings that will be assigned to some of you each week by your seminar leader.
These are designed to supplement the essential reading and to provoke lively discussion in
the seminar.
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MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
A second function of seminars is ‘interrogate’ at least some of the material covered in prior
lectures and associated essential reading. This will be done by use of particular exercises you
will learn about on a week-by-week basis. Again, students must have done the essential
reading and seminar quality will improve to the extent that each student has gone beyond this
in areas of particular interest to them.
Third, seminars will be used to provide students with the means of developing oral and listening
skills that will unarguably be of tremendous benefit to them throughout their university career
and beyond. Through the exchange of ideas and perspectives, you will develop a deeper
understanding of the issues covered in the module. This crucial function of seminars also
provides a uniquely active way of learning which is not possible in lectures or by private study
Student-led tutorials
These sessions are timetabled to provide the students with the opportunity for peer-supported
learning. Exercises or papers will be provided by faculty and the students should work together
to discuss the material and prepare for the next faculty-led seminar.
These sessions allow students a chance to get to know each other and to discuss material of
mutual interest and relevance in a supportive social setting. Learning at university is not and
should not be a competitive exercise. Your learning will benefit to the extent that you share
your insights and problems with others and support and encourage them to do the same with
you. This will often lead to collaborative learning opportunities outside formal teaching
contexts.
Independent study
The difference between studying at university and study you may have done previously is that
at university the emphasis is on you finding out things for yourself. Just as fitness clubs attempt
to foster and facilitate (but cannot impose) fitness, universities attempt to foster and facilitate
(but cannot impose) academic excellence. Results will (and can only) come as a direct result
of you making appropriate use of the facilities at your disposal. Lectures, seminars and the like
are there to support and guide your independent learning – they are not there to “pass
information from tutors’ heads to students’ notebooks without passing through the brains of
either.” Not everything you will need or want to know will be covered in the lectures, seminars
or essential readings. You need to become familiar with the material you are guided towards,
but you also need to learn to ‘manipulate’ that material: apply it to new domains, compare and
contrast across topics, synthesise it, evaluate it, consider its relevance to issues of interest to
you, supplement it, etc. This can only be done by being interested and working hard because
you want to. As we shall learn below, an exclusive focus on passing exams will undermine that
motivation and will make you perform less well as a result. Thus, study because you want to
learn and stop when you have answers to your own satisfaction for the questions you care
about. Finally, note that independent study is study you engage in outside of formal contact
hours with faculty – it does not have to be solitary (see under ‘seminars’ above).
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MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
Study Direct
You are encouraged to access module materials and use the module forum in Study Direct.
This is the best way to share ideas amongst your fellow students and ask questions about the
module. Module convenors and tutors would prefer to receive queries via the Study Direct
module forum than by email.
Books and reading
The module is modelled on the following text and it is strongly recommended that you buy a
copy as soon as possible
Title: An Introduction to Brain and Behavior
Authors: Kolb, Bryan & Whishaw, Ian Q.
ISBN: 146411899X, 9781464118999
Distributor: Palgrave
Additional reading will appear on Study Direct during the
module. You should use the above text and essential
reading as a starting point to orient yourself to particular
fields of interest, and then pursue other material that
appears to you to be relevant.
Additional text books are available in the library that
supports particular aspects of the module content.
You will be expected to also read primary source material and to be able to search for
additional supportive primary source material which you should integrate into your studies.
Topics and Essential Reading
The following is a list of topics and the essential reading for each. Additional reading is also
provided on the Study Direct site.
Neurodevelopment (2 lectures)
Kolb & Whishaw: Chapter 8
Neurogenetics (3 lectures)
Kolb and Whishaw: Chapter 3-2: Internal structure of cell, p92 (Nucleus: site of gene
transcription) to p95 (Golgi Bodies and microtubules); Chapter 3-3: Genes, Cells and Behavior,
p97-107
Neurotransmission (2 lectures)
Kolb and Whishaw:p74-97 and Chapters 4 & 5
Chemical signalling (2 lectures)
Kolb & Whishaw: Chapters 5 & 6.
Learning and memory (2 lectures)
Kolb & Whishaw: Chapter 14 p 502-516 (structural basis of brain plasticity)
Fear and anxiety (2 lectures)
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MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
Kolb and Whishaw: Chapter 6 p182-183 (GABAA receptors and drugs); Chapter 12, p422-427
(emotional behaviours); Chapter 6, p206-207 (stress response)
Neuromodulation (2 lectures)
Kolb and Whishaw: Chapter 5 - sections 5-1, 5-22 and 5-3. A description of metabotropic
receptors and how they work is given on pages 155-157 (Fig 5-15).
Cognition and Reward (4 lectures)
Kolb and Whishaw, 4th ed: p278 (clinical focus on schizophrenia); Chapter 16, specifically 164 Understanding and treating behavioural disorders 596-599.
Kalivas P, Volkow N: The neural basis of addiction: a pathology of motivation and choice. Am
J Psychiatry 2005, 162:1403-1413 (PDF available for download from StudyDirect)
Sensory and motor systems (2 lectures)
Somatosensory system: Kolb and Whishaw: pages 378-394.
Motor systems: Kolb and Whishaw: pages 354-378. (Master's students: please read the review
article by Wichmann and Delong, 2003, also useful: Blandini et al., 2000)
Assessment
Formal assessment for Brain and Behaviour comprises:
1. 15% of the module credits are awarded to coursework during the teaching term.
Coursework consists of 1 essay, which should be typed, no longer than 2000 words and
should normally be chosen from the specific titles shown on Study Direct. Note that the
essays are not exclusively based on the lecture or seminar material, so you should expect
to use additional references from textbooks and primary source material in order to produce
a satisfactory answer. You must hand 2 copies of the essay into the Psychology office. See
Sussex Direct for deadline.
2. 85% of the module credits are awarded to a 2 hour unseen examination taken at the end
of the academic year (see Sussex Direct for details). Details of the exam structure will be
given at the end of the module and a specimen paper will be available online. Additional
support in the form of self-assessment quizzes will be provided on-line.
Information on the following can be found at the link below:
 submitting your work
 missing a deadline
 late penalties
 MEC – mitigating evidence
 Exams
 Help with managing your studies and competing your work
 Assessment Criteria
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/psychology/internal/students/examinationsandassessment
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MODULE HANDBOOK 2015/16
Feedback
In line with University regulations, every effort will be made to ensure that one marked copy of
each piece of coursework is returned with feedback within 15 working days of the relevant
submission deadline. You will be informed by the School Office when work is ready to collect.
Office hours, seminars and practicals provide contact hours for informal discussion and
feedback by tutors.
The forum allows peer feedback but is also monitored by the module faculty (will check at least
once a week) and can provide further feedback opportunities.
Additional support in the form of self-assessment quizzes will be provided on-line.
Student Evaluation
All modules at Sussex are fully audited. You will be asked to complete an anonymous student
evaluation form near the end of each term, allowing you to comment on and criticise all aspects
of the module. You may also comment on the module at any time, either to convenors or tutors,
and you may do this directly or via some intermediary (e.g. a student representative).
Feedback received in this way will be collated and shown to all tutors and module convenors
for the module. It will also be reported to the psychology teaching and learning committee.
Module Evaluation summaries from the previous year are available on the School web pages.
Reactions and responses to such student feedback will be reported back to students via
student representatives (who attend School meetings). In addition, module convenors meet
regularly with seminar tutors to discuss how the module is progressing and whether and when
improvements might be made. We want the module be as good as it possibly can be so all
and any feedback is gratefully received.
Changes introduced as a result of previous module evaluation/feedback?
We have continued to consolidate our teaching this year to provide continuity across the
module, with the three lecturers teaching topics across the module. We have added an
additional lecture to neurogenetics and adjusted the content to give more time to topics
perceived as more complex.
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