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Course materials for Dartmouth course: Human Memory (PSYC 51.09)

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Human Memory

DOI

Welcome! This repository contains course materials for the Dartmouth undergraduate course Human Memory (PSYC 51.09). The syllabus may be found here. Feel free to follow along with the course materials (whether you are officially enrolled in the course or just visiting!), submit comments and suggestions, etc. If you are a course instructor, you may feel free to use these materials in your own courses (attribution is appreciated).

Acknowledgements

This course, and many of the course materials, were inspired by (and in some cases copied from!), similar content by Michael Kahana, Sean Polyn, and Per Sederberg. These materials have also been heavily influenced by feedback from students who enrolled in prior offerings of this course.

Contributing

While I strive for 100% accuracy in my courses, I recognize that I am very unlikely to achieve that goal. If you notice inaccuracies, inefficiencies, and/or if you have any other suggestions, feature requests, questions, comments, concerns, etc. pertaining to this course, I encourage you to open an issue and/or submit a pull request. This course is continually evolving as I attempt to maintain its currency and relevance in a rapidly developing field; your help, feedback, and contributions are much appreciated!

Table of contents

  1. Orientation
  2. Assignments
  3. Background
  4. Recognition memory
  5. Attribute models
  6. Associative memory
  7. Free recall
  8. Sequence memory
  9. Context reinstatement and advanced topics

Orientation

Start here! The materials for each module below are organized sequentially. Work your way from section to section (and from top to bottom within each section). The recorded lectures (in bold) typically cover preceding material (after the previous lecture, within the same module). The recordings are from the Spring, 2021 offering of the course. The content in the recordings may differ somewhat from the current (Winter, 2022) version, but they should be "similar enough" that you can use the recordings as needed if you are unable to attend a class meeting in person, or if you are taking this course unofficially (e.g., without formally enrolling).

I suggest that you take notes on questions you have as you are reviewing the material, along with any comments, concerns, etc. that you would like to bring up for discussion during our synchronous class meetings. I'll leave time at the beginning of most classes to quickly recap the key ideas from the prior lecture, and for students to bring up discussion topics related to the readings and/or course materials.

Each of the sections below (except the next one) covers a specific aspect of human learning and memory. Most of the sections (all but the last) correspond to specific chapters in our course textbook. You should read the given chapter(s) prior to our course meeting on that topic. Note: the outline below reflects my current best guess about the material we will cover this term. The content is subject to change based on students' interests and backgrounds.

Assignments

All assignments should be submitted via the course Canvas page unless otherwise specified. Point values are indicated in parentheses. Note that all problem sets are graded as credit (1 point) or no credit (0 points). To receive credit for a problem set you must turn in the complete problem set by the due date. (There is no credit for late assignments and/or partially completed assignments.)

The exam links will become active when they go live (they are not available in advance). Exams are open-book and must be completed within 24 hours their respective start times. Collaboration and cooperation on problem sets is encouraged, but exams must be completed individually.

Note: Only assignments marked active are guaranteed to be in their final form-- inactive assignments are provided to help set expectations about future assignments, but they may be edited or changed prior to be formally assigned. Expired assignments are past their due date (and therefore may no longer be handed in for credit). Previous years' problem sets may be found here.

Assignment Point value Status Due date
Problem set 1 1 point expired January 10, 2024
Problem set 2 1 point expired January 22, 2024
Problem set 3 1 point expired January 29, 2024
Problem set 4 1 point expired February 9, 2024
Midterm exam; covers content through part of Chapter 4, inclusive 20 points expired February 8, 2024
Problem set 5 1 point expired February 16, 2024
Problem set 6 1 point expired February 26, 2024
Problem set 7 1 point (bonus/optional) expired March 1, 2024
Final exam; covers all course content through the last day of class, inclusive 25 points active March 4--5, 2024

Background

Recognition memory

Attribute models

Associative memory

Free recall

Sequence memory

  • Note: this topic will take two weeks to cover (and we will likely skip this topic for the Winter 2024 offering of this course)
  • Required readings: Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Context reinstatement and advanced topics