psychology paper

Course Information & Syllabus

PSYCO 351 B1: Spatial Cognition Fall 2018

(Wednesday/10:00am-12:50pm/BioSci Building B121)

Instructor: Weimin Mou Office: P-585 Biological Science Building Office hours: 2:00-3:00 Tuesday Phone: 492-3601 e-mail: [email protected] T.A.: Xuehui (Kate) Lei Office: P-545 Biological Sciences Building Office hours: by appointment Phone: 780-492-5325 E-mail: [email protected] Course description: This course will examine how people learn, remember, and navigate their environments. Many questions will be explored, including: How do people keep track of where they are when navigating in unfamiliar territory, and how do they remember where they have been? How is spatial information represented and processed in the human brain? Why are some people good at spatial problem solving and others not so good? Do males and females really differ in spatial ability, and if so, why? Do cultural differences exist in spatial cognition? Although the primary focus of the course will be on human spatial cognition, relevant research on other animals, such as bees, ants, rodents, and monkeys, will also be discussed. Course prerequisites: One of: PSYCO 258, 267 or 275 Course Website: http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~wmou/p351/index.html Course evaluation: 1. Thought paper (30%) 2. Oral presentation (30%) 3. Final exam (40%) Required Text: All the readings are available in the database of University library so should be FREE to download ON CAMPUS. See the links in the Bibliography section following this link. http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~wmou/p351/documents/PSYCO 351 syllabus.pdf Representative exam questions: will be given frequently in classes. Notes: Readings are identified by the first author's last name, and listed in the order in which they should be read.

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Date Topic Readings Sep 5 Introductory comments

Knowledge representation Route & survey knowledge

Tolman (1948) Thorndyke (1982); Taylor (1999)

12 Hierarchical representations Spatial memory distortions Metric structure

Stevens (1978); McNamara (1986) Byrne (1979); Tversky (1981) Sadalla (1980); McNamara (1997)

19 Orientation dependence Orientation dependence Path integration/updating

Klatzky (1998); Levine (1982) Evans (1980); Shelton (1997) Rieser (1989); Klatzky et al. (1998)

26 Path integration/updating Contemporary dev. research Sex differences

Philbeck (2001) Newcombe & Huttenlocher (2000) Eals & Silverman (1994)

Oct 3 Sex & large-scale space Spatial cognition in the blind Williams syndrome

Montello (1999) Rieser et al. (1992); Thinus-Blanc (1997) Bellugi (2000)

10 Presentation title due Language & development Language & reference frames Culture

Bowerman (1996) Levinson (1996) Lewis (1976)

17 Culture Bees & ants Rodents

Kearins (1981) Wehner (1996); Collett & Baron (1994) O'Keefe (1971); Muller (1996)

24 Primates Spatial cognition & the brain Spatial cognition & the brain

Rolls (2008) Maguire (1997); Aguirre (1997) Groen (2000); Mellet (2000)

31 Thought Paper due Route/survey in VR Gender & VR Tour to VR lab

Ruddle (1997); Richardson(1999) Cutmore (2000)

Nov 7 No class, prepare for oral presentation 14 No class fall break 21 Presentation day 28 Presentation day Dec 5 Presentation day 17

FINAL EXAM. as per the exam schedule, tentatively

scheduled at 9:00 am

Course Requirements: Please read articles before the lectures which will help you to participate in class discussion. Thought Paper: You are required to write one experimental design paper. In the paper, you should have a review of papers (need not be all papers) discussed in the class (see the Bibliography section of the syllabus), raise questions and hypotheses, design experiments to address the questions and test the hypotheses. You will get 80% deducted if you do not base on the papers discussed in the class. You do not need to collect data and implement the experiment. The paper should include Introduction and Experiment Method that includes Participants, Material and Design, and Procedure. The length should be three or four pages (double spaced and in 12 font size) including the references. You will get 20% deducted if you have less or more pages.

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After due date (Oct 31), for every day the paper is late 20% will be deducted. For example, you can get 80% of the original mark on Wednesday midnight and 60% of the original mark on Thursday midnight. No deferral of the thought paper without any exception. No weight transfer for the thought paper without any exception. Final Exam: Final exam is in the format of multiple choice questions. The examples will be given in the quiz part of classes. Deferred final exams will be scheduled at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan 7, 2019 in P-217 Biological Sciences Building. http://www.registrarsoffice.ualberta.ca/en/Examinations/Fall-2018-Winter-2019-Exam-Planner.aspx WARNING: Students must verify this date on BearTracks when the Final Exam Schedule is posted. Grades are unofficial until approved by the Department and/or Faculty offering the course. Students have access to their final exam schedule through Bear Tracks and on the Registrar’s website will in advance. Multiple exams and closely scheduled final exams is not a valid excuse for a deferral of one or more final exams. A student who cannot write the final examination due to incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling reasons can apply for a deferred final examination. Students who failed at the start of term to request exam accommodations for religious beliefs are expected to follow the normal deferred final examination process. Such an application must be made to the student’s Faculty office within two working days of the missed examination and must be supported by appropriate documentation or a Statutory Declaration (http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=20&navoid=4939#Attendance). Deferred examinations are a privilege and not a right; there is no guarantee that a deferred examination will be granted. Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a deferred examination is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour. Reexamination: Reexamination is not permitted in a course in which a passing grade was achieved. A student who writes the final examination and fails the course may apply for a reexamination. Reexaminations are rarely granted. These exams are governed by University regulations (http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=20&navoid=4939 - Examinations_(Exams)) and Faculty of Science regulations (http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=20&navoid=4970#academic- standing). Misrepresentation of Facts to gain a re-examination is a serious breach of the Code of Student Behaviour. Oral Presentations: Oral presentations begin on Nov 21. Each student will present 10 minutes individually. Oral presentations are on an article in the Recommended Articles for Class Presentations on the course website. The title of the article to be presented and the presentation date should be settled with the TA by Oct 10. For those who miss the deadline, the title of the article and the presentation time will be assigned by Dr. Mou. No time change will be allowed after the deadline. No make-up presentation without any exception. The slides (only in PowerPoint or PDF) of the oral presentation should be emailed to Dr. Mou by 9pm of the day before the scheduled oral presentation. Those who pass the deadline will not be allowed to present and the mark of the oral presentation will be zero. The weight of the oral presentation can be transferred to the final exam with acceptable reasons for missing the scheduled oral presentation. The University considers acceptable reasons for being absent from term work, including midterms, scheduled presentations or extension of deadlines to an assignment to be an incapacitating mental and/or

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physical illness, severe domestic affliction, or circumstances described in the University’s Discrimination, Harassment and Duty to Accommodate Policy (including religious conviction). Examples of unacceptable reasons for missing an exam include (but are not limited to) personal events such as vacations, weddings, work, or family travel arrangements. Students are expected to read their syllabi and ensure that they will be able to attend those days when they will be graded. For an excused absence where the cause is religious conviction, a student must contact the instructor(s) within two weeks of the start of classes to request accommodation for the term (including the final exam, where relevant). Instructors may request documentation from a pastor or imam, etc. to substantiate the student request. Requests should be made to the instructor as far in advance as possible, but need to be made within 48 hours of the missed work or deadline. Student Success Centre: Students who require additional help in developing strategies for better time management, study skills or examination skills should contact the Student Success Centre (2-300 Students’ Union Building). Students Eligible for Accessibility-Related Accommodations (students registered with Student Accessibility Services - SAS): Eligible students have both rights and responsibilities with regard to accessibility-related accommodations. Consequently, scheduling exam accommodations in accordance with SAS deadlines and procedures is essential. Please note adherence to procedures and deadlines is required for U of A to provide accommodations. If you have special needs that could affect your performance in this class, please let me know during the first week of the term so that appropriate arrangements can be made. If you are not already registered with Specialized Support & Disability Services, contact their office immediately (2-800 SUB; Email [email protected]; phone 780-492-3381; www.ssds.ualberta.ca). Exams: Your student photo I.D. is required at exams to verify your identity. Students will not be allowed to begin an examination after it has been in progress for 30 minutes. Students must remain in the exam room until at least 30 minutes has elapsed. Electronic equipment cannot be brought into examination rooms and hats should not be worn. Cell Phones: Cell phones are to be turned off during lectures, labs and seminars. Cell phones are not to be brought to exams. Learning and Work Environment: The Department of Psychology is committed to ensuring that all students, faculty and staff are able to work and study in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harassment. It does not tolerate behavior that undermines that environment. The Department urges anyone who feels that this policy is being violated to:

 Discuss the matter with the person whose behavior is causing concern, or  If that discussion is unsatisfactory, or there is a concern that direct discussion is inappropriate or

threatening, discuss it with the instructor, or in cases of dispute with the instructor, with the Chair of the Department.

For additional advice or assistance regarding this policy you may contact the student ombuds service: (http://www.ombudservice.ualberta.ca/). Information about the University of Alberta Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures is described in UAPPOL at https://policiesonline.ualberta.ca/PoliciesProcedures/Pages/Human-Resources.aspx.

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Grading: The grade will be allocated based on the individual performance as below approximately. Adjustment may be made according to my expert judgement and the suggestions from the department chair and the faculty dean.

91-100% A+

88-90% A

85-87% A-

80-84% B+

75-79% B

70-74% B-

66-69% C+

62-65% C

58-61% C-

55-57% D+

50-54% D

0-49% F

University Policies: Academic Integrity The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the university in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at www.governance.ualberta.ca) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the university. All forms of dishonesty are unacceptable at the University. Any offence will be reported to the Associate Dean of Science who will determine the disciplinary action to be taken. Cheating, plagiarism and misrepresentation of facts are serious offences. Anyone who engages in these practices will receive at minimum a grade of zero for the exam or paper in question and no opportunity will be given to replace the grade or redistribute the weights. As well, in the Faculty of Science the sanction for cheating on any examination will include a disciplinary failing grade (NO EXCEPTIONS) and senior students should expect a period of suspension or expulsion from the University of Alberta. All students should consult the information provided by the Office of Judicial Affairs regarding avoiding cheating and plagiarism in particular and academic dishonesty in general (see the Academic Integrity Undergraduate Handbook and Information for Students). If in doubt about what is permitted in this class, ask the instructor. Recording and/or Distribution of Course Materials Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an approved accommodation

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plan. Recorded material is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the instructor Policy about course outlines can be found in the University Calendar (http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=806&hl="syllabus"&returnto=search - Evaluation_Procedures_and_Grading_System). Disclaimer: Any typographical errors in this Course Outline are subject to change and will be announced in class. The date of the final examination is set by the Registrar and takes precedence over the final examination date reported in this syllabus. COPYRIGHT: Dr. Weimin Mou, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta (2018)

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351 Thought Paper #____ Evaluation Sheet Student: Title of Paper: Total Grade: Quality of Review (Quality of article review(s)): (40%)

- Quality of your summary and points you made regarding the article(s) discussed in your paper.

- The meaningful of the hypothesis you want to test Experimental Design: (40%) How well did your experiment test the hypothesis? Technical (mechanics/style, APA formatting, etc.): (20% total - APA = 10%, Style/Mechanics = 10%)

- APA quality (i.e. were your references done correctly? Did you attach a reference page, etc.) - Mechanics include things like grammar, spelling, etc. Also includes stylistic components

such as: - How clear and understandable was your paper? - Was your paper organized correctly the points you made? Was it easy to read and did it progress smoothly? - Did the style of your writing fit with the task/topic? Did you write scientifically?

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351 Presentation Evaluation Sheet Student Name: Date of Presentation: Total Grade: Presentation (40): Style (20): PowerPoint (20): Content (60): Introduction: Methodology: Results, discussion, and importance:

Thoughts (bonus marks – up to 5%)

Things that you will be graded on: Presentation (40%) Eye contact Volume Class engagement Enthusiasm

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Knowledge of the material Clarity of speech Grammar / language Length Powerpoint clarity / skill Content (60): Give an introduction to the topic What they did (brief methods) Results and importance of the literature. Discussion Thoughts on the topic. Where would you go from here (bonus) Note: No marks will be given or deducted for Q and A!!!

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Spatial Cognition

Bibliography

Representations & Processes

Route vs. survey knowledge

Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats in men. Psychological Review, 55, 189-208. http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/rev/55/4/189/ or http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=fulltext&D=ovft&CSC=Y&NEWS=N&SEARCH=00 006832-194807000-00001.an Thorndyke, P. W., & Hayes-Roth, B. (1982). Differences in spatial knowledge acquired from maps and navigation. Cognitive Psychology, 14, 560-589. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010028582900196 Taylor, H. A., Naylor, S. J., & Chechile, N. A. (1999). Goal-specific influences on the representation of spatial perspective. Memory & Cognition, 27, 309-319. http://www.springerlink.com/content/j343023336t61500/?MUD=MP

Hierarchical representations

Stevens, A., & Coupe, P. (1978). Distortions in judged spatial relations. Cognitive Psychology, 10, 422- 437. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010028578900063 McNamara, T. P. (1986). Mental representations of spatial relations. Cognitive Psychology, 18, 87-121. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010028586900162

Spatial memory distortions

Byrne, R. W. (1979). Memory for urban geography. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 31, 147-154. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14640747908400714 Tversky, B. (1981). Distortions in memory for maps. Cognitive Psychology, 13, 407-433. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010028581900165

Metric structure of spatial knowledge

Sadalla, E. K., Burroughs, W. J., & Staplin, L. J. (1980). Reference points in spatial cognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 6, 516-528. http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&uid=1981-25004-001 or https://www.researchgate.net/publication/15768068_Reference_Points_in_Spatial_Cognition McNamara, T. P., & Diwadkar, V. A. (1997). Symmetry and asymmetry of human spatial memory. Cognitive Psychology, 34, 160-190.

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010028597906691

Frames of reference

Klatzky, R. L. (1998). Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations: Definitions, distinctions, and interconnections. In C. Freksa, C. Habel, and K. F. Wender (Eds.), Spatial cognition: An interdisciplinary approach to representing and processing spatial knowledge (pp. 1-17). Springer. http://www.springerlink.com/content/5qty1dumvcq428c2/fulltext.pdf

Orientation dependence

Levine, M., Jankovic, I. N., & Palij, M. (1982). Principles of spatial problem solving. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 111, 157-175. http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/xge/111/2/157/ or http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=fulltext&D=ovft&CSC=Y&NEWS=N&SEARCH=00 004785-198206000-00001.an Evans, G. W., & Pezdek, K. (1980). Cognitive mapping: Knowledge of real-world distance and location information. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 6, 13-24. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4a2f/2edd679098626aef1bdd62db1bf8b0be85be.pdf Shelton, A. L., & McNamara, T. P. (1997). Multiple views of spatial memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 4, 102-106. http://www.springerlink.com/content/7r46283170657730/fulltext.pdf

Path integration/spatial updating

Rieser, J. J. (1989). Access to knowledge of spatial structure at novel points of observation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 15, 1157-1165. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/61b7/14bfe716f08d01c298664eb23db6aa1b600c.pdf

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Klatzky, R. et al. (1998). Spatial updating of self-position and orientation during real, imagined, and virtual locomotion. Psychological Science, 9, 293-298. http://pss.sagepub.com/content/9/4/293 Philbeck, J. W. et al. (2001). Active control of locomotion facilitates nonvisual navigation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 141-153. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marlene_Behrmann/publication/12083331_Active_control_of_loco motion_facilitates_nonvisual_navigation/links/0deec5151dd7963f20000000.pdf

Development of Spatial Cognition

Newcombe, N. S., & Huttenlocher, J. (2000). Making space: The development of spatial representation and reasoning (Chapter 5, pp. 109-144). MIT Press. http://cognet.mit.edu/library/books/mitpress/0262140691/cache/chap5.pdf or http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~wmou/p351/documents/newcombe2000.pdf

Individual Differences

Sex differences

Eals, M., & Silverman, I. (1994). The hunter-gatherer theory of spatial sex differences: Proximate factors mediating the female advantage in recall of object arrays. Ethology and Sociobiology, 15, 95–105. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0162309594900205 Montello, D. R. et al. (1999). Sex-related differences and similarities in geographic and environmental spatial abilities. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 89, 515-534. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/0004-5608.00160/pdf

Spatial cognition in the blind

Rieser, J. J. et al. (1992). Visual experience, visual field size, and the development of nonvisual sensitivity to the spatial structure of outdoor neighborhoods explored by walking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 121, 210-221. https://insights.ovid.com/experimental-psychology-general/jepge/1992/06/000/visual-experience-field- size-development-nonvisual/10/00004785 Thinus-Blanc, C., & Gaunet, F. (1997). Representation of space in blind persons: Vision as a spatial sense? Psychological Bulletin, 121, 20-42. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Florence_Gaunet/publication/14146784_Representation_of_space_i n_blind_persons_Vision_as_a_spatial_sense/links/5583c5f208ae4738295b8c1e/Representation-of-space- in-blind-persons-Vision-as-a-spatial-sense.pdf

Williams Syndrome

Bellugi, U. et al. (2000). The neurocognitive profile of Williams syndrome: A complex pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 12:Supplement, 7-29. http://www.princeton.edu/~adele/LIN_106:_UCB_files/Bellugi_JCNS_2000.pdf

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Language & Culture

Cross-linguistic studies

Bowerman, M. (1996). Learning how to structure space for language: A crosslinguistic perspective. In P. Bloom, M. A. Peterson, L. Nadel, & M. F. Garrett (Eds.), Language and space (pp. 385-436). MIT press. http://www.mpi.nl/people/former-staff/bowerman- melissa/cv/melissa_pdfs/Bowerman_1996_LearningHowToStructureSpaceForLanguage.pdf Levinson, S. C. (1996). Frames of reference and Molyneux's question: Crosslinguistic evidence. In P. Bloom, M. A. Peterson, L. Nadel, & M. F. Garrett (Eds.), Language and space (pp. 109-169). MIT press. http://old.nbu.bg/cogs/events/2003/materials/christian_freksa/framesreference.pdf or http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~wmou/p351/documents/levinson1996.pdf

Cross-cultural studies

Lewis, D. (1976). Observations on route finding and spatial orientation among the aboriginal peoples of the western desert region of central Australia. Oceania, XLVI, 249-282. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/40330255.pdf?acceptTC=true Kearins, J. (1981). Visual spatial memory in Australian Aboriginal children of desert regions. Cognitive Psychology, 13, 434-460. http://ac.els-cdn.com/0010028581900177/1-s2.0-0010028581900177- main.pdf?_tid=d64f75a1e10f2334696692d16c441449&acdnat=1342471752_5b2b4b0060e85ed7a7fda47 69e0bbb95

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Comparative Perspectives

Insects

Wehner, R., Michel, B., & Antonsen, P. (1996). Visual navigation in insects: Coupling of egocentric and geocentric information. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 199, 129-140. http://jeb.biologists.org/content/199/1/129.full.pdf+html Collett, T. S., & Baron, J. (1994). Biological compasses and the coordinate frame of landmark memories in honeybees. Nature, 368, 137-140. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v368/n6467/pdf/368137a0.pdf

Rodents, primates, & other mammals

O'Keefe, J., & Dostrovsky, J. (1971). The hippocampus as a spatial map. Preliminary evidence from unit activity in the freely-moving rat. Brain Research, 34, 171-175. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006899371903581 Muller, R. (1996). A quarter of a century of place cells. Neuron, 17, 813-822. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627300802147 Rolls,E.T. (2008) Spatial view cells in the primate hippocampus, and memory. Chapter 13, pp. 192-217 in Hippocampal Place Fields: Relevance to Learning and Memory, Ed. S.J.Y. Mizumori. Oxford University Press: Oxford. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323245.001.0001/acprof- 9780195323245-chapter-13

Spatial Cognition & the Brain

Neuroimaging studies

Maguire, E. A. et al. (1997). Recalling routes around London: Activation of the right hippocampus in taxi drivers. Journal of Neuroscience, 17, 7103-7110. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/17/18/7103.full.pdf+html Aguirre, G. K., & D'Esposito, M. (1997). Environmental knowledge is subserved by separable dorsal/ventral neural areas. Journal of Neuroscience, 17, 2512-2518. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/17/7/2512 Groen, G. et al. (2000). Brain activation during human navigation: Gender-different neural networks as substrate of performance. Nature Neuroscience, 3, 404-408. http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v3/n4/full/nn0400_404.html Mellet, E. et al. (2000). Neural correlates of topographic mental exploration: The impact of route versus survey perspective learning. NeuroImage, 12, 588-600.

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811900906487

Spatial Cognition in Virtual Reality

Ruddle, R. A. et al. (1997). Navigating buildings in "desk-top" virtual environments: Experimental investigations using extended navigational experience. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 3, 143-159. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dylan_Jones/publication/232523671_Navigating_Buildings_in_Des k- Top_Virtual_Environments_Experimental_Investigations_Using_Extended_Navigational_Experience/lin ks/00b7d5224a95864eb2000000/Navigating-Buildings-in-Desk-Top-Virtual-Environments- Experimental-Investigations-Using-Extended-Navigational-Experience.pdf Richardson, A. E. et al. (1999). Spatial knowledge acquisition from maps and from navigation in real and virtual environments. Memory & Cognition, 27, 741-750. http://www.springerlink.com/content/1105792x57762117/?MUD=MP Cutmore, T. R. H. et al. (2000). Cognitive and gender factors influencing navigation in a virtual environment. International Journal of Human Computer Studies, 53, 223-249. http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1071581900903896/1-s2.0-S1071581900903896- main.pdf?_tid=789afad9ef42f688185b0b1d1c516c00&acdnat=1342473870_264f4c46e39be525b0ba3d06 e0a1991d