DISCUSSION

1. Write a summary of your topic (approximately one page is fine; it can also be longer). Find at least TWO OUTSIDE SOURCES (other than our textbook). You can use academic peer-reviewed journal articles, books, newspaper articles, films, academic websites (WIKIPEDIA DOES NOT COUNT FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT). The most credible websites are based on research findings and often end in .edu or .org. The best method for you for finding peer-reviewed journal articles is to use the library search tools such as Academic Search Complete. If you search for a particular key term (e.g. retrograde amnesia), you will usually get a list of journal article abstracts, often with direct links to the actual articles. Peer-reviewed articles typically contain subsections such as an abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion. Sometimes they are "review articles" that review many studies (rather than report the results of an original experiment) and may not include all of these subsections, but you can still recognize them in the library search since they are labeled as an "Academic journal" (rather than "Periodical" which are not peer-reviewed).

2. Post the summary on Canvas as a discussion post in the REPLY box below (by Sat Feb 25th midnight). List your sources in APA style at the end of your summary. (10 points)

3. Read other students' summaries, and reply to one of them (by Mon Feb 27th midnight). You can ask questions, comment on their information, tell about your knowledge related to their topic, etc. (5 points)

MEMORY TOPICS:

Memory and sleep: How does sleeping affect memory? What does research show about the association between different stages of sleep and memory? Is it possible to learn and remember new information that is encountered during sleep?

False vs. repressed memories: Is there any evidence for the claim that people can recover repressed memories in therapy? Are there therapy methods/questioning techniques that are particularly susceptible to eliciting recovered and/or false memories? Are some people perhaps more susceptible to creating false memories, or could it happen to anybody in certain circumstances? Are there ways of minimizing the risk of forming false memories?

Childhood (infantile) amnesia: What does research show about early childhood memories? Are there cross-cultural/environmental/sex differences? Can you find any evidence that suggests what the reasons might be for childhood amnesia?

Hyperthymesia (HSAM = highly superior autobiographical memory): Investigate and describe the evidence for this rare, exceptional memory phenomenon. How does it affect the people who have this kind of a memory? Are there any theories that suggest why and how this occurs?
Alzheimer's disease: Investigate the symptoms, neurological findings and potential treatments for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Can people lower their risk of developing the disease? Are some people more vulnerable to it than others?

Eyewitness testimony: Why is eyewitness testimony so unreliable? How do characteristics such as age, gender and ethnic group of the witness vs. the perpetrator affect eyewitness testimony? How do law enforcement procedures (e.g. interview styles, line-up identification, using composites) affect eyewitness testimony?

IMPORTANT:

Your summary must be IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Every time you use the words and/or ideas of an outside source, you must appropriately cite that source in APA style IN THE TEXT. YOU MUST ALWAYS INDICATE IN THE TEXT WHERE YOU GOT THE INFORMATION EVEN IF YOU WRITE IT IN YOUR OWN WORDS. (PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE DIRECT QUOTATIONS IN YOUR SUMMARY EXCEPT IN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES; IT'S ALWAYS BETTER TO WRITE IN YOUR OWN WORDS). Please provide a list of the references at the end of the assignment in APA style (see the APA style guide link posted on the website. Choose the correct way to list the reference based on the source you are using, e.g. journal article).

When you cite a source in the text of your summary, use the name of the author(s) and publication year in parentheses. Here's how:
Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant (Smith, 2010). Alcohol, on the other hand, is a strong depressant (Zhang & Jones, 2001).

Or:

According to Smith (2010), cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant. In contrast, Zhang & Jones (2001) discuss the effects of a strong depressant, alcohol, on the central nervous system.