You will do much better on the assignment if you take the outline below seriously, and follow that outline in your written assignment.
Your synopsis and critique should be organized around the following questions:
i) What is the exact question asked in the paper? Why is this interesting? What theoretical issues hinge on it?
ii) What is the logic of the experiment? i.e. What is compared to what, and exactly how and why does any difference between these conditions or lack thereof answer the question posed in (i). Don't focus on the trivial experimental details. Rather, emphasize the main idea behind the paper. (e.g. The task the subject's performed is likely to be important, the exact nature of the stimuli likely is not.) For guidance about what is important and what is not, look at the kind of information TA put on overheads when they describe an experiment in class.
iii) What were the main findings? How did they answer the question posed?
iv) Implications: What follows from the results - what are the broader implications?
v) What do you think about this paper - does the design make sense or do you see flaws and if so what are they? How would you have done the experiment better? What further experiments would you want to try next, based on the results reported in this paper?
Articles for the Written Assigment
NOTE: If you do not find the article both interesting and intelligible, choose another one!
Blake R. V., S. J. Wroe, E. K. Breen, and R. A. McCarthy. "Accelerated forgetting in patients with epilepsy: Evidence for an impairment in memory consolidation." Brain. 123 Pt 3 (Mar 2000): 472-83.
Canli T., Z. Zhao, J. Brewer, J. D. Gabrieli, and L. Cahill. "Event-relachated activation in the human amygdala associates with later memory for individual emotional experience." J Neurosci. 20, 19 (Oct 1, 2000): RC99.
Cycowicz Y. M., D. Friedman, J. G. Snodgrass, and M. Duff. "Recognition and source memory for pictures in children and adults." Neuropsychologia. 39, 3 (2001): 255-67.
de Fockert J. W., G. Rees, C. D. Frith, and N. Lavie. "The role of working memory in visual selective attention." Science. 291, 5509 (Mar 2 2001): 1803-6.
Donaldson D. I., S. E. Petersen, and R. L. Buckner. "Dissociating memory retrieval processes using fMRI: evidence that priming does not support recognition memory." Neuron. 31, 6 (27 Sep 2001): 1047-59.
Druzgal T. J., and M. D'Esposito. "Activity in fusiform face area modulated as a function of working memory load." Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 10, 3 (Jan 2001): 355-64.
Due Dates
First draft due after LEC #14
The objectives of the first draft are for you to provide a complete initial version of your paper so that we can provide you feedback on the writing, organization, and approach to your critique. Your final paper will substantially benefit from this feedback. Thus, you should be sure to hand in a thorough first draft so that we can provide useful and pointed feedback.
Final draft due after LEC #24