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"Swiftly the head mass becomes an enchanted loom where millions of flashing shuttles weave a dissolving pattern, a shifting harmony of sub patterns."

Quote from Sir Charles Sherrington, eminent neurophysiologist, describing the awake brain in his lecture, "Brain and its works" at the University of Edinburgh.

Human Neuroscience Comm Sci 3235

What will I learn in this class?

This class is an introduction to the anatomy, organization, and function of the human nervous system, with an emphasis on the disorders that result from damage to the brain.

Do I need to participate in a lab experiment for this class?

The answer is yes you sure do! In order to provide hands-on experience of the techniques and nature of experimentation in Human Neuroscience, every student in Comm Sci 3235 is expected to sign up and participate as a subject in a learning experience conducted by the staff of the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

What is this lab experiment all about?

As part of your participation, you will have your brain electrical activity recorded as you listen to sounds and watch a visual display. The brain activity is recorded on a computer using standard electroencephalographic (EEG) techniques. This is a fairly unique opportunity designed to provide you with "real life" experience of techniques that most students can only read about.

By clicking on the link below entitled "Brain electrical activity in response to auditory stimulation", you will find a document that provides and further explains an orientation to the experience. The document prepares you for the experience by providing you with some "dos" and "don'ts" that you should read prior to your participation. In addition, it discusses the scientific basis for recording brain electrical activity from the scalp and describes how this information can provide information about how the neural activity generated by particular sensory systems can be derived from these recordings. You are advised to browse through this information prior to, during or soon after your participation - it will help you in writing up an informed reaction paper.

Brain electrical activity in response to auditory stimulation

Some Advice:

1,) READ THE HANDOUT!

There is a great deal of information in the handout that you need to process.
If there is something you do not understand about evoked potentials after reading the handout, then you can ask questions during the procedure.
Once you are finished, you may not have the opportunity to ask those questions, or you may forget them when it comes time to write up the lab. So take advantage of the lab experience and read up on it beforehand.

2.) DO NOT WAIT TO WRITE THE LAB UP!

It is best to do it while it is fresh in your mind.
If you wait until the last minute, you may have a difficult time writing up the lab.

3.) DO SOME BACKGROUND READING IF YOU CAN!

4.) BE WELL RESTED FOR THE EXPERIENCE!

It is imperative that you get a good night's sleep.
Please do not party heavily the night before. We want you to be in good shape for the experience. Also, we do not want you to fall asleep during the lab.
Your active participation depends on your grade.

What do I do after I participate in the lab experiment?

After you participate as a subject in this experience, you are required to write a brief reaction paper concerning your participation in the experiment. Guidelines for the paper are provided below.

Guidelines for reaction paper

Write a 100-200-word explanation of the rationale for the procedures used in the experience.
Identify two key connections between the experience and material you have learned in this class, in other courses, or in life.
Write 2 to 4 pages evaluating the content of the experience, addressing some or all of the following questions: What about the experience was most interesting? What was least interesting? Why? What suggestions would you have for improving the experiment or any of the tasks you were given. Do you think there is reason to question the validity of the experiment or any of the tasks or the findings? If so why? Overall, to report should be about 4 pages. You can use more if you like.

Here are some examples of previous lab reports. There is also a link to a good report at the bottom of this page:

Benefits for participating in this lab include:

Understanding the techniques and procedures used in Human Neuroscience.
A unique opportunity designed to provide you with "real life" experience of techniques that most students can only read about.
Allow you to participate in an important and fun experience while learning at the same time!

Comments from some lab reports written by students who participated in the lab experiment:

"The research participation in the lab was very different and 'cool' to say the least."
"I really appreciated the lab experience because it was interesting and I believe that having first hand exposure to a type of neurological testing will be helpful in my future studies and career."
"The experience in the lab was great in facilitating the application of material learned in class as well as a good model for those interested in pursuing research."
"The lab was an incredible opportunity and extremely informative.""The participation in the lab really helped in bringing a great deal of the major concepts covered in class."

Wall of Honor
Click on photo to enlarge

Another interesting class to register for is ...

Research Methods in Communication Sciences – CSCD 2201

Course Description

This class introduces quantitative research methods in the communication sciences. It covers a variety of study domains including field/descriptive, correlational, survey, clinical, ethnographic, and experimental research designs. Students learn various research methods for addressing particular types of research questions. Concepts covered include types of variables, parametric and nonparametric inferential statistics, sampling designs, hypothesis testing, and publication policies.

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