In this course we emphasize the critical evaluation of topical issues and data in working memory research. Toward this end, we also emphasize the methods of neuroimaging, neuropsychology, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), electroencephalography (EEG), and experimental psychology.
Format: Each week we discuss (at least) one article from the recent literature. These discussions are organized as informal presentations that will give us an opportunity to discuss and assess in detail the theory, methods, results, and interpretation associated with that particular paper. On occasion, these discussions are supplemented with, or supplanted by, an informal presentation of the design and/or results from an experiment being conducted in the Postle laboratory (see section on "3 credits", below). Following the discussion of a particular paper or project, we end the meeting with an attempt to integrate what we've learned from this specific information into the perspective of contemporary cognitive neuroscience inquiry.
Levels of participation: The class may be taken for 1 or 3 credits. The requirements for 1-credit registrants are simply to come to class having read the assigned paper, and prepared to participate in the discussion. The additional requirements for 3-credit registrants are to participate in a research project in the Postle laboratory that entails at least 10 hr./wk. of research time during two consecutive semesters. Availability of 3-credit option depends on current needs of the lab. The Fall-semester version of the course is Psychology 697, the Spring semester version is Psychology 618. The in-class presentations of 3-crediters typically focus on their own experiments.
Grading: 1-credit: in-class participation
3-credit: in-class participation, paper, and research
Meeting time and place: Fridays 9:55-10:45(ish) am, room 638 Psychology (unless otherwise noted)
Instructor: Brad Postle, 515 Psychology, 262-4330, postle@wisc.edu.
Office hours: by appointment.
With the exception of time-sensitive emergencies, email is the most effective and preferred way for you to contact me.
All readings are either available for download at http://psych.wisc.edu/postlab, or in hardcopy in room 266 during the week prior to class.
Background readings
Postle BR (2011). What underlies the ability to guide action with spatial information that is no longer present in the environment? In A. Vandierendonck and A. Szmalec (Eds.) Spatial Working Memory. Psychology Press (Hove, U.K.)
Lewis-Peacock JA and Postle BR (In press). Decoding the internal focus of attention. Neuropsychologia.
January 20
Buschman TJ and Miller EK (2010). Shifting the spotlight of attention: Evidence for discrete computations in cognition. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 4(194): 1-9.
Buschman will be giving a talk on Monday Jan 23rd at 3:45pm in the Berkowitz room
January 27
Linden DEJ, Oosterhof NN, Klein C and Downing PE (2012). Mapping brain activation and information during category-specific visual working memory. Journal of Neurophysiology. 107(2): 628-639.
February 3
Jeff will give a practice talk.
Johnson JS, Kundu B, Casali AG, Postle BR (Submitted). Task-dependent changes in cortical excitability and effective connectivity: A combined TMS-EEG study
February 10
Hsieh P-J, Colas JT and Kanwisher N (2011). Pop-out without awareness: Unseen feature singletons capture attention only when top-down attention is available. Psych. Science. 22(9): 1220Ð1226.
February 17
Cohen MA, Alvarez GA and Nakayama K (2011). Natural-scene perception requires attention. Psych. Science. 22(9): 1165Ð1172.
February 24
Rosanova M, Gosseries O, Casarotto S, Boly M, Casali AG, Bruno MA, Mariotti M, Boveroux P, Tononi G, Laureys S and Massimini M (In press). Recovery of cortical effective connectivity and recovery of consciousness in vegetative patients. Brain.
March 2
Hussar C and Pasternak T (2012). Memory-guided sensory comparisons in the prefrontal cortex: contribution of putative pyramidal cells and interneurons. Journal of Neuroscience.
March 9
Raizada RD and Connolly AC (In press). What makes different people's representations alike: Neural similarity space solves the problem of across-subject fMRI decoding. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
March 16
Barak O, Tsodyks M and Romo R (2010). Neuronal population coding of parametric working memory. Journal of Neuroscience, 30(28): 9424-9430.
March 23
CNS practice presentations.
Steve, Josh and Bornali will present their posters.
March 30
Jimura K and Poldrack RA (2012). Analyses of regional-average activation and multivoxel pattern information tell complementary stories. Neuropsychologia, 50: 544-552.
April 6
No meeting -- Spring break
April 13
Capotosto P, Babiloni C, Romani GL and Corbetta M (2012). Differential contribution of right and left parietal cortex to the control of spatial attention: A simultaneous EEG-rTMS study. Cerebral Cortex, 22: 446-454.
April 20
Majerus S, Attout L, D'Argembeau A, Degueldre C, Fias W, Maquet P, Perez TM, Stawarczyk D, Salmon E, Van der Linden M, Phillips C, and Balteau E (2012). Attention supports verbal short-term memory via competition between dorsal and ventral attention networks. Cerebral Cortex, 22: 1086-197.
April 27
Serences JT and Saproo S (2012). Computational advances towards linking BOLD and behavior. Neuropsychologia, 50: 435-446.
May 4
Wang L, Li X, Hsiao SS, Bodner M, Lenz F, and Zhou YD (2012). Persistent neuronal firing in primary somatosensory cortex in the absence of working memory of trial-specific features of the sample stimuli in a haptic working memory task. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. 24(3): 664-676.
Future
Cichy RM, Heinzle J and Haynes J-D (2012). Imagery and perception share cortical representations of content and location. Cerebral Cortex, 22: 372-380.
Hong SW, Tong F, Seiffert AE (2012). Direction-selective patterns of activity in human visual cortex suggest common neural substrates for different types of motion. Neuropsychologia, 50: 514-521.
Where to take complaints about a Teaching Assistant or Course Instructor:
Occasionally, a student may have a complaint about a TA or course instructor. If that happens, you should feel free to discuss the matter directly with the TA or instructor. If the complaint is about the TA and you do not feel comfortable discussing it with him or her, you should discuss it with the course instructor. If you do not want to approach the instructor, make an appointment to speak to the Department Chair, Professor Patricia Devine, by emailing: chair@psych.wisc.edu.
If your complaint has to do with sexual harassment, you may also take your complaint to Vicky Lenzlinger, Undergraduate Program Coordinator, phone 262-0512 or email her at vlenzlinger@psych.wisc.edu. Her office is located on the second floor of the Psychology building, room 222.
If you believe the TA or course instructor has discriminated against you because of your religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnic background, you also may take your complaint to the Office of Equity and Diversity, room 179-A Bascom Hall, or go to: http://www.oed.wisc.edu/