Psych 391SC: Scientific Studies of Consciousness

Fall 2025

Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Tobin 307

email: psych391sc-kcave@umass.edu

Instructor: Kyle Cave
phone: 413-545-2787
Office hours: Wednesday 2:00-3:00 pm or by appointment

This page last updated 18 August, 2025.

Attending class in Tobin 307 during the scheduled class time (TuTh 1:00-2:15) will be important, so be sure to keep these times free in your schedule.

Research in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience is constantly revealing new facts about how we see, hear, speak, move, recognize, remember, learn, and reason. The goal of these scientific studies is to explain these mental processes thoroughly and completely. However, many people feel that there is something about our consciousness or inner mental life that can never be explained by any scientific theory, no matter how advanced. In this seminar, we will ask what consciousness is, and will assess what current science can tell us about it. We will consider the different ways in which philosophers have tried to explain consciousness and the relationship between mind and body. Then we will examine how far science has progressed in explaining the workings of the mind, considering evidence from many different sources, including psychological experiments, brain imaging, neuronal recordings, and the effects of brain damage and drugs on experience and behavior. Finally, we will examine what is still unexplained, and will ask whether Science can ever explain everything about the mind.

Communicating Outside of Class:

You are encouraged to contact me with questions and comments about any aspect of the class. You can reach me at the email address or at the phone number at the top of this page. 

If I need to reach you in between classes, I will send e-mail to your UMass account. 

There is a Canvas site for this class with this syllabus, class notes, the Zoom link for office hours,and other materials.

In-Class Quizzes and Assignments:

• Read this carefully. Ask if there is any part you do not understand. 

• Some classes will include a quiz or other type of written assignment. They will not be announced in advance.

• Each quiz or assignment may cover the material in the assigned reading, the material covered in class that day, or material from previous days.

• The format of the quizzes and assignments may vary. There could be essay questions, multiple choice, or other formats.

• Time for completing the quiz or assignment will be limited.

• Make-ups will not be offered for missed quizzes or assignments.

• Unless specified otherwise, you should not access any outside sources while completing in-class quizzes and assignments.

Other Assignments:

There may be other assignments throughout the class. These assignments are likely to include questions and other activities that will be done during class, and you will need to be present during the class in order to hand them in. Unless we specifically say otherwise, the work you turn in for the assignments must be entirely your own.

Integrative Experience Requirement

When combined with Psych 494PI this course will satisfy the three Integrative Experience requirements for psychology majors.

• Psych 494PI will meet Criterion 1.

• Psych 391 advanced seminars, like this course, will meet Criteria 2 and 3.

• Criterion 2. "The course should provide students with the opportunity to practice General Education learning objectives such as oral communication, collaboration, critical thinking and interdisciplinary perspective-taking, at a more advanced level."

• Seminars are designed to engage you in scientific discussion and you are expected to share your ideas through class participation, oral presentations, and written critiques. You will evaluate current theory and practice, critique primary source material, and integrate interdisciplinary perspectives.

• In this course, you will participate in many class discussions on different aspects of consciousness. You will write a series of thought papers on different topics, and you will work with another student in the class to present a presentation on a topic that you choose.

• Criterion 3. "The course should offer students a shared learning experience for applying their prior learning to new situations, challenging questions, and real-world problems."

• Throughout the semester you will collaborate with each other through discussion and critique of the current empirical literature and evaluation of real world application. You will build on your knowledge of psychology and research design to evaluate real world problems from diverse perspectives.

• In the real world, each of us deals with our conscious experience throughout each day. This class should provide new perspectives on the nature of your conscious experience. We will also learn about how brain damage affects conscious experience when we examine conditions such a blindsight and spatial neglect. We will also see how cognitive neuroscience methods are being used to establish communication with patients who are paralyzed by brain damage.

Extra Credit Through SONA

There is an opportunity to earn bonus points for SONA credits in this course. SONA credits can be earned by participating in research studies or through an alternative. Each SONA credit will increase your course grade by 0.5 points on a 100-point scale. In this class, you can use a maximum of 6 SONA credits to increase your course grade by a maximum of 3 points. To earn SONA credits and assign them to this course, start by registering for a SONA account or logging into your existing account. Instructions for accessing SONA are available here: SONA and Research Participation : Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences : UMass Amherst

Experiment participation: You are encouraged to earn SONA credits by participating in research studies. The ability of scientists to conduct human subjects research depends on volunteers like you. Much of the science taught in psychology courses is based on undergraduate students' participation in research studies. To earn SONA credits for research participation: 

1. Complete the mandatory, brief, non-credited survey the first time you login to SONA.

2. You are encouraged to participate in the study titled “Long Prescreen Fall 2024”, for 1-2 credits, which is only available until September 24th at 2 pm. Participating in this online study may make you eligible for studies you would otherwise not know about.  

3. Note the time and specific location of the study. There will be reminders, but it is your responsibility to attend an experimental session that you signed up for. 

4. After your participation, confirm the researcher gave you the correct number of SONA credits (1 credit for every 30 minutes of participation). 

5. Assign your SONA credits to Psych391SC - Cave. Some courses have more than one instructor and some instructors teach more than one course. Be careful about selecting the correct one.  

6. Experiments must be completed by December 9th at 11:59 pm, and credits must be assigned to this course by December 15th at 4:00 pm in order to receive bonus points. There will be no opportunities for credit after December 9th. 

 Other ways to earn SONA credits: Some students are ineligible to participate in research (e.g.,not yet 18-years old) or choose not to participate in the research studies that are available. To earn SONA credits through an alternative activity: 

1. When completing the mandatory brief survey, the first time you login to SONA, be sure to mark that you are unable or unwilling to participate in research studies when asked. 

2. Check the availability of ALTERNATIVE activities frequently. These will typically include attending an in-person research talk or in-person research demonstrations similar to what you might do in a psychology class.  

3. See instructions 4-6 above.

Regardless of how you earn your SONA credits, please make note of the following: 

SONA credits will not show up on Canvas. You can confirm that you have earned credits and assigned them to this course in SONA. The instructor will be sent the number of SONA credits you earned at the end of the semester before submitting your final course grade.  

Attend the sessions you sign up for. Some research costs a great deal of time and money once a session is scheduled regardless of whether the participant shows up or not.  

1. 1. 1. If you, an experimenter, or a session organizer needs to cancel a session with more than 24 hours' notice for any reason, no SONA credit will be assigned, and no penalty will be assigned.  

      2. For online studies that can be completed at any time, if you sign up but fail to participate by the deadline, no SONA credit will be assigned, and no penalty will be assigned (marked as excused).  

      3. For in-person sessions and online sessions scheduled at a specified time, you must either cancel more than 24 hours before the scheduled time or arrive at the designated place within 5 minutes of the scheduled time. Otherwise, the experimenter or session organizer will assign an unexcused “no-show” regardless of the reason.  

      4. If you are assigned three unexcused “no-shows” in a semester you will be unable to sign up for any more experiments or alternatives.  

      5. If you have a valid reason for missing the session and fail to provide 24-hour notice, email psychsona@umass.edu within 48 hours with the reason. Your history of no-shows will be reviewed and if your reason is, unexcused “no-shows” will be changed to excused absences, which will also reinstate your access to SONA and the previously earned SONA credits.  

      6. If the researcher does not show up within ten minutes of the scheduled appointment, you will be compensated with 1 SONA credit for showing up. Please email psychsona@umass.edu and inform them. You should be able to reschedule if you still want to participate in the study. 

If you have a disability and are registered with Disability Services, you can request an accommodation if neither experiment participation nor the alternative can work for you. With your instructor cc’d, please email psychsona@umass.edu for an alternative assignment (e.g., written summary of research articles) that will fully accommodate your needs.  

If you are having any problems accessing SONA or SONA credit opportunities, please contact psychsona@umass.edu. Neither instructors nor teaching assistants for this class will be able to help. The department will provide sufficient opportunities for you to earn SONA credits if you want them and address the issues you are having within the first 8 weeks of the semester.  

Diversity Statement

In recognition and affirmation of the worth and dignity of all persons, the instructor of this class is dedicated to upholding the values of diversity and inclusion and to minimizing disparities in access to learning. All students who are willing to learn are equally welcome without regard to age, race, ethnicity, birthplace, sex, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or identity, socioeconomic status, political party or beliefs, or other group affiliation or personal characteristics. All students are likewise expected to accord each other the same level of respect, bearing in mind that becoming more respectful and inclusive is a journey rather than a destination. We will all have stumbling points along the way, including the instructor, and these are often valuable learning opportunities. If I ever say or do anything insensitive in this class, I sincerely welcome students to call me out or communicate their discomfort to me in person after class, during office hours, by email, or anonymously.    

Academic Integrity Statement

UMass Amherst is strongly committed to academic integrity, which is defined as completing all academic work without cheating, lying, stealing, or receiving unauthorized assistance from any other person, or using any source of information not appropriately authorized or attributed. As a community, we hold each other accountable and support each other’s knowledge and understanding of academic integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University and includes, but is not limited to: Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, lying, facilitating dishonesty, via analogue and digital means. Sanctions may be imposed on any student who committed or participated in an academic integrity infraction. Any person who has reason to believe that a student has committed an academic integrity infraction should bring such information to the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. All students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have read and acknowledged the Commitment to Academic Integrity and are knowingly responsible for completing all work with integrity and in accordance with the policy: https://www.umass.edu/senate/book/academic-regulations- academic-integrity-policy   

Everything that you turn in for this class should be written entirely in your own words. For guidelines about plagiarism, see https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/plagiarism.html. If you are ever in doubt about when and how to give credit for the ideas and experimental results you include in your written assignments and presentations, consult us.

Accommodation Statement 

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability on file with Disability Services (DS), you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations to help you succeed in this course. If you have a documented disability that requires an accommodation, please notify me within the first two weeks of the semester so that we may make appropriate arrangements. For further information, please visit Disability Services (https://www.umass.edu/disability/)

 Title IX Statement  

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits gender-based discrimination in educational settings that receive federal funds, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students, free from all forms of discrimination, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and retaliation. This includes interactions in person or online through digital platforms and social media. Title IX also protects against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, or related conditions, including recovery. There are resources here on campus to support you. A summary of the available Title IX resources (confidential and non-confidential) can be found at the following link: https://www.umass.edu/titleix/resources. You do not need to make a formal report to access them. If you need immediate support, you are not alone. Free and confidential support is available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week / 365 days a year at the SASA Hotline 413-545-0800.

Final grade:

• Exams: 35% 

• In-Class Quizzes and other assignments: 20%

• Presentation: 20%

• Thought Questions: 25%

Extra credit is available through experimental participation. See above.  

An updated version of syllabus is available on the World Wide Web at: 

https://sites.google.com/umass.edu/psych-391sc-syllabus/home