General Psychology (2017/2018)

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Course code
4S00798
Name of lecturer
Roberto Burro
Coordinator
Roberto Burro
Number of ECTS credits allocated
9
Academic sector
M-PSI/01 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
Language of instruction
Italian
Period
Sem. IA, Sem. IB

Lesson timetable

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Learning outcomes

Starting with an introductory analysis of the historical process that led to Psychology becoming an experimental science, the course will then focus on the main themes involved when studying learning and memory as cognitive processes. A special focus will be given from the beginning to the epistemological and methodological differences characterizing Psychology as an experimental science as compared to other humanistic disciplines. The study of learning and memory will be integrated with the study of other classic processes which contribute to the complex human cognitive structure, such as perception, psychophysics, consciousness, attention, language, reasoning and emotions.

Syllabus

1) Psychology as a Science
What is Psychology?
The Birth of Psychology as a Science
Main Currents in the Development of Psychology

2) Methods and procedures of Psychology
The Scientific Method in Psychology
Ethics
Understanding the Search Results

3) Evolution, and Behavior Heritability
Development of the Science of Evolution
Natural Selection and Evolution
Heritability and Genetics
The Sociobiology

4) The Biology of Behavior
The brain and its components
Chemicals and Behavior
The study of the brain
The control of the behavior and physiological functions of the body

5) Learning and Behaviour
Procedures for the study of the basic processes of learning
Conditions necessary for learning
Results dell'Apprendimendimento
The cellular mechanisms of reinforcement
The behavior of subjects who have had multiple experiences of learning

6) The feeling
The sensory processes
The vision
Hearing
The taste
Smell
The bodily senses

7) The Perception
Brain mechanisms of visual perception
The perception of objects
Perception of Space and Motion

8) Memory
Sensory memory
The short-term memory or working memory
Learning and coding in long-term memory
The organization of long-term memory
Remember

9) The Conscience
Consciousness as a social phenomenon
Selective attention
The consciousness and the brain
Hypnosis
Sleep

10) The Language
The comprehension and production of language
The reading
The acquisition of language in children

11) Intelligence and Thought
Intelligence: global or multi-component?
The assessment of intelligence
The role of inheritance and environment
Thinking and problem solving

12) The development over the life
Prenatal development
Physical development and perception in the infant and childhood
Cognitive development in the infant and childhood
Social development in infant and childhood
The development of gender differences
Developing Moral
Adolescence
Adulthood and Old Age

13) Motivation and Emotion
What is the motivation?
Motivation and reinforcement
Aggressive behavior
Sexual behavior
Emotions
Expression and recognition of emotions
Feelings
The feeding behavior

14) Personality
Theories of Personality Traits
Psychobiological approaches
Approaches Sociocognitivi
The Psychodynamic Approach
The Humanistic Approach
Assessment of Personality

15) The Health Psychology
The social cognition
Attitudes: their training and their change
Stereotypes and prejudices
Social influences and behaviors of group
The interpersonal attraction and love

16) Lifestyle, Stress and Health
Cultural evolution: the choice of lifestyles and their consequences
Healthy Lifestyles and not
Prevent unhealthy lifestyles through self-control
Stress and health
Coping with the stresses of everyday life

17) The Nature and Causes of Mental Disorders
The classification and diagnosis of mental disorders
The anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders and dissociative disorders
Personality disorders
Disorders related substances
Schizophrenia
Mood disorders

18) Treatment of Mental Disorders
The Scientific Method in Psychology
Therapies introspective
Behavioral therapies, cognitive therapies and cognitive-behavioral therapies
The group therapy and community psychology
Biological therapies
The relationship between client and therapist

Reference books
Author Title Publisher Year ISBN Note
CARLSON, N.R, et al. PSICOLOGIA. LA SCIENZA DEL COMPORTAMENTO. PICCIN EDITORE, PADOVA 2007 978-88-299-1919-2

Assessment methods and criteria

Exam texts:

CARLSON, N. R, et al. (2007). PSICOLOGIA. La Scienza del Comportamento. PICCIN EDITORE, PADOVA.



Evaluation methods:

Multiple choice test.

STUDENT MODULE EVALUATION - 2017/2018


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