02207 - General Psychology

Learning outcomes

Students will have specific knowledge of main cognitive functions (i.e. attention, memory, learning, thinking, language) and emotional processes involved in human information processing and behavior.

Course contents

LEARNING AND MEMORY: Sensory registers, short-term memory, long-term memory. The organization of information in memory. Episodic and semantic memory, declarative and procedural memories. Strategies for storage. Neuropsychological bases of memory and amnesia. 
INTELLIGENCE:  Contemporary theories of intelligence.  The assessment of cognitive abilities.   The intelligence tests.  IQ and specific abilities. Mental retardation and dementia.
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION: Verbal and non verbal languages. Acquisition of verbal language. Brain damage and aphasia. Non verbal communication.
ATTENTION: Attentional systems: arousal and sustained attention;  selective attention; executive functions. Neuropsychology of attention: neglect and frontal syndrome.
CONSCIOUSNESS AND SLEEP: Wake-sleep alternation and circadian rythms; REM and NREM sleep; mental activity during sleep; functions of sleep and dreaming; memory consolidation during sleep. Sleep disorders. Narcolepsy.
EMOTION: Biological basis of emotion. Theory of emotion. Subcomponents of emotional responses. Primary emotions (basic) and secondary. Characteristics of basic emotions. Expression and emotion recognition. Neuropsychology of emotions.

Readings/Bibliography

In addition to handouts of lectures slides, the following references are recommended in preparing for the examination:
1. Feldman R.S. (2008), PSICOLOGIA GENERALE. McGraw-Hill.
Chapters:
6  MEMORIA;
8  INTELLIGENZA;
9  LINGUAGGIO E COMUNICAZIONE (pp. 274-285);
4  STATI DI COSCIENZA: L'ALTERNANZA SONNO-VEGLIA, IL SONNO E I DISTURBI DEL SONNO (pp. 119-129).
11 EMOZIONI 
2. Ladavas E. e Berti A. (2009), NEUROPSICOLOGIA, Il Mulino
Estratti dai capitoli:
7   DISTURBI DELLA MBT, AMNESIA ANTEROGRADA E AMNESIA RETROGADA (pp. 246-260 e pp. 261-264);
8   LA DEMENZA DI ALZHEIMER (pp. 286-301);
5   LE AFASIE (pp. 159-163);
3   L'ATTENZIONE E I DISTURBI DELL'ATTENZIONE SELETTIVA SPAZIALE (pp. 90-98 e pp. 109-112);
9   LA SINDROME FRONTALE (pp. 303-314). 
4   LE EMOZIONI

Teaching methods

Lectures. Classical psychology experiments will be simulated and typical patients behavior will be illustrated by video.
At the end of each lesson or topic, the specific references of recommended reading will be recalled.

Assessment methods

In the final test, the knowledge both of General Psychology and of Pedagogy will be concomitantly assessed, by means an oral examination.
Relative to General Psichology, the following outcomes will be assessed: 1.  knowledge of main cognitive functions (i.e. attention, memory, learning, thinking, language) and emotional processes at the base of human information processing and behavior; 2. knowledge of behavioral, cognitive and emotional modifications of patients with the main neurological disorders examined by lectures and recommended reading.

Teaching tools

Lectures, simulation of classical experiments in psychology and video presentation of typical patients behavior.
The handouts of lectures slides will be provided by the teacher on AMS campus http://campus.cib.unibo.it/ .

Office hours

See the website of Michela Mazzetti