78194 - Forensic Neuropsychology.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will have knowledge of: -neuropsychology applied to the forensic practice, - the social and juridical consequences of cognitive and behavioral disorders,- the consequences and assessment of loss of capacity, especially with regard to the assumption of responsibility.

Course contents

Contents will involve both the theoretical aspects of the interaction between law and neuroscience (neuroethics, and the impact of neuropsychological research on judicial decision-making), as well as more practical aspects (e.g., the use of neuropsychological evidence in legal proceedings). Main contents are:

Elisa Ciaramelli's module (1)

• the neuropsychological assessment in the forensic context
• the assessment of capacity
• the cognitive and neural bases of moral judgment in psychopathy
• the cognitive and neural bases of free will
• psychogenic amnesia and simulated amnesia
• lie-detection techniques

Luca Sammicheli's module (2)

• the role of neuropsychology in criminal and civil proceedings
• the psychology of eyewitness testimony

The course will take place during the first semester (February/April 2018) at the Cesena Campus of the School of Psychology and Education (address: p.zza A. Moro, 90).

 

Readings/Bibliography

- Stracciari A., Bianchi A., Sartori G., Neuropsicologia forense, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2010

- Lavazza A., Sammicheli L., Il delitto del cervello - La scienza tra mente e diritto, Codice Edizioni, Torino, 2012.

 

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons

Discussions of scientific papers

Discussion of expert cases

 

Assessment methods

The final examination assesses the expected learning outcomes outlined above, including the knowledge of the techniques, methods, and criticalities of forensic neuropsychology, and the contribution that neurosciences can give to this discipline.

The examination, with a duration of 1.5 hours, is written, and consists of 4 open questions (3 questions relative to E. Ciaramelli's module, 1 question relative to L.Sammicheli's module), each of which can receive a maximum score of 7.5. The final score (expressed out of 30) is the sum of the scores attained at the 4 questions.

IMP: It is necessary to sign up for the examination through the dedicated website, and within the deadline. Any problem in registering through the website should be promptly communicated to the administrative staff.  

Teaching tools

PowerPoint slides

Scientific papers and reviews

Collective discussions of expert cases

Links to further information

http://www.psice.unibo.it/

Office hours

See the website of Elisa Ciaramelli

See the website of Luca Sammicheli