85060 - General Psychology

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student possesses basic knowledge of general psychology and in particular with regard to: emotions and motivational states and their influence on behavior, individual differences in cognitive and non-cognitive personality traits, stress in the work environment and burnout, coping styles.

Course contents

HISTORY AND METHODS. General Introduction. The epistemological problems and methods of studying psychology.

MOTIVATION AND EMOTION. Components of motivation; functions of emotions; classical and contemporary theories; components of emotional response; expression and regulation of emotions and implications for health and health decision making.

COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION. Verbal and nonverbal communication; functions of communication; communication in health care; structure and functioning of groups; interprofessional collaboration and communication.

PERSONALITY. Comparison of personality theories; personality assessment; personality and decision making in health care.

MEMORY. Functions of memory; short-term memory; working memory; encoding and retrieval. Memory dysfunctions.

STRESS AND COPING: Definition and characteristics of stress; physiological and psychological reactions to stress; coping strategies; burnout syndrome; stress and conflict in the world of work.

Readings/Bibliography

SLides and scientific articles

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures and practical simulations.

Assessment methods

A written test with 31 forced-choice questions with 3 answer alternatives.

Teaching tools

Slides presented in the classroom and uploaded (in pdf version) to Virtuale.
Scientific articles; classroom simulation of experiments.

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Colonnello