02207 - General Psychology

Learning outcomes

The course will develop following knowledge and skills:

- Fundamentals of scientific Psychology with specific reference to cognitive processes. This is a basic knowledge useful to understand human behavior in educational settings, as well as in the planning and in the assessment phases of educational interventions. –

-The ability to collect, explain and thought about the cognitive functioning of psychological data, showing critical thinking and self-criticism

- Basic Psychological knowledge necessary to undertake further studies in Developmental Pychology, Social Psychology and Clinical Psychology.

Course contents

The course will concern the fundamental knowledge of scientific psychology from its origins to the most recent studies on cognitive processes. The general objective of the course is to provide students the basic knowledge of the human mind functioning also in relation to neuroscience.

The outline of the course consists in:

Historical introduction to scientific psychology with particular reference to the current Psychological perspectives: Neuroscience, Evolutionary Perspective, Behaviorism, Cognitive and Socio-cultural approaches.

Methods in psychological research: experimental method, the observational method, the psychometric approach.

Evolutionary psychology: the nature/nurture controversy in the human behavior.

Cognitive processes: perception, learning, memory, thought.

Specific issues: intelligence, emotions and personality.

Readings/Bibliography

Micheal Passer, Nigel Holt, Andy Bremner, Ed Sutherland, Micheal Vliek, Ronald Smith
Psicologia generale - La scienza della mente e del pensiero
McGraw Hill

(Chapters 3 and 4 are for reading only and will not be considered in the exam)

Teaching methods

Academic teaching (Lecture).

Students are encouraged to attend lectures in order to directly interact with the teacher about the contents of the course. Lectures aim to deepen the understanding of the main issues of the course contents.

Moreover, part of the course will take place via e-learning

Assessment methods

At the end of the lessons, the student have to take an exam (the assessments will be with scale 30). The exam will be a writing with three open questions in a hour and an half. On the e-learning of the course, students can find the complete list of the possible examination questions will be provided by the teacher.

In order to take the exam, electronic registration is required, in compliance with mandatory deadlines.

Students who fail an exam cannot retake it at the subsequent exam date.

Teaching tools

Lectures will constantly use visual aids (PowerPoint).

Part of the course will take place via e-learning (the details will be provided at the beginning of the course).

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Passini