32035 - Cognitive and Social Neurosciences

Learning outcomes

A the end of the course, students will know a) the main techniques involved in Cognitive Neuroscience; b) the neural bases of cognitive and affective processes; c) neural basis of social interaction. 

Course contents

Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience

 

Module 1 (8 CFU, prof. di Pellegrino):

• Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience
• Selective Attention
• Learning and Memory
• The Control of Action
• Emotion
• Motivation and regulation of food intake
• Prefrontal cortex and executive function
• Decision-making

Module 2 (4 CFU, prof. Frassinetti):

• Cerebral Plasticity
• Visual Object Recognition
• Visual Space Representation
• Sleep and Cerebral Rhythms

The course will take place during the first cycle of lectures  (from September to December 2018) at the Cesena Campus of the School of Psychology and Education (address: piazza A. Moro, 90, Cesena).

Readings/Bibliography

GAZZANIGA Michael S, IVRY Richard B, MANGUN George R

Neuroscienze Cognitive

Zanichelli (2015)

(particularly, Chapter 2, 3, 5-10, 12-13)

 

In addition, the slides presented durning the lecture, and some articles in English will be made available to students.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures, presentation and discussion of clinical cases and experiments, brief video clips projections, analysis of scientific articles. 

Assessment methods

Verification of the learning outcomes takes place through the final exam that ensures the acquisition of the expected outcomes by conducting a written test of 1 hour and 10 minutes.

The exam test consists of:

• 3 open questions on the topics covered in Module 1 (Prof. di Pellegrino); Each correct question allows you to get 6.7 points for a total of 20 points.
• 20 multiple-choice questions on the topics covered in Module 2 Prof Frassinetti); each correct question allows you to get 0.5 points for a total of 10 points;

Partial exams

Students can take the exam test through 2 partial tests.

The first partial exam, lasting 20 minutes, with 20 multiple choice questions on the topics covered in Module 2 (prof. Frassinetti), will take place in December 2019 (date will be communicated to students during lectures and published as a notice on the portal of the two teachers of the course).

The second partial exam, 50 min, with 3 open questions on the topics covered in Module 1 (prof. di Pellegrino), can take place during the 2020 winter session. To be eligible for the 2nd partial test, it is necessary to obtain a minimum score of 6 points at the 1st partial test.

The final vote is calculated as the sum of the scores to the two partial tests.

A full exam will be made available to students in each session.

Note: Students who have passed the 1st but have not passed or taken the 2nd partial exam in the 2020 winter session will have to take the exam in its entirety.

Assessment criteria

The following criteria will be applied for the evaluation of each test answer.

An answer which

• demonstrates extensive theoretical and empirical knowledge and understanding of tested topic (0-3 points);
• reveals critical analysis and ability to integrate different aspects of the relevant literature (0-2 points);
• is well-written, and logically articulated (0-1.7).

During the exam students are not allowed to consult any materials, such as textbooks, notes, electronic devices.

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.

 

NOTE (15/04/2020): Due to the recent health emergency linked to Covid-19, in the next exam sessions, exams will take place remotely via Teams, and will consist of 2 questions for module 1 (di Pellegrino), and 1 question for module 2 (Frassinetti). Each correct answer will allow you to get 10 points, for a total of 30 points / 30.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint slides, video clips

 

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Di Pellegrino

See the website of Francesca Frassinetti