Psychology

The course examines, integrates, and applies theories of human development, learning, and assessment to educational practice. It introduces the theoretical and research foundations of educational psychology as they relate to classroom teaching. The course explores concepts such as well-being, self-efficacy, constructivism, digital technology, motivation, talent development, and assessment, while addressing questions including: Should well-being be taught in schools? Is self-control more important than self-esteem? Can digital technology transform learning? Is positive thinking overrated? Is there too much emphasis on measurement in assessment?

This course examines the psychological, physiological, and sociological foundations of music across the lifespan. It focuses on a broad range of topics including, among others, what happens in the brain when we play or are exposed to music, and what the clinical implications of music are. Students are encouraged to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge to develop new scientific research hypotheses and ideas related to the field.

Students complete an internship with a local organization or company. Each placement includes oversight and regular check-ins with an internship supervisor from the company or organization. The Internship Methodology Seminar accompanies the internship placement and offers a platform for reflection, enhancement of skills, and development of cultural competence. It focuses on practical skill application, cultural understanding, and adaptability within professional environments to provide a bridge between academic learning and real-world experience.

The course examines the role of culture in shaping psychological processes, with particular focus on Māori world views, and Pacific cultural contexts.

This course introduces psychological barriers to sustainable behavior, discussing, for instance, the role of social influence, attitudes and beliefs, or situational factors. The last weeks are dedicated to project work in which students use the acquired knowledge to examine specific behaviors and develop practical implications to foster sustainability in everyday life.

Prerequisite: A fair understanding of psychological constructs like intelligence, cognitive functions. General knowledge about neuropsychological assessment.

At the end of the course students have critically understood: how to compare the major approaches to the study of cognitive functions from an individual differences perspective; the experimental methods used to study individual differences, and more specifically intelligence and cognitive functioning at individual level; the importance of individual differences in different cognitive domains.

Course topics include: Introduction to the study of individual differences in cognition. Must-know concepts in personality, intelligence, neuropsychology & research methodology; The paradox of individual differences: study what is common to understand what is not. Difference between nomothetic and idiographic approach; Relation between individual characteristics and cognitive functioning; "hot" intelligence and performance; Evolutionary approaches to the study of human cognition; Individual specificities in cognitive functioning. Single case studies and group studies. The role of normative data for determining normal performance. Premorbid intelligence. Cognitive reserve; Role of culture, personality, education, age and lifelong experiences on individual cognition; Graphical representation of individual differences; Domain-specific and domain-general individual differences.

This course explores the close relationship between language and culture from the perspective of psychology. It assumes that language is not simply a mental code - it is embodied and is closely related to cultural meanings. The course addresses the psychological power of language and culture learning--how it can be frustrating but also life changing.

The course gradually moves from the foundational principles of Behavioral Science, to the practical applications based on those principles through three interlinked blocks. Students are introduced to dual-processing models of human behavior to highlight the role of the environment in shaping decisions. They consider the Dual System approach, heuristics and biases, and the influence of time, risk, and social preferences. The course delves into the science of happiness by introducing the main accounts of subjective wellbeing, how it is conceptualized and measured and its implications for policy and other contexts. Finally, the course introduces the Mindspace framework by teaching how various techniques from Behavioral Economics (incentives, commitments, defaults), Social Psychology (ego, messenger and social norms), and Cognitive Psychology (priming, affect) can be used to shape behavior. 

The course presents the conceptual and methodological elements that characterize the ethnopsychological approach to clinical psychology. Students are guided in the analysis of some content, applied research and some conceptualizations aimed at acquiring those methodological competencies designed to intervene in clinical situations. The lectures are interactive and require active participation on the part of the students. Experts with long-lasting experience in clinical services are involved in order to show certain practices regarding the course content. The course provides basic knowledge of ethnopsychology and the development of the following competencies: Competence to recognize and manage cultural differences; competence to recognize and manage one's own cognitive filters; competence to identify methodological practices regarding an ethnopsychological intervention; cultural competencies in Health Service.

This course surveys various abnormal behaviors and mental disorders. The first part of the course introduces the major psychological theories (Psychodynamic Theory, Learning Theory, Cognitive-Behavioral Theory) as well as the biological and socio-cultural theories which explain the phenomena, causes, and treatment of abnormal behaviors and mental disorders.  

In the second part, various phenomena and classification systems of mental disorders are presented. The focus is on psychological causes of various types of mental disorders: disorders related to anxiety, mood, and personality, somatoform disorders, dissociative disorders, schizophrenia, sex-related disorders, eating disorders, sleep disorders, alcoholism, mental disorders in childhood or adolescence.  

In addition, the course covers the proper treatments for mental disorders as well as how to improve mental health in general.