Psychology

The course Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience presents an overview of the core topics in cognitive and biological psychology. These topics include (human) perception, learning, memory, planning, problem solving, reasoning, language, speech, and action. Both the functional and neuroanatomical foundations of cognitive faculties are addressed. Several models of cognition and theories of brain function that are of relevance to knowledge engineering are outlined. Several skills trainings are given to train understanding in biological functioning of neuronal communication and functioning of neural networks and genetic algorithms.

This is a broadly based course focusing on musical experiences in different contexts, containing elements of music perception, music and emotions, music and motion, as well as music in different social contexts. The course gives an overview of relevant research within these fields.

What happens when you suddenly find yourself in the society of unknown rules and most of your previous knowledge is useless? What are the psychological pre-conditions but also consequences of the political changes in the 1990s and how can we account for them in psychological terms? How can we link it to some social issues moving the Czech society now? These are some of the key questions explored in this multidisciplinary course, which employs critical social psychology as its main theoretical source although other theoretical perspectives are also included. The course examines problems related to socialization in the totalitarian regime, demands political changes towards democracy put on individuals in the Czech society, and whether we can find traces of these unique experiences in the present day society. The communist regime was strongly linked with regulated socialization in chosen institutions and forced civil participation, which in fact resulted in people's retreat to private life and on an authentic community participation. The course examines the effects of the totalitarian past on the Czech society as a whole as well as on individuals and presents cultural specifics related to non-violent change of the society from totality to democracy. In addition, it analyzes the concept of the post-totalitarian syndrome in relation to some current issues in the Czech society, including xenophobia and prejudice towards immigrants and other minorities, and explores the changes in gender equality and the transformation of the health and social services, particularly in regard to mental health.

This course approaches forensic psychology as a field shaped by evidence, interpretation, method, and power. Students explore how police, courts, therapists, and predictive technologies translate lived experiences of harm into technical categories; risk, pathology, disorder, and how these translations influence decisions about victims and offenders. Students also critically analyze why victims sometimes remain attached to their perpetrators, drawing on emerging frameworks such as weaponized attachment.