Psychology

This seminar focuses on interpersonal attraction and close relationships. These topics, introduced in the Social Psychology lecture, are examined in more depth in this seminar and enhanced by discussions based on the students’ perspectives and experiences.

This course provides an introduction to genetic studies on behavior, emotions, and cognition - a psychological discipline known as "behavior genetics." The course covers basic concepts in quantitative and molecular genetic sciences, and how these can be applied to study animal behavior, human traits and disorders, and socioeconomic outcomes. This includes studies of genetic and environmental contributions and how statistical models of complex traits are analyzed with computer software. The course covers development of research skills for practical implementation of quantitative genetic statistical methods applicable throughout the life sciences.

This course examines contemporary issues in developmental theory and research from the prenatal period to adulthood. Topics will include theories of development, biological, cognitive, language, social, emotional, and moral development, as well as attachment,
the development of the self, the family, and peer relationships.

This course seeks to understand psychological knowledge and ways of thinking related to educational settings. It instructs on basic theories and phenomena in developmental psychology, learning psychology, cognitive psychology, clinical psychology, etc., in relation to issues facing school education.

This course explores the experience of violence involving children and adolescents. It discusses the protection of the rights of children and adolescents, the development of psychopathology and psychological problems in the child and adolescent population, and the impact of violence on psychosocial well-being, as well as the factors that affect the appearance and evolution of mental health problems. It conceptually characterizes the phenomenon of children and adolescents who grow up in homes where there is domestic violence between their caregivers and the co-occurrence of other forms of violence against children and adolescents, such as sexual assault.

It has been one of the fundamental assumptions of the philosophy of mind that there is a basic similarity between information processing in computers and in human cognition. This similarity is thought to allow to use one type of information processing as a model for the other type: Human cognition is thought to provide standards for the ascription of consciousness to artificial systems in the Turing Test, conversely, Deep Neural Networks are thought to provide insight into information processing in human cognition. Recent developments in scientific research and in computer technology, however, have cast severe doubt on this assumption. After a quick look back at the original assumption, the seminar will discuss more recent papers discussing both the use of artificial systems as models for human cognition and the use of human cognition for the attribution of higher cognitive abilities to artificial systems like large language models. The seminar aims at specifying criteria that can help to distinguish between valid and invalid inferences from one system to the other.

This course examines the role and purpose of music for individuals and communities, and the ways people engage with music to regulate their mood and emotions in ways that reinforce their overall wellbeing.

This course introduces theories, methods, and procedures that can be used to assess and manage the psychosocial work environment in work organizations. It covers theoretical and methodological approaches to the understanding of different types of job demands and job resources, and their differential impact on health, well-being, and organizational behavior. The course also discusses theoretical and practical approaches to occupational health assessment and intervention; and workplace bullying: concept, measurement, antecedents, and consequences, and intervention levels. Through group activities and case analyses, it introduces the challenges of translating theory into practice. The course is graded on a pass/no pass basis only.

This course will focus on sensitive but essential topics central to the psychology of globalization, such as colonialism and how it shaped our psychological understanding of ourselves and others; how racism and stereotyping are psychological phenomena that interfere with successful globalization today; or how cultures’ different set of moral values often conflict with one another. This course is an introduction to cultural psychology and focuses on how it is relevant in an increasingly globalized world. The first part of the course will introduce students to some fundamental concepts and findings in the field of cultural psychology. The second part of this course will apply this body of knowledge to our era of rapid globalization, one of the most important developments in the twenty-first century.

This course focuses on the biological foundations of information processing within the body (such as the autonomic nervous system and the central nervous system) to deepen understanding of how human psychological processes are involved in physiological activities. Additionally, students will learn an overview of physiological methods used in psychology and their respective characteristics.