Psychology

This course allows students to identify research papers relevant to a health psychology topic, summarize and evaluate published evidence, relating to a health psychology topic, apply health psychology theory to a practical problem, and describe and think critically about a number of health psychology theories, models, and concepts. 

In this course, students investigate how the brain is organized to produce actions that serve particular purposes, focusing primarily on voluntary actions. Such actions involve a motivational component, but also cognitive considerations, attention choices, and motor options. For each of these components, decisions must be made. Students explore the different parts of the brain involved in these decisions, in close collaboration with subcortical structures such as basal ganglia. The corresponding practical for this course is Neuronal Basis of Decision Making where students gain hands-on experience with and reflect critically on (a) the selection and administration of tasks that are used to measure these cognitive processes and (b) the analyses of data sets obtained by using neuroimaging techniques (like EEG). During the practical, students are provided with tests and EEG data sets and work in small groups to analyze the EEG data. Questions raised during the practical are: Which steps are needed while analyzing neuroimaging data? Do different brain states induce different decision-making behaviors? How are differences in neuroimaging data or test performance examined? Students also perform statistical analyzes on EEG data sets and write a brief report.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. This course describes and evaluates the results of recent research on multisensory integration. First, the mechanisms underlying multisensory integration are outlined. The course then examines the perception of multisensory events, the advantages afforded by the ability to combine different sensory modalities and the key determinants of intersensory interactions. Another key question addressed is how multisensory interactions are linked to and modulated by attention. The course specifically considers the latest evidence assessing the role of exogenous and endogenous attentional mechanisms on cross-modal processes. In addition, the course also focuses on recent research concerning how multisensory information is used to create multiple spatial representations of our body parts and of the spaces within which they can act. The course reviews how these representations that are used to guide body movements through space show a considerable degree of plasticity. Finally, the course considers how the cortical system for perception may become radically reorganized after sensory deprivation and evaluate this surprising degree of cross-modal plasticity.

The seminar covers topics such as evaluation procedures, benefit assessments, adherence, and data protection and information security of digital health applications. As part of a project, students investigate selected digital health applications for different indication areas (such as alcohol consumption, insomnia, diabetes, fatigue, stress) and discuss the opportunities and risks of digital health applications for prevention and rehabilitation.

This course gives an overview of the contributions from applied cognitive, social, forensic psychology, and criminal psychology to the understanding of witness and criminal behavior. It examines the evidence from child witnesses and impact of crime on victims of sexual offences and provides an understanding of the implications of forensic psychology in the justice system. Students are expected to demonstrate awareness of current theories and research related to witness and criminal behavior. Students discuss issues related to the current state of knowledge on criminal behavior current incidents, research, and media influences.

This course introduces the discipline of psychology as it applies to the study of crime and criminal justice; explores the contribution of psychology to the explanation, prediction, and reduction of crime; critically appreciates the strengths and limitations of the featured approaches and literature; and develops transferable communications and metacognitive skills.

This course discusses a range of advanced topics in normal and abnormal development, in order to illuminate the processes underlying children’s development. Students learn about diverse cognitive, social, and biological determinants of development, and how the contribution of such factors depends on the domain of development. Students learn about recent theoretical approaches to child cognitive and social development and come to appreciate the conceptual link between views of the adult mind (the end state of development) and theories of how we develop towards this end state. The first section considers typical cognitive development, in particular the development of “higher” reasoning skills and the development of memory. The second section explores a variety of topics in typical and atypical socio-emotional development. There is a focus on the role of the care-giving environment, the importance of both nature and nurture, and longitudinal approaches to studying psychological development.

This course provides an introduction to the field of cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology is defined as the study of all processes by which sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used (Neisser, 1967). The course aims to scientifically explore and gain insight into human cognitive mechanisms and processes. The information processing of the mind as a cognitive system is modeled and explained based on experimental data. 

This course builds on the methods and designs covered in the introduction to Research Methods 1, 2, and 3. Students learn about advanced experimental, quasi-experimental, and survey designs along with the statistical techniques appropriate to analyze data produced by these approaches.

This course introduces psychology to students from diverse biomedical backgrounds. The course covers a wide range of topics, spanning all core perspectives within psychology (biological, cognitive, social, developmental and individual differences). It introduces key theories, experimental findings, and research methods. There will be weekly core lectures, followed by lectures focusing on special topics, such as synaesthesia, addiction, false memories and hypnosis.