Learning Outcomes
As regards cognitive aging, the students are expected to acquire basic knowledge about higher- and lower-level-cognitive- functions in healthy and pathological ageing. They will also be able to develop basic skills as regards the administration of main psychometric and neuropsychological instruments usually used to screen for cognitive decline and dementia.
As regards the section "Stress and the brain", students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of a) the stress response, b) the impact of stress on specific brain areas and aspects of behavior that are mediated by these areas.
As concerns the section "Recovery from job demands", students are expected to demonstrate knowledge on a) the theoretical models that explain work stress and its outcomes, b) the process of recovery from job demands, c) the cognitive mechanisms that explain this process, and d) certain methodological issues that relate to the study of the recovery process.
As regards the section "Selected Issues in Cognitive Science", students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of key subjects of conteomporary Cognitive Science.
Course Content (Syllabus)
"Cognitive ageing": in the subsection of cognitive ageing the course covers subjects related to population processes and cognitive ageing, genetic and environmental influences on cognitive change, social structure and cognitive change, patterns of cognitive ageing,main theories of lifespan development and ageing, challenges in attention, age-related changes in memory systems, executive functions, problem solving, expertise, and wisdom in ageing.
"Stress and the brain": The topics that will be covered include the effects of stress on markers of synaptic plasticity and cognitive/emotional aspects of behavior. Findings from both human and animal research will be presented.
"Recovery from job demands": The topics that will be covered include work stress and its outcomes, the daily recovery processes and the mediating and moderating factors therein, and certain methodological challenges that researchers face when studying the daily recovery process.
Course Bibliography (Eudoxus)
Section "Stress and the brain"
Biopsychology (4th ed.)/John P. J. Pinel). Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Section "Cognitive Science"
Eysenk M.W. (2006) Fundamentals of Cognition N.Y. Psychology Press (Chapter 21)
Fodor J. (1998) Concepts Oxford U.P.
Fodor J. (2008) LOT 2 Oxford University Press
Libet B. (2004) Mind Time Harvard U. P. (selections)
Wegner, D.M. (2002) The Illusion of Conscious Will MIT Press (selections)
Section "Understanding working memory"
Baddeley, A. D. & Logie, R. H. (1999). Working memory: The multiple-component model. In: A. Miyake and P. Shah (eds), Models of working memory: Mechanisms of active maintenance and executive control. (28-61). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Holmes, J., Gathercole, S. (2014) Taking working memory training from the laboratory into schools, Educational Psychology: An International Journal of Experimental Educational Psychology, 34(4), 440-450
Gathercole, S. E. Dunning, D., Holmes, J. (2012) Cogmed training: Let's be realistic about intervention research, Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 1(3), 201-203
Gathercole, S.E. and Baddeley, A.D. (1993). Working memory and language. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Additional bibliography for study
As regards cognitive ageing, indicative bibliography is given on "e-learning". The students should also be able to find articles related to their presentations using the scientific databases.
Όσον αφορά την ενότητα της "γνωστικής γήρανσης", ενδεικτική βιβλιογραφία δίνεται στη σελίδα ου μαθήματος (e-learning). Oι φοιτητές θα πρέπει επίσης να κάνουν χρήση επιστημονικών άρθρων χρησιμοποιώντας τις επιστημονικές βάσεις.
As regards the section "Stress and the brain", research papers related to the topics will be given.
Όσον αφορά στην ενότητα "Στρες και εγκέφαλος", θα δοθούν στους φοιτητές επιστημονικά άρθρα σχετικά με τα θέματα που θα καλυφθούν στις διαλέξεις.