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.
By the end of the part «understudying working memory” students are expected to
(a) Be able to describe all current theories and models about the structure and function of working memory.
(b) To understating the specific scientific methods used to investigate working memory function.
(c) To critically evaluate empirical data about the structure and function of working memory
(d) Be able to grasp the role working memory plays in higher order cognitive tasks.
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 regards the section "Selected Issues in Cognitive Science", students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of key subjects of conteomporary Cognitive Science.
By the end of the “social psychological approaches to immigration and intergroup contact” section students are expected :
a) to understand immigration and intergroup phenomena through the lens of social psychological theories and concepts
b) be familiar with the main strands of research on these topics
c) recognize potential social implications of different theoretical and methodological approaches
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.
Concerning the part “understanding working memory”, the topics that will be covert concern the theories and models about working t memory function, the different approaches to working memories dynamics, working memory’s relation with other memory systems and its role in learning. Finally, we will investigate the recent attempts to enhance working memory’s potential.
"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.
"Selected Issues in Cognitive Science": The topics that will be covered include a)Representations and Concepts, b) The Language of Thought Hypothesis, c) Does Consciousness cause or control Behavior?
The section “social psychological approaches to immigration and intergroup contact” will cover issues related to the study of identity and immigrants’ integration processes, intergroup contact and forms of racism and social exclusion in the host society.
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.
Section: social Psychological approaches to immigration and intergroup contact
Billig, M. (1995). Banal nationalism. sage.
Brown, R. (2011). Prejudice: Its social psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
Chryssochoou, X. (2004). Cultural diversity: Its social psychology. Blackwell Publishing.
Wetherell, M. (Ed.). (1996). Identities, groups and social issues (Vol. 3). Sage.