AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is firstly aimed at characterizing the scientific psychology with respect to commonsense psychology, from historical, epistemological, and methodological points of view. In particular the student should be able to recognize the relevance of the main schools at the origin of modern psychology, should know and be able to critically analyze the main thematic areas of investigation, their foundations, research methods and the main application fields of psychology. The student must also be able to define the main concepts of the psychic processes, know the main and more established  theories, their empirical basis, and how to operate a minimum critical comparison about the most discussed theories.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures, seminars.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Program for students who follow the course for 6 credits

Historical foundations of psychology. Folk psychology and scientific psychology. Theoretical and applied psychology. Wundt and structuralism. Functionalism. Gestalt psychology. Kurt Lewin. New Look. Fundamental concepts of Freudian psychoanalysis. Behaviorism and Neo-Behaviorism. Cognitivism: presuppositions and basic concepts. Critical evaluation of cognitive psychology. Notes on connectionism. Evolutionary Psychology. Ecological Psychology. Social constructionism, Cognitive Neuroscience.

Main areas of investigation in psychology. Social Psychology. Community Psychology, Work, Marketing, Environmental Psychology, School Psychology, Clinical Psychology.

Main methods in psychology. Observational, experimental, simulation, differential, clinical methods. Psychometrics: definition and psychological testing requirements.

Major concepts in psychology. Intelligence and problem solving. Concept of Q.I. and mental abilities, concept of personality. Personality tests: questionnaires and projective tests. Learning.

Psychic processes. The affectivity. Motivation and needs. Emotion, frustration, conflict. Cognitive processes. Attention and perception. Categories and concepts. Memory and knowledge representation. Language and thought.

Program for students who follow the course for 9 credits

Module 1: See program for 6 credits

Module 2 : Focus

Cognitive psychology insights. Language and communication. Judgment and decision. Reasoning.

Philosophical assumptions of scientific psychology. Methodological problems, epistemological and philosophical psychology. Mind and body.

Historical insights. Methodological problems of cognitive psychology. Outline on post-Freudian psychoanalysis.

Personality psychology. Theories of types and traits. Constitutionalism. Theories of Allport and Murray. Cattell, factorial theories of personality and Big Five.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography for students who follow the course for 6 credits

1) P.LEGRENZI, Storia della psicologia. Il Mulino, 5a ediz. 2012 (to be studied the whole book).

2) A. GRECO, Dalla mente che calcola alla mente che vive, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2011 (chapters 1, 4 e 5)

3) V.D'URSO, F.GIUSBERTI, Esperimenti di psicologia , Bologna, Zanichelli, 2a. ediz. 2000 (during the course laboratory activities will be organized; participation in such activities replaces the preparation of the text)

4) One of the following texts:

- L. ANOLLI, P. LEGRENZI, Psicologia generale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 5a. ediz. 2012 or P. LEGRENZI, Fondamenti di psicologia generale. Teorie e pratiche, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2014.

- D.L. SCHACTER, D.T. GILBERT, D.M.WEGNER, Psychology, Worth Publishers 2010 (chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6,7, 9, 10, 12).

Bibliography for students who follow the course for 9 credits               

Required texts (only the parts indicated):

1) P.LEGRENZI, Storia della psicologia. Il Mulino, 5a ediz. 2012 (to be studied the whole book)

2) A.GRECO, Dalla mente che calcola alla mente che vive, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2011 (to be studied the whole book, chapters 2 e 3 may be studied less in depth)

3) D.COON, J. MITTERER, Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior 14th Edition, Wadsworth (excluded chapters 2,3,5) or S.NOLEN-HOEKSEMA et al.,Atkinson and Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology, Wadsworth 2009 chapters to be studied: only 1, 5, from 7 to 13 included).

4) V.D'URSO,F.GIUSBERTI, Esperimenti di psicologia, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2a. ediz.2000 (during the course laboratory activities will be organized; participation in such activities replaces the preparation of the text).

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

ALBERTO GRECO (President)

STEFANIA MORETTI

PAOLA VITERBORI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

February 14, 2017

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Intermediate tests, oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Attending students: written examination on the  topics covered in class. Non-attending students: oral examination on reference books

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Although the lectures will be delivered in Italian, on request the Lecturer will provide a comprehensive collection of teaching materials in English for the final exam (on "Aulaweb"), and this exam can be taken in English. On request of students, part of lectures can be delivered in English.

The more detailed program, the schedule of classes, study material and other detailed information to the exam procedure will be available on “Aulaweb”.

Students can attend the Laboratory of Psychology and Cognitive Science to participate in the preparation, administration and analysis of cognitive psychology experiments (see http://cognilab.disfor.unige.it).