02207 - General Psychology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - knows the functioning of the main cognitive processes, the distinction between adult functioning and evolutive development; - knows the techniques for observing behavior in socio-cultural and educational contexts; - is able to plan educational projects for what concerns the psychological area together with other operators in the educational area; - knows how to present information and solutions to problems for operators and those responsible for education regarding the normal development of cognitive functions; - will be able to use the knowledge acquired in the context of basic psychological processes; - has the theoretical and methodological skills to build relationships with individual children and with the group; - knows the tools and techniques for observing child behavior in educational contexts; - will be able to build educational projects; - will know how to plan educational courses based on the psychological models studied; - knows the tools to evaluate the psychological aspects of their work.

Course contents

The course is offered during the second semester from February to May. Specifically, the course covers the history of general psychology in its key moments and the main topics of general psychology, namely: perception, attention (selective, divided, and spatial), learning, memory, language and communication, thinking, and emotions. For the presentation of these topics, it is possible to present and describe the main scientific studies on the subject, as well as describe the neural correlates corresponding to the behaviors that are the object of study in psychology. The content of the course remains valid for both current and former students.

Readings/Bibliography

Occhionero, M. (a cura di). Introduzione alla psicologia generale. Roma: Carocci Editore. 2018. ISBN: 978-88-430-9361-8.

For the exam, study chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 while NOT studying chapter 2.

 

Teaching methods

48 hours of lectures (2 hours per lecture). During the lectures, the instructor may use PowerPoint slides, short videos, practical exercises, or scientific articles.

Assessment methods

Knowledge acquired is assessed through a written exam consisting of 31 questions, each with four possible alternatives (A, B, C, or D), only one of which is correct. The time limit is 40 minutes. Throughout the exam, the student can withdraw from the exam. Wrong answers do not count towards the total score, and no points are deducted for incorrect answers. The exam grade is based on the number of correct answers, with a score of 18/30 representing the minimum passing score. During the exam, the use of smartphones, PCs, tablets, calculators, dictionaries, books, teaching materials, or notes is not allowed. With a score of at least 18/30, it is also possible to take an optional oral exam, which assesses the ability to answer correctly, as well as the clarity of exposition and the use of appropriate and specialized vocabulary. The optional oral test allows for a modification of the written exam score from -3 to +3. A student may also request, by emailing the instructor no later than 7 days before the exam date, to take the exam entirely orally. In this case, five questions are proposed, and the relevance of the answer, the quality of the organization of the speech and the exposition, the use of specialized vocabulary, and the ability to create critical connections between the various topics of the course are evaluated. In this case, the grade is in thirtieths, and a grade of 18/30 is considered the minimum passing score. Those who intend to take the entire exam orally must present themselves on the day and time of the written exam as per the schedule for identification, and then wait for the written exam to end before taking their oral exam.

Teaching tools

Slides (power point)

Office hours

See the website of Marco Fabbri