Prerequisite: a background in psychology
Positive psychology was introduced by Martin Seligman around 2000 and can be viewed as a supplementary approach to clinical psychology. The positive psychological movement formulated three aims: (1) to focus on well-being and happiness instead of abnormal behaviour and psychopathology, (2) to be concerned with building positive qualities and strengths instead of repairing damage, and (3) to prevent future problems instead of correcting past and present problems.
The course will start with a general introduction to the field of positive psychology. The main concepts will be introduced and clarified, and an overview of the results of happiness studies will be presented. In subsequent meetings, various more specific topics will be discussed by means of lectures and group discussions. There will be ample room to gain hands-on experience with positive psychological techniques ranging from simple journaling exercises to mindfulness meditation. A scientific evidence-based approach will be leading. Students will be provided with the tools to be able to evaluate and design research in the area of positive psychology, and also with the skills to apply some (basic) intervention techniques.
The instructional approach will include lectures, interactive meetings, group discussions, practical workshops and student presentations. Final assessment will be by means of an individual paper on a topic of choice. On the last day of the course, a student conference is held where each student presents their paper (review or research proposal) either by poster or an oral presentation.
This intensive course includes one course related field trip.
3 semester credits. This course examines the practice and basic principles of addiction to drugs of abuse such as heroin, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis or cocaine. Course topics will cover the epidemiology of drug abuse, the experimental models used in brain research, and the pathological consequences of drug addiction (including heavy drinking and smoking). The course will extend the concept of addiction to pathological behaviors such as compulsive consumption of palatable food, physical exercise dependence, compulsive shopping, sexual hyperactivity, internet abuse, and gambling. The neurochemical mechanisms that are shared and lead from reward to positive reinforcement, loss of control, and dependence will be examined. The symptomatologic and neurochemical similarities and differences between drug and behavioral addiction will be addressed, along with the self-destructive behaviors, tolerance, craving, and withdrawal symptoms that both types of dependence produce. The course traces also the basic aspects of human biology and physiology that are needed to fully comprehend the topics at hand, including the neuronal circuits and neurotransmitters that are altered by both natural and artificial rewards. Students will also learn how to analyze scientific data and correctly interpret the information that is published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals. Finally, students will gain an understanding of the social and ethical implications of drug and behavioral addiction and of the peculiar features of this problem in different countries, with an emphasis on the European and Italian approach as compared with other areas of the world.
This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to engage with a range of topics and issues in psychology that relate to growing up and living in or visiting a large global city such as London, England. It will bring together research and theory from a number of areas of psychology including social psychology, health psychology, cognitive psychology and forensic psychology. Topics include: Stress & Wellbeing; Crime & Aggression; Loneliness, Pro-social Behaviour and Resilience. Lectures will discuss recent research and seminars will provide students with practical activities, visualisation through documentaries and guided discussions related to each topic.
Site visits: students will visit the Museum of London. Note: site visits are subject to change.
Coverage of children three to eight years old. Topics include physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children, developmentally appropriate practices, child care quality, role of educator/caregiver, and other related issues.
Pre-eequisites: courses M101A and M101B (M101B may be taken concurrently), or Psychology 10, 100A, 100B, and 115. Not open for credit to students with credit for Psychology 116B.
Designed for Psychobiology, Psychology, and Neuroscience majors. Laboratory experience with various topics in behavioral neuroscience. Hands-on experience with important methodology and experimental approaches in neuroscience.
Pre-requisite: Life Sciences 2 or 7C. Corequisite: course M101A.
Overview of human nervous system, brain development, anatomy and function, pathology. Introduction to brain circuits involved in fear and anxiety, memory, sensory, motor activities.
Pre-requisites: course 100A, Life Sciences 2 or 7A or 15. Not open to students with credit for course M117A (or Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology M175A or Neuroscience M101A or Physiological Science M180A).
Designed for juniors/seniors. Nervous system anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and their relationship to behavior.
Pre-requisites: courses 10, 100A.
Interrelationships between the individual and his social environment. Social influences on motivation, perception, and behavior. Development and change of attitudes and opinions. Psychological analysis of small groups, social stratification, and mass phenomena.
The aim of the course is to familiarise students with applications of psychology to the legal system and to raise awareness about the problems that arise when psychology is applied to law in practice.
In the course of 3 weeks, students will take part in an intensive educational program that covers the most important topics in the field of Forensic Psychology. During the course four main themes within the field of forensic psychology will be addressed.
- Eyewitness memory, which consists of eyewitness identification and (false) memories.
- Interviewing and interrogation. Within this topic,the students learn about police interrogation techniques, deception detection and (false) confessions.
- Cognitive biases in the legal context. Students will get acquainted with the interpretation and reliability of forensic evidence and the role of biases in experts’ decisions.
- Association of mental illness and crime. Within this topic students will examine the psychopathic mind and the psychology of sex offenders.
Different case studies, tools and experiments will be discussed in order to allow the students to get acquainted with the methods used in this discipline. In each tutorial, research articles and case material descriptions related to a theme will be studied and discussed. The examination will consist of question-based tests taken throughout the course, a final symposium where students will present and discuss topics related to Forensic Psychology and a final paper.
This psychology module is an introduction to the human brain, aiming to uncover how it is related to all aspects of your behaviour. In block 1 basic neuroanatomy and physiology will be covered as a starting point before exploring the nervous system in more detail, including how do our brains control our bodily movement? What happens when our brain is injured and how do we recover? We also investigate neurodegenerative diseases and their causes, and potential treatments. Lectures will be supported with practical laboratory sessions allowing you gain practical experience with state of the art equipment used to measure nervous system functioning.
This is a continuation of the course from block one. The course would continue by examining brain damage and different types of brain injuries, multisensory perception, the topics of amnesic syndrome and epilepsy. Finally we would also investigate how emotions are processed by the brain, and the function of sleep. Again, these sessions would be supported by practical laboratory sessions, in this case allowing you to develop fundamental skills in neuroimaging using electroencephalography.
The aim of this module is to introduce you to modern psychological research methods. We will cover how eye-tracking is used to gain insights into tracking attentional processes through pupillometry and gaze fixations, and examine how Virtual Reality (VR) is being used in research. All teaching will take place in the form of practical sessions, allowing you to learn these approaches through real-life experience. This module is ideal for those students seeking to take their first steps into psychological research using state of the art technology.
You will be shown how to use Electroencephalography (EEG) equipment to record and analyse data from the brain in real experimental situations. We will also investigate how we can manipulate brain responses through Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and analyse data from functional magnetic resonance imaging. All teaching will take place in the form of practical sessions, allowing you to learn these approaches through real-life experience. This module is ideal for those students seeking to take their first steps into psychological research using state of the art technology.
