Courses: MAPSYK317 Advanced topics in cognitive psychology - Spring 2017

Credits

7.5

Level of Study

Master

Language of Instruction

English

Teaching semester

Spring

Place of Instruction

Bergen

Objectives and Content

This course highlights factors that may affect core human cognitive activities, from perception and categorization through reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making to intuition and metacognition. It focuses on culture, language, and the relation between conscious and non-conscious processes as potential factors for shaping cognition, and it takes an interdisciplinary approach to a set of important fields, ranging from our understanding of fundamental domains (such as space, time, or causality) to how we perceive, and behave in, more complex situations (such as climate change). The course will also include a discussion of the extent to which these insights are relevant for our daily lives and for potential applications.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

After completing the course the student is be able to:

understand and apply topical research paradigms in the scientific field covered by the course, including: cognitive representations and processing

influences of culture and language on human cognition

relation between conscious and non-conscious processes

Skills

After completing the course the student should be able to:

reflect on and discuss research problems in the scientific field covered by the course
develop and assess research designs and methods in line with the scientific field
present research issues related to the different sub-topics of the course to an academic audience

General competence

After completing the course the student should be able to:

critically reflect on scientific literature on the different sub-topics of the course
participate in research in the scientific field
communicate research findings.

Required Previous Knowledge

PSYK208 («Affekt og kognisjon») and PSYK202B («Psykologiske forskningsmetoder B») or comparable courses

Access to the Course

Open to students in the Master's Programme in Psychology at the University of Bergen. Also open to exchange students at the master's level as well as to students with a B.A. in psychology and related fields such as cognitive science.

Teaching Methods and Extent of Organized Teaching

The course comprises a mixture of different teaching forms, including:

general lectures on topics in the research field (7x2 hours)
a mix of lectures and seminar-work focused on possible topics for master theses (2x2 hours)
an interactive seminar with supervision in which students develop and work on their own research question (2x2 hours)

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

An oral presentation at the end of the course (individually or in groups, depending on the number of students)
Attending the oral presentations at the end of the course

Compulsory activities will be registered as "approved/not approved¿

Forms of Assessment

Assignment of a written paper (max. 10 pages/4000 words) in APA style. The paper will focus on a research question in one of the sub-topics of the course, provide some background on the state of the art in the respective research field, and discuss advantages and limitations of possible approaches. The assignment is a 10-day home exam.

Grading Scale

Pass/Fail

Reading List

Recommended literature, see Mitt UiB.

Course Evaluation

Students will evaluate the teaching in accordance with the quality assurance system of UiB.

Contact Information

Information Centre: tel. (+47) 55 58 27 10

E-mail: studieveileder.psyfa@uib.no

Department

Department of Psychosocial Science.