COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

PSICOG03

Academic Year of enrolment:

2019

Year of supply:

2019/2020

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 2nd Cycle Degree in PSYCHOLOGY

Disciplinary Sector:

Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology

Language:

Italian

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

FERRI FRANCESCA

Cycle:

Second semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

136

Prerequisites:

Basic knowledge of the anatomy of the nervous system and of the synaptic transmission mechanisms, as well as knowledge of the methods applied in neuroscience is strongly recommended.
It is suggested to attend in parallel the Master Course 1st year module in ”Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience”.

Objectives

This module provides students with advanced training in cognitive and affective neuroscience. They will acquire fundamental knowledge to understand the nature of the relation between mind and brain. For this reason, the module contributes to the general educational objective of the Psychology course.
Students who successfully complete this module will acquire:
(knowledge and understanding) knowledge and understanding of the fundamental mechanisms enabling the most important cognitive and affective functions;
(applying knowledge and understanding) knowledge and understanding of i) cognitive and affective abnormalities; ii) the key contribution that the neurobiological approach to the study of cognitive and affective functions and their abnormalities is able to provide;
(making judgements) ability to assemble and integrate evidence from a variety of sources; evaluate a range of contemporary issues about the relation between brain and cognition; interpret behavioral and neuroimaging data
(communication) ability to report, interpret and discuss original research findings to expert and naïve audience.
(lifelong learning skills) ability to reflect on their own performance, make constructive use of feedback, work independently, and plan work effectively.

Contents

The module will cover the following topics:
Introduction and methods in cognitive neuroscience.
Sensory systems and perception.
Motor system.
Attention.
Memory.
Emotion and social cognition.
Language.
Executive functions and decision-making.
Evolution and development of cognition.
Lateralization of brain functions.
Consciousness and free will.

Extended Syllabus

Introduction and methods in cognitive neuroscience.
Cognition
Neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience: a neurobiological approach to cognition
Brain perturbations that elucidate cognitive functions
Measuring neural activity during cognitive processing (EEG, MEG, PET, fMRI)
Sensory systems and perception.
Visual processing, perception and object recognition
Sound processing, perception and localization
The mechanosensory systems (cutaneous/subcutaneous and pain)
The chemosensory modalities (olfaction, taste, trigeminal chemosensation)

Motor system.
Organization of the motor system
Coding movements
Planning single and sequential movements
Sensorimotor coordination
Basal ganglia, motor control and cognition
Cerebellar contributions to motor coordination and cognitive behavior

Attention
Behavioral and neuroscientific studies of attention
Auditory and visual spatial attention
Attention and nonspatial stimulus features
Attention and multisensory perception
The control of attention

Memory
Priming
Skill learning
Conditioning
Cellular mechanisms of memory
Declarative memory: models and neural substrates
Memory consolidation

Emotions
Psychological classification
Early neurobiological theories
Contemporary neurobiological approaches
Interactions with other cognitive functions
Regulation of emotion

Social cognition
The self
Perception of social cues
Social categorization
Understanding the actions and emotions of others
Social competition

Language
Theories of language
The neural bases of language
Noninvasive studies of language organization
Genetic determination of language functions
The origins of human language

Executive functions

The prefrontal cortex
Establishing and modifying behavioral rules
Control: matching information and rules over time
Working memory

Decision making
Reward and utility
Uncertainty: risk, ambiguity and delay
Social context
combining and comparing information to reach decision
heuristics in decision making

Evolution and development of cognition
Brain development
Linking brain and cognitive development
Evolution of brain development
Evolutionary specializations of brain and behavior

Hemispheric specialization
Anatomy of the hemispheres
Splitting the brain: methodological considerations and functional consequences
Hemispeheric specialization
The evolutionary basis of hemispeheric specialization
Split-brain research as a window into conscious experience

Consciousness and free will
Consciousness: anatomical orientation, neuroscientific definitions, neural models
Abandoning the concept of free will
Law, responsibility and punishment from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience

Recommended Bibliography

Principles of cognitive neuroscience. Authors: Dale Purves, Roberto Cabeza, Scott A. Huettel, Kevin S. LaBar, Michael L. Platt, Marty G. Woldorff. Oxford University Press.
Cognitive Neuroscience: the biology of the mind. Autori: Michael Gazzaniga, Richard B. Ivry, George R. Mangun. W. W. Norton & Company. Chapters 4 e 14.
It is recommended to visit the e-learning page of the module regularly. The e-learning page will be used to upload lecture’s slides and additional readings.
Teaching material in English is available for students.

Methods of Provision

Conventional

Teaching Methods

64 hours including: i) 2/3-hour lectures, 2 or 3 times per week (48 hours in total) according to the academic calendar (obiett_form 1 e 2.i); ii) Hands-on lab seminars to apply the acquired theoretical knowledge (obiett_form 2.ii); class-group works to foster critical thoughts, communication skills and reflective ability (obiett_form 3, 4, 5).

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The final test will consist in an oral exam aimed at assessing the expected outcomes listed above. The evaluation will be expressed in thirtieths.

Contacts/More Information

Attendance is highly recommended;
Office hours: wednesday 11-12 am, room 315, third floor, ITAB;
The oral exam can be in English upon explicit request of the candidate.

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Aree