Cognition and Emotion
| Module title | Cognition and Emotion |
|---|---|
| Module code | PSY2303 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Nicolas Dumay (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 340 |
|---|
Module description
This module brings together two academics with complementary expertise to teach our second-year students core knowledge in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Basic facts and key theories about human memory, perception, language processing, executive control, and emotions are presented in lectures enhanced by the inclusion of demos, exercises and direct questioning of the audience, supported by latest interactive teaching technologies.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims at teaching what we think a psychology second-year student ought to know about analytical approaches to cognition, and their integration in a coherent picture. Concepts such as working memory, memory consolidation, executive control, object perception, language acquisition, perception and production, and emotions are examined using data from performance and mental chronometry, but also from computational modelling, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, psychopharmacology and patients. The module aims to teach you how to think in experimental terms and to pay more attention to the details of data and theories. Finally, it aims to further your ability to synthesise information, build logical arguments and scientific narratives, and present them by means of digitally and visually enhanced oral communication.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Work on core knowledge in cognitive psychology/neuroscience
- 2. Describe key notions such as learning, language perception and production, executive control, memory, object recognition, and emotions, as well as the theories and the data attached to these notions
- 3. Explain the principles underlying methodologies
- 4. Integrate data from various cognition methodologies into a coherent picture
- 5. Think about cognition in experimental terms, and transform hypotheses into feasible experiments
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Illustrate detailed factual and conceptual knowledge
- 7. Synthesise and critically evaluate published work
- 8. Structure the literature and your thoughts into logical and coherent arguments
- 9. Pay more attention to the details, whether in the data, the theories, or the links between the two
- 10. Apply principles of experimental designs
- 11. Think creatively
- 12. Discuss wider ethical issues
- 13. Present complex facts, methodologies and theories with clarity and simplicity using language-based as well as visual communication modes
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 14. Manage and select information from a range of sources and develop appropriate information-finding strategies
- 15. Identify problems and issues, and choose appropriate modes of response
- 16. Synthesise information
- 17. Assimilate new knowledge at a fast pace, and put it to the test early on so as update it appropriately according to in-class feedback
- 18. Evaluate your own strengths/weaknesses, and work on the latter
- 19. Challenge received opinion and develop your own judgment
- 20. Build well-structured and powerful arguments
- 21. Communicate in the manner appropriate to the discipline and in a variety of formats
- 22. Interact effectively within a learning group, and test own knowledge by helping others
- 23. Manage time effectively to meet deadlines
Syllabus plan
The module will cover the following key topics:
- object recognition
- attention
- reading and dyslexia
- working memory
- inhibitory control
- language comprehension and production
- long-term memory
- emotions
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 125 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 3 | Tutorials |
| Guided independent study | 42 | Reading and preparation for seminars and practical classes |
| Guided independent study | 42 | Reading and preparing coursework |
| Guided independent study | 41 | Revising for exam |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-class revision of earlier lecture by means of interactive technologies | 10 minutes per lecture | 1, 4, 9, 15, 17, 23 | Oral |
| Tutorials | 1 hour | 1, 4-5, 7, 9-15, 20-23 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 80 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A written exam | 80 | 1 hour | 1-6, 8-11, 13, 16, 19-21 | Written |
| A 7-min-long home-recorded and visually enhanced oral presentation | 20 | 7 min (max) | 1-10, 13-16, 20-23 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| A written exam | A written exam | 1-6, 8-11, 13, 16, 19-21 | August/September assessment period |
| A 7-min-long home-recorded and visually enhanced oral presentation | A 7-min-long home-recorded and visually enhanced oral presentation | 1-10, 13-16, 20-23 | 1 September deadline for submission |
Re-assessment notes
Two assessments are required for this module. Where you have been referred/deferred for the home-recorded oral presentation, you will be required to resubmit a new piece following the same modalities answering another set question. Where you have been referred/deferred for the examination, you will have the opportunity to take a second examination in the August/September re-assessment period. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%; deferred marks are not capped.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Cognitive Psychology, by Goldstein & van Hoof (2018)
- Cognitive Psychology, by Sternberg and Sternberg (2017)
- Dehaene, S. (2009). Reading in the brain: The science and evolution of a human invention. London: Penguin Viking.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | PSY1207 Cognition, Emotion and Development |
| Module co-requisites | PSY2206 Methods and Statistics in Psychology II |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 22/10/2011 |
| Last revision date | 29/03/2021 |
