ECTS credits ECTS credits: 6
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 95 Hours of tutorials: 5 Expository Class: 35 Interactive Classroom: 15 Total: 150
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Social, Basic and Methodological Psychology
Areas: Basic Psychology
Center Faculty of Law
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable | 1st year (Yes)
-Knowledge of basic psychological processes.
-First approach to the psychological level of analysis of complex social phenomena.
-Understanding the relationship between individual and social factors in the field of criminology.
Lesson 1. Conceptual, methodological, and historical issues
Psychology and levels of analysis. Basic principles of scientific reasoning. Naturalistic observation. Case study. Correlational designs. Experimental designs. Theoretical frameworks: historical perspective.
Lesson 2. Biological bases of behavior
Neuron. Synapsis. Neurotransmitters. Central nervous system. Lymbic system. Brain stem. Somatic nervous system. Autonomic nervous system. Endocrine system. Genetic and environmental factors. Evolutionary theory and behavior.
Lesson 3. Sensation, perception, and attention
Visual system. Visual perception. Auditory system. Auditory perception. Smell, taste, and touch. Attention: Determinants of attention. Selective attention. Divided attention. Evolutionary issues.
Lesson 4. Learning
Habituation. Sensitization. Classical conditioning. Instrumental conditioning. Observational learning. Evolution and learning: the behavior-systems approach.
Lesson 5. Memory
Memory systems: Sensory memory. Short-term memory. Long-term memory. Stages of information processing: Encoding. Storage. Retrieval. Neurobiology of memory. Retrograde amnesia. Anterograde amnesia. Ontogeny of memory. Infantile amnesia. False memories. Eyewitness testimony. Child testimony. Evolution and memory.
Lesson 6. Thinking and language
Reasoning. Cognitive economy: Concepts, categories, and heuristics. Intuitive reasoning versus scientific reasoning. Intelligence. Features of language. How children learn language. Animal communication. Relation between thinking and language. Evolution, thinking, and language.
Lesson 7. Emotion and motivation
Components of emotion. Emotional dimensions: valence and activation. Basic emotions, behavior-systems, and evolution. Emotional expression. Traditional approaches to motivation: Abraham Maslow´s hierarchy of needs. Motivation, behavior-systems, and evolution. Feeding system. Defensive system. Sexual system. Parental system.
Lesson 8. Personality
Theories of personality: Psychoanalytic theory. Behavioristic theory. Social learning theory. Humanistic theory. Trait models. Personality assessment. Evolution and personality.
Lesson 9. Developmental psychology
Cognitive development: Piaget, Vigotsky, and contemporary cognitive theories. Social and moral development. Adolescence. Adulthood. Aging. Evolution and development.
Lesson 10. Social psychology
Social influence. Attitudes and behavior. Persuasion and opinion change. Prejudice and discrimination. Evolution and social behavior: Cooperation and altruism. Agression.
Lesson 11. Clinical psychology (I)
Anxiety-related disorders: Panic disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder. Phobias. Posttraumatic stress disorder. Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. Evolution, fear, and anxiety.
Lesson 12. Clinical psychology (II)
Mood disorders: Major depressive disorder. Bipolar disorder. Personality and dissociative disorders. Schizophrenia. Therapeutical approaches: Cognitive-behavioral. Systemic. Psychoanalytic. Humanistic. Pharmacological. Evolution and psychopathology. Evolution and health.
-Lilienfeld, S. O. et al. (2011). Psicología: Una introducción. Madrid: Pearson.
-Gaulin, S., & McBurney, D. H. (2004). Evolutionary psychology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.
Additional readings will be provided for each of the topics addressed during the course.
As a complementary reading, it is suggested to consult the following book (available in electronic format at the USC library): Buss, D. M. (Ed.) (2005). Handbook of evolutionary psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. In addition, information about further readings will be provided through the Virtual Campus.
CG1: Intepersonal; capacity to cooperate with other professionals in an interdisciplinary and multicultural setting.
CE10: Understanding and application of theoretical and empirical knowledge provided by research on delinquency and antisocial behavior.
-Expository/participatory lectures.
-Audiovisual teaching materials.
-Reading materials.
-Power-point presentations.
-Final written exam (essay questions): 80%
-Class attendance and participation: 5%
-Written papers: 15%
Those students that have been evaluated through continous assessment (e. g., through cumulative tests, writing assignments, etc.), but have failed the course, will be graded with a Fail grade in case they do not attend the final exam.
If a student gets an official exemption from attendance, he/she will be assessed during the official final exams. In addition, he/she will be required to submit all those assignments that were scheduled through the course.
-Total attendance time: 60 hours. Expository lectures: 35 hours. Participatory lectures: 15 hours. Conferences: 10 hours.
-Study time (readings, paper writing, exam preparation): 90 hours.
-Total time: 150 hours (6 ECTS credits).
Francisco Jose Esmoris Arranz
Coordinador/a- Department
- Social, Basic and Methodological Psychology
- Area
- Basic Psychology
- Phone
- 881813709
- fcojose.esmoris [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
| Wednesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00-11:00 | Grupo clases expositivas | Spanish | Classroom 17 |
| Thursday | |||
| 09:00-11:00 | Grupo clases expositivas | Spanish | Classroom 17 |
| 06.05.2025 10:00-12:00 | Grupo clases expositivas | Classroom 16 |
| 06.05.2025 10:00-12:00 | Grupo clases expositivas | Classroom 17 |
| 06.27.2025 10:00-12:00 | Grupo clases expositivas | Classroom 5 |