Individual Development, Genes, Neural system and Behavior

The course is an advanced theoretical course in cognitive and biological psychology with a focus on individual development. Factors such as genes, nervous system and behavior will be discussed, and the interaction between these factors and environment in relation to an individual’s development. This course provides a review of the biological / cognitive basis of experience and behavior through to the entire range of human recognition, from attention, sensory, perception, action, language processes, problem solving, and thinking to learning and memory. This course provides students with knowledge of central concepts, themes, research problems and empirical research findings in social-cognitive, cognitive and biological psychology. This course is also open for students from other disiplines than psychology. For students who do not have a Bachelor degree in Psychology, the course lecturer will recommend some background literature in addition to the curriculum.

On completion of the course, the student has a principal understanding of the biological fundament of perception, behavior, and development. This insight builds on a thorough knowledge of selected issues in cognitive neuroscience. Knowledge: The student has basic knowledge about genetics and the origin/development of the nervous system, plus in-depth understanding of the biological/cognitive aspects linked to specific topics including language, motor function, sensory systems, and mental disorders. Furthermore, the student has a general understanding of the plasticity characterizing the nervous system and particular knowledge about neural principles underlying learning. Skills: The student has gained a specific ability of analysing psychological phenomena from a biological/cognitive perspective. Furthermore, the student has established the particular recognition of the plasticity characterizing the neural system. General competence: The student has gained a general understanding that science builds on objective knowledge. Particularly, the student has a well-developed ability to analyse scientific theory, independentently and critically.

Lectures and seminars.