Objectives and method

After completing this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify the main theoretical approaches of Psychology and their relationship with Neurosciences;
2. Discuss how different psychological variables affect brain functioning and, consequently, human behavior;
3. Recognize the main basic psychological processes and how they change throughout life;
4. Analyze how behavior and experience relate to brain functioning;
5. Understand the influence of emotions in the behavior;
6. Describe how stress affects physical and mental health;
7. Understand how motivation influences behavior and how to minimize unwanted processes (e.g., procrastination);
8. Be familiar about the effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive functioning and mood;
9. Understand the neuroanatomy of empathy and its role in the development of morality;
10. Realize the importance of interpersonal relationships, communication in the personal and professional context, digitalization, and the relationship with neurosciences.

This course will be based on active learning discussion and collaborative work among colleagues within the classroom. An interactive methodology will be used with moments of exposition and discussion, which will also be supported by visual support and other approaches. Participatory methodologies will be used to promote student engagement. Some classes will invite guests for interviews or discussions with students. Audiovisual pedagogical supports will be used occasionally (videos/documentaries).

Syllabus

1. How does the brain consolidate meaningful experiences? Genetics vs. Environment;
2. Cognition: separable units but closely interconnected processes in the brain
3. Implicit and explicit information and its effect on cognition
4. Different memory systems and the influence on one's experience
5. The influence of attachment and social proximity on brain functioning
6. How executive functions modulate psychological functions
7. New neural models of the relationship between emotions, stress, and emotion regulation (self-regulation and hetero-regulation)
8. How significant mental contents are stored in the brain
9. Meditation and its impact on the Default Mode Network
10. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and the impact on daily life
11. Why does exposure facilitate learning?
12. Empathy and the development of morality
13. Neuropsychology and the digital world: How we learn to study, work, rest and socialize in a context dominated by technology.