Introduction to Cognitive Psychology and Neuropsychology

Aims of the course

• To introduce participants to the history and key debates in psychology and neuropsychology, exploring the main different cognitive functions and how they interact with one another.
• To learn the key techniques and methods to study the mind.
• To introduce participants to the main theories, models, and concepts of attention, memory, language, perception, and emotional processing.

Course content overview

Psychology is the study of how we feel, see, hear, speak, learn and narrate our story in the world. Cognitive psychologists primarily focus on how our mind works and how it develops from the moment we are born and during childhood to reach its full capability. 

This course is intended for anyone with an interest in psychology and it does not require any previous expertise or knowledge of psychology. We will explore the key ideas, models, and findings of the main cognitive functions, including memory, language, attention, and perception. 

The course will also provide insights into the core research methods used to study the mind, brain, and behaviour (from behavioural experiments, to the study of patients with brain damage and the use of neuroimaging techniques). In doing so, participants will learn about the main methods and materials used to explore human feelings, sensations and thinking, as well as the way humans learn and interact with their own selves and others.

This course will give students an understanding of the historical development of modern psychology, a familiarity with what we now know about our own mind-body system through an exciting journey inside our mind and how it evolves throughout our lives with the help of brain plasticity.

Target audience

Anyone with an interest in psychology. This course will touch on the fundamental theories, models, and methods of cognitive psychology with a specific focus on the different functions (attention, memory, language, language, perception, and emotional processing).

Welcome week (Week 0)

Purpose:

• personal introductions
• introducing the course
• useful reading
• personal objectives

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week, the students should have: 

• become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
• test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
• learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
• contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies 

Teaching week 1: What is Cognitive Psychology? History and current core debates

Purpose:

This week will give an overview of the main ideas that underlie modern research in psychology. Content will explore key debates such as the nature and nurture discussion and their role in forming personality and behaviour; the relationship between brain, mind and behaviour and the extent to which the mind-body system can be observed and investigated scientifically; the extent of plasticity in the adult brain; and the extent to which the mind can be conceived in a modular way, with different functions regulated by different neural paths. This will stimulate a critical understanding of psychology in a broad way and of the principles at the heart of its research

Learning outcomes:

• to learn about the key findings and assumptions of cognitive psychology
• to get familiar with some of the central debates in cognitive psychology
• to understand the relationship between the mind and the brain, as well as the role of genes and experience in shaping human behaviour

Teaching week 2: How do we measure the mind? Introduction to psychology's main research methods

Purpose:

This week explores the key research methods of psychology. It will outline the most important techniques at the heart of cognitive psychology and evaluate the contribution they can make to what we now know about the mind and its development. Content will introduce the role of neuropsychological research in understanding how brain lesions can help us understand how the brain normally functions. A review of the key neuroimaging techniques will be given, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emotion tomography (PET), electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG) and single cell recordings. The podcast will also consider techniques for actively manipulating neural activity (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Learning outcomes:

• to understand the main methods in cognitive psychology
• to learn about neuroimaging techniques and neuropsychological findings and how they contribute to our knowledge of the human brain
• to develop a critical approach to methods and how each of them helps answer specific research questions

Teaching week 3: Introduction to the psychology of human language

Purpose:

This week provides an introduction to the study of language and to the core aspects of language processing. Particular focus will be given to how we learn language and whether we have an innate predisposition to language acquisition. Content will provide an overview of the main theories of language acquisition and the nature of the learning context, discussing the theory of shared attentional orienting (between the parent and the infant) during language development. Lectures will also provide an overview of the different components of language from phonology and morphology to semantics and syntax.

Learning outcomes:

• to learn the main theories and models related to human language acquisition and to critically evaluate the extent to which empirical studies support different theoretical claims
• to understand the main models accounting for the development of the different components of language
• to develop a critical approach to theories highlighting the crucial role of the learning context during language acquisition (shared attentional orienting)

Teaching week 4: Introduction to memory, perception, and cross-modal interactions

Purpose:

This week will introduce the concepts of working memory and the most influential models theorised to explain its role. We will also explore evidences for the idea of a ‘phonological loop’ and ‘visuo-spatial’ sketchpad for short-term memory. Content will also highlight how language and memory interact with perception to facilitate some aspects of our daily life. In particular, cross-modal effects will be explored, that is how one sensory system (for example what we see) can influence another sense (what we hear); or how perception and language have an influence on each other (such as how language influence how we see colours); or how perception influences memorization.

Learning outcomes:

• to learn the main ideas and models of working memory and its role in relation with short- and long-term memory
• to understand how language and memory interact with perception to facilitate some aspects of our daily life
• to develop a critical approach to the modular understanding of the mind and appreciate how sensory modalities greatly influence each other

Teaching week 5: Introduction to attention, consciousness, and free will

Purpose:

This week will explore the idea of attention and the idea that our experience is shaped by what we focus on. In particular, this week will be dedicated to the influence of attention in our mind’s life and on how our internal and external landscape is designed by our attention (such as the role of attention on memory, language and perception). Videos will also discuss cases of impaired attention and the symptoms it causes (such as the visual spatial neglect). Finally, the session will also provide an overview of the relationship between attention and consciousness, of their co-dependency as well as dissociation. Content will also be dedicated to the relationship between consciousness and free will.

Learning outcomes:

• to learn the psychological concept of attention and how it shapes thinking
• to understand the contribution of neuropsychology to our understanding of human attention
• to develop a critical approach to the literature on the relationship between attention and consciousness

Week 6: what next?

• assessment of student learning
• assessment of student satisfaction
• encouragement of further study

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.  

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences. 

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course. 

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person. 

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material). 

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).

Fees 

The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes. 

Concessions 

For more information, please see our concessions information page. 

Alison Fordham Bursary

University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses. 

Application criteria:  

• applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
• applicants who can demonstrate financial need 

For more information, please see our bursaries information page. 

A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.