501417 - COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

courses

ID:

501417

Duration (hours):

36

CFU:

SSD:

PSICOLOGIA GENERALE

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Secondo Semestre (16/02/2026 - 05/06/2026)

Course Objectives

This course will provide an overview of the main mechanisms subserving some high-level cognitive systems (e.g., visuospatial memory). More generally, the students will acquire theoretical knowledge about different aspects of the field of cognitive sciences. In particular, they will acquire knowledge about: - The role of visual experience (with a focus on blindness) in memory processes. - The mechanisms subserving the human memory system and the neural processes involved. - The mechanisms driving the formation of spatial representations. - The psychophysiological mechanisms determining our sense of taste.

Course Prerequisites

Students must have taken the exam of General Psychology before.

Teaching Methods

The classes will offer an overview of the contents of this course and will also be the ideal occasion for answering to the students’ questions and curiosities. There will also be dedicated time for discussing the most important and interesting theoretical and methodological aspects. The course will be conducted through in-person lectures. For each credit (25 hours), the following are planned: -8 hours of delivery-based teaching (DE) (content presentation through slides, scientific papers, and videos); - 17 hours of self-study on the course bibliography and provided slides. To facilitate inclusive teaching, the instructor offers up to two hours per week of office hours, by appointment.

Assessment Methods

The final assessment will consist of a series of open questions (the exam will be in the written modality). Specifically, the exam consists of 4 open-ended questions evaluated according to the criteria of comprehensiveness, relevance, and clarity, with a maximum score of 8 points.

Texts

Mandatory: - Gatti, D., & Vecchi T. (2019) Memoria. Carocci Editore. - Vallarino M., Bellati M. (2019) Psicologia del gusto. Carocci Editore. Additional material will be distributed.

The course will deepen some aspects of the General Psychology course, such as the mechanisms subserving human learning and memory processes. The focus will also be on new emerging issues in the field of cognitive sciences, such as the multisensory perception of taste. The contents of this course will be discussed from a multidisciplinary standpoint, integrating different approaches ranging from psychology to cognitive neuroscience. At the end of this course, students will understand and be able to apply principles of the scientific method and critical thinking.