Cognitive Psychology
Course Code: 3VOL0820
University Level: Three (20 Credits)
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Towards Social Psychology at level 2.
Delivery Method: Distance learning, paper and/or online
Start Date: June 2010 (existing students only)
Course Duration: 1 Term
Course Fees: 20 credits - see the finance page for more information.
Further Study: Optional part of the Degree in Voluntary Sector Studies
Level Three - 20 credits
Course Description
Cognitive psychology is the branch of psychology which deals with the mental processes of perceiving, remembering, reasoning, problem solving and decision making.
Human behaviour is explained by interpreting the mental processes which underlie it. This Module investigates some of the cognitive processes used in attempting to understand the world around us, such as thought, language, attention, perception and memory. Each Unit will explore a number of theories as to how the mind processes information and is then able to use it in making sense of the environment.
Unit One explores the link between language and thought. Humans have the ability to communicate complex thoughts and to act on them. A large number of mental processes are involved in thinking and the student will be introduced to how these thoughts are transferred into language which allows communication between individuals. Language consists of a number of levels, each one of which involves units and processes, such as words and sentences; there are two aspects to language, production and comprehension and these will be discussed as the development of language is explored. Thought is often described as the 'language of the mind'; to understand thought it is essential to understand concepts and categorisation. Finally this Unit looks at how thought is linked with reasoning, imaginative thought and problem solving.
Unit Two introduces the student to perception; this process begins with stimulation of the senses, which is a physical process, and results in perception that is a psychological one. There are two major theories of perception; one proposes that humans perceive what things are in direct way based on the information received by the senses (bottom-up processing), the other proposes that perception is a result of learning and experience or is an innate ability (top-down processing).
Unit Three explores the subject of attention, that is how we are able to select some information for more detailed inspection which involves ignoring other information. The mind is constantly being stimulated and so a selection process is needed so that we can pay attention to what is important at the time. The student will be introduced to a variety of methods for determining how humans are able to select information and what factors are important in determining this. The Unit also introduces the student to theories which investigate how we are able to do two things at once and associated models.
The final Unit in this Module is concerned with memory. Memory can be described as the retention of learning and/or experience, indicating how closely connected it is with the learning process. This Unit discusses major theories of remembering and forgetting and introduces the student to the distinction between short and long term memory. A number of different models will be described indicating how psychologists believe human memory works. The Unit moves on to aspects of memory loss in amnesia and other disorders and ends with a look at eye-witness testimony.
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Consider our introductory course, The Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers