Teaching code

4S007528

Teacher

Roberto Burro

Coordinator

Roberto Burro

Credits

6

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

M-PSI/01 - GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

Period

Sem. 1B dal Nov 10, 2025 al Dec 24, 2025.

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The course aims to promote:
1) knowledge and understanding of the psychological theories that explain the attitudes and behaviors of the individual and groups;
2) the ability to know and apply theories related to the functioning of the individual, groups and organizations to the reading and analysis of learning phenomena and personal and social change;
3) autonomy of judgment concerning the study of observed behavior and internal cognitive processes;
4) the appropriate communication skills in the institutional, public, social and corporate fields of psychological concepts.

Specific objectives:
The course will provide an overview of the basic concepts that characterize Psychology as Experimental Discipline. The topics that will be covered will be: sensory and perceptual processes, learning and memory, motivation, language learning, development theories, social psychology and personality. Through a brief recapitulation of the salient moments of the history of Psychology, some main theories will be analyzed such as Behaviorism, Gestalt Theory and Cognitivism.

Prerequisites and basic notions

No prior knowledge required

Program

I. History and methods of psychology
1. The natural history of man
2. Behaviorism
3. Gestalt psychology
4. Cognitive sciences
5. Artificial intelligence
6. Modularism, evolutionary psychology and connectionism
7. Mind located and rooted in the body
8. What future for psychology?
II. Visual perception
1. From the distal stimulus to the percept
2. The formation of the percept
3. Perceptual constancies
4. Depth perception
5. Object recognition
6. Errors and illusions
7. Multimodal perception
8. Conclusion
III. Attention and action
1. What is attention
2. Selection and search for stimuli
3. «Multitasking», focused attention and divided attention
4. Action
IV. Consciousness, Sleep, Meditation
1. Principal Properties of Consciousness
2. Sleep
3. Hypnosis
4. Meditation
V. Representation, Knowledge, Mental Simulation
1. Mental Representation
2. Knowledge and Concepts
3. Mental Simulation
VI. Learning
1. Latent Learning
2. Organismal Learning
3. Associative Learning
4. Non-Associative Models
VII. Memory
1. Nature of Memory
2. The Theory of Memory
3. Memory as a Process
4. Forgetting and Forgetfulness
5. Memory Dysfunctions
VIII. Thinking
1. Decision Making
2. Inductions and Problem Solving by Analogy
3. Problem Solving
IX. Communication and Language
1. What Does It Mean to Communicate
2. Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
X. Motivation
1. Motivation
2. Hunger: A Primary Motivation
3. Cognitive Science and Motivation
4. Secondary Motivations
XI. Emotions
1. What is an emotion
2. Main components of emotions
3. Onset of emotions, categories and emotional scripts
4. Manifestation of emotions
5. Regulation of emotions

Bibliography

Didactic methods

Frontal teaching.

Learning assessment procedures

The examination taken during an official call will consist of a written test with thirty multiple-choice questions to be taken in 30 minutes (3 answer alternatives of which only one is correct).

Evaluation criteria

For the purposes of the final grade expressed in thirtieths, a correct answer has a value of 1 point, an incorrect answer has a value of 0 points, an answer not given has a value of 0 points.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

For the purposes of the final grade expressed in thirtieths, a correct answer has a value of 1 point, an incorrect answer has a value of 0 points, an answer not given has a value of 0 points.

Exam language

Italiano

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