PSD_07 Theory and Methodology of Psychology

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2008
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 20 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. PhDr. Josef Švancara, CSc. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Mojmír Tyrlík, Ph.D. (lecturer)
prof. PhDr. Tomáš Urbánek, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Mojmír Tyrlík, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jarmila Valchářová
Prerequisites
Scientific seminar I-II
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 8 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Student should have knowledge of both classical and new models and theories in psychology. These models should be used in his/her doctoral thesis and student have to explain it with respect to the research problem. He/she has to have complex knowledge of philosophy of science, methodology and research methods and he/she should be able to use and explain these knowledge in his/her research.
Syllabus
  • Philosophical Antecedents of Cognitive Psychology: The Emergence of Psychology; The Merging of Philosophy and Physiology into Modern Psychology; The Diverging Perspectives of Modern Psychology History of Psychology: Antecedents of Cognitive Psychology; From Associationism to Behaviorism; Gestalt psychology Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology: Goals of Research; Distinctive Methods of Research; Key Issues in Cognitive Psychology; Fields Within Cognitive Psychology Biological Foundations of Cognitive Psychology: Organization of the Nervous System;The Central Nervous System: The Brain and the Spinal Cord; Viewing the Structures and Functions of the Brain; The Cerebral Hemispheres and the Cerebral Cortex; Hemispheric Specialization; Lobes of the Cerebral Hemispheres and Cortex; Association Areas; Information Processing in the Nervous System; Structural Components: Neurons and Glial Cells; Conduction of Information Within Neurons; Communication Between Neurons; Common Neurotransmitters Attention and Consciousness: Preconscious Processing; Controlled Versus Automatic Processing; Processes Habituation; Selective Attention; Vigilance and Signal Detection; Search; Divided Attention; Theories or Attention: Filter and Bottleneck Theories; Attentional-Resource Theories; Additional Considerations in Attention; Neurocognitive Findings on Attention and Consciousness; Attention and Perception Perception: Depth Perception; Perceptual Constancies; Deficits in Forms and Pattern Perception; Gestalt Approaches to Form Perception Theories or Perception: Constructive Perception Direct Perception; Synthesizing the Two Theories; A Computalional Theory of Perception; Spatiotemporal Boundary-Formation Theory Theoretical Approaches to Pattern Recognition: Bottom-up Theories; Top-down Influences on Perception; Comprehension Processes Auditory Perception: Speech Perception; Basic Facts About Speech; Theorelical Approaches to Sérech; Perception Is Speech Perception Special? Knowledge Representation: Mental Representation of Knowledge;Representations of Declarative Knowledge: Words Versus Picture; Mental Imagery; Dual-Code Hypothesis: Analogical Images Versus Symbols Propositional Hypothesis: Functional Equivalence: Mental Manipulations of Images; Possible Synthesis: Dual-Code; Kosslyn's Synthesis; Johnson-Laird's Synthesis; Cognitive Maps, Text Maps Representations of Declarative Knowledge: Concepts and Schemas; Semantic Network Models; Representations of Procedural Knowledge; The Production and the Production System; Conceptual Dependency; Integrative Models for Representing Declarative and Non/declarative Knowledge; The Connectionist Model Memory: Exceptional Memory; Deficient and Outstanding Memory; Recall and Recognition; Implicit Versus Explicit Memory ; Model of Memory; The Sensory Store; The Short- Term Store; The Long- Term Store; Working Memory Model: Procedural, Episodic, and Semantic Memory; Concepts and Schemas: The Structure of Semantic Memory Memory Processes: Encoding of Information; Initial Encoding of Information for Brief Storage and Temporary Use; Forms of Encoding for Long- Term Storage Forgetting Information from Working Memory; Interference Theory; Decay Theory Transferring Information From Working Memory to Long-Term Storage; Rehearsal; Organization of Information; Mnemonic Devices Development of Memory: Differences in Metacognitive Processes Retrieval: Difficulties in Studying Retrieval Processes; Retrieval From Short-Term Memory; Effects of Prior Knowledge on Encoding and Retrieval; Effects of Subsequent Knowledge on Retrieval; Context Effects of Encoding and Retrieval Language: General Properties of Language: Semantics and Syntax Language Acquisition: Stages of Language Acquisition; Theoretical Explanations of Language Acquisition; Cognition and Language Acquisition Semantics: Theories of Meaning; Relationships Among Concepts: Basic Levels, Explanations, and Inferences; Semantics and Other Aspects of Language Syntax: The Syntax Tendency; Parsing and Phrase Structure; Relationships Among Syntactical Structures; Relationships Between Syntactical and Lexical Structures Language in Context: Linguistic Relativity and. Linguistic Universal; Language in a Social Context; Speech Acts; Conversational Postulates; Language in a Cognitive Context; Scripts; Slips of the Tongue; Metaphorical Language Problem solving : The Problem-Solving Cycle; Hindrances to Problem Solving; Mental Sets, Entrenchment, and Fixation; Negative Transfer; Positive Transfer; Incubation Creativity: Psychometric Approaches; Cognitive Approaches; Personality and Motivational Approaches Decision Making and Reasoning > Classical Decision Theory; Satisficing; Elimination by Aspects; Heuristics and Biases Deductive Reasoning: Conditional Reasoning; Syllogistic Reasoning Inductive Reasoning: Reaching Causal Inferences; Categorical Inferences; Reasoning by Analogy Intelligence; Structure of Intelligence: A Factor-Analytic Approach; Early Factorial Models; Multidimensional Models Processes of Intelligence: An Information-Processing Approach; Nettelbeck: Inspection Time; Jensen: Choice Reaction Time; Hunt: Lexical Access Speed and Speed of Simultaneous Processing; Sternberg: The Componential Theory and Complex Tasks; Simon: Complex Problem Solving Integrative Approaches to Intelligence; Gardner: Multiple Intelligences; Sternberg: The Triarchic Theory Emotions and the Topography of the Mind Feeling Theories Emotions and Intentional Objects Psychological and Evolutionary Approaches Cognitivist Theories Perceptual Theories The Ontology of Emotions Rationality and Emotions Emotions and Self-knowledge Morality and Emotions Introduction to understanding science. Different ways of acquiring knowledge. Common sense. Problem of demarcation. Theory and experience. Functions of science. Causality. Finality. Causality as reality or construct of mind. Mistakes in reasoning the causal relations between phenomenas. Open and semi-open system in psychology. Understanding causal relations within whole system. Methodology. Method, methodics and technic. Essential methods in psychology. Exterospection and introspection. Object and subject of psychological searching. Positivism and phenomenology. Hermeneutics. Pragmatics. Nomothetic and idiographic paradigm. Logics in research. Induction and deduction, abduction. Concept and meaning. Therms. Definition. Subject and object of research. Psychic phenomena. Research in other humanities. Problem. Known and unknown. Problem in science as an knowledge about unknown. Problem as a question. Different kinds of questions. Theory as solving the problem. Structure of scientific theories. Hypothesis. Verification. Kvalitative and kvantitative aspect of research. The gap or two sides of the same river. Kvalitative approach in research. Kvality and kvantity. Functions of kvalitative part of research - description, clasification, explication. Developing of theories. Kvantitative part of research. Scale. Operacional definition. Variables and invariants. Kinds of research variables. Internal and external validity. Sample and population. Sampling. Designs with two and more groups. Extent of sample. Various research designs. Prospective and retrospective design. Experimental and correlative design. Explorative and confirmative research. Research methods Observation. Structure. Selectivity. Observation shedules. Rating scales. Interview. Structure. Interview with indivudual. Group interview. Focus groups. Differend kinds of use - research, diagnostics, therapy. Dialogue. Managing of interview. Exploring the interview. Questionaire. Theme - questions. The kinds of questions. Validity and reliability. Use of questionaire in diagnostics and research. Experiment. Specifics of experiment in psychology. Experiment and theory. Various designs of experiment. Field and laboratory experiment. Anylysis of action results. Content analysis. A criteria of sorting of content elements. System of categories. Cognitive and emotional content of mind. Psycho-semantics. Relation betveen language and mind. Language and individual experience. Searching language use. Qualitative and quantitative aspects of research - the gap or two banks of the same river?
Literature
  • Weiner, B. Human motivation: Metaphors, theories and research, Newbury Park, Ca: Sage, 1992
  • STERNBERG, Robert J. Kognitivní psychologie. Translated by František Koukolík. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2002, 636 s. ISBN 80-7178-376-5. info
  • DECKERS, Lambert. Motivation :biological, psychological, and environmental. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001, xv, 464 s. ISBN 0-205-27115-4. info
  • EYSENCK, Michael W. and Marc Peter KEANE. Cognitive psychology :a student's handbook. 4th ed. Hove: Psychology Press, 2000, viii, 631. ISBN 0-86377-551-9. info
  • GAVIN, Helen. The essence of cognitive psychology. 1st pub. London: Prentice-Hall Europe, 1998, xi, 215 s. ISBN 0-13-796459-5. info
  • WEINER, Bernard. An attributional theory of motivation and emotion. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1986, xi, 304 s. ISBN 0-387-96312-X. info
  • EYSENCK, Michael W. A handbook of cognitive psychology. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 1984. ISBN 0-86377-016-9. info
  • WEINER, Bernard. Human motivation. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1980. ISBN 0-03-055226-5. info
  • MADSEN, K. B. Moderní teorie motivace : Modern theories of motivation : (a comparative metascientific study) (Orig.). Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 1979, 468 s. info
Assessment methods
Written concept, oral exam
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2002, Spring 2003, Autumn 2003, Spring 2004, Autumn 2004, Spring 2005, Autumn 2005, Spring 2006, Autumn 2006, Spring 2007, Autumn 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Autumn 2009, Spring 2010, Autumn 2010, Spring 2011, Autumn 2011, Spring 2012.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2008, recent)
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