LF:BKPL031p Psychology - lecture - Course Information

BKPL031p Psychology - lecture

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).

Teacher(s)

PhDr. Hana Cacková (lecturer)
PhDr. Pavel Humpolíček, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Terézia Knejzlíková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Tatiana Malatincová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Alena Slezáčková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Pavel Strašák (lecturer)
doc. PhDr. Miroslav Světlák, Ph.D. (lecturer)
MUDr. Rastislav Šumec, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Blanka Suchá (assistant)

Guaranteed by

doc. PhDr. Miroslav Světlák, Ph.D.
Department of Medical Psychology and Psychosomatics – Theoretical Departments – Faculty of Medicine
Contact Person: Blanka Suchá
Supplier department: Department of Medical Psychology and Psychosomatics – Theoretical Departments – Faculty of Medicine

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

• Optics and Optometry (programme LF, B-OPOP)
• Optics and Optometry (programme LF, B-SZ)

Course objectives

- Provide science-based insight into the way in which the human mind processes and stores information;
- Show students how to distinguish between more and less malleable and flexible factors in human functioning to help them understand the origins of different aspects of behaviour and promote a compassionate, empathetic and effective communication with patients;
- Introduce students to the principles and aspects of human development and psychopathology that will help them better understand and respond to special needs of different individuals and enhance their communication skills;
- Introduce students to the psychological aspects of illness and disability and elements of interaction between the patient and a health professional that might have an impact on the progress and effectiveness of treatment;
- Provide students with basic science-based knowledge that might help them study more efficiently and improve their own everyday functioning.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the students will:
- Understand the basic principles of how human mind processes, transforms and interprets information about the world based on stable biasing mechanisms and past experience;
- Be able to use effective learning strategies in their studies;
- Be more effective at recognising stereotypes and misconceptions regarding personality traits, perception, memory, cognitive ability or mental disorders;
- Understand the basic principles and pitfalls of psychological assessment;
- Be more sensitive to and compassionate towards special needs of different individuals, especially children, people with diminished cognitive abilities or people suffering from mental or physical illness or disability;
- Be familiar with potential causes of and motivations for behaviours that might compromise physical and mental health and adaptive social functioning (unhealthy lifestyle, substance abuse, procrastination, problematic internet use, etc.)
- Be able to apply the principles of behavioural psychology in habit formation and breaking of undesirable habits, as well as use these principles in providing better recommendations for patients;
- Recognize different types of regulation of undesirable emotions, choose alternative strategies to fight unwanted impulsive tendencies, and use this knowledge to optimize their future interactions with patients;
- Be able to recognize symptoms of mental problems common in young people and signs that professional help might be needed.

Syllabus

• - The psychology of perception and attention: Do we see the world as it actually is? What are the common misconceptions about how we process information?
• - Memory and thinking: How can we memorize material effectively? Is human memory reliable? How do we work with the information that we store?
• - Learning: How does experience shape our behaviour and view of the world? How to form new habits and change old habits?
• - Basic human needs: How is food consumption regulated in human individuals? How are attitudes towards different food-related behaviours formed? How is sleep and other physiological needs regulated, and how do they become dysregulated?
• - Motivation: What are the different types of motivation, and what are their consequences? How can different motivational dispositions be recognized and harnessed for facilitating behavioural change?
• - Emotion: How are emotions formed, how they can be recognized, and what are their functions? What are the different approaches to emotion regulation, and how to choose and practice strategies for better impulse control?
• - Intelligence: What are cognitive abilities, and how they can be distinguished from cognitive skills? How can abilities be tested? What are the limits of communication and competence in people with diminished intelligence?
• - Personality: What are stable traits? Where do they come from? How do they affect our lives? Can we predict people's behaviour based on levels of traits obtained through psychological assessment?
• - Healthy development: How do nature and nurture contribute to what becomes of a child in the future? What does healthy cognitive and social development look like? What can one expect of children of various ages, and how to interact with them effectively?
• - Parenting and disharmonious development: What does research show about effective parenting strategies to help the child become a well-functioning person? What are the essential ingredients of healthy personality development, and what happens when these are absent at the crucial points? What are the consequences of psychological deprivation, neglect and abuse in childhood?
• - Mental disorders: What are the basic types of mental disorders and what do they look like? Which social stigmas are mental patients faced with, and how do stereotypes compare to reality? How do we recognize that someone needs psychological help? What are the principles of effective and compassionate communication with people suffering from a mental disorder?
• - Psychological aspects of physical illness and disability: Which aspects of psychological experience should be taken into account when treating patients with different types of physical illness or disability?
• - Fundamentals of medical psychology and humanistic approach to patients: What are the differences between the biomedical and the biopsychosocial approach to health and illness? What kinds of patient-professional interaction are likely to facilitate the healing process, treatment adherence and positive change, and which, on the other hand, might undermine progress and adherence? What is adherence determined by? How do placebo and nocebo effects, transference, countertransference, etc., work?

Literature

required literature
• AYERS, Susan and Richard DE VISSER. Psychologie v medicíně. Translated by Helena Hartlová. Vydání 1. Praha: Grada, 2015, xiv, 552. ISBN 9788024752303. URL info

recommended literature
• THOROVÁ, Kateřina. Vývojová psychologie : proměny lidské psychiky od početí po smrt. Vydání první. Praha: Portál, 2015, 575 stran. ISBN 9788026207146. info
• PETRI, Herbert L. and John M. GOVERN. Motivation : theory, research and application. Sixth edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage learning, 2013, xiv, 478. ISBN 9781111841096. info
• NOLEN-HOEKSEMA, Susan, Barbara FREDRICKSON, Geoffrey R. LOFTUS and W. A. WAGENAAR. Psychologie Atkinsonové a Hilgarda. Translated by Hana Antonínová. Vydání třetí, přepracov. Praha: Portál, 2012, 884 stran. ISBN 9788026200833. info

Teaching methods

The course involves lectures on fundamental topics of psychology relevant for everyday functioning as well as professional practice. Discussions on selected topics might be initiated during the lectures. Before each lecture, students are asked to submit a brief reflection on a particular question related to the lecture topic.

Assessment methods

Colloquium. To pass the course, the student must achieve a predetermined number of points for course attendance, homework and final electronic test. Homework assignments involve submitting brief responses to simple topic-related questions before each lesson during the semester. More specific information for each semester is available in the interactive syllabus of the course.

Language of instruction

Czech

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 30.

Listed among pre-requisites of other courses

• BKSC041 Sociology
  BKPL031p || BTPE0222p  

Teacher's information

Study materials, course information, assignments as well as submission links can be found in the interactive syllabus of the course in the IS.

• Enrolment Statistics (autumn 2024, recent)
  
• Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/med/autumn2024/BKPL031p