| PSYCHOLOGY | |||||
| Bachelor | TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 | QF-EHEA: First Cycle | EQF-LLL: Level 6 | ||
| Course Code | Course Name | Semester | Theoretical | Practical | Credit | ECTS |
| PSY3052 | Readings in Cognitive Psychology | Fall | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester. |
| Language of instruction: | English |
| Type of course: | Departmental Elective |
| Course Level: | Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle) |
| Mode of Delivery: | E-Learning |
| Course Coordinator : | Dr. Öğr. Üyesi HALE ÖGEL BALABAN |
| Recommended Optional Program Components: | "." |
| Course Objectives: | As a biological capacity, the human mind appears to have evolved through natural processes. The human mind has many cognitive components, from perception and emotion to language and thinking, roots of which is in fact shared with other animals. Are they all products of natural selection, other evolutionary forces, or of no such forces at all? The course brings an evolutionary perspective to some important topics in philosophy of mind and cognitive science and offers a multidisciplinary introduction to the emerging but rapidly developing field of evolutionary psychology. Throughout this course, students will (1) explore the adaptive problems faced by early human populations (challenges related to disease, hunger, predators, romantic relationships and mate choice, childcare, kinship, conflict, and war) (2) investigate the potential psychological and cognitive mechanisms that evolved to cope with those challenges (3) discuss in what ways these mechanisms may still affect human behavior in our modern-day lives. |
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The students who have succeeded in this course; By the end of the course, students will be able to: • Accurately discuss the core principles of evolution and the conceptual foundations of evolutionary psychology. • Describe the most frequent misconceptions about an evolutionary approach to psychology, and explain how these misconceptions reflect an inaccurate understanding of evolutionary psychology. • Understand the basic concepts and controversies in the field of evolutionary psychology. • Summarize key research findings across content areas in psychology, from learning to mating to grandparenting, that point toward the heuristic value of looking at content areas within psychology through an evolutionary lens. • Interpret and discuss the adaptive psychological mechanisms in various context. • Explain, in cognitive psychological terms, what we mean when we say, “human nature.” |
| 1 Introduction & Course Mechanics, Read the Syllabus 2 Evolution & Behavior Lecture Videos 3 Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology 4 An Evolutionary Perspective on Attention and Perception 5 Emotions: Evolved Internal Regulatory Variables 6 Evolutionary Prepared Learning & Adaptive Memory 7 Evolved Irrationality: Decision Making Processes 8 Evolved Uniqueness: Personality, Language, and Culture 9 Midterm 10 Evolutionary Origins of Mental Disorders 11 An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Romantic Relationships I 12 An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Romantic Relationships II 13 Evolution of Human Social Affiliation: Family, Cooperation, and Altruism 14 Evolution of Human Social Conflict: Competition, Aggression, and Warfare |
| Week | Subject | Related Preparation |
| 1) | Introduction & Course Mechanics | |
| 2) | Evolution & Behavior | |
| 3) | Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology | |
| 4) | An Evolutionary Perspective on Attention and Perception | |
| 5) | Emotions: Evolved Internal Regulatory Variables | |
| 6) | Evolutionary Prepared Learning & Adaptive Memory | |
| 7) | Evolved Irrationality: Decision-making Processes | |
| 8) | Evolved Uniqueness: Personality, Language, and Culture | |
| 9) | Midterm | |
| 10) | Evolutionary Origins of Mental Disorders | |
| 11) | An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Romantic Relationships I | |
| 12) | An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Romantic Relationships II | |
| 13) | Evolution of Human Social Affiliation: Family, Cooperation, and Altruism | |
| 14) | Evolution of Human Social Conflict: Competition, Aggression, and Warfare |
| Course Notes / Textbooks: | Students are not required to purchase a textbook for this course. The materials required for inclass discussions and homework assignments will be available on Itslearning. Nevertheless, I suggest the following books as complementary material for the lessons: • Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, 6th Edition (David M. Buss) • Evolutionary Psychology, 3rd Edition (Lance Workman & Will Reader) |
| References: | Reading supplemented with powerpoint slides. |
| Semester Requirements | Number of Activities | Level of Contribution |
| Attendance | 14 | % 20 |
| Homework Assignments | 2 | % 0 |
| Midterms | 1 | % 30 |
| Final | 1 | % 50 |
| Total | % 100 | |
| PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK | % 50 | |
| PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK | % 50 | |
| Total | % 100 | |
| Activities | Number of Activities | Workload |
| Course Hours | 14 | 42 |
| Study Hours Out of Class | 14 | 98 |
| Midterms | 1 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 |
| Total Workload | 143 | |
| No Effect | 1 Lowest | 2 Low | 3 Average | 4 High | 5 Highest |
| Program Outcomes | Level of Contribution | |
| 1) | Develop close interest in human mind and behavior, and attain critical thinking skills (in particular the ability to evaluate psychological theories using empirical evidence), as well as appreciating psychology as an evidence based science. | 5 |
| 2) | Gain a biopsychosocial understanding of human behavior, namely, the biological, psychological, social determinants of behavior. | 2 |
| 3) | Acquire theoretical and applied knowledge and learn about basic psychological concepts and perspectives | 5 |
| 4) | Familiarize with methodology and data evaluation techniques by being aware of scientific research methods (i.e. correlational, experimental, longitudinal, case study). | 2 |
| 5) | Employ ethical sensitivity while doing assessment, research or working with groups. | 2 |
| 6) | Familiarize with the essential perspectives of psychology (cognitive, developmental, clinical, social, behavioral, and biological). | 3 |
| 7) | Get the opportunity and skills to evaluate qualitative and quantitative data, write reports, and present them. | 4 |
| 8) | Attain preliminary knowledge for psychological measurement and evaluation. | 1 |
| 9) | To have a basic knowledge of other disciplines (e.g. sociology, history, political science, communication studies, philosophy, anthropology, literature, law, art, etc) that can contribute to psychology and to be able to make use of this knowledge in understanding and interpreting of psychological process. |