ECTS credits ECTS credits: 4.5
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 74.2 Hours of tutorials: 2.25 Expository Class: 18 Interactive Classroom: 18 Total: 112.45
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary Degree Subject RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology
Areas: Psychobiology
Center Faculty of Psychology
Call: First Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable
On successful completion of this subject, students will:
- understand the biological basis of human behavior and psychological processes through cognitive neuroscience, its contributions and limitations, and will be able to explain human behaviour from this perspective.
- know, at a basic and general level, the biological foundations of superior cognitive processes such as attention, memory, language, response processes and executive functions.
- gain experience, at an initiation level, in the use of psychophysiological recording techniques and with the procedures employed to study cognitive processes.
1. Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
Goals and methods of cognitive neuroscience. Introduction to techniques and procedures used to study the neural bases of cognitive processes.
2. Attention
Basic processes of attention: Exogenous vs. endogenous attention. Neural bases of attention: neuroanatomical and neurophysiological substrates of attentional networks. Alerting, orienting and executive attention. Emotional influences on attention. Recording of psychophysiological correlates of attention in humans using non-invasive electrophysiology.
3. Memory
Neural bases of memory: neuranatomical and neurophysiological substrates of memory systems and processes. Memory systems: short-term memory and long-term memory; declarative memory and non-declarative memory. Memory processes: encoding, storage and retrieval. Emotional influences on memory. Recording of psychophysiological correlates of memory in humans using non-invasive electrophysiology.
4. Language
Neural bases of language: neuroanatomical and neurophysiological substrates. Language and hemispheric specialization. Language acquisition. Language comprehension and production. Recording of psychophysiological correlates of language in humans using non-invasive electrophysiology.
5. Response processes
Neural bases of response processes and motor cognition: neuroanatomical and neurophysiological substrates of the mechanisms of motor response selection and preparation, action observation and motor imagination. Recording of psychophysiological correlates of response-related processes in humans using non-invasive electrophysiology.
6. Neural bases of executive functions: behavioural planning, goal-directed behaviour; behavioural and emotional control; flexibility. The prefrontal cortex. Emotional influences on executive processes. Recording of psychophysiological correlates of executive functions in humans using non-invasive electrophysiology
Basic bibliography:
Bear, M.F., Connors, B., & Paradiso, M. (2016). Neurociencia. La exploración del cerebro, 4ª Ed. Barcelona: Wolters Kluwer, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (English original version: 2015). [Library Ref.: PS6-1943].
Carlson, N.R., & Birkett, M.A. (2018). Fisiología de la conducta, 12ª Ed. Madrid: Pearson Educación (English original version: 2017). [Library Ref.: PS6-1534]
Carretié Arangüena, L. (2016). Anatomía de la Mente. Emoción, cognición y cerebro, 2ª Ed. Madrid: Pirámide. [Library Ref.: PS6-1840]
Maestú Unturbe, F., Ríos Lago, M., & Cabestrero Alonso, R. (2008). Neuroimagen. Técnicas y procesos cognitivos. Barcelona: Elsevier-Masson. [Library Ref.: PS6-1683]
Redolar, D. (2014). Neurociencia cognitiva. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana. [Library Ref.: PS8-1651]
NOTE: Apart from the general textbooks referenced here, specific bibliography will be provided for each unit during lectures, and will be available at the Virtual Campus of the USC.
Supplementary bibliography:
Banich, T. & Compton, R.J. (2018). Cognitive Neuroscience, 4th Ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Library Ref.: PS6-1755]
Breedlove, S.M., & Watson, N.V. (2018). Behavioral Neuroscience, 8th Ed. Sunderland, MA-US: Sinauer Ass., Inc. [Library Ref.: PS6-1752]
Gage, N.M., & Baars, B. (2018). Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuroscience: A Beginner’s Guide, 2nd Ed. London: Academic Press. [Library Ref.: PS6-1935]
Mora, F., & Sanguinetti, A.M. (2004). Diccionario de Neurociencias. Madrid: Alianza Editorial. [Library Ref.: DIC15 71]
Purves, D., Cabeza, R., Huettel, S.A., LaBar, K.S., Platt, M.L., & Woldorff, M.G. (2013). Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2nd Ed.. Sunderland, MA-US: Sinauer Ass., Inc. [Library Ref.: PS6-1701]
Ward, J. (2015). The student's guide to Cognitive Neuroscience, 3rd Ed. New York, US: Psychology Press. [Library Ref.: PS6-1810]
In this subject, the following specific competences established in the degree are approached:
- To know and understand the functions, characteristics, contributions and limitations of different theoretical models in Psychology.
- To know and understand the basic principles of psychological processes.
- To know and understand the biological foundations of human behaviour and psychological functions.
- To know how to identify the relevant characteristics of behaviour of individuals, groups, organizations and contexts, using the methods, techniques and tools of psychology.
- To know how to select and apply specific psychological techniques and tools.
- To know how to prepare psychological reports in different areas, targeting recipients and other professionals.
- To know how to conform to the deontological rules of psychology.
These specific competences of the degree are specifically defined in this subject by the following:
- To know and understand the biological foundations of cognitive processes, acquiring a basic general knowledge of anatomical structures, functional networks, and physiological mechanisms that support these processes.
- To understand, assess and explain human behaviour, particularly the cognitive processes, from a psychobiological perspective.
- To comprehensively read and extract relevant information from advanced textbooks and scientific papers in the field of cognitive neuroscience.
- To manage, at an initial level, several non-invasive human electrophysiological recording techniques, as neuroscientific tools to study cognitive processes, and to be able to report the results of the evaluation with these techniques.
See the Galician or the Spanish version of this site.
See the Galician or the Spanish version of this site.
This subject comprises 4.5 credits, which are equivalent to 112.5 working hours distributed, in the context of reduction of on-site classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as follows:
Attendance to classroom activities (lessons, exams): 20.5 hours (the distribution of these hours is specified in the ‘teaching methods’ section).
Autonomous work: 92 hours which may be distributed among the elaboration of practical reports (12 h approximately), class preparation (4 h approximately), reading and studying (68 h approximately).
For the successful achievement of the objectives of this course, it is recommended:
(1) To have achieved the objectives of the first year of the degree, especially those linked to the most closely related subjects: Biological Foundations of Behaviour; Behavioural Neuroscience; Motivation, Emotion and Conditioning.
(2) To attend the other programmed subjects of the second year of the degree, with particular attention to those more closely related: Perception and Attention, Psychology of Memory; Learning.
(3) To develop the ability to read and understand basic scientific documents in English.
(4) Continuing learning: Attending classes, carrying out the programmed activities, reading the materials and studying the contents.
(5) It is recommended to ask teachers for individual guidance when required.
See the Galician or the Spanish version of this site.
Maria Elena Amenedo Losada
- Department
- Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology
- Area
- Psychobiology
- Phone
- 881813799
- elena.amenedo [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
Socorro Rodríguez Holguín
Coordinador/a- Department
- Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology
- Area
- Psychobiology
- Phone
- 881813911
- rodriguez.holguin [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
Fernando Díaz Fernández
- Department
- Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology
- Area
- Psychobiology
- Phone
- 881813800
- fernando.diaz [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Professor
Maria Leiros Lorenzo
- Department
- Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology
- Area
- Psychobiology
- Category
- Xunta Pre-doctoral Contract
Alba Fernandez Rodriguez
- Department
- Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology
- Area
- Psychobiology
- alba.rodriguez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Ministry Pre-doctoral Contract
| Thursday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 13:10-14:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Galician | Classroom 6 |
| 14:10-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Galician | Classroom 7 |
| Friday | |||
| 12:10-13:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Galician | Classroom 7 |
| 13:10-14:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Galician | Classroom 6 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Classroom 1 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Classroom 1 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Classroom 5 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Classroom 5 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Classroom 6 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Classroom 6 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Classroom 7 |
| 01.18.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Classroom 7 |
| 06.28.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Classroom 1 |
| 06.28.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Classroom 1 |
| 06.28.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Classroom 3 |
| 06.28.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Classroom 3 |
| 06.28.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo A (A-L) | Classroom 2 |
| 06.28.2021 12:30-15:00 | Grupo B (M-Z) | Classroom 2 |