Psychology of Thinking

Code:

P300

Acronym:

PP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://moodle.up.pt
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIPSI	176	Official Curricular Structure	2	-	3	30	81

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

1. To be knowledgeable about the main concepts, findings and issues in the psychology of cognitive processes associated with thinking, namely: problem solving, decision making, judgement under uncertainty, intuition and reasoning.

2. To be familiar with the experimental method as a privileged tool of research in psychology, and to be able to appreciate the value and limitations of behavioral methods used alone or in combination with brain imaging and electroencephalographic methods.

3. To be able to interpret, analyze and summarize domain-specific texts, of initial or intermediate level of specialization, and to establish relationships between learned materials and real life situations where their application might be relevant.

Learning outcomes and competences

The objectives were defined above as learning outcomes.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Introduction to the study of thinking. Problems and methods.

Problem solving.
From Gestalt and Artificial Intelligence approaches to the mind/brain system
General methods (e.g., means/ends analysis, analogy)
Problem solving in specific domains..
Expertise.
Practice and deliberate practice.

Decision making.
Bounded rationality.
Normative and descriptive approaches.
Choice behavior.
Cognition and emotion in decision making.

Judgement under uncertainty.
Heuristics and biases.
Alternative views.
Intuition and reasoning according to D. Kahneman.

Reasoning.
Induction and deduction.
Conditional and syllogistic reasoning.
The mental models theory of P. Johnson-Laird.
Previous knowledge, pragmatics and cultural factors.

Thinking, language and culture.

Mandatory literature

Eysenck Michael W.; Cognitive psychology. ISBN: 978-1-84872-416-7
Anderson John R.; Cognitive psychology and its implications. ISBN: ISBN 0-7167-3678-0

Comments from the literature

Eysenck, M. W., & Keane, M. T. (2015). Cognitive Psychology. A student's handbook, 7th edition. London: Psychology Press.

Johnson-Laird, P. (2008). How we reason. London: Sage Publications.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. London: Allen Lane, Penguin.

Sternberg, R.J. (2009). Cognitive psychology. Fifth Edition. USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.


In addition to this bibliography, recent articles on selected topics published in high profile journals are also recommended.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Weekly lectures for all enrolled students (about 150).
Students are supposed to attend the weekly lectures. If regular attendance to weekly lectures is not possible, please come and see the professor to discuss the situation.

E-learning component at the University of Porto Moodle platform: http://moodle.up.pt/ (visitor’s access with password “ visitaPP “), where materials used in the course are available: handouts, recommended readings and useful links.


Students may be called to participate as experimental subjects in ongoing research at the Speech Lab / Neurocognition and Language Research Group (NCL Group).

They may also be called to prepare a critical review of recommended scientific articles related to the topics of the course.

Software

Socrative Student
Moodle

keywords

Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Cognitive science
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology > Experimental psychology
Health sciences > Neuroscience

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	41,00
Frequência das aulas	28,00
Trabalho escrito	10,00
Trabalho laboratorial	2,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance of at least 75% of the lectures is strongly recommended.

Calculation formula of final grade

Grades are attributed according to the classification in the final exam. This consists of  multiple choice questions (on the whole or in part), and is responded to using the Moodle platform.

Credits may be attributed for the participation as subjects in ongoing research from the NCL Group. There is also the possibility of making a review of a scientific article chosen among recommended readings.


Specific conditions are defined each year. Unless otherwise specified until at least one month before the exam date in Psychology of Thought Online in Moodle, the scheme that follows will be used.

The final grade is assigned taking into account (1) the classification on the final exam and, in the case of having participated in an investigation in the context of this course, (2) credits allocated to such participation. In the latter case, the final rating will be given a weighting of 90% for the exam and 10% for the experimental participation. If a student has not received credits for experimental participation, the exam is weighs 100%.

Examinations or Special Assignments

Participation as subjects in ongoing research experiments is expected, as is the regular use of Psychology of Thought Online in the Moodle platform.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Special situations to be discussed on case by case basis.

Classification improvement

Students must enroll in the Academic Services specifically for a second chance ("melhoria").

For more information, please contact the professor and/or consult the UP Regulation on Student Assessment, namely its Art. nº 10, point 1.