Neuropsychology of Aging

Code:

MTP16

Acronym:

NE

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S (since 16-09-2019 to 20-12-2019)

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://moodle.up.pt/course/view.php?id=881
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Psychology Themes

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MTP	8	Official Curricular Structure	1	-	6	54	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

1. To be able to recognize the neuropsychological approach to the study of ageing, and to identify its main characteristics.

2. To be familiar with age-related changes in perception, memory, intelligence and emotion, and to be able to interpret them through cognitive analysis and behavioral observation.

3. To be able to interpret, analyze, and critically review specialized literature (scientific articles) about ageing from a neuropsychological perspective.

4. To be able to make the link between acquired knowledge and own professional practice (whenever applicable).

Learning outcomes and competences

The objectives were defined above as learning outcomes. Please see above.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Being able to understand written English.

Program

Introduction: what is the neuropsychology of ageing? 

Causal modeling as a heuristic conceptual tool.

Main age-related changes in the following domains: perception; memory; intelligence, and emotion.

Main neuropsychological syndromes associated with increasing age.

The other side of getting older: brain plasticity and life-long learning. Longevity and cognitive enhancement.

Mandatory literature

Patrick Rabbitt; The aging mind. An owner's manual., Routledge, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-138-81238-3
Ravdin, L.D. & Katzen, H. L. ; Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia., Springer, 2013. ISBN: 978-1461491408

Comments from the literature

In addition to the bibliography, articles published in international journals will also be recommended in each lecture.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Weekly sessions consisting of lectures (50%) and seminars for presentation and discussion of reviews of scientific research articles of experimental research and neuropsychological case studies (50%).
Tutorial sessions for the preparation of reviews.

E-learning component at the University of Porto Moodle platform: the course NP Online,
where materials used in the course are available (handouts, recommended readings and useful links).

NP Online offers visitor’s access with the password “ visitaNE “.

Software

Moodle
Socrative Student

keywords

Health sciences > Neuroscience > Neuropsychology
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Cognitive science

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	10,00
Trabalho escrito	90,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	6,00
Estudo autónomo	52,00
Frequência das aulas	48,00
Trabalho de investigação	40,00
Trabalho escrito	16,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

In order to be admitted to final grading, students are required to attend at least 75% of the weekly sessions.

Calculation formula of final grade

There is no final exam. Students must present 2 article reviews (max 750 words each) and 4 PPS (response to topic-related questions, max 200 words each) during the semester.

Grading takes into account the reviews (20% + 20%), the PPSs (50%) and the participation in the weekly sessions (10%).

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Special situations to be discussed with the professor on a  case-by-case basis.

Classification improvement

Not applicable to this course.