Entry requirements
None
Description
Biopsychology and Neuropsychology studies how cognition and behaviour are controlled by the nervous and hormonal system. In addition, the methods by which cognition and behaviour can be assessed in people with psychological and/or neurological disorders are considered. Knowledge acquired in this course is of great importance for many disciplines within and outside the field of psychology, such as clinical psychology, clinical neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, (behavioural) neurology and psychiatry.
Course objectives
- Learn how different components of the human nervous system communicate, how they develop and how they relate to different aspects of human behaviour.
- Develop the basic skills to assess cognition, emotion and behaviour through neuropsychological research.
- To formulate and present findings from neuropsychological assessment and scientific research.
Timetable
For the timetable of this course please refer to MyTimetable
Registration
NOTE As of the academic year 2021-2022, you must register for all courses in uSis. You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from July. Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from December.
The exact date on which the registration starts will be published on the website of the Student Service Center (SSC). First year Bachelor students as well as premaster students will be registered by the Student Service Center; they do not need to register themselves.
The registration period for all courses closes five calendar days before the start of the course.
Also read the complete registration procedure
Mode of instruction
8 lectures of 2 hours and 4 mandatory work group sessions of 2 hours.
Weblectures will be made available.
Assessment method
The examination consists of multiple-choice questions on the text book. In addition, 2 assignments have to be completed which are made available on Brightspace during the course. Students are graded for each assignment (2 in total) with a maximum of 10 points. A compound grade is calculated, based on these points. Students can receive a maximum of 20 points, which corresponds to a ‘10’.
The final grade is based on the exam (70%; minimum grade ‘5’) and the compound grade for the two assignments (30%; minimum grade ‘5’). You need a sufficient grade for the exam (minimum grade ‘5’) + sufficient attendance to the work group sessions (minimum of 3 out of 4 work groups) + a sufficient compound grade for the assignments (minimum grade ‘5’). Also, the weighted average of the exam and assignments should be 5.5 or higher. uSis uses the grades for the units of assessment, rounded to one decimal place, to calculate the final grade (70% written examination; 30% second unit of assessment). The final grade is rounded to whole and half grades, unless this would result in a final grade of 5.5. The current rule for a final grade between 5 and 6 remains in force: a final grade ≥ 4.75 and < 5.50 will be rounded to a 5.0, and a 5.50 or higher will be rounded up to 6.0.
The Institute of Psychology uses fixed rules for grade calculation and compulsory attendance. It also follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of these three policies.
Reading list
Kalat, J.W. (2019). Biological Psychology (13th edition, Cengage technology edition). Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. ISBN13: 9781337408202/ ISBN10: 1337408204
Contact information
Dr. Judith Schomaker Biopsy@fsw.leidenuniv.nl