.gif)
Cognitive Neuroscience & Neuropsychology
Course leader:
Philip Fine
philip.fine@buckingham.ac.uk
One term (15 units)
This is taken in the students' final term of study and follows on from Cognition and Biological Psychology, both first year courses. Its aims are to cover the methods and approaches used to investigate the workings of the mind and the effects of brain damage on cognitive abilities, and to provide a scientific knowledge and understanding of specific areas relating to the study of brain function and dysfunction, including those of memory, attention, vision and executive processes.
On completion of this course students should have a sound understanding of how evidence from cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychology converges to give us a more comprehensive understanding of the workings of the mind and the effects of brain damage. Students will also have the experience of summarising a key research paper and writing an extended essay.
The course comprises the following topic areas:
- Cognitive neuroscience – introduction and methods
- Cognitive neuropsychology – introduction and methods
- Brain plasticity, rehabilitation and assessment
- Hemispheric asymmetry and laterality
- Memory and amnesia
- Perception and blindsight, agnosia, prosopagnosia
- Consciousness, attention and neglect
- Executive function and dysfunction
This course is assessed by both course work (40%) and written examination (60%).
Main texts:
- Gazzaniga, M.S., R.B. Ivry & G.R. Mangun. Cognitive neuroscience: the biology of the mind (3rd ed., New York: Norton, 2008). ISBN: 978-0-393-11136-1.
- Stirling, J. & R. Elliott, Introducing neuropsychology (2nd ed., Hove: Psychology Press, 2008). ISBN: 978-1-84169-654-6.
- Ward, J. The student's guide to cognitive neuroscience (Hove: Psychology Press, 2006). ISBN: 1-84169-535-1.