Psychology (20405)
Qualification/course: Bachelor's Degree in Medicine
Year: 1
Term: 2
Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits
Number of study hours: 150 hours
Course Language(s): Spanish and Catalan
Teaching staff: Jordi Pérez, Eva Baillès and Olga Valverde
1. Presentation of the course
Psychology is a basic subject of the bachelor's degree course in Human Biology with a value of 6 ECTS credits It is taught during the second term of the first year of the degree course.
The teaching is undertaken by the lecturers Jordi Pérez (the subject coordinator), Eva Baillès and Olga Valverde.
2. Competences to be achieved
The objective of the course is for the student to acquire the skills defined by the educational authorities and indicated in the degree course syllabus. They would be as follows:
a) To study the fundamental bases of cognitive, emotional and psycho-social development in childhood and adolescence.
b) To study the fundamental biological, psychological and social characteristics of personality and behaviour.
c) To study the fundamental bases of psychotherapy.
d) To develop cross-disciplinary skills in oral and written expression
General Objectives
The syllabus has the following aims:
a) To provide students with relevant knowledge of human behaviour, in terms of both basic patterns and individual differences.
b) To give students an awareness of the importance of human relationships in relation to both health and illness.
c) To familiarize students with the principal behavioural disorders and psychological therapies.
d) To equip students to enable them to identify the various methods of gathering information about behaviour and to interpret certain relevant psychological tests.
e) To collaborate so that the students can acquire basic cross-disciplinary skills.
Specific objectives
During the teaching process students will be assigned (in the Aula Global) specific objectives for each topic and each practical session. The completion of these objectives will provide assessment criteria for measuring students' academic performance.
3. Content
Topics to be taught during lectures
Introduction
1. Psychiatry and Medicine
2. Development
Basic processes
3. Perception
4. Memory
5. Thought
6. Learning (I)
7. Learning (II)
8. Learning (III)
9. Biological bases of behaviour I
10. Biological bases of behaviour II
11. Sound
12. Motivation
13. Emotion
Individual differences
14. Intelligence
15. Personality
Social psychology
16. Social interaction and attitudes
17. Aggression
18. Altruism
19. Interpersonal attraction
20. Sexual behaviour
Health psychology
21. Stress
22. Psychological disorders (I)
23. Psychological disorders (II)
24. Psychological treatments (I)
25. Psychological treatments (II)
Seminar sessions
1. Pain
2. Behavioural medicine
Self-access learning sessions
1. Drug addiction
2. Preparation of multiple-choice questions
Practical sessions
1. Measurement of behaviour
2. Perception Optical illusions and selective attention
3. Tutorials and problem solving sessions
4. Biofeedback techniques
5. Measurement of intelligence
6. Measurement of personality
7. Persuasion Commercial and health advertising
8. Academic stress
Planned visits
1. Clinical Psychology Group. Hospital de Bellvitge
2. Drug Rehabilitation Unit
Cinema films
1. 1. The Miracle Worker (1962). Arthur Penn.
2. A Clockwork Orange (1971). Stanley Kubrick.
4. Assessment
The subject will be assessed exclusively on the basis of the specific objectives.
a) Methods of assessment
Assessment will be carried out by means of multiple-choice tests (with five alternatives with one single correct answer, discounting accidental correct answers), "true or false" tests (discounting accidental correct answers) and short answer tests with objective correction criteria.
b) Type and number of assessments
There will be two types of assessment: formative and summative.
1. During the course two formative assessment tests will be held (with a small augmentative effect on the final mark if they are passed). These assessment tests, which are obligatory, will consist of viewing a cinema film the content of which refers to the subject of the course, and of answering immediately afterwards an exercise made up of short questions about the psychological processes dealt with in the film. There will later be a feedback session on the results of the test.
2. During the course a regular weekly assessment test will be conducted consisting of a small number of "true or false", multiple-choice or short answer test. The results of these assessments will be cumulative and will have an augmentative effect on the final mark.
3. During the course the following teaching activities will be assessed: Practical sessions, seminars and planned visits.
4. At the end of the teaching process the final theoretical assessment test will be held, which will consist of a multiple-choice test with questions concerning all the modules dealt with, together with a short essay question test. There will also be a test concerning the objectives indicated in the practical sessions.
c) Effect of the different types of assessment test on the final mark
Final assessment:
PEM 24%
Essay 23%
Practical test 15%
Assessment during the course:
Continual
Practical 10%
Written 5%
Self-access learning 3%
Passing the formative evaluations carried out during the course will result in an increase in the final mark (maximum, 0.6 points: 0.3 points for each assessment test).
d) Pass criteria and qualitative grades
In order to pass the subject, the student must participate in the planned activities, including the formative assessment tests (viewing the film, written test and feedback session), and must obtain a minimum mark of 5.
Passing 70% of the objectives will result in a grade of "Good", and passing 90% of the objectives the grade of "Excellent".
5. Bibliography and teaching resources
5.1. Basic bibliography
Students may obtain relevant information concerning the content of the subject in the following book (which can be found in the library):
Myers, D. G. Psicología. 7a. ed. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana, 2005.
6. Methodology
As an obligatory requirement in order to pass the subject, the student must participate in a range of activities during the course. However, attendance at lecture activities will not be monitored. Attendance at all other activities will be strictly monitored.
The planned teaching activities are as follows:
a) Lectures
Although the subject content will be taught through lectures, student participation will be actively encouraged.
Immediately after each lecture session, students will have access through the Campus Global to written material relating to the subject matter and specific objectives of each topic.
The aim is for the objectives to be achieved mainly during programmed activities requiring attendance. In addition to the material covered by the lecturer during lecture time, group discussions may take place, assessment tests will be conducted and their results will be commented upon.
b) Seminars
Two seminars will be held in groups of 30 students in which they will have previously prepared the topics to be worked on. The contents of the seminars can be evaluated.
c) Self-access learning activities
Two self-access learning activities will be held. During the first session students will be required to prepare the topic of drug addiction as a pattern of behaviour. During the second session, students will prepare multiple-choice questions on the content of the subject used to conduct the accredited assessment.
d) Practical sessions
During the term seven practical sessions will be held. On finishing each practical session, students will be required to complete a control sheet which will be assessed. During the examination period each term, an assessment will also be conducted relating to the objectives of the above sessions.
e) Planned visits
There will be two planned visits; a psychology unit and a rehabilitation unit at two tertiary hospitals. At the end of the last visit, the students will produce a text of A4 length, which will be evaluated.
f) Assessment of progress
During the course, the relevant assessment tests will be conducted during the class and lecture periods (formative assessment tests, including film viewing sessions, continuing weekly assessment, in situ practical classes, and self-access learning activities).
7. Activities schedule
The schedule for the course activities can be collected during the official Faculty working hours.
Planned visits, field trips and submission dates for written work on these activities will be announced at appropriate intervals during the course.