Educational offer - University of Padova

Syllabus

Prerequisites:	A background with basic notions in cognitive psychology, logics, experimental methodology in behavioural sciences and neuroscience is recommended. However, the course is structured in such a way that all of the students will have the possibility to follow the different contents regardless of the specific background of the students.
Target skills and knowledge:	The course is aimed at providing a unitary and detailed framework about thinking and reasoning processes, with notions stemming from different research traditions. A strong effort will be devoted to linking thinking processes with other cognitive functions in a perspective that takes into account the mind/brain relationship. In particular, the course is aimed at favouring the following skills and knowledge: 1. Describing the different processes related to thinking and reasoning using both an analytic and a synthetic perspective. 2. Understanding the relationship between normative and descriptive models of human reasoning 3. Analysing the different theoretical approaches to thinking and reasoning processes, focusing on both positive and negative aspects underlying the different perspectives. 4. Evaluating the positive impact of neuroscientific research for the clarification of different aspacts of deductive and inductive reasoning 5. Developing a critical sensibility for the scientific evaluation of the hypothetical-deductive model applied to thinking and reasoning. This is a critical aspect for promoting the ability of developing and evaluating new ideas in a research context from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Examination methods:	The exam consists of 6 open questions. Students will have 2 hours to write down their responses. The exam will test both general and specific knowledge covering all the notions that have been discussed during the lectures. Five points will be assigned for each correct answer in its completeness. Incomplete answers will be assigned a lower score. The final mark will result from the sum of the score obtained in the different questions. It is MANDATORY to use UNIWEB for participating in the exam.
Assessment criteria:	The exam is aimed at evaluating the student's knowledge with reference to all the different contents illustrated during the course. The exam will include both general and specific questions, meaning that some questions will require a more analytic approach while other will be better dealt with by means of synthesis. Evalutation criteria are as follows: 1. Accuracy and completeness 2. Ability to provide an in-depth description of the scientific studies discussed during the course, with reference to methodological aspects 3. Accuracy in the terminology used for responding 4. Ability to synthetise in questions addressing general contents
Course unit contents:	The course will deal with: Propositional thinking Vs. Thinking via imagery, concepts and categorization processes, reasoning, problem solving, heuristics, decision making processes. Both classic notions and more recent research articles dealing with empirical and theoretical issues will be presented, with an effort to combine mind/brain knowledge.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods:	The course will mainly consist of traditional lectures. however, students will be explicitly suggested to take part actively during the lectures to evaluate the different theoretical approaches by taking into account their predictions and by examining whther these predictions are met in light of the available empirical data. Additional teaching modalities will include presentation of short movies dealing with phenomena related to main lectures. Students are highly recommended to actively take part in the lectures.
Additional notes about suggested reading:	The material for the exam includes not only the handbook, but also all lecture slides, which will be made available by means of moodle. Other material to deepen the knowledge on the different topics will eventually be suggested during the lectures.
Textbooks (and optional supplementary readings)	Johnson-Laird, Philip N., Pensiero e ragionamentoPhilip N. Johnson-Laird. Bologna: Il mulino, 2008.