Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Thought and Language
Other languages of instruction: Catalan
Teaching staff
Appointments should be requested by email.
Introduction
Pre-course requirements
Objectives
- To understand the fundamental mechanisms of thought and language.
- To acquire terminology related to thought and language processes.
- To know the existing models and theories about thought and language.
- To learn the different psychopathological disorders of thought and language.
- To become familiar with experimental methodologies and procedures used for the scientific study of thought and language.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN02 - At the end of the Degree, the student will be able to recall principles, procedures, theoretical models, functions, characteristics, advantages and limitations of psychological intervention or schools of psychology, the structures and processes involved in basic psychological functions and the nature of individual differences.
- CN03 - At the end of the Degree, the student will be able to identify the biological basis of the functions of psychology and human behaviour, with an understanding of how they work and their influence on other aspects of an individual.
- CN05 - At the end of the Degree, the student will be able to explain and identify the main stages of human development, their progression and identify the characteristic signs and symptoms of the most frequent psychological conditions in each stage of development.
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of the course, the students will be expected to:
- Describe the mechanisms of thought and language.
- Use rigorously the terminology related to the processes of thought and language.
- Identify theoretical approaches to thought and language.
- List and define the different types of reasoning.
- Describe the processes and theories related to problem solving and decision making.
- List and describe the different components of the language.
- Describe the processes involved in the compression and production of language.
- List and explain the milestones in the acquisition of language.
- Know how to identify psychopathological disorders of thought and language.
- Know the neuroanatomical basis of thought and language.
Syllabus
Block 1: Thought
- Unit 1: Introduction to thought.
- Unit 2: Intelligence.
- Unit 3: The organization of knowledge: concepts.
- Unit 4: Judgments.
- Unit 5: Logical thinking: inductive and deductive reasoning.
- Unit 6: Decision making.
- Unit 7: Problem solving.
- Unit 8: Creativity.
- Unit 9: Psychopathological thought disorders
Block 2: Language
- Unit 1: Basic concepts about language.
- Unit 2: Introduction to Psicolinguistics.
- Unit 3: The functional dimension of language.
- Unit 4: The structural (formal) dimension of language.
- Unit 5: The behavioral dimension of Language.
- Unit 5.1: Language comprehension.
- Unit 5.2: Language production.
- Unit 5.3: Language acquisition and bilingualism.
- Unit 6: Psychopathological language disorders
Teaching and learning activities
In person
During the lectures the teacher presents the contents of the course to the students. The objective of the lectures is that the students become familiar with the basic theoretical concepts of the discipline and the terminology of the area. In addition, students will know the most relevant theoretical proposals and their criticisms which will provide them with a general overview of the current knowledge about the discipline. During the classes, the students will also become familiar with the techniques and experimental results that have led to support or reject the different theoretical approaches.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | METHODOLOGY | EVALUATION SYSTEM |
|---|---|---|
| Lectures will be the setting in which students will learn and use the terminology and linguistic structures related to the sphere of study, for the purpose of practising and developing oral and written communication skills and becoming familiar with the literature and instruction materials provided to better integrate the curricular content. The guided reading of texts aims to develop the students’ critical thinking skills, which play a fundamental role in creating citizens who are both aware and responsible. A non-classroom activity in which students undertake exercises autonomously, without the presence of the lecturer/professor. This is the stage in which most questions arise, but, as the option to immediately ask the question does not exist, students are forced to make an additional effort. This is a scenario in which a lecturer, with a small group of students, answers any questions that may surface throughout the learning process. This helps the lecturer detect the elements that are less obvious to students and provide tools to address aspects that do not work correctly. This activity may be done individually or in group. This methodology should not be confused with personal student guidance, which is in addition to the curricular education. | This is the method whereby students work on their own. In each subject, the students will complete assignments that reflect their autonomous learning experience. The students will also prepare themselves for lifelong learning by learning to use educational materials and multimedia resources autonomously. This will be where they learn to self-regulate learning and develop their time management skills. Session in which the lecturer presents and explains the course content. This learning methodology allows for the use of audiovisual methodologies that support the content description. Students may interact and actively participate in this session. Debates and discussion in large and small groups, which help develop the students’ critical thinking and judgement skills. This method encourages participation and initiative, the asking of constructive questions and the presentation of new problems that promote critical thinking. Group work promotes the convergence of the students’ ideas, tasks and proposals for the purpose of carrying out a cooperative project based on each student’s inter- and intrapersonal competences. | The students’ active attendance in class reflects their degree of involvement in the form of interest and their interaction with the lecturer and the rest of their classmates. An individual written test that includes the most general and relevant aspects of the subject matter under evaluation. These exams will assess the students’ capacity to listen and understand the main ideas of the course content, as well as their capacity to understand the literature specific to their area of study and use the relevant terminology. On the other hand, the written exams will also assess concepts specific to the degree programme’s various subjects. They will be structured into partial and/or final exams, final exercises, online questionnaires and the analysis of scientific articles. |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Evaluation criteria:
1st call (3rd and 5th calls)**
- Partial exam*: 10%
- Final exam*: 90%
To pass the course in the 1st (or 3rd and 5th) call it is necessary to pass the final exam with a minimum grade of 5 and to have a minimum global grade of 5. A minimum grade of 5 is required on the final exam in order to be averaged with the midterm exam grade.
2nd call (4th and 6th call)**
- Final exam*: 100%
To pass the course in the 2nd (4th and 6th) call it is necessary to pass the exam with a minimum grade of 5.
* The exams are multiple-choice tests and each question has 4 alternative answers. Each correct answer is equivalent to one point, incorrect answers subtract 0.33 points (random level control) and omissions do not subtract.
** The evaluation will always respect the general rules established in the Psychology Degree.
Bibliography and resources
Gabucio Cerezo, F. y Domingo Curto, J. M. (2005) Psicología del pensamiento. Barcelona: UOC. https://cerca.uic.es/permalink/34CSUC_INSTB/1ppjbb4/alma991002988075006707
Moya, J. y Giorgieva, E. (2014). Psicología del pensamiento. Madrid: Síntesis.
Carroll, D. (2006). Psicología del Lenguaje. Madrid: Paraninfo.
Evaluation period
- E1 15/01/2025 A01 10:00h