General Psychology I: Perception, memory, thinking & decision-making

Bachelor

The students
• are familiar with the fundamentals of psychology including its history, objectives, research methods, and experimental design.
• understand the biological and physiological bases of behavior, including the functioning of the nervous system and genetic influences on behavior.
• can describe concepts of perception and states of consciousness, including the mechanisms of visual, auditory, and multimodal perception as well as the significance of sleep and dreaming.
• recognize and explain the processes and systems of memory, from sensory input to long-term memory, and apply learning strategies to improve memory.
• understand the basics of action control, including the physiological and cognitive aspects of motor skills and executive functions.
• can apply theoretical models and research findings on thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making and implement them in practical or hypothetical scenarios.

None

• Psychology as a Science (Subject & Goals of General Psychology; Concepts & Perspectives of Psychology; Psychology as a Scientific Research Method; Methodological Principles of Psychology; Methods of Experimental Design & Data Collection)
• Neuroscience and Behavior – Biological-Physiological Foundations (Signal Transmission in the Nervous System; Organization of the Nervous System; Structure of the Brain; Genetics & Behavior)
• Perception (Properties of the Senses; Making Phenomenal Experience Measurable; Psychophysics, Visual Perception; Auditory Perception; Balance & Proprioception; Tactile Senses; Smell & Taste; Somatosensory System; Multimodal Perception)
• Attention & Consciousness (Attention & Selective Stimulus Processing; Consciousness; Sleep; Dreaming & Circadian Rhythms)
• Action Control (Physiological Foundations of Motor Skills; Control; Programming & Regulation; Interaction between Action & Perception; Multitasking/Dual Tasks; Executive Functions/Cognitive Control)
• Memory (Memory Processes & Systems; Methods & Findings of Early Experimental Memory Research; Sensory Memory; Working Memory/Short-Term Memory; Long-Term Memory; Memory Theories; Constructive Memory; Memory Enhancement & Learning Strategies; Neurobiological Basis of Memory)
• Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision Making (Propositional Thinking & Knowledge Presentation; Imagery Thinking; Neural Basis of Propositional and Imagery Thinking; Problem Solving: Basic Concepts & Strategies; Decision Making: Basic Concepts & Strategies, Intelligence & Creativity)

• Bak, P. M. (2020). Wahrnehmung, Gedächtnis, Sprache, Denken: Allgemeine Psychologie I – das Wichtigste, prägnant und anwendungsorientiert. Berlin: Springer.
• Becker-Carus, C., & Wendt, M. (2017). Allgemeine Psychologie: Eine Einführung. Berlin: Springer.
• Hergovich, A. (2022). Allgemeine Psychologie: Wahrnehmung und Emotion. Wien: Facultas.

• Quiz
• Final Exam

German

6

30

4.0

30% of the course will be covered through eLearning. This will involve a combination of online phases (inductive method for independent acquisition of knowledge and practicing tasks) and face-to-face sessions (deductive method providing assistance in the learning process and imparting knowledge through lectures).

2

STGL

GWP2

integrated lecture

Compulsory

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