Cognitive Psychology for HCI 7,5 Credits
Course Contents
In this intense course, students are provided with a deep understanding of cognitive psychology and its relevance to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The course briefly introduces the topics of the historical and philosophical foundations of cognitive psychology and the basics of evolutionary and social approaches in cognitive science. The topics of key cognitive processes, such as perception, attention, memory, learning, reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving, are discussed in detail. Through lectures, readings, discussions, and practical exercises, students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to apply cognitive psychology principles to their professional careers and assess the ethical implications that the design might have on individuals and society at large.The course includes the following elements:
1. Historical and philosophical foundations of cognitive psychology (including topics of monism, dualism, knowledge acquisition, and consciousness)
2. Key figures and theories in cognitive psychology (including voluntarism, structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalytic approach, and behaviourism)
3. Cognitive processes:
a. Perception and object recognition (including visual and auditory perception, multimodal perceptions, and object recognition)
b. Memory and attention (including models of memory and models of attention)
c. Reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving (including but not limited to inductive and deductive reasoning, dual system approach to thinking, problem representation, experts vs. novices, and creative problem-solving)
4. Evolutionary and social approaches in cognitive psychology (including but not limited to evolution and cognitive processes, behavioural economics, attitudes, cognitive dissonance, impressions, stereotyping and prejudice)
5. Language and HCI (including but not limited to language acquisition and grammar)
6. Emotion and ethical considerations (including topics such as how emotion and moods affect cognitive processing, emotional design principles, affective computing, promotion of emotional well-being and reduction of negative effects of design)
Prerequisites
The applicant must hold the minimum of a bachelor’s degree (i.e., the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits at an accredited university) with at least 90 credits in Informatics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent. Proof of English proficiency is required.Level of Education: Master
Course code/Ladok code: TKPR24
The course is conducted at: School of Engineering
