Prospectus

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Clinical Neuropsychology

Course
2020-2021

Important Note

  • All Semester II bachelor and master psychology courses and examinations (2020-2021) will be offered in an on-line format.

  • If it is safe and possible to do so, supplementary course meetings may be planned on-campus. However, attendance at these meetings will not be required to successfully complete Semester II courses.

  • All obligatory work groups and examinations will be offered on-line during Central European Time, which is local time in the Netherlands.

  • Information on the mode of instruction and the assessment method per course will be offered in Brightspace, considering the possibilities that are available at that moment. The information in Brightspace is leading during the Corona crisis, even if this does not match the information in the Prospectus.

Entry requirements

All 60 ec of the first-year in Psychology obtained.

Description

One in 5 people will suffer at some point in their life from a brain disorder such as autism, encephalitis, cerebral confusion, a stroke, epilepsy, schizophrenia or dementia. Patients with a (suspected) brain disorder are often referred to a clinical neuropsychologist. Neuropsychologists specialise in the quantitative mapping of the nature, severity and development of cognitive (concentration disorders, forgetfulness, aphasia, etc.), emotional and behavioural disorders (personality change, depression, etc.) and their treatment and management. Clinical neuropsychologists also need a sound knowledge of the structure, and functioning of the healthy (developing) and diseased brain and what affects it. Clinical neuropsychology is developing into an increasingly evidence-based practice that focuses on quality improvement, effectiveness and efficiency. This requires clinical neuropsychologists to develop academic skills in accordance with the ‘scientist-practitioner’ model.

Course objectives

Students will acquire:

  • An understanding of the broad work field of clinical neuropsychologists and the ability to apply this understanding. The focus lies on knowledge of various neurological, psychiatric and neuropsychological disorders, their underlying pathology, as well as the methods and techniques used to diagnose and treat them;

  • Knowledge of the functional neuroanatomy, neuropathology, neurophysiology and neuropathophysiology; and

  • Oral and written skills that allow them to present a current (clinical) neuropsychological theme/topic.

Timetable

For the timetables of your lectures, work group sessions, and exams, see the timetables page of your study programme. You will also find the enrolment codes here. Psychology timetables

Registration

Course

Students need to register for lectures, workgroups and exams. Instructions for registration in courses for the 2nd and 3rd year

Elective

Elective students have to enroll for each course separately. For admission requirements contact your study advisor.

Exchange/Study abroad

For admission requirements, please contact your exchange coordinator

Examination

Students are not automatically enrolled for an examination. They can register via uSis from 100 to 10 calendar days before the date; students who are not registered will not be permitted to take the examination. Registering for exams

Mode of instruction

8 2-hour lectures (weblectures are available; English language)
8 2-hour work group sessions (attendance is mandatory; Dutch and English language)

The lectures cover a combination of neuropsychological theory and its application to clinical and/or academic practice. The work group sessions – which represent a broadening/deepening of the lectures and required reading – cover the following aspects: patient demonstrations (including video case-based reasoning), neuroanatomy, practising neuropsychological interventions, and recent scientific developments in the field of neuropsychology.

Assessment method

The final mark consists of the mark for the examination (60%; minimum mark 5) and an assignment mark (40%; minimum mark 5).

The examination consists of 40 multiple-choice and 5 essay questions. The examination covers both the book mentioned below and the lectures. The multiple-choice and essay questions are in English. The essay questions may be answered in Dutch or English.

For the graded assignment students write an individual paper on a current (clinical) neuropsychological topic.

Course passed = pass mark in the examination (minimum grade 5) + pass mark for work group session attendance (minimum attendance of 75%) + pass mark for the assignment (minimum grade 5) and a weighted average of 5,5 or higher.

The Institute of Psychology uses fixed rules for grade calculation and compulsory attendance. It also follows the policy of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences to systematically check student papers for plagiarism with the help of software. Disciplinary measures will be taken when fraud is detected. Students are expected to be familiar with and understand the implications of these three policies.

Reading list

Kessels, R., Eling, P., Ponds, R., Spikman, J. & van Zandvoort, M. Clinical Neuropsychology. Boom Publishers Amsterdam, 2017. ISBN 9789089537591.

Contact information

Dr. Karin van der Hiele Neuropsy@fsw.leidenuniv.nl