Admission Requirements
Master’s students Psychology with specialisation Applied Cognitive Psychology
Description
In this course, a variety of approaches aimed at enhancing cognitive performance (e.g. vigilance, creativity, memory, productivity) is critically evaluated. Students will learn which techniques are applied, whether they really work, and how this is tested. The mechanisms behind cognitive enhancement are discussed in both a behavioral and a psychobiological framework.
Lecture overview (attendance compulsory):
1) Context: circadian rhythm, climate, order, music, light (G.Band)
2) State of the body: motivational states, cardio-vascular fitness, nutrition, stress, plasticity, reward (G.Band)
3) Cognitive training: mnemonics, mental imagery, speed-reading, self-regulation (to be determined)
4) Cognitive training: sleep learning, serious gaming, mental challenge, engaging life style (to be determined)
5) Drugs: improving attention, creativity, memory etc. (L.Colzato)
6) Mind set: meditation, hypnosis, mindfulness, spirituality, relaxation, flow, mood (L.Colzato)
7) Brain-machine interactions: neurofeedback, brain-computer interface, prosthetics (P.Haazebroek)
8) External support: robotics, external memory, life hacking, organizers, media (P.Haazebroek)
Workgroups:
4 meetings with individual student presentations (attendance compulsory)
Course objectives
This is the theoretical part of the specialization in human potential. After this course, students have a complete overview of prevalent techniques for cognitive enhancement and their scientific status.
Timetable
Human Potential: Theory (2012-2013)
Mode of instruction
Intensive master course
8 meetings of 2 hours (attendance compulsory)
4 meetings of 2 hours for student presentations (attendance compulsory)
Assessment method
The assessment is based on:
Individual presentation
Individual papers
Essay questions
From January 1, 2006 the Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted the Ephorus system to be used by instructors for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students’ written work. Please see the information concerning fraud .
Blackboard
Information available on blackboard.leidenuniv.nl
Reading list
- Vernon, D. (2009). Human potential: exploring techniques used to enhance human performance. New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN: 978-0-415-45770-5 (238 pages)
Provisional article list (appr. 200 pages):
Achtman, R L. (2008). Video games as a tool to train visual skills. Restorative neurology and neuroscience, 26(4), 435.
Benton, D. (2010). The influence of dietary status on the cognitive performance of children. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 24, 457-470.
Boivin, D. B., Tremblay, G. M., & James, F. O. (2007). Working on atypical schedules. Sleep Medicine, 8, 578-589.
Cecotti, H. (2011). Spelling with non-invasive brain-computer interfaces – current and future trends. Journal of Physiology PARIS, (August).
Colzato LS, Szapora A, Hommel B. (2011). Meditate to create.
Colzato et al (2011). Lovingkindness brings lovingkindness: the impact of Buddhism on cognitive task representation.
Dahle, C. L., Jacobs, B. S., & Raz, N. (2009). Aging, Vascular Risk, and Cognition: Blood Glucose, Pulse Pressure, and Cognitive Performance in Healthy Adults. Psychology and Aging, 24, 154-162.
Diekelmann, S. (2010). The memory function of sleep. Nature reviews. Neuroscience, 11(2), 114.
Gilbert, LS (1999). Where is my Brain? Distributed Cognition, Activity Theory, and Cognitive Tools (Working Paper). Houston, Texas: Association for Educational Communications and Technologies (AECT)
Green, C S. (2008). Exercising your brain: A review of human brain plasticity and training-induced learning. Psychology and aging, 23(4), 692.
Guillot, A. (2005). Contribution from neurophysiological and psychological methods to the study of motor imagery. Brain research reviews, 50(2), 387.
Hertzog, C. et al. (2008). Enrichment effects on adult cognitive development. Psychological science in the public interest, 9(1)
Hillman, C. H., Erickson, K. I., & Kramer, A. F. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: exercise effects on brain and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9, 58-65.
Iiyoshi, T., Hannafin, M., & Wang, F. (2005). Cognitive tools and student‐centred learning: rethinking tools, functions and applications. Educational Media International, 42
Luders, E., Clark, K., Narr, K.L., & Toga, A.W. (2011). Enhanced brain connectivity in long-term meditation practitioners. Neuroimage, 57, 1308-1316.
Lutz, A., Slagter, H.A., Dunne, J.D., & Davidson, R.J. (2008). Cognitive-emotional interactions: Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Science, 12, 163-169.
Meyer & Quenzer (2005). Principles of Pharmacology (Chapter 1) in the book Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the brain and behavior
Scruggs, T E. (2010). Mnemonic strategies: Evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence. Intervention in school and clinic, 46(2), 79.
Thiede, K W. (1999). The importance of monitoring and self-regulation during multitrial learning. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 6(4), 662.
Vandewalle, G., Maquet, P., & Dijk, D. J. (2009). Light as a modulator of cognitive brain function. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13, 429-438.
Van Gerven, M., Farquhar, J., Schaefer, R., Vlek, R., Geuze, J., Nijholt, A., Ramsey, N., et al. (2009). The brain-computer interface cycle. Journal of neural engineering, 6
Waterhouse, L. (2006). Multiple intelligences, the Mozart effect, and emotional intelligence: A critical review. Educational Psychologist, 41, 207-225.
Zhang, J., & Patel, V. L. (2006). Distributed cognition, representation, and affordance. Pragmatics & Cognition, 14
Registration
Course enrolment
Students need to enrol for the course via uSis on the master’s introduction and course enrolment day that takes place at the start of each semester. Please, consult the master’s agenda Psychology.
Contact information
Dr. G. Band
Room 2A47
Tel: 071-5273998
E-mail: band@fsw.leidenuniv.nl