Module manager: Dr Holly Brown
Email: H.D.Brown@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
At least an upper second-class honours degree in Psychology or a discipline containing a substantial amount of psychology and research
PSYC5905M Current Themes in Neuropsychology and Neuroscience
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module examines the study of neuropsychological disorders. A range of impairments will be considered from empirical, clinical, and applied perspectives, examining the cognitive and neural basis of each. The module will begin by providing students with an introduction to neuroanatomy and contemporary neuroscientific techniques. Thereafter, the module will cover a range of neuropsychological disorders, including: movement disorders, aphasia, alexia, agraphia, amnesia, prosopagnosia, executive impairment, and spatial neglect.
This module aims to:
* Provide students with the skills to critically appraise the aetiological features of key neuropsychological disorders.
* Enable students to evaluate and appreciate the various methods used to study neuropsychological disorders.
* Provide students with the ability to critically evaluate the role of neuropsychological data in shaping theoretical models of normal processing.
* Provide students with the knowledge to offer a critical opinion of the relationship between neural structures and cognitive models.
* Core module material is delivered in lecture format, with support for further development through formative presentations, with feedback and workshop to develop skills of direct relevance to summative assessment.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. The ability to describe and evaluate a range of neuropsychological disorders, including their neural aetiology, cognitive profiles, and the key theoretical explanations proposed.
2. The ability to discuss how neuropsychological evidence has informed theoretical accounts of perception and cognition.
3. Will be able to demonstrate knowledge and critical evaluation of a range of neuropsychological assessment techniques.
4. Discuss and evaluate approaches to the support and/or rehabilitation of different patient groups.
5. The ability to show how empirical findings can be applied to different populations.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1. Application of relevant theoretical and empirical literature to solving real world problems
2. Ability to retrieve, analyse and synthesise information
3. High level of written communication skills, suitable for a range of audiences
A range of impairments will be considered from empirical, clinical, and applied perspectives, examining the cognitive and neural basis in each case, and considering methods of assessment, intervention and rehabilitation.
The module will cover current topics among the following:
Aphasia and other language disorders; Dementia; Impairments in perception and action; Frontal lobe damage and cognitive control; Degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (e.g. Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis); Amnesia; Affective disorders; Traumatic Brain Injury; Temporal lobe epilepsy; Mental disorders
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 11 | 2 | 22 |
| seminars | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Practicals | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Private study hours | 122 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 28 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150 | ||
There will be a workshop to review writing the protocol, considering good and bad examples, unpacking the criteria and considering how best to address them, alongside a Q&A with module staff. Students will also prepare formative presentations (group) which address key topics in the discipline, receiving feedback from staff, during their preparation for the session in a dedicated session as feedback on their presentations to allow them to judge their understanding and application of this research, preparing them for the exam, alongside some practice SAQs.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Written Work | Development of clinical protocol 1,500 words) | 60 |
| Online Assessment | SAQ | 40 |
| Presentation | Presentations (Formative) | 0 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
There is no compensation between summative components of assessment, all components must be passed. In the event of failure of one or more component(s), the module mark will be capped at 50 on successful resit of the failed component(s).
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 05/02/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team