Module manager: Dr Holly Brown
Email: H.D.Brown@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
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.
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 feedback 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. Critically evaluate how neuropsychological evidence has informed theoretical accounts of perception and cognition.
3. Discuss and evaluate approaches to the support and/or rehabilitation of different patient groups.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1. Ability to retrieve, analyse and synthesise information
2. High level of written communication skills, suitable for a range of audiences
3. Ability to select and apply neuropsychological assessment techniques to real-world problems.
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 | 7 | 2 | 14 |
| Practicals | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Tutorial | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Private study hours | 131 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 19 | ||
| 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. Formative assessment will take the form of workshops, whereby students will experience delivering and participating in neuropsychological tests that are used for various neuropsychological disorders that will be covered in the module lectures. By engaging with the tests and evaluating their effectiveness and appropriateness for some example case studies, the workshops are preparing them for the coursework assessment, and further developing their understanding and application of this research, preparing them for the exam. Students will also have the opportunity to prepare notes that they can take into the exam, and look at some practice questions and the final lecture in the series will provide exam specific support.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Development of clinical protocol (4 pages) | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Open Book exam | 2.0 Hrs 0 Mins | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 50 | |
In person open book exam (SAQ)
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 30/04/2025
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