Prospectus | 08/09 - Psychology and Neuroscience - Maastricht ...

Prospectus Research Master Psychology 2008 • 2009
Practical training
Each course unit includes a computer practical. The assignment (e.g., analysis of
real data with SPSS or LISREL) is discussed in a plenary meeting after the practical.
Attendance at practicals and discussion meetings is mandatory (with 100% and 85%
attendance rule, respectively).
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Instructional Approach
Meetings are arranged into units, consisting of lectures, self tuition sessions, computer
exercises, and plenary discussions.
Form of Assessment
Open book, multiple choice exam consisting of questions resembling the exercises
(general theory, some elementary computations, and interpretation of computer
output).
| 511CN Neurocognition of Literacy and Numeracy – 3 credits
Coordinator: Leo Blomert, Cognitive Neuroscience (FPN), Phone 38 81949,
40 Universiteitssingel East, Room 4.748, E-mail: l.blomert@psychology.unimaas.nl
Description of the Course
Learning to read and write is an indispensable skill in literate societies. It is therefore
surprising that research into the brain mechanisms enabling literacy acquisition has
hardly started. It is even more surprising if we consider that 4% of the population
suffers from a specific problem in learning to read and write, despite a normal
intelligence. This state of affairs may be contributed to the fact that learning to read
and write and the failure thereof have been perceived for a long time as an educational
and not a neurocognitive problem. But the deeper reason may be that our brains are
evolutionary not prepared for learning a written language. Our brains are probably for
a large part hardwired for perceiving and producing speech. Since written language
connects symbols (letters) to speech sounds, it is tentative to assume that written
language skills develop by building on the already established spoken language system.
Development of numeracy may be an even more indispensable skill in our
technological society. Again surprisingly brain research in this area of neurocognition
has only very recently started. Although learning arithmetic may look as artificial as
learning to read it has in fact a different evolutionary background. Animals possess
basic numeracy skills, so our brains may have available basic numeracy networks, but
it is as yet unclear how they contribute to the development of arithmetic and math
skills. The course will focus on brain studies of literacy development and failure, e.g.,
developmental dyslexia and on the development of numeracy skills and failure, i.e.,
developmental dyscalculia.
Literature
Journal articles and book chapters.