Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of Psychology (PHIL10081)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will survey philosophical issues particular to the scientific study of the mind, with a special focus on the methodology and explanatory practices of psychology. We will cover questions such as: Can subjective reports count as evidence? Is "unconscious inference" a coherent concept? Are there mental images? What can evolution tell us about our minds? Do mental representations considered as computational states "mean" anything? |
| Course description |
Week 1: What is (philosophy of) psychology?
Week 2: Explanation: 1st and 3rd Person
Week 3: Behaviorism
Week 4: Critiques of Behaviorism
Week 5: Unconscious Inferences
Week 6: Gestalt and the New Mechanism
Week 7: The Role of Meaning?
Week 8: Inference and Belief in Simpler Minds
Week 9: Evolutionary Psychology
Week 10: Imagery Debate
Week 11: Imagery Continued / Review
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
Students who have completed this course should be able to:
* Examine the basic literature on psychological explanation
* Make use of the empirical literature in a philosophical context
* Critically discuss the evidential support for and theoretical significance of unconscious mental processes
* Critically evaluate the mental imagery debate
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Reading List
1. Wolfgang Köhler, Gestalt Psychology (1947) ¿ this book is available cheaply online or from Blackwell¿s books; there are also several copies on reserve in the HUB section of the library
A complete reading list, with readings for each week, is on Learn.
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Sprevak
Tel:
Email: msprevak@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Samantha Bell
Tel: (0131 6)50 3602
Email: sam.bell@ed.ac.uk |
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