HISTORY AND METHODS OF PSYCHOLOGY

The course will present the historic and methodological bases of the psychological research, wit particular reference to the applications in the fields of education and formation.

The psychological theories, from the foundation of laboratories based on the experimental method, to the psychodynamic, behavioral and cognitive approaches, till the recent contributes proposed by cognitive sciences, will be presented and exemplified.

Along with theoretical developments of scientific psychology, methods will be pointed out: experimental, with the strategies for controlling variables; longitudinal; qualitative, clinical and single-case; for each of these, the main techniques suitable for analyzing data and for making significant deductions regarding the hypothesis.

A section of the course will present some psycho-diagnostic instruments, useful to the Pedagogists for the work in équipe with other professionals, and to assess learning and other variables pertinent to teaching.

1) P. Legrenzi (Editor), Storia della psicologia. Il Mulino, Bologna (whole book, number of pages 216)

2) S. Di Nuovo, Fare ricerca. Introduzione alla metodologia per le scienze sociali. Bonanno, Acireale-Roma (whole book, number of pages 150)

3) S. Di Nuovo, Misurare la mente. I test cognitivi e di personalità. Laterza, Bari-Roma (excluding chapter 2, number of pages 135)