| CODE | CGS5092 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Social Cognition | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Cognitive Science | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit delves into the study of social cognition and how this impacts human behaviour in various ways. It starts by reviewing key principles of the evolved mind, introducing the scope of social relations within social cognition in terms of cognitive biases that have adaptive benefits. It proceeds to consider psychological mechanisms such as social identities and social representations towards providing insight into how human beings employ motivated cognition in everyday life. Building on this framework, the course delves into reciprocal phylogenetic influences of culture on cognition that mark the evolutionary trajectory of the species. Finally, the unit reviews the cognitive processes of perception and interpretation towards an explanation of coalitional alignments in social relations. Study-unit Aims: The unit aims to: - Articulate a focus on social cognition in terms of the role that cognitive adaptations play in biasing perception and interpretation; - Chart the evolutionary trajectory for the human species from ontogenetic to sociogenetic influences; - Explain the intricate relationship between cognition and culture; - Provide students with insight into how social cognition determines social relations. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically evaluate cognitive science research in terms of evolved human adaptation towards sociality; - Describe and discuss a range of cognitive biases that bear an influence on social relations; - Analyse and critically examine the projected outcomes of social encounters in terms of their coalitional propensity; - Analyse and describe the intricate interplay between cultural systems and their influence on ontogenetic processes of maturation and phylogenetic processes of adaptation. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically review and analyse theories of human behaviour in terms of cognitive processes and mechanism, shaped by natural selection, and examine their implications on the potential for sociality; - Articulate and describe explanations for human behaviour in terms of socio-cognitive biases and how these relate in turn with biological substrates on the one hand, and the cultural superstructure on the other; - Consider, describe and articulate explanations for human behaviour in light of evolved adaptations that mark the present human condition; - Articulate hypotheses concerning human behaviour in terms of distinct levels of analysis that include the biological, psychological and sociological dimensions; - Propose research strategies that can address knowledge deficits associated with extended and embodied cognition and the impact of this on human relations. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Tomasello, M. (2022). The Evolution of Agency: Behavioral organization from lizards to humans. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. - Sammut, G. (under contract). The New Challenge of Migration: Bridging Social and Cultural Divides. Progressive Psychology Series. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Supplementary Readings - Mifsud, R., & Sammut, G. (2023). Worldviews and the role of social values that underlie them. PLoS ONE 18(7): e0288451. https://doi.org/10.1371/jounral.pone.0288451. [open access] - Sammut, G. (2022). Outline of a grand theory of psychological activity. Rivista di Psicologia Clinica, (1). https://doi.org/10.3280/rpc1-2022oa14456. [open access] - Sammut, G., Mifsud, R., & Brockdorff, N. (2022). The role of worldviews in predicting support for recreational cannabis. Frontiers in Psychology. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.880537 [open access] - Sammut, G., Mifsud, R., & Brockdorff, N. (2021). Introspective Projection: Prototypical representations of Policing in the service of Rule of Law. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-021-09632-w. [open access] - Buhagiar, L.J., & Sammut, G. (2020). ‘Social Re-presentation for…’: An action-oriented formula for intergroup relations research. Frontiers in Psychology, doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00352. [open access] - Salvatore, S., Fini, V., Mannarini, T., Veltri, G.A., Avdi, E., Battaglia, F., Castro-Tejerina, J., Ciavolino, E., Cremaschi, M., Kadianaki, I., Kharlamov, N.A., Krasteva, A., Kullasepp, K., Matsopoulos, A., Meschiari, C., Mossi, P., Psinas, P., Redd, R., Rochira, A., Santarpia, A., Sammut, G., Valsiner, J., & Valmorboda, A. (2018). Symbolic universes between present and future of Europe: First results of the map of European societies’ cultural milieu. PLoS ONE, 13(1): e0189885. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0189885. [open access] |
||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Gordon Sammut |
||||||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||||||