Teaching plan for the course unit

 

 
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General information

 

Course unit name: Individual Difference

Course unit code: 361018

Academic year: 2019-2020

Coordinator: David Gallardo Pujol

Department: Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology

Credits: 6

Single program: S

 

 

Prior considerations

 

Any test or assessed assignment in which written or electronic material has been copied or plagiarised will be considered an irregularity, and as such will be given the mark of 0 (according to the Regulations governing course plans for subjects and the assessment and marking of learning outcomes; Article 16.7 and Annex).

 

 

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

60
 

-  Lecture

Face-to-face

  

25
 

-  Group tutorial

Face-to-face

  

10
 

-  Seminar

Face-to-face

  

25
 

(Format: public directed debate)

Supervised project

40

Independent learning

50

 

 

Competences to be gained during study

 

   -

Capacity to research, select and manage specialized information for strategic purposes, using different tools and a range of sources (efficient use of library networks, archives and Internet/use of new technologies for academic and professional purposes).
   -

Capacity to produce university-level spoken and written communication (capacity to understand and produce spoken and written Catalan, Spanish and a third language/write reports/demonstrate advanced communication skills for standard conversation, interviews, debates and exchanges of information/present academic and professional subjects fluently/express and defend personal views).
   -

Analytical understanding of behaviour (ability to analyse behaviour on the basis of a functional knowledge of psychological processes, taking into account the fundamental biological, evolutionary, sociocultural and contextual principles).
   -

Basic research skills (use different sources of written information/apply the different strategies required to obtain the correct information and assess the research requirements of each situation/gather, organize and classify data and research materials (documents, clinical histories, archives, etc) /understand the foundations of psychological research methods/analyze and critically appraise data on the basis of extensive knowledge of the discipline/understand the procedures and formal aspects involved in the dissemination of psychology research).

Learning objectives

 

Referring to knowledge

— Identify habits and psychological traits and their individual differences.
— Distinguish different sources of information (self-evaluation and hetero-evaluation).
— Understand the basic concepts of psychological measurement.
— Identify and list mental faculties.
— Know the different structural proposals of mental faculties.
— Understand the stability of individual differences in mental faculties throughout the life of a person.
— Know the main models of individual differences in personality.
— Understand the biological foundations of individual differences in personality.
— Understand the stability or change of individual differences in personality throughout the life of a person.
— Understand how to determine the contributions of inheritance and the environment to the individual difference of a trait.
— Recognise the effect of genetic and environmental influence in mental faculties.
— Recognise the effect of genetic and environmental influence in personality.
— Understand the applications of differential psychology.

 

Referring to abilities, skills

— Assess the use of factorial analysis to identify habits and traits.
— Analyse the foundations and uses of psychological tests in measuring individual differences.
— Evaluate the use of intelligence tests to determine the mental faculties of a person.
— Develop ways of including individual differences in psychological applications.
— Incorporate the study of individual differences in psychological applications.

 

Referring to attitudes, values and norms

— Consider the existence of individual differences.
— Consider the need to incorporate individual differences in personality into psychological research and applications.
— Consider the need to incorporate individual differences in mental faculties into psychological research and applications, particularly in tasks such as staff recruiting.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. Introduction to individual difference

*  1.1. Are we different?
           — The person, the individual, personality and behaviour
           — Consistence and stability of behaviour
           — Habits and traits
           — Classification of individual differences

1.2. How do we study individual differences?
           — Self-evaluation vs. hetero-evaluation
           — Strategies for measuring traits
           — How to structure and classify traits: factorial analysis

2. Individual differences in mental faculties

*  2.1. Individual differences in mental faculties
           — What are mental faculties?
           — Structure of mental faculties: one or more than one? Hierarchical organisation
           — Biological foundations of mental faculties

2.2. Developmental change and stability of mental faculties

3. Individual differences in personality

*  3.1. Biological and factorial approach
3.2. Lexical and factorial approach
3.3. Developmental change and stability of individual differences in personality

4. Why are we different?

*  4.1. Inheritance and genetics in individual differences
4.2. Society, culture and environment in individual differences
4.3. Applications of individual differences

 

 

Teaching methods and general organization

 

— The methodology is based on: lectures, class presentations, seminars, written assignments and independent study.
— The logistics of the subject relies on the UB Virtual Campus.
— All students must attend the classes in which theory is introduced; publicly present their assignments in class and in open debate, and attend individual and group tutorials throughout the course.

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

 

Continuous assessment

— 20% of the final grade is based on multiple-choice examinations, as set by the teacher (four in total).
— 30% of the final grade is based on the evaluation of directed learning activities (preparation and presentation of scheduled debates, and other complementary activities).
— 50% of the final grade is based on a final examination (30 multiple-choice questions, with three options each and where incorrect answers incur a penalty). The grading scale follows the global performance criteria.
— Multiple-choice examinations are held at regular intervals throughout the course, on dates set by the teacher.
— Evaluation of directed learning is carried out according to criteria established by the teacher.
— The final examination covers all content of the course.

Grading scale
0-4.99: Fail.
5-6.99: Pass.
7-8.99: Merit.
9-9.99: Excellent.
10: Excellent with honours

 

Repeat assessment

This consists of a written examination with 30 multiple-choice questions, with three options each and where incorrect answers incur a penalty, on the full course content, both theoretical and that introduced in seminars. It is scheduled by the Academic Council.

 

Examination-based assessment

— The deadline to submit the form asking to be entered for single assessment is 20 days after classes begin.
— Global assessment is based on a final examination with 50 multiple-choice questions, four options each, where mistakes incur a penalty. The grading scale follows the global performance criteria.


Grading scale
0-4.99: Fail.
5-6.99: Pass.
7-8.99: Merit.
9-9.99: Excellent 
10: Excellent with honours

 

Repeat assessment

This consists of a written examination with 30 multiple-choice questions, with three options each and where incorrect answers incur a penalty, on the full course content, both theoretical and that introduced in seminars. It is scheduled by the Academic Council.