Learning concepts and categories

2024/2025

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

3

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Департамент образовательных программ

Статус:

Курс по выбору

Когда читается:

2-й курс, 2 модуль

Преподаватель

Кох Дмитрий Александрович

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course Learning Concepts and Categories introduces students to the basic knowledge of the development of concepts and categories in children. Human concepts underlie cognitive functions such as thinking, problem solving, planning and decision making, which are now gaining popularity in cognitive developmental psychology research. During the course, students will learn about the types of categories available to children for learning and the factors that influence learning success. It will be introduced that the development of concepts and categories is the basis for many language-based cognitive processes.

Learning Objectives

• The aim of the course is to introduce students to modern theories, research and methods of the psychology of category learning. The learning of concepts and categories is one of the most developed and intensively developing areas of cognitive science. The course will examine the specifics of learning different types of categories, the role of different categories in education and development, and the relationship of learning to other cognitive functions. Much attention will be paid to modern research methods, specific features of category learning in children at different ages and in different educational contexts.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• A student knows the history of the discipline and subfields
• Apply up-to-date research techniques in category learning
• Is able to distinguish between the main theories and is aware of the limitations of methods for studying category learning
• The student can critically evaluate basic methods of studying concept and category learning. The student can design research on the basic effects of category learning.
• The student can plan research on the learning of different types of categories.

Course Contents

• Introduction
• A history of research on category learning.
• A classical approach in learning concepts and categories.
• Similarity-based categories. Prototype theory.
• Examplar Theory.
• Theory theory approach.
• Multiple learning systems approach.

Assessment Elements

• Interim test 1
• Final Project
  Research Proposal
• Interim Test 2
• Activity

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 2nd module
  0.1 * Activity + 0.3 * Final Project + 0.3 * Interim Test 2 + 0.3 * Interim test 1

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Handbook of categorization in cognitive science, , 2005
• Mareschal D. et al. (ed.). The making of human concepts. – Oxford University Press, USA, 2010.
• Murphy, G. L. (2002). The Big Book of Concepts. Cambridge, Mass: A Bradford Book. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=78121

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Мышление и речь, Выготский, Л. С., 1999

Authors

• Кох Дмитрий Александрович
• KOTOV ALEKSEY ALEKSANDROVICH