Course Objective

To provide insight into the biopsychosocial mechanisms that underlie
behavior, with a focus on drug use and addiction, learning and
attention.

Course Content

When we engage in behaviour, we often hope to gain something, to be
rewarded. To optimize the reward we receive, we exquisitely fine-tune
our behaviour and become expert reward-seekers. Our behaviour can lead
to positive effects, such as gaining new skills and achieving academic
success, but it may also have negative consequences, for instance
theshort-term reward of drug intake may lead to addiction. During part I
of the course you will gain knowledge of the biological and psychosocial
processes that play a role in the search for rewards, in particular in
relation to drug use and addiction. The nature of drugs, their
short-term reward and related progression into addiction, as well as
non-drug related addictions will be addressed. In part II you will gain
insight into processes that guide our attention and learning and relate
this to drug use. Throughout the course you will also learn more about
the methods scientific research has at its disposal to increase this
knowledge.

Teaching Methods

Lectures and tutorials

Method of Assessment

Assignments and poster

Additional Information

This course is taught by Biological Psychology and is linked to
Behaviour and the Brain part 2: Attention (coordinated by Cognitive
Psychology)

The course is taught in English