Introductory Psychology - Brain, Behaviour and Cognition

Description

At an increasing rate, the scientific study of behaviour (what people and animals do) is exploiting new technologies to explore the mysteries of the human mind.  We are all the product of our genetic makeup and lifetime learning.  What learning systems has evolution favoured?  What general principles govern learning?  It is no longer a matter of nature versus nurture.  Rather the question is how do they collaborate to produce behaviour that is appropriate to our niche?  Underlying behaviour are the activities in the complex network of cells we call the nervous system.  How does it work?  What are the specialist systems within it?  What functions do they serve?  How does this help us understand brain injury, memory loss, and everyday thinking?  Behaviours occur in response to events in our environment as well as to our beliefs.  How do our senses work to pickup touch and pain and the changes in smell, sounds, and sights that occur in our external environment?  Do we ever pickup information without attending and without being aware of it?  What is the function of conscious thought?  How are knowledge and beliefs stored in the memory systems of our brains and how is this knowledge retrieved and used when we look at a scene, make a decision, imagine, or comprehend a sentence?  These are examples of the kinds of questions addressed in this course.