This course is a general introduction to the structure and function of the nervous system. The physiological basis of sensory (input) systems and the motor (output) system are examined as are central physiological bases of processes such as learning and memory.
By the end of the course, the learner should be able to:
- understand how Biopsychology fits into the field of Neuroscience;
- have learned how Biopsychological research is conducted;
- have learned how the nervous system evolved, develops and functions;
- understand the basic sensory systems (e.g. touch, olfaction, audition);
- understand how eating and sleeping are controlled by the nervous system;
- have learned the basics of the brain's reward pathways and how the pathology of addiction develops;
- use this knowledge to understand how your behaviors are responses, guided by your nervous system, to the world around you; and
- have further developed your critical thinking skills allowing you to judiciously evaluate reported findings of scientific research.
This course is divided into the following twelve units:
- Biopsychology as a Neuroscience
- Evolution, Genetics, and Experience
- Development of the Nervous System
- The Anatomy of the Nervous System
- Neural Conduction and Synaptic Transmission
- The Research Methods of Biopsychology
- The Visual System and Mechanisms of Perception
- The Sensorimotor System
- Brain Damage and Neuroplasticity
- Drug Use, Drug Addiction and the Brain’s Reward Circuits
- Biopsychology of Psychiatric Disorders
Prerequisite(s): 1 of PSYC*1000, PSYC*1100, PSYC*1200
Restriction(s): This is a Priority Access Course. Some restrictions may apply during some time periods.
|Online Quizzes (8)||15%|
|Written Assignments (2)||10%|
|On Campus Final Exam||30%|
Note: There is an optional written assignment which, if submitted, is weighted at 10% of the final grade. If the optional written assignment is submitted the final exam is weighted at 20% of the total course grade.
*Course details are subject to change.