Psychology 101

CHAPTER 3

Dr. David L. Carpenter

Rev. 8/99

Return to Syllabus for:   Psych 101-03    Psych 101-04

  1. Introduction to the Nervous System
    1. The Neuron
      1. Structure
        1. neuron - about 100 billion
        2. dendrites
        3. cell body
        4. axon
      2. Function
        1. action potential
        2. myelin sheath
        3. synapse
        4. terminal buttons
        5. neurotransmitters
    2. Neurotransmitters
      1. excitatory potential
      2. inhibitory potential
      3. acetylcholine (ACh)
      4. dopamine
        1. Parkinson's disease
    3. neuromodulators: i.e. endorphins
    4. The Endochrine System
      1. Hormones
      2. Pituitary Gland
      3. Thyroid Gland
      4. Adrenal Glands
        1. Androgen Hormones
        2. Estrogen Hormones
        3. Epinepherine- also known as adrenaline
      5. gonads
    5. Neuroscience Research Methods
      1. Case Study
      2. Lesion Production
      3. Brain Recording
        1. electroencephalography - EEG
        2. single-cell recording technique
      4. Imaging Techniques
        1. Computed tomography (CT scan)
        2. Positron emission tomography (PET scan)
        3. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
        4. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
    6. The Divisions of the Nervous System
      1. The Peripheral Nervous System
        1. nerves
        2. Somatic division
        3. Autonomic division
          1. Sympathetic system
          2. Parasympathetic system
          3. Homeostasis
      2. The Central Nervous System - spinal cord
  2. The Brain
    1. Regions of the Human Brain
      1. The Hindbrain
        1. Medulla
        2. Pons
        3. Reticular formation
        4. Cerebellum
      2. The Midbrain
      3. The Forebrain
        1. Thalamus
        2. Hypothalamus
        3. Pituitary gland
        4. Limbic system
        5. Cerebral cortex
          1. Occipital lobe - retinotopic arrangement
          2. Parietal lobe – somatosensory cortex
          3. Temporal lobe
          4. Frontal lobes
          5. Prefrontal cortex
    2. The Two Cerebral Hemispheres
      1. Contralateral arrangement
      2. The Split-Brain Procedure
        1. Corpus callosum
        2. Lateralization – dichotic listening technique
    3. Brain Disorders
      1. Brain Injury
        1. Concussion
        2. Stroke
        3. Aphasia
      2. Alzheimer's Disease
        1. Symptoms
        2. Neurological Changes Caused by Alzheimer's Disease
    4. In Depth: Neuroscience Research on Visual Object Recognition
      1. Associative Visual Agnosia
      2. Prosopagnosia
  3. Behavioral Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology

    1. Genes and Chromosomes

      1. Genes

      2. Chromosomes
      3. Sex chromosomes
      4. Genome
    1. Methods for studying Behavioral Genetics
      1. Investigating Genetic Abnormalities - Down Syndrome
      2. Twin Studies
        1. Identical Twins
        2. Fraternal Twins
      3. Adoption Studies
    2. The Nature-Nurture Question
      1. Nature
      2. Nurture
      3. Heritability
    3. Evolutionary Psychology
      1. Evolutionary theory
      2. Natural selection
      3. Evolutionary Psychology

Return to top of page

Return to Syllabus for:      Psych 101-03    Psych 101-04