Introduction to Biological Psychology

None. Introductory course

Oral exam

The main purpose of the class is to acquaint students with the scientific literature about the biological perspective on selected topic of contemporary psychological research. Some of the topics discussed during the class include: neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, genetics and the development of the human brain, neurobiology of sense organs, homeostasis, sexual behaviour, learning and memory, sleep, emotion, aggression and stress.

The partial list of topics to be presented:

1) Neuroanatomy. Anatomical directions and planes of section. The Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

2) Neurophysiology. Glia and neurons. Generation of action potentials. Propagation of action potentials. The synapse.

3) Neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and neurohormones. Production, storage, release and reuptake of neurochemicals, selected psychoactive drugs (stimulants, opioids, cannabis, alcohol).

4) The genetic basis of behaviour. Heritability. Epigenetics. Developmental disorders of nervous system. Neurogenesis. Brain aging.

5) Neural and hormonal regulation of body temperature, thirst, hunger and pleasure. The neurochemistry of reward. Eating disorders.

6) Sexual development. Sex differences in hormones and brain structures. Biological influence on sexual behaviour. Sexual dysfunctions.

7) Neural correlates of wakefulness and sleep. The functions of sleep. Sleep-wake disorders.

Knowledge

1 Student knows some advanced biological terminology and applies it to the description of human behaviour. Active classroom participation, oral exam [K_W04]

2 Student knows the difference between proximal explanations, widely used in cognitive and social psychology, and ultimate explanations. Active classroom participation, oral exam [K_W05]

3 Student knows the detailed explanation of some core phenomena described by the biological psychology Active classroom participation, oral exam [K_W12]

4 Student know the basic methodology of biological psychology Active classroom participation, oral exam [K_W15]

5 Student knows how to formulate a scientifically valid hypothesis and roughly distinguish between scientific and pseudo-scientific hypotheses Active classroom participation, oral exam [K_W16]

Intellectual skills

1 Student can efficiently communicate his/her observations and analyse the results of scientific researches presented in books and papers about the biological psychology Active classroom participation, presentation of a chosen topic [K_U01]

2 Student can discuss the explanatory power of alternative hypotheses about the subject in question Active classroom participation, presentation of a chosen topic [K_U02]

3 Student can choose his/her topic of interests and subject it to the scientific scrutiny by studying properly selected scientific literature of the subject Active classroom participation, presentation of a chosen topic [K_U05]

4 Student understands and properly uses technical terms form the field of biological psychology Active classroom participation, oral exam [K_U11]

5 Student can clearly explain his/her opinion and support it with a proper argument, as well as objectively asses some counter-arguments formulated by other course participants Active classroom participation, presentation of a chosen topic, oral exam [K_U15]

Personal and Social Attitudes

1 Student actively seeks knowledge in the form of papers and books about his/her topic of interest Active classroom participation, presentation of a chosen topic [K_K01]

2 Student can critically assess hypotheses from the field of biological psychology and formulate his/her own position about the topic presented Active classroom participation, presentation of a chosen topic [K_K03]

3 Student is aware of the fact that many popular books about the biological psychology are considerably biased Active classroom participation, presentation of a chosen topic [K_K05]