Neuroscience and Behaviour
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| PSGY2007 | Psychology | 2 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- PSGY2007
- School
- Psychology
- Level
- 2
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This module will cover several issues in neuroscience and behaviour that are particularly relevant to understanding the biological bases of psychological functions. Among the topics to be covered are:
psychopharmacology, psychobiological explanations of mental disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimers Disease, sexual development emotion and behaviour, methods of studying neuropsychological processes, the effects of brain damage on mental functioning including amnesias, introduction to classical and instrumental conditioning, theories of associative learning and memory, what forgetting might tell us about learning, topics in comparative cognition and cognitive abilities, what can animals learn?
Target Students
Available for Second Year Psychology, Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Psychology and Philosophy students. Also available to Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences students (depending on pathway).
Assessment
- 30% Coursework 1: Coursework
- 70% ExamSys 1 (2-hour): In person ExamSys
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
To provide students with an understanding of the findings of, and theories derived from, experimental studies of how the brain and body determine behaviour in people and other animals, and to encourage the theoretical analysis of neuropsychological phenomena (e.g., the effects of brain damage on perception, language, learning and memory in humans; human associative memory). To provide knowledge about: the principles of psychopharmacology, psychogenetics, neurodegenerative disorders, hormonal processes and behaviour, methods of studying brain activity; the key properties of associative learning; features of animal memory; attentional processes in animals; comparative cognition. The representation of conditional knowledge, and the effects of neural manipulations on these processes. To encourage critical appraisal of models and experimental evidence. To encourage high-quality written communication skills.Learning Outcomes
1. Knowledge and Understanding
a. Generic Knowledge Benchmarks:
i. Demonstrate understanding of the scope of psychological study as a biological science with behavioural measures.
ii. Demonstrate understanding of application of psychobiological theories to explain normal and abnormal psychological processes.
iii. Demonstrate knowledge of research methods and paradigms that are used in study of neuroscience and behaviour.
b. Module-Specific Knowledge Benchmarks:
i. Demonstrate knowledge of the historical origin of study of psychobiology and its development.
ii. Demonstrate understanding of biopsychological theories and their application in explaining abnormal and normal psychological processes.
iii. Demonstrate knowledge of behavioural and neuroscientific techniques that have been used to study brain and behaviour in people and animals.
2. Intellectual Skills
a. Generic Skills Benchmarks:
i. Supply evidence-based reasoning to establish the merit of competing psychobiological theories.
ii. Handle primary source material critically.
iii. Evidence of responsibility for own skill development though independent reading.
iv. Produce written work showing clear communication of ideas and research findings.
v. Locate library resources by electronic and conventional means.
b. Module-Specific Skills Benchmarks:
i. Appropriately interpret findings of specific behavioural assays in the study of animal learning.
ii. Appropriately interpret the findings of specific neuroscientific techniques in the study of brain and behaviour.
3. Professional Practice Skills
i. Evidence of academic skills (concise writing; library research).
4. Transferable (key) Skills
i. Demonstrate evidence-based decision making.
ii. Supply formal presentation and analysis of evidence.
iii. Produce well-organised written work.
iv. Ability to perform effective literature research.