Physiological Psychology

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

The brain, with all its myriad parts, evolved to keep us alive just like any other organ. We are now capable of all kinds of new and flexible behaviors, but many of the parts of the brain, from single cells to neural circuits to macroscopic anatomy, still function in a more rigid manner, largely constrained by their physiology. Things like the circadian rhythm, reward processing and addiction, and different types of memory like autobiographical memory can all be elucidated by studying their underlying physiology. In this course we will study the evolution and physiology of the brain in order to better understand human (and sometimes non-human) behavior. Prerequisites: PSYC 1000