2020-21 Academic Catalog

It should be obvious that every process that goes on in the mind has physiological underpinnings. But, whether we can unlock the secrets of learning, memory, perception, language, decision-making, emotional responding, empathy, morality, social thinking, deception, and manipulation as they are supported by neurons and neural connections is a longstanding and elusive problem in psychology. Contemporary primary source articles are mostly used for this discussion-driven course, but a brief textbook/manual on brain processing is also required. The student should leave the class with a working understanding of brain processes and of contemporary theories of brain processes that may support many mental processes in humans. Prerequisite: Psychology 110 or Biology 125 or Psychology 216 or Neuroscience 127 or permission of the instructor.