Summary Introduction to the Study of Psychology

Introduction to the Study of Psychology. Goals for today’s class… ● The Nervous System ● The Central Nervous System ● The Brain ● The Brain & Behaviour ● The Peripheral Nervous System ● Connecting the Brain to Behaviour ● The Cells of the Nervous System ● The Action Potential – how does our body communicate internally? ● How do drugs affect the functioning of the brain and the nervous system – thereby influencing behaviour? ● Genetics: how much of human behaviour is biologically (genetically) pre-determined? ● How do genes determine “who” we are? ● Evolution: how does our evolutionary history influence our behaviour today? Nerve Cells ● Neurons (nerve cells) – cells that receive and transmit electrical signals ● The brain is a network of neurons ● 100 billion neurons with 100 trillion connections ● The brain is able to engage in complex functions because the nerve cells are organized into modules that work together ● Ability to communication with other cells ● They work together to make connects