00 intro
TRANSCRIPT
Psychology 355 1
Introduction to Neuroscience II: From Brain to Behavior
Spring 2007
Psychology 355 2
Required text
Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, 3nd ed., by Bear, Connor, and Paradiso; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001.
ISBN: 0-7817-3255-7
Psychology 355 3
Instructors
Professor GreeneOffice: Garland 212 Phone: 3313Email: [email protected] Office hours: TR 3:30-
4:30
Professor HelmstetterOffice: Garland 207Phone: 4903Email: [email protected] hours: T 1:00-2:00PM
Psychology 355 4
Course policies
•Prerequisites: Bio Sci 152(p) & 315(c) or Psych 254•Lecture schedule•Exam dates: 2/15; 3/8; 4/17; 5/16•Extra credit•Supplemental material
Psychology 355 5
Neuroscience
“The task of neural science is to explain behavior in terms of the activities of the brain. How does the brain marshal its millions of individual nerve cells to produce behavior, and how are these cells influenced by the environment...? The last frontier of the biological sciences--their ultimate challenge--is to understand the biological basis of consciousness and the mental processes by which we perceive, act, learn, and remember.” — Eric Kandel, Principles of Neural science, fourth edition
Psychology 355 6
Neuroscience
Understanding the brain and behavior at different “levels of analysis”.
Neuroscientists study the nervous system in a variety of ways.
Psychology 355 7
Fact or Theory
Psychology 355 8
Fact or Theory• Theory = understanding• Theory is not hypothetical• Facts must be observable (data)• Theory is broad, fact and hypothesis are
narrow• Theories must be consistent with all
available (relevant) facts• Theory guides the search for fact• The progress of theory is the purpose of
science
Psychology 355 9
Psychology 355 10
Functionalism and Structuralism
Functionalism: Emphasizes utility as a causal factorEvolution
Structuralism: Emphasizes mechanistic understanding
Psychology 355 11
Evolution
Variation1. Every species has
enormous diversity2. Sexual
reproduction insures diversity by recombining genes into new combinations
3. Variability allows a species (not an individual) to survive Conch
Psychology 355 12
Evolution
Selection1. Selection -
reproduction of the fittest
2. Differential survival advantage
3. Differential reproduction advantage
4. Minimal selection pressure after the age of reproduction
Tarsier