Spring 2001 Physiological Psychology (207)

Office Hours: Tuesdays 7.10-8 pm, Wed. 1-2.15 pm, and by arrangement.

Textbooks: Pinel, J.P.J. (2000). Biopsychology, Allyn and Bacon.

Course Objectives: This course will cover: the methods used by neuroscientists for exploring the brain and nervous system; the present concepts about how the brain and nervous system function; and critical experiments that have led neuroscientists to their current conclusions.

Homework: Homework will be distributed in class, and will be taken both from the Pinel book and my notes. It will be due in one week. You must submit homework on time in order to get full credit. Each assignment will be worth 5 % of your grade. Together the assignments can contribute to 50% of your grade.

Presentations: You will select one chapter for a fifteen minute class presentation or paper. (10% of your grade)

Quizzes: There will be four in-class quizzes. (40% of your grade)

Extra Credit: Extra credit may be earned during every class period, and is strongly encouraged.

Grades: A = 95%, A- = 90%, B+ = 87%, B = 85%, B- 0 80%, etc.

Feb. 5, 7 -- Chapter 1--Science and neuroscience

Feb. 12, 14 -- Chapter 3--Nervous system anatomy

Feb. 19, 21 -- Chapter 4--Neurons Quiz 1.

Feb. 26, 28 -- Chapter 5--Research methods and 6--Brain damage

March 5, 7 -- Chapter 2--Evolution and genetics.

March 12, 14 -- Chapter 7--Vision Quiz 2

March 19, 21 -- Chapter 8--Perception

March 26, 28 -- Chapter 9--Sensorimotor systems.

April 2, 4 -- Quiz 3. Chapter 10--Eating and drinking. & 11--Hormones and sex

April 9, 11 -- Chapter 12-- Sleep and dreaming

April 16, 18 -- Chapter 14--Memory

April 23, 25 -- Chapter 15--Neuroplasticity.

April 30, May 2 -- Chapter 16-- Language and split brain.. Quiz 4.

May 7, 9 -- Chapter 13 & 17-- Drug addiction, reward circuits & Emotion, stress, mental illness.

May 14, 16, 21 -- Class Presentations.