Application: Brain Function and Psychology

by

Humanities

You have reached a milestone in your study of biological psychology, having examined the fundamentals of how the brain is structured, how each individual neuron uses electrical signals to process information, and how the neuron in turn releases chemical neurotransmitters to affect other neurons and, ultimately, to produce behavior. Using this framework of knowledge, step back and consider the big picture of the behavioral issues of concern for psychologists, and which aspects of brain structure and function play important roles in those behaviors.

The Assignment:

Write a 4- to 5-page paper that addresses the following:

  • Describe the divisions of the brain that research psychologists are most interested in and explain why.
  • Describe what divisions of the brain you might be interested in researching and explain why.

Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.

Readings

  • Breedlove, S. M., & Watson, N. V. (2018). Behavioral neuroscience (8th ed.) New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
    • Chapter 4, “The Chemistry Behavior: Neurotransmitters and Neuropharmacology”
  • Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2010). Neurocircuitry of addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(1), 217–238.
    Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
  • Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Fowler, J. S., Tomasi, D., Telang, F., & Baler, R. (2010). Addiction: decreased reward sensitivity and increased expectation sensitivity conspire to overwhelm the brain’s control circuit. Bioessays, 32(9), 748–755. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20730946