Course Description
The biological bases of human and nonhuman behavior, with emphasis on underlying physiological mechanisms, and on the development, evolution, and function of behavior.
Athena Title
Physiological Comparative Psyc
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in PSYC 4130E
Pre or Corequisite
PSYC 3990 or PSYC 3990E
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of the course students should have learned: 1. Some of the historical, philosophical, and methodological issues associated with behavioral neuroscience 2. Some of the methods used in the study of behavioral neuroscience 3. Some of the fundamentals of neuroscience 4. Some general and recent knowledge regarding behavioral neuroscience 5. Some general and recent knowledge regarding study of animal behavior 6. The laboratory component of this course will provide the student with in depth exposure to basic neuroanatomy, and comparative animal behavior and will illustrate principles of sensory processing that supplement material presented in class
Topical Outline
1. Historical and philosophical background 2. Methods used to study CNS-behavior relationships 3. An overview of neuroanatomy 4. Neurons, electrical activity, and neural transmission 5. Psychopharmacology 6. Sensory systems 7. Motor systems 8. Motivation and emotion 9. Learning and memory 10. Evolutionary/Phylogenetic perspectives on behavior 11. Animal cognition
Syllabus