Summary for the course evolutionary psychology (P_BEVOLPS)
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Course
Cognitive Neuroscience (P_BBAC_2)
Institution
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
This is a detailed summary of the course Evolutionary Psychology (course code: P_BEVOLPS) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This summary provides you:
- tips for the exam,
- an explanation of all the discussed slides,
- a summarization of all the important theories and hypotheses during ...
Dear Student,
This is my summary for the cognitive neuroscience course (AB_1056). I only studied with
this detailed summary and got a 9.5 for the exam. 120 pages can look like a lot, but I added
all the pictures from the 15 lectures, and everything is explained in detail. You will nail this
course if you study this material and review the lecture slides. I also have some tips to focus
on the right topics! Please note that this is based on the experience from last year and last
year’s exam. Topics and the professors’ focus can change, and the exam can differ from
previous years. However, from my personal experience, the exams and the lectures do not
change that much, and my tips can still be valuable for this year’s exam:
- Dr. C.P.J. de Kock, your course coordinator, studied the morphology of neurons (that’s
his topic and he is absolutely fascinated with his research): Study this by heart
o Lecture 4 & 7
- Dr. M.P. van den Heuvel, your examiner, focuses on methods in neuroscience research.
For the exam, study everything about spatial and temporal resolution (you should be
able to compare different techniques etc.)
o Lecture 5 & 6
- Regarding the guest lectures: These lectures differed every year and I cannot
guarantee that they remained the same this year. However, make sure that you
understand the basics of the guest lecturer’s research. I was a bit lost, but the exam
questions were doable and not too complicated (so no stress). Note that I didn’t add
last year’s guest lectures into the summary because I do not want to confuse you!
- The lecture about the senses was a self-study lecture. It was a loooot of material and
summarizing this was a pain in the ass. However, this lecture is still super important
for the exam. If you want to pass the exam, please study this! Especially, the summary
of all senses is essential (p.99).
- Although topics such as the anatomy of the brain and the synaptic transmission are
probably familiar to most of you, study this! General questions about the anatomy and
synaptic transmission are always part of the exam and if you know this by heart,
passing the exam is a piece of cake!
- Visit the Q&A! (I know it sounds dumb). However, I know almost everyone who
attended the Q&A in the previous year, passed the exam. So if you are unsure how
well you are prepared for the exam, after the Q&A, you will know. If you can answer
most of the quiz questions during the Q&A, the exam will be doable for you.
Lecture 15: Synaptic plasticity (The foundation of memory) 109 - 120
, 4
Lecture 1: Cognitive Neuroscience
Overview:
1. Mental abilities
2. Brain size
3. What is special about the human brain?
4. Attention
1. Mental abilities in the animal kingdom
- Animals that uses tools as a behavioural extra
- Empathy: rats respond to pain
- Strategy: fish hunts insects
- Cognitive behaviour = humans as a species (have a diverse spectrum of different
behaviour)
o Examples of human achievements
▪ Boy receive new hands etc.
➔ Neuroscientist interest: How does behaviour emerge from the brain
2. Brain size
- Brain size: many animals = linear relationship (ratio between body and brain mass)
o Humans deviate a bit:
o Whale have a big brain (8kg) = but don’t observe Pluto
- Our brain is 18% smaller compared to Neanderthal & Cro-Magnon
o Brain size/mass does not matter
- Larger visual cortex: neanderthal
- Over evolution brain did not become bigger
o Estimate based on skull
o The bigger brain = not the explanation of why we are cognitively so advanced
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