signals. Neurons are the basic cells of the nervous system, including our brains. Our genetic blueprints also setup the organization of those neurons into the different divisions of the nervous system and the specific parts orfunctional areas within the brain.
Module 11 is divided into three secti...
9/25/22, 8:27 PM Module 11: Brain and Behavior – Introduction to Psychology
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BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR
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INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
CONTENTS
11. Module 11: Brain and Behavior
In section 10.1, we noted that genes are responsible for building all of the cells in our body. In this module, we
will introduce you to many of the cells and groups of cells that genes build in the nervous system.
Previous: Module 10: Biology and Psychology
The individual cells in the nervous system are called neurons, cells that generate and transmit electrochemical
Next: Module 12: Sensation
,9/25/22, 8:27 PM Module 11: Brain and Behavior – Introduction to Psychology
signals. Neurons are the basic cells of the nervous system, including our brains. Our genetic blueprints also set
up the organization of those neurons into the different divisions of the nervous system and the specific parts or
functional areas within the brain.
Module 11 is divided into three sections. Section 11.1 describes the electrochemical activity that takes place in an
individual neuron and allows neurons to communicate with each other. It also explains a bit more about the “as-
tonishing hypothesis” and lays out the divisions between the parts of the nervous system. Section 11.2 is devoted
to the brain; it describes the functions and locations of several of the parts that are most important in human
behavior and mental processes. Section 11.3 brings together the information from the previous two sections by
returning to the communication process between neurons. The section describes neurotransmitters, the
chemicals that carry signals between neurons throughout the nervous system. It concludes with a short intro-
duction to neuropsychopharmacology, the understanding of brain and behavior through the discovery of the
neural actions of drugs.
Module 11. Brain and Behavior
11.1 Neurons and the Nervous System
11.2 The Brain and Behavior
11.3 Neurotransmitters and Neuropsychopharmacology
READING WITH A PURPOSE
Previous: Module 10: Biology and Psychology
Remember and Understand Next: Module 12: Sensation
,9/25/22, 8:27 PM Module 11: Brain and Behavior – Introduction to Psychology
By reading and studying Module 11, you should be able to remember and describe:
Action potential and resting potential: dendrites, cell body, axon, myelin (11.1)
Neural communication: terminal button, vesicle, neurotransmitter, synapse, receptor site (11.1)
Central and peripheral, somatic and autonomic, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (11.1)
Major parts and functions of hindbrain: medulla, pons, reticular formation, cerebellum, thalamus (11.2)
Major parts and functions of forebrain: hypothalamus, pituitary gland, amygdala, hippocampus, limbic sys-
tem, cerebral cortex, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, primary motor cortex, prefrontal
cortex, primary sensory cortex, primary visual cortex, primary auditory cortex (11.2)
Major functions and location of midbrain and corpus callosum (11.2)
Methods of discovering functions of the brain: case studies, animal research, electroencephalogram, positron
emission tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging (11.2)
Common neurotransmitters:endorphins, cannabinoids, serotonin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine,
dopamine (11.3)
Neuropsychopharmacology: Agonists and antagonists, reuptake (11.3)
Apply
By reading and thinking about how the concepts in Module 11 apply to real life, you should be able to:
Come up with your own examples of situations in which your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous
systems were active (11.1)
Predict the behavior changes that might result from a brain injury or disorder (11.2)
Analyze, Evaluate, or Create
Previous: Module 10: Biology and Psychology
By reading and thinking about Module 11, participating in classroom activities, and completing out-of-class as-
signments, you should be able to: Next: Module 12: Sensation
, 9/25/22, 8:27 PM Module 11: Brain and Behavior – Introduction to Psychology
Evaluate the Astonishing Hypothesis in light of the computational theory of the mind (11.1)
Propose potential agonistic or antagonistic mechanisms of specific substances and drugs (11.3)
11.1 Neurons and the Nervous System
Activate
What is your opinion of the “astonishing hypothesis”? Are you comfortable with the idea that everything
you do and are can be traced to the electrical and chemical activity in your nervous system?
Have you ever thought about how computer programs really work? Specifically, how does the computer
translate the instructions from a computer programming language into a set of electrical signals that carry
out the instructions?
The cognitive revolution (Module 9) showed us how mental processes, such as intentions, desires, and con-
sciousness, could be seen as the manipulation of information within the brain. Thus it helps us begin to under-
stand the “astonishing hypothesis,” the idea that everything we are and do starts with electrochemical pro-
cesses within and among nerve cells. Researchers have called it the computational theory of mind. The brain
receives input from the world through the sensory organs (details in Module 12). The input is translated into
neural signals that correspond to the information from the world; then, the neural signals are transmitted to
other parts of the brain for more processing.
Although you do not need to know all of the details of this process, a few observations and facts can help you to
see how these neural signals might work to create a complex thinking system, such as a human brain:
Previous: Module 10: Biology and Psychology
As you will see in this section, a neuron is very much like a little switch; it is either on or off.
Next: Module 12: Sensation
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