PSYC 2004 - Thinking, Sleep, and Mental Disorders

Credits: 1
Hours/Week: Lecture 1 Lab None
Course Description: This course is an introduction to the brain’s role in the higher mental and psychological functions that people experience. The focus is on how the brain and nervous system contribute to and influence complex cognitive processes, sleep, awareness, and psychological abnormalities such as schizophrenia, mood disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease. This course presents the most recent findings in the scientific study of the biopsychology of learning, memory, cognition, sleep, consciousness, and mental disorders.
MnTC Goals
5 History/Social/Behavioral Science

Prerequisite(s): Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940  with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950  with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051  with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052  with a grade of C or higher.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: PSYC 1020  

Major Content

1. Basic brain anatomy and physiology
2. The biopsychology of classical and operant conditioning
3. The brain’s role in sleep and sleep disorders
4. The role of the brain in psychological disorders
5. Types and processes of memory in the brain
6. The biopsychology of awareness and consciousness

1. describe the basic foundations of brain anatomy and physiology.
2. describe classical and operant conditioning and the process of long-term potentiation.
3. give examples of learning and memory components in the brain and at the synapse.
4. describe the stages of sleep and their corresponding physiological correlates.
5. list the types of memory as processed in the brain.
6. describe the brain regions and physiology associated with three categories of psychological disorders.
7. give examples of the problems inherent in measuring and assessing consciousness.

05. 02. Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures.

05. 03. Use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.

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