PSYCHOLOGY 372, PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY, SPRING 2002
DR. J FLINN
SYLLABUS FOR SECTION 2, 10:30 TU/TH, WEST 258
   
WEEK OF
CHAPTER AND TOPIC TEXT IS KALAT 7TH ED
   
JAN 22

CH 1 & 2: GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES.
Both genetics and the environment influence brain and behavior.STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE NEURON, NEURONAL CONDUCTION. The function and structure of neurons and glia. The resting potential, the generation and propagation of the action potential.

JAN 29 CH 3: THE SYNAPSE
Summation of EPSPs and IPSPs control whether a neuron will fire. One NT may have more than one type of receptor: ionotropic and metabotropic receptors.
FEB 5 5 CH 3: NEUROTRANSMITTERS (NTs) AND DRUGS
The major NTs, their synthesis and roles.
The effect of drugs, agonists and antagonists.
Substance abuse. (Also CHAP 15, parts 1 and 2)
FEB 12 CH 3: HORMONES
CH 4: NEUROANATOMY.
The Peripheral and Central Nervous Systems (PNS and CNS).
The PNS includes the autonomic and somatic systems.
The Spinal Cord.
IN CLASS QUIZ
FEB 22 IS THE LAST DAY TO DROP CLASSES WITHOUT PENALTY OF F, OR WITHDRAWING FROM ALL CLASSES.
FEB 26 CH 5: THE EFFECT OF EXPERIENCE ON BRAIN DEVELOPMENT BRAIN
IMAGING, MODERN METHODS OF BRAIN MAPPING, MRI, fMRI, PET, etc.
CH 6: VISION
The structure of the eye and the structure of the retina.
MAR 5 CH 6: VISION CONT’D
Color vision. Center-surround cells. Color, movement and shape are coded
separately. Cells of the visual cortex. Plasticity of the developing visual system.

MAR 10 SPRING BREAK!
MAR 19 CH 7 & 14: AUDITION AND SPEECH
Structure of the ear, pitch and perception, localization of sounds. LANGUAGE
PROCESSING IN THE BRAIN.
CH 7: THE MECHANICAL (SOMATIC) SENSES.
The sense of touch, the sense of pain.
CH 8: MOVEMENT
Muscles and spinal cord reflexes.
CNS control of movement: the cerebellum, the basal ganglia, the motor cortex and
spinal connections.
IN CLASS QUIZ
MAR 26 CH 8: CONTD
Disorders of movement: Myasthenia Gravis, Parksinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Chorea.

MAR 28 EXAM CH 4-7, 14 (TH MAR 28)
APR 2 CH 9: SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS.
The body has annual and daily rhythms. The stages of sleep, causes of sleep,
the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) controls many aspects of circadian rhythms.
Sleep disorders: jet lag, shift work, insomnia, SADD.

APR 9 SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
Effect of sex hormones on sexual development and behavior. Variations in
sexual development.
APR 16 CH 12: THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND STRESS
The autonomic nervous system, the immune system.
EMOTIONS, AGGRESSION
Role of the limbic system in emotions. The roles of the amygdale in aggression.
IN CLASS QUIZ

APR 18 EXAM ON CH 8, 9, 11 (TH APR 18)
APR 23 CH 12: FEAR AND ANXIETY
The role of the amygdale in aggression, fear and anxiety. Causes of aggression.
CH 13: LEARNING AND MEMORY
Search for the engram. Memory has many subtypes: declarative and non-declarative long term memory.

Causes of amnesia: H.M., Alzheimer’s Disease. Role of hippocampus and prefrontal
cortex. (Learning in simple animals.)
(Long-term memory requires changes in neuronal structure LTP.)
APR 30 CH 15: DEPRESSION AND SCHIZOPHRENIA
Bipolar and unipolar depression.
Antidepressant drugs and other therapies.
Schizophrenia, cognitive deficits in schizophrenia may indicate a frontal lobe deficit.
The dopamine theory of schizophrenia.
May 9 FINAL EXAM EMPHASIZING CH 12, 13, 15 (TH MAY 9TH)
   
COURSE GOALS

THE PURPOSE OF THIS CLASS IS FOR YOU TO LEARN ABOUT AND UNDERSTAND THE WAY THAT THE BRAIN CONTROLS BEHAVIOR. THUS, IT EMPHASIZES THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS UNDERLYING BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, THE STRUCTURE OF THE BRAIN IS NOT FIXED. (IF IT WERE YOU COULD NOT LEARN ANYTHING.) THE ENVIRONMENT CAN CHANGE THE CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE BRAIN, FOR EXAMPLE WHICH LANGUAGES YOU CAN SPEAK. THE ENVIRONMENT CAN ALSO CHANGE THE LEVELS OF THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS WHICH TRANSMIT INFORMATION BETWEEN NEURONS. SOMETIMES PEOPLE CHANGE THESE LEVELS BY TAKING LEGAL OR ILLEGAL DRUGS, ALTHOUGH THEY MAY NOT REALIZE THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I HOPE THAT BY THE END OF THE CLASS YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW YOUR BRAIN INFLUENCES BEHAVIOR, AND THAT YOU YOURSELF CAN INFLUENCE HOW YOUR BRAIN FUNCTIONS, IN A POSITIVE WAY.

   
COURSE STRUCTURE

PSYC 372 IS A REQUIRED CLASS FOR PSYCHOLOGY MAJORS WHO MUST RECEIVE A C OR BETTER TO GRADUATE. THIS MATERIAL IS HARD TO LEARN THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EXAM! IN ORDER TO HELP YOU KEEP UP WITH THE MATERIAL, WEEKLY QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN. THE PURPOSE OF THE QUIZZES IS TO HELP YOU LEARN, AND YOU MAY WORK TOGETHER. HOWEVER IT IS AN HONOR VIOLATION TO SIMPLY COPY SOMEONE ELSE'S QUIZ ANSWERS. THE QUIZZES WILL BE AVAILABLE ON WEBCT AND WILL BE DUE AT 9 PM ON MONDAYS. ALTERNATIVELY, SCANTRONS MAY BE HANDED IN AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON TUESDAYS. HOWEVER, SCANTRONS PUT IN MY BOX WILL NOT BE GRADED. FOUR GRADES WILL BE DROPPED. BECAUSE OF THE STRUCTURE OF WEBCT LATE QUIZZES CANNOT BE ACCEPTED. PLEASE PRINT OUT A COPY OF EACH QUIZ AS THEY WILL BE USEFUL FOR STUDYING FROM. (NEED TO CLICK ON THE QUIZ BODY FIRST.)

I PLAN TO USE POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS AND HAND NOTES OUT IN CLASS. GET THE PHONE # OR E-MAIL ADDRESS OF SOMEONE ELSE IN THE CLASS AS NOTES WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE THE DAY THEY ARE COVERED IN CLASS. IE, I CANNOT BRING OLD NOTES -IT GETS TOO CONFUSING.

IF YOU MISS AN EXAM, THE FINAL WILL RECEIVE DOUBLE WEIGHT. IF YOU HAVE NOT MISSED AN EXAM, AND IF THE FINAL IS BETTER THAN ONE OF YOUR EXAMS, IT WILL BE DOUBLE WEIGHTED.

STUDENTS WITH DOCUMENTED DISABILITIES SHOULD SPEAK TO ME ABOUT NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING EXAMS.

STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FAMILIAR WITH AND TO FOLLOW THE GMU HONOR POLICY. THIS INCLUDES NOT SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT EXAMS.

GENERAL MESSAGES FOR THE CLASS WILL BE POSTED ON WEBCT.
GRADING

WEBCT QUIZZES 15%
IN CLASS QUIZZES 5%
MID-TERM EXAMS 20% EACH
FINAL EXAM 20%

OFFICE HOURS

TU/TH 11:45-12:15
AND BY APPOINTMENT
PHONE, 993-4107
OFFICE: DKH 2022
THE FIRST EXAM WILL BE 100% MC AND FILL-IN- THE-BLANK (FINB), THE NEXT TWO 67% MC AND FINB, AND 33% ESSAY. THE FINAL WILL BE REQUIRED MC AND FINB AND HAVE AN OPTIONAL ESSAY
   
MY EMAIL IS: JFLINN@GMU.EDU
   
HAVE A GOOD SEMESTER!