Brain and Behavior- How Are They Linked?

1. Introduction to data collection and methods. During this class, we’ll cover how scientists use different tools like MRI to capture what is happening in the brain and we will also do some hands-on behavioral experiments just like they are done in the laboratory. The goal of this class is to set the groundwork for future classes and I will also emphasize how we can make experiments that are done in the lab to be more like “real life”
2. Visual system. How do we come to know that a face is a face, a letter is a letter, and so on?
3. Language and Math. What parts of our brain and what life experiences allow us to be able to do 2+2=4 and know that a cat is a cat? How does learning a language impact how our brain works?
4. Memory and Sleep. What parts of our brain are involved in memory? How do those get disrupted? How does sleep impact memory? How do two people with the same experience remember it differently?
5. Emotion and social knowledge. What are emotions? How does the brain support emotional processing? How do we process social information?