Science
Thoughtful Brain, Troubled Mind
Some call the mind mysterious, to be appreciated but never fully understood; others see it as a machine, to be analyzed, tinkered with, and fixed. Join us as we explore the basics of the brain and the fundamentals of psychology, in good times and in bad.
Questions to Consider10 questions
- Is it possible to understand how the mind works?
- Does your brain determine who you are?
- What shapes us more: nature or nurture?
- Is it wrong to take drugs to alter the way we feel?
- What psychological disorders should be treated, and how?
- Are extreme treatments such as lobotomies and electroshock therapy ever justified?
- Does the definition of a psychological disorder depend on time, place, and culture?
- Should we use technology to enhance the brain?
- What are the implications of advances in neuroscience on our notions of consciousness, identity, and personal responsibility?
- What is insanity?
Introduction to the Brain4 questions
- Early Discoveries and Theories
- Learning from the Ill and Injured
- Basic Structure and Functionality
- Tools of Analysis: From the Autopsy to the fMRI
Spotlight on Psychology3 questions
- Origins and Evolution of the Field
- Current and Discredited Schools of Thought
- Distinguishing Psychology, Psychiatry, and Philosophy
When the Mind Goes Awry4 questions
- Abnormal Psychology
- Methods of Diagnosis
- Treatment Options: Past, Present, and Future
- Controversies Around Diagnosis and Treatment
Thinkers to Investigate (Examples)6 questions
- Ivan Pavlov | B.F. Skinner | Sigmund Freud | Carl Jung | Galen
- Kurt Lewin | John Watson | Carl Rogers | Paul Ekman | Steven Pinker
- Johann Herbart | Martin Seligman | William James | Abraham Maslow
- William Wundt | Oliver Sacks | Zing-Yang Kuo | Daniel Schacter
- Jean-Martin Charcot | Edward Thorndike | Alfred Adler | Viktor Frankl
- Elizabeth Loftus | Francis Galton | Erik Erikson | Stanley Milgram
Psychology Terms to Learn (Examples)7 questions
- Attention Theory | Behaviorism | Choice Theory | DSM IV | Extroversion
- Field Theory | Forgetting Curve | Forms of Conditioning | Four Humors
- Fundamental Attribution Error | Imprinting | Introversion | Intelligence
- Law of Effect | Mind-Body Problem | Myers-Briggs | Nature vs. Nurture
- Neuropsychology | Positive Psychology | Self-actualization
- Serotonin | “Six Basic Emotions” | Seven Sins of Memory”
- Social Learning | Structuralism | Subconscious | Unconscious
Neurology Terms to Learn (Examples)3 questions
- Neuron | Cerebrum | Cerebellum | Neurotransmitters
- Limbic System | Brain Stem | Hypothalamus
- Amygdala | Hippocampus | Corpus Callosum
“Disorders” to Discuss (Examples)5 questions
- Schizophrenia | Autism | Paranoia | Anxiety | Insomnia
- Panic | Phobia | Bipolar | ADHD | Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Depression | Amnesia | Narcolepsy | Alzheimer’s | Psychosis
- Dissociative Identity | Dyslexia | Selective Mutism | Neurosis
- Dementia | Münchausen | Stroke | Alien Hand