2014: The World Within

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.

  1. Questions to Consider

    • 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?

  1. Introduction to the Brain

    • Early Discoveries and Theories
    • Learning from the Ill and Injured
    • Basic Structure and Functionality
    • Tools of Analysis: From the Autopsy to the fMRI

  1. Spotlight on Psychology

    • Origins and Evolution of the Field
    • Current and Discredited Schools of Thought
    • Distinguishing Psychology, Psychiatry, and Philosophy

  1. When the Mind Goes Awry

    • Abnormal Psychology
    • Methods of Diagnosis
    • Treatment Options: Past, Present, and Future
    • Controversies Around Diagnosis and Treatment

  1. Thinkers to Investigate (Examples)

    • 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

  1. Psychology Terms to Learn (Examples)

    • 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

  1. Neurology Terms to Learn (Examples)

    • Neuron | Cerebrum | Cerebellum | Neurotransmitters
    • Limbic System | Brain Stem | Hypothalamus
    • Amygdala | Hippocampus | Corpus Callosum

  1. “Disorders” to Discuss (Examples)

    • 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