Teaching Psychology

Major Areas of Study History of Psychology States of Consciousness Biological Basis of Behavior Personality and Assessment Learning Motivation and Emotion Psychological Disorders

Framework How do we teach this so it’s relevant to our students? How do we teach this so it’s respectful?

History of Psychology The questions: why do we do what we do? Who are we, and why? What goes on inside our heads? The classics: Freud, Jung, etc. Before technology, they were doing their best What do we believe today that the future will mock?

States of Consciousness Theories about sleep cycles Sleep Deprivation Dream theories Hypnosis

Biological Basis of Behavior Structure of the Brain Structure and function of neurons, nervous system Neurons and synapses and dendrites—oh my! Suddenly, you feel like a science teacher

The Brain Genes to cognition

Neurons

Nerve Synapse

Neurotransmitters Inhibit or transmit nerve impulses Serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine, glutamate, etc. Critical in understanding mood disorders, depression, hyperactivity, schizophrenia, and other psychological disorders

Lots can go wrong here Not enough neurotransmitter made Too much dissolved at synapse Too much released Too much absorbed by reuptake Not enough released

Drug addiction Cocaine inhibits dopamine reuptake Methamphetamine suppresses production of dopamine and mimics natural production Heroine and morphine mimic endorphins

The nerve system Nerves hook up parts of the brain so they communicate Major nerves responsible for several functions related to survival/fight or flight Somatic and autonomic: what you can control and what you can’t Sympathetic (run!) and parasympathetic (relax—that sound won’t kill you)

Endocrine System Role of hormones in sex differentiation and development How hormones affect behavior

Personality and Assessment What do you mean, personality? Personality “types” How personality is assessed How personality is formed

Learning Classical and Operant Conditioning Pavlov and Skinner Learned helplessness Short and long term learning How we learn and remember What interferes with learning and memory The hippocampus and PTSD

Motivation and Emotion What motivates us to do what we do? Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—is it accurate? What are the major emotions and why do we have them? How does the Limbic System of the brain regulate expression of emotion? What is the role of the amygdala in developing and expressing emotions?

Psychological Disorders Characteristics and examples of abnormal behavior Methods for diagnosing abnormal behavior DSM IV Major categories: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, substance abuse, schizophrenia

How should we teach this? Who says what is abnormal? How should we treat people with disorders? How do we stigmatize people? What is the best way to help? Social issues related to citizenship? How are you going to teach this respectfully?