Biological Psychology PSY2013 Overview

Module Information

• Course title: PSY2013: Biological Psychology with Research Methods II
• Academic year: 2024-25

Module Structure

• Module content is spread across captured content (approximately 11 hours), guided learning (approximately 11 hours), and independent learning (approximately 92 hours).
• Content lectures: 22 hours
• Research method lectures: 8 hours

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate breadth of knowledge on biological underpinnings of the human brain and behavior.
• Appreciate the various ways biopsychological research contributes to understanding human behavior, brain activity, and atypical development
• Demonstrate in-depth, critical, and practical understanding of methods in biological psychology.
• Understand the history of method development in biological psychology and its contribution to the field.
• Demonstrate research design experience in biological psychology and scientific report writing.

Assessments

• First assessment: Coursework (50% total mark).
  • A four-page scientific report on an imaginary biological psychology study, including introduction and methods sections, is required.
  • Due in Week 9.
• Second assessment: Exam (50% total mark).
  • Online via SurreyLearn.
  • Consists of short answer questions.
  • Scheduled for January.

Lectures

• Lectures will cover core concepts in biological psychology and spark curiosity about the brain and its effects on behavior
• Lectures will motivate students to engage with material and define the exam's scope.
• Specific lecture topics and dates are provided for guided learning activities on topics such as sleep, emotion, biological basis of schizophrenia, learning, memory, hormones, stress, etc.

Sleep - Specific Information

• Topics for presentation and discussion (based on different weeks) cover aspects of the sleep cycle, sleep disorders, and related topics, like aetiology and treatment, and examining methods like polysomnography, actigraphy, sleep diaries, questionnaires, and smartphone applications for measuring sleep.
• Sleep questionnaires and tools such as PSQI and Insomnia Sleep Index are described along with their uses and examples.
• A graph showing sleep measurements (likely in hours or percentage) across development stages, highlighting how these stages change during different life periods (infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age.)
• Understanding the sleep cycle from a neurobiological or biological perspective includes discussion on REM sleep (e.g., fast desynchronised EEG patterns, rapid eye movements, muscle paralysis except for finger/toe twitches, reported dreams being more associated with REM sleep) and slow-wave sleep, including EEG characteristics (i.e., delta activity in slow-wave sleep, theta and beta in REM and wakefulness, etc.).
• The structure of the biological clock is described in the hypothalamus.
• Different types of sleep rhythms, like circadian, infradian, and ultradian rhythms, along with the role of the underlying biological clock and the retinohypothalamic pathway, are highlighted

Additional Details

• Various figures, tables, and diagrams are included to illustrate concepts related to sleep stages, the chemical control of sleep (likely showcasing chemicals such as adenosine, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, serotonin, histamine, and orexin), and the brain's neural regions involved in sleep, like the VLPO and awakeness areas.
• Discussion points on why we sleep are explained, providing arguments or points highlighting the importance of sleep from different philosophical or scientific perspectives.
• Information about sleep deprivation, its effects, measurements in animals, and the concept of restoration are also presented
• The material also identifies sleep disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy, and issues connected with slow-wave sleep, suggesting links to other psychiatric conditions.
• Information about how much sleep individuals need.
• A range of useful resources, both online and print-based, are provided
• Learning questions for students are provided.

This quiz explores the key concepts and learning outcomes of the PSY2013: Biological Psychology with Research Methods II course for the academic year 2024-25. It covers the biological underpinnings of behavior, research methods in biopsychology, and the historical development of these methods. Test your knowledge on the foundational elements necessary for understanding brain activity and atypical development.