Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, please read Chapters 1 and 4 from the course text, Biological Bases of Behavior. Additionally, it is recommended that you complete the Neuroanatomy Games learning activity.
Introduction
• The purpose of this discussion is to help develop your understanding of the structure and function of the human nervous system and use this information to interpret scientific reports and news for personal or professional use.
• Please answer all of the following prompts as part of your post, and here is a list of recommended online resources, but feel free to choose your own:
• Neuroscience News.com (Links to an external site.), Psychology News (Links to an external site.), National Institute of Mental Health (Links to an external site.), BrainFacts.org (Links to an external site.)
Instructions
Part 1 (Understanding Brain Science News)
• Find a recent, credible, science news article, according to Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.), about the brain or nervous system. After reading the article,
o Summarize the most interesting points or claims.
o List the names of one or more neuroanatomical regions identified in the news article.
o Explain why the source is credible or if it has any threats to credibility or validity.
o Comment on how the article’s claims and evidence might apply to work or life.
• You must cite sources according to APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.).
o Responses for Part 1 must be 150 words or more.
Note: Please find a news article first, not a peer-reviewed journal article. Your goal is to evaluate how neuroscience and biological psychology information is being used in science news articles. To judge the accuracy of the news article, you may also find, read, and reference the peer-reviewed article that the news was reporting. This comparison is optional but recommended.
Part 2 (Relating Anatomy to Function)
• Pick a cognitive, emotional, or physical function (e.g., hunger or feeding, vision, hearing, voluntary movement, speech, reading, sleep, etc.) or a psychological or neurological disorder of interest (PTSD, Alzheimer’s disease, etc). Use your textbook, the University of Arizona Global Campus Library, or the internet to look up “the neuroanatomy” of that topic. Be sure to addressing the following:
o Explain why the function or disorder interests you.
o Name one or more regions of the nervous system which seem to be most responsible for those functions or disorders.
o Explain if the topic you chose primarily involves the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, or both.
o Explain how you might apply this information to understanding self, others, culture, diversity, health, human performance, work, or life.
o If you have already played this week’s neuroanatomy identification game, please comment on what you gained from it, what was easy or difficult, and what questions you might have about the structure of the nervous system.
• You must cite sources according to APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.).
o Responses for Part 2 must be 150 words or more.