UNIT+3+AOS1

MIND, BRAIN AND BODY
AOS1 On completion of this AOS you should be able to explain the relationship between the brain, states of consciousness including sleep, and behaviour, and describe the contribution of selected studies and brain research methods to the investigation of brain function. Area of study1 Mind, brain and bodyWhy do I think and feel the way I do? How does my brain work? What is the relationship between my brain and my mind? What happens when I sleep?This area of study focuses on the role of the functioning brain and nervous system in relation to awareness of self, the environment and behaviour. Students explore the relationships between consciousness and thoughts, feelings and behaviour by comparing the characteristics of norma lwaking consciousness with altered states of consciousness. They examine how the understanding of consciousness and sleep patterns has been enhanced by developments in brain stimulation, recordingand imaging technologies, and the expansion of knowledge in cognitive neuroscience.Students explore the contribution that classic and contemporary research has made to this area ofstudy and interpret behaviours and states of mind from psychological perspectives. They consider the ethical principles associated with the techniques used to investigate brain function and to measure states of consciousness. Students apply appropriate methods of psychological research and ethical principles to their own investigations.

Outcome 1 On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain the relationship between the brain,states of consciousness including sleep, and behaviour, and describe the contribution of selected studiesand brain research methods to the investigation of brain function.To achieve this outcome the student will draw on key knowledge outlined in Area of Study 1 andrelated key skills outlined on page 13 and research methodologies on page 22. Key knowledgeThis knowledge includes:• consciousness as a psychological construct informed by the work of René Descartes and WilliamJames• concepts of normal waking consciousness and altered states of consciousness, includingdaydreaming, meditative and alcohol-induced, in terms of levels of awareness, content limitations,controlled and automatic processes, perceptual and cognitive distortions, emotional awareness,self-control and time orientation• sleep as an altered state of consciousness: purpose, characteristics and patterns of the stages ofsleep including rapid eye movement (REM) and the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stages ofsleep• methods used to study the level of alertness in normal waking consciousness and the stages ofsleep:– measurement of physiological responses including electroencephalograph (EEG), electrooculargraph(EOG), heart rate, body temperature and galvanic skin response (GSR)– the use of sleep laboratories, video monitoring and self reports• the effects of total and partial sleep deprivation:– loss of REM and NREM sleep– sleep recovery patterns including amount of sleep required, REM rebound and microsleeps– sleep-wake cycle shifts during adolescence compared with child and adult sleep includingdelayed onset of sleep and need for sleep• the interaction between cognitive processes of the brain and its structure including:– roles of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system (somatic and autonomic), andautonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic)– roles of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex in the control of motor, somatosensory, visual andauditory processing in humans; primary cortex and association areas– hemispheric specialisation: the cognitive and behavioural functions of the right and lefthemispheres of the cerebral cortex, non-verbal versus verbal and analytical functions– the role of the reticular activating system in selective attention and wakefulness; role of thethalamus in directing attention and switching sensory input on and off• contribution of studies to the investigation of cognitive processes of the brain and implications forthe understanding of consciousness including:– studies of aphasia including Broca’s aphasia and Wernicke’s aphasia– spatial neglect caused by stroke or brain injury– split-brain studies including the work of Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga– perceptual anomalies including motion after-effect, change blindness, synaesthesia• the application and use of brain research methods in investigating the relationship between biologicaland cognitive factors of human behaviours including:– direct brain stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)– brain recording and imaging techniques: computed tomography (CT), positron emissiontomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)• research methods and ethical principles associated with the study of the brain and states ofconsciousness, as outlined in the introduction to the unit.

You will have 2 SAC's - a test with 25 multiple choice questions, 7 short answer and 1 extended response AND - an annotated poster