Physiological Psychology with Virtual Lab and Sims
Price
TBA
Duration
2 Quarters, 1 Semester
Table of Contents
COURSE OBJECTIVE
Physiological psychology in the field of behavioral neuroscience attempts to obtain an understanding of how the nervous system interacts with the rest of the body. According to the physiological psychology definition, behaviorists in this field focus on uncovering the neural underpinnings of how individuals with different nervous systems behave differently, how these differences in behavior may result from an underlying neurophysiological basis, and how these neural processes contribute to the production of behavioral traits.
The behaviorist's objective is to conduct experiments that prove the existence of an underlying neurophysiological basis for the manifestation of behavior. This was the primary subject of behaviorism, in which a behavior is shown or deduced to be a product of physical or psychological processes in the nervous system.
According to the principles of physiological psychology, researchers in this field try to identify the fundamental causes behind what we observe and to take those causes and turn them into a model that they can then apply to other cases. Physiological psychologists often have to go beyond the subject of their research and study many other factors.
The objective of this course is to give students a deep understanding of the functions of the human brain and nervous system. Students will learn about memory, cognition, neurological disorders, sensory systems, sleep cycles, and the impact of drugs.
COURSE FORMAT
The class meets 90 minutes twice a week (M/W or T/Th) for 20 weeks. Like all other courses in our curriculum, Physiological Psychology with Virtual Labs and Sims consists of two components: asynchronous and synchronous learning.
We use the Psychology 311: Physiological Psychology course for the asynchronous flipped classroom portion of the course. This makes up 30% of your overall grade.
Your academy instructor will facilitate the virtual in-person synchronous portion of the course. This makes up 60% of your overall grade.
Asynchronous Learning
Psychology 311: Physiological Psychology course on Study.com was created by a panel of expert instructors who break down concepts with bite-sized, animated video lessons organized into topical chapters that improve comprehension and retention, making learning fun and engaging. Each video is approximately 5-10 minutes long and comes with a quick quiz to help you measure your "first exposure learning" during the pre-work phase before the actual class. At the end of each chapter, you will complete a chapter test to see if you're ready to move on or have some material to review.
You should expect to spend 50-70 minutes per week on these homework assignments. The academy intentionally schedules no classes on Fridays to provide dedicated time for homework assignments and out-of-class projects.
Synchronous Learning
Our academy instructor, who will also serve as your Gamemaster, will facilitate the live, virtual classroom sessions, which will supplement and build upon the Psychology 311: Physiological Psychology course. Additionally, they will answer any questions you may have about the asynchronous material.
Our in-person sessions are designed to make learning fun and interactive! Here's what you can expect:
Interactive discussions: We will delve deeper into key concepts from the asynchronous material and address any common misconceptions.
Team-based activities: You'll work collaboratively with your fellow students to earn points and badges, and climb the leaderboard as you embark on scientific edventures!
Labs and Simulations: We will conduct virtual labs and simulations to provide hands-on experience with key concepts in physiological psychology, like sleep, emotion, hunger, reproductive behavior, learning/memory, genetics and cognition.
Exams
There will be a comprehensive mid-term exam over all content covered during the first quarter and a comprehensive final exam over all content covered during the second quarter. Both of these exams are weighted equally, and the combined average will count as 10% of your course grade.
COURSE TOPICS
Chapters: 11; Lessons: 114
INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION BOARD
Each chapter features an interactive discussion board powered by Discussion Hero, a gamified platform developed by Northwestern University. Students choose between "hero" and "villain" roles and avatars, earning points for their contributions. This fosters a sense of competition and engagement, making discussions even more rewarding.
Benefits of Participating in Discussions:
Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills: Go beyond memorization and passive learning by analyzing information, evaluating different perspectives, and forming your own conclusions.
Enhance communication skills: Practice clear communication, learn to articulate your ideas effectively, and develop respectful listening and rebuttal skills.
Fosters a collaborative learning environment: Learn from each other, share knowledge, and collaborate on problem-solving, creating a dynamic and enriching learning community.
Deepen your understanding of the content: Actively engaging with the course material through discussion solidifies and expands your understanding beyond lectures and readings.
Provides diverse perspectives: Discussions expose you to different viewpoints and interpretations, encouraging critical thinking and broadening your understanding of the subject matter.
Offers opportunities for self-reflection: Examining your own thoughts and arguments in response to prompts and engaging with others' perspectives helps solidify your learning and identify areas for further exploration.
Apply knowledge to real-world scenarios: Apply course concepts to real-world situations through discussions, enhancing the material's relevance.
Build a digital learning portfolio: Discussions serve as a reference for your learning journey, allowing you to revisit key concepts and track your progress.
Develop digital literacy: Discussions provide a platform to practice online communication etiquette, including respectful disagreement, constructive argumentation, and responsible information sharing.
To actively engage in meaningful learning and reap the benefits mentioned above, participation in each chapter's discussion board is expected and will contribute to your overall grade. Your instructor will provide a clear rubric within Discussion Hero outlining the expectations for participation and how your contributions will be evaluated. This ensures consistent and transparent assessment while allowing you to showcase your understanding and critical thinking skills throughout the course.
LABS AND DEMONSTRATIONS
To strengthen high school psychology curriculums, the American Psychological Association (APA), with the assistance of a dedicated group of high school and college teachers, created a series of lab exercises. Each of the exercises provides high school students with the opportunity to plan and carry out investigations utilizing laboratory procedures just as would occur in biology, chemistry, and physics courses, including suggestions for data analysis and preparation of lab reports.
The APA has also developed and made available an online psychology laboratory that includes dozens of interactive labs and demonstrations across several domains in psychology. These, too, present data for analysis.
Your instructor will select specific lab exercises and demonstrations from these resources to enhance your learning experience, utilizing them for individual and small-group assignments.
The APA lab exercises provide high school students with the opportunity to:
Develop critical thinking skills through designing, conducting, and analyzing research investigations using the scientific method.
Gain experience with the scientific method, including hypothesis development, data collection, and analysis.
Practice applying research methods and data analysis techniques.
Learn to interpret psychological findings and draw evidence-based conclusions.
VIRTUAL SIMULATIONS
The Sims 4: Your Virtual Behavioral Science Lab
Imagine exploring human behavior not just through lectures, textbooks, and case studies, but by creating virtual worlds and shaping the lives of the virtual people (Sims) who inhabit them! Our innovative virtual simulations, featuring the popular game The Sims 4, bring key concepts in behavioral science to life in a fun and effective way.
The Sims 4 isn't just a game – it's a life simulation powerhouse, with some role-playing game (RPG) elements, that caters to diverse learners. This open-world environment empowers you to create your own narratives and experiment with theories of physiological psychology in a safe, controlled setting. Unlike traditional games, The Sims 4 has no set goals or win/lose conditions, allowing you to focus on maximizing your learning impact.
Throughout the course, you'll participate in various solo and team-based simulated challenges related to key themes and concepts in research methods in physiological psychology. Your instructor will provide clear guidelines, including the theme, backstory, learning objectives, goals, rules, constraints, and scoring rubrics. Additionally, they may offer suggestions on other parameters such as storyline, Sim traits, or other demographic characteristics like age, marital status, profession, lifestyle, and socioeconomic background, to ensure a comprehensive and dynamic learning environment.
Ready to Dive Deeper?
If you're new to the game, you can explore specific aspects of The Sims 4 and how they contribute to our virtual simulations.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are intended to assess your application, analysis, and critical thinking skills in relation to the concepts you learn in the course. Four assignments are required for this course. You'll apply your understanding of essential physiological psychology concepts to write a research and analysis-based assignment. Topics you may write about include:
Physiological psychology theory
Cognition
Memory, wakefulness and sleep
Brain injury and trauma
FOR EACH OF THESE ASSIGNMENTS: As part of your research, you must include a mix of both primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, company documents, statements, and press releases published by the company in question.
Secondary sources come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, such as the American Journal of Psychology. You may use like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and American Psychological Association to find articles from these journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.)
These assignments will make impressive additions to your online portfolio by showcasing your passion for psychology and research to college admission officers and potential employers for summer internships.
PEER-REVIEW CAPSTONE PROJECT
You’ve grasped an important and challenging scientific theory, concept or principle. Now it’s time to share your insight into this big breakthrough idea. In this project, you'll transform your scientific knowledge into an engaging video, honing your communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills. You'll also have the opportunity to compete in the Breakthough Junior Challenge (BJC), a prestigious global science competition for high-school students with exciting prizes!
As long as the subject of your video relates to Life Sciences and for example, discusses brain function and physiology as opposed to strictly behavior, you are encouraged to submit your final capstone project to the BJC! Below are branches of Psychology that would qualify.
If your video is selected as the Winner, you will receive:
If you’re looking for guidance, you can see some of the prior years’ top-scoring entries here and the playlist below. But remember, to show ‘creativity’ your film should be as original as possible.
COURSE OUTCOMES
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Explain neurological functions and how human physiology relates to human cognition emotion, attention, and behavior.
Describe the functions of the human brain regarding attention, behavior, cognition, emotion, and memory.
Identify which parts of the brain are responsible for physiological processes related to attention, behavior, cognition, emotion and memory.
Explain the role of the nervous system in bodily functions and in the development of several common psychological disorders.
Summarize several types of neurological assessments and describe treatments that exist for individuals in need.
Analyze the interplay between physiological processes and cognitive functions such as attention, memory, emotion, and behavior.
Evaluate the impact of environmental factors on neurological development and functioning, considering how experiences shape brain structure and function.
Discuss the role of neurotransmitters and neural circuits in mediating complex human behaviors and cognitive processes.
Examine the influence of genetics and epigenetics on neurological functioning and susceptibility to neurological disorders.
Critically assess current research methodologies used in physiological psychology, including neuroimaging techniques and animal models.
Explore ethical considerations in conducting research on the human brain and nervous system, including issues related to informed consent and animal welfare.
Investigate the neurobiological basis of addiction and substance abuse disorders, considering both physiological mechanisms and behavioral manifestations.
Discuss the relationship between sleep, circadian rhythms, and neurological health, exploring the impact of sleep disorders on cognitive functioning and emotional regulation.
Examine the neurological underpinnings of stress and resilience, considering how chronic stress affects brain structure and function.
Evaluate emerging therapies and interventions targeting neurological disorders, such as neuromodulation techniques and personalized medicine approaches.
PREREQUISITES
High school biology. Most students prefer to also complete Psychology 101: Introduction to Psychology or AP Psychology before taking this course.
COLLEGE OR DUAL CREDIT
Psychology 311: Physiological Psychology has been evaluated and recommended by ACE for 3 semester hours and may be transferred to over 2,000 colleges and universities. If you're seeking college credit, after completing this course, you can take the online proctored exam at any time for an additional fee.
Your Instructor
TBD
