PSB 6048: Affective Neuroscience

Unravel the workings of the cognitive unconscious and its influential role in our daily lives. Learn how it silently steers our thoughts, behaviors, and preferences. Discover the power of the cognitive unconscious in both routine tasks and complex decisions.

Explore the unique perspective of accomplished author and professor Heather Sellers as she shares her journey with prosopagnosia, a condition that highlights the distinction between sensation and perception. Discover how her fully functional sensory organs contrast with impaired cognitive processes, shedding light on the intricate relationship between sensing and interpreting the world around us.

Understand Freud's perspective on dreams as manifestations of unconscious desires and conflicts. Contrast this with the Neural Activation Theory, which links dreaming to random neural activity during REM sleep. Discuss the criticisms and nuances of both theories in modern psychology.

Explore the intriguing science behind superstitious behavior. Discover how accidental timing of rewards influences our beliefs and actions. From Pavlov's dogs to lucky shirts, uncover the psychology of coincidences and their effects on our actions.

Developmental psychology explores human development from infancy to old age, addressing core issues of Nature versus Nurture, Continuity versus Discontinuity, and Stability versus Change, offering vital insights for education, parenting, and interventions.

Explore the intricacies of genetic mutation and its role in DNA sequence changes. Understand the factors leading to these mutations and their relation to broader evolutionary concepts. Dive into the complexities of behavioral evolution, natural selection, and cognitive evolution.