Introduction and Overview to 3101

"Week 1" for HDEV 3101
Outline below includes relevant introductory concepts (i.e., 'quizable', or important for building upon later). This overview + Week TWO, Structure of Nervous System, make up UNIT 1.

This course will emphasize the psychological perspective on physical and cognitive development across the life span.

Discuss: Definition of psychology?

Definition(s) of 'human development'? (my three favorites; 1) a process, 2) a field of study, a certain perspective or academic approach, 3) and academic department housed in CLASS at CSUEB).

I usually take a slight tangent here during lecture to do some mass advising about two things: 1) the value and challenge of our interdisciplinary field and 2) our entire program of study and where/how/when this course fits into the Human Development Major or Minor. See CSUEB Catalog for a full description of our programs of study.

What are humans?
Answer: Animals - sub-species (homo sapiens sapiens); each human is an organism, made of organ systems/organs/tissues/cells. You should be familiar with the human body and it various parts and systems. Here is the Get Body Smart main tutorial: http://www.getbodysmart.com/index.htm

What does development mean? Change, yes, but what do we mean by "change" in humans within the lifespan? How do we talk abour or study change in humans? From the useful persepctive of biological anthropology, there are three conceptual categories or kinds of change:

1. growth
2. development
3. maturation

I'd like to add a fourth:
4. transformation

Evolution is a kind of change as well - but one that we see across generation of the same species. We often mis-use these terms to describe different kinds of change.

QuickTime brain growth: watch and discuss the kinds of change(s) this illustrates.

What is neuropsychology?

Basic functions of the brain/nervous system?
Branches of neuropsychology - main distinction is EXPERIMENTAL vs. CLINICAL

Some major conceptual issues arise when studying the human brain:
1. An inference is almost always required when correlating behavior with brain
2. The mind-body question/problem (monism, dualism and lots of sub-types), again, WHAT are we?
I like "emergent materialism"; in particular, we are a complex system, a 'biosystem', similar to an ecosystem. Out of which arises both of conciousness and our behavior, which can in turn influence the system itself.

3. If we study the brain or genetic basis of our behavior are we committing to "determinism"? That is, by focusing on human nature, do we dismiss the influence of "nurture" in human behavior? Not at all, we should NOT lose sight of the fact the the brain develops in a context - an environment that "nurtures" by way of stimulation. There are certinaly strong genetic influences on brain structure and function, but the world in which the brain is built will leave an important mark on cellular, cognitive and behavioral domains.

Five features of the historical background of neuropsychology:
1. Ancient record, archeological evidence
2. Classical Greece, philosophical but also basis for modern anatomy, physiology, pharmacy, cognition
3. Phrenology (1830), reading the bumps on your head (completely incorrect by the way)
4. Localization theory - Versus equipotentiality (note, Broca's area  discovered in 1860).

5. Interactionist theory (Jackson) - sort of how we ended up with a 'biosystem' concept

Once last related perspective - COGNITIVE SCIENCE and information processing theory - views the mind-brain as a machine, specifically a computing device. Will end up using this information processing perspective often during the quarter. But keep in mind, you are NOT a machine! you are an animal!