Intro and Overview of HDEV 3101

"Week 1" for HDEV 3101
Outline below includes relevant concepts. (i.e., 'quizable', or important for building upon later)

A psychological perspective on physical and cognitive development across the life span.

Definition of psychology?

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

What are humans? Animals - sub-species (homo sapiens sapiens); each human is an organism, made of organ systems/organs/tissues/cells.

What conceptual categories of change can we observe:
growth
development
maturation
(transformation)

QuickTime brain growth

What is neuropsychology?

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

Two major conceptual issues arise:
- An inference is almost always required when correlating behavior with brain
-The mind-body question/problem (monism, dualism and lots of sub-types)
Emergent materialism; in particular, we a complex system, a 'biosystem', similar to an ecosystem.

-a 3rd issue is determinism by way of genetics/"nature", but should NOT lose sight of the fact the the brain develops in a context - an environment that "nurtures" by way of stimulation.

Five features of the historical background of neuropsychology:
1. Ancient record, archeological evidence
2. Classical Greece, philosophical but also medical foundation
3. Phrenology (1830), reading the bumps
4. Localization theory - Broca's area (1860).
Versus equipotentiality
5. Interactionist theory (Jackson) - sort of how we ended up with a 'biosystem' concept

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