Episode 2: The Biological Foundations of Psychology
Channel: 8bitfiction
Date: 2020-11-16

Welcome to Moonshine’s Classroom! This podcast is for anybody who wants to learn more about psychology - the field exploring all the unique and interesting ways humans think, feel, and behave. Here, Moonshine and Celina discuss all things related to psychology - theories, socially relevant issues, popular culture, and so much more!

For this episode, we explore the biological foundations of psychology - the neural basis of human awareness, the activation and interaction of various brain structures, how various substances alter our state of consciousness, and how our nervous systems adapt as we go about our everyday lives. 

Feel free to refer to the timestamps provided below to jump to topics that interest you. Like, share, subscribe, and join us on our journey to understanding more about the human psyche!

00:00:56: How is the biopsychological perspective relevant in everyday life? Why study it first? 
00:09:16: How is awareness rooted in neural activity? What structures are responsible for this? 
00:15:49: How do we register sensory information? How does it travel to the brain? 
00:17:25: The hindbrain structures - the reticular formation, medulla oblongata, cerebellum, pons
00:23:10: The thalamus as the “train station” 
00:23:53: The occipital, temporal, and parietal lobes
00:24:45: The olfactory bulbs and their evolutionary function 
00:26:50: The roles of primary and association cortices in awareness 
00:32:43: The frontal lobe and motor cortex 
00:37:00: The midbrain - the amygdala, hippocampus, dopamine reward system
00:49:05: Why do certain substances affect our state of consciousness? What chemicals in the brain are involved? 
00:58:35: How do we know whether to take or stay away from substances that can affect our state of consciousness? What is the ideal state of the human being? 
01:02:45: How does the nervous system recover and adapt? How do we see this in everyday life? 
01:07:17: How do we keep our nervous system and ourselves in a healthy state of functioning?