LEARN ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY FROM A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE

Psychology is a much more complex discipline than what some people think - it is more than just an old man listening to people talk about their problems, it is a full science with many different facets. 

This course focuses on the scientific study of Psychology, and is a great foundation for either further studies in Psychology, or developing an understanding of Psychology that can be applied to many different situations. 

This is an excellent foundation for the study of psychology and counselling.

This 600hr Certificate level Qualification is compiled of 4 Core Modules, and 2 Elective Modules.

CORE MODULES

Module 1. Introduction to Psychology BPS101

1. The nature and scope of Psychology
2. Neurological basis of behaviour
3. Environmental effects on behaviour
4. Consciousness and perception
5. Personality
6. Psychological development
7. Needs, drives and motivation

Module 2. Biopsychology I BPS108
1. Introduction
2. The Senses
3. The Nervous System
4. The Endocrine System
5. Stress
6. Emotions
7. Consciousness

Module 3. Biopsychology II BPS204

1. Evolutions, Genetics and Experience
2. Research Methods in Biopsychology
3. Brain Damage
4. Recovery From Brain Damage
5. Drug Dependence and the Brain
6. Memory
7. Language

Module 4. Neuropsychology BPS306
1. Foundations of Neuropsychology
2. Neurophysiology
3. Neuroanatomy
4. Laterality and Callosal Syndromes
5. Cognition, Personality and Emotion
6. Perception Disorders
7. Motor Disorders
8. Language
9. Dementia
10. Neurodevelopment

ELECTIVE MODULES
(Choose two from the list below)

• Psychopharmacology
• Genetics
• Muscles and Movement
• Social Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Psychology and Counselling
• Educational Psychology
• Child Psychology
• Adolescent Psychology

LEARN HOW THE SPINAL CHORD CONNECTS OUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS

The Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is the continuation of the medulla oblongata, and can be described as a bundle of nerve fibres that carry both sensory and motor impulses to and from the brain. The cord is divided into segments down the length of the spinal column, and it has a covering of axons, making it a highly effective transmitter of impulses. The spinal cord is protected inside the vertebral column, which is made up of 24 separate vertebrae or bone segments. The cord also contains an area which is responsible for many of the reflex actions of the body, which are governed by the peripheral system (see Peripheral system, below).

Cerebrospinal Fluid
In the centre of the spinal cord is a canal filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which circulates up and down the spinal cord and into cavities of the brain, bathing the entire surface of the CNS. This fluid moves in a system of cavities called ventricles, and serves several important functions, including:

• It decreases the pressure on the base of brain
• It provides a buffer to protect the brain from blows to the head
• It transports hormones that are released into it to other parts of the brain
• Because it always flows to the blood, it takes potentially harmful substances away from the brain.

Spinal nerves
Information received by receptors in the body below the head is transmitted to the brain through spinal nerves along the spinal cord. Each spinal nerve is equipped to both receive sensory impulses from sensory nerves and send motor impulses to muscles, and each is connected to a particular part of the body.

Each segment of spinal cord gives rise to of spinal nerves which descend in the vertebral canal briefly before merging within intervertebral foramina (spaces where nerves can pass through), after which they exit the vertebral canal to transmit motor impulses to specific parts of the body.

Different kinds of sensory information entering the spinal cord follow different, clearly defined paths to different areas of the somatosensory cortex (where such impulses are received). Most input into the brain is received from the opposite side of the body (contralateral to the receiving brain hemisphere), but some communication also crosses into the other hemisphere via the corpus callosum, allowing for greater integration of information. In the spinal cord, cell bodies and synapses are found in the grey matter, an area of unmyelinated neurons where cell bodies and synapses between sensory and motor neurons occur.

Spinal Curves
There are three natural curves of the spine which give it its flexibility. These are the cervical curve (neck area), thoracic curve (middle spine), lumbar curve (lower spine), and sacral curve (at base of spine). Spinal nerves in the cervical region exit the vertebral column just above their corresponding vertebra, which those in the other regions exit the column just below their corresponding vertebra. Spinal nerves merge to create plexuses (interconnected nerve fibres). Four plexuses arise from the four regions of the spine: the brachial plexus, the thoracic plexus, the lumbar plexus, and the sacral plexus. These further create combinations that are the peripheral nerves.

Spinal Tracts
Spinal tracts are groups of fibres inside the CNS that carry information up or down the spinal cord, to or from the brain, or from one place within the brain to another. They are part of the spine’s “white matter”, make up of myelinated fibres (not the same as myelination in nerves). This white matter contains tracts that travel to and from the brain, the ascending tracts carrying sensory impulses to the brain, the descending tracts carrying motor impulses from the brain to the body.

The white matter of the spinal cord contains tracts that travel up and down the cord. Many of these tracts travel to and from the brain to provide sensory input to the brain, or bring motor stimuli from the brain to control effectors. Ascending tracts, those which travel toward the brain are sensory, descending tracts are motor.

Ascending tracts include:

• Spinothalamic tracts, which carry pain and temperature sensory information from the spinal cord to the thalamus
• Dorsal columns, which are tracts that carry touch and pressure information from the spinal cord to the brain

Descending tracts include Corticospinal tracts, which carry motor impulses down from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord.

WHO MIGHT DO THIS COURSE?

• CPD for health, counselling or psychology professionals, seeking to gain a better understanding of how the physical body and psychological behaviours are connected.
• Fitness leaders, personal trainers, coaches
• Teachers, biological scientists, students or anyone else interested in deepening their understanding of psychological science