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The Neuron: The Building Block of the Nervous System The principal functional units of the brain and the nervous system are neurons . Neurons specialize in transmitting messages. Of particular importance, there are two structures called the dendrite and the axon . A neuron often has more than one dendrite; that act like antennas, picking up information and sending it in the direction of the cell body. A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that allows a neuron to communicate with either other neurons or muscle fibers. The neurotransmitter travels across a physical gap called the synaptic cleft . Note that there is a formal distinction between a synaptic cleft and a synapse. The first refers to a physical characteristic ; the second refers to a functional characteristic . In order for a neurotransmitter to work, it must find a receptor site on an adjacent cell. The receptor site has a physical shape that matches that of the neuron. A useful analogy is a key and a lo...

The Scientific Method: Do the Facts Support Your Educated Guess? The method of psychology used to investigate the behavior of human beings was rationalism . This is the point of view that great discoveries can be made just by doing a lot of hard thinking. At an informal level, rationalism is sometimes called “armchair philosophizing.” Philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) decided that there are no inborn ideas. Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) concluded that the human mind does have some a priori information, meaning that there are inborn ideas of a certain kind. So rationalism alone is an unsatisfactory method for psychology if it claims to be a science. Contemporary psychology combines rationalism with empiricism. Empiricism is the point of view that knowledge is acquired by using the senses—by seeing, hearing, touching, and so forth. Empiricism represents what William James called a tough-minded attitude. Naturalistic Observation: Looking at Behavior without Interference ...

Looking at the Word Psychology: From Ancient to Modern Meanings The word psychology has had several different meanings from ancient to modern times. Here is its present definition: Psychology is the science that studies the behavior  of organisms. Three words in the definition merit special attention:(1) science, (2) behavior , and (3) organisms. Behavior has three aspects:(1) cognitive processes, (2) emotional states, and (3) actions. Cognitive processes refer to what an individual thinks. Emotional states refer to what an individual feels. Actions refer to what an individual does. William James, the dean of American psychologists defined psychology as “the science of mental life.” He believed that the purpose of psychology should be to investigate such mental processes as thinking, memory, and perception. Contemporary, scientific psychology has four explicit goals: (1) describe, (2) explain, (3) predict, and (4) control behavior. These goals are the sam...

Contents: Preface ix 1 Introduction:The Foundations of Psychology 1 2 Research Methods in Psychology:Gathering Data 17 3 The Biology of Behavior:Is the Brain the Organ of Mental Life? 30 4 Sensation:Studying the Gateways of Experience 45 5 Perception:Why Do Things Look the Way They Do? 57 6 Learning:Understanding Acquired Behavior 72 7 Motivation:Why Do We Do What We Do? 90 8 Emotions:Riding Life’s Roller Coaster 107 9 Thinking:Exploring Mental Life 120 10 Intelligence:In Pursuit of Rational Thought and Effective Action 136 11 Developmental Psychology:How Children Become Adults 153 12 Sex and Love:Are You in the Mood? 174 13 Personality:Psychological Factors That Make You an Individual 191 14 Abnormal Psychology:Exploring Mental Disorders 212 15 Therapy:Helping Troubled People 231 16 Social Psychology:Interacting with Other People 247 Index 263