PSYC 375 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Cerebral Circulation, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Diencephalon

• School: University of Calgary
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 375
• Professor: Simon Spanswick

Document Summary

The brain"s primary function is to produce behavior /movement. For orienting ourselves and giving an appropriate response, the brain must absorb information about the world and the nervous system converts this information into biological activity to produce perception . The brain mentally constructs a reality/subjective experience (vibrating air molecules vs. ringtone), i. e. without the nervous system/brain, the ringtone does not exist. Our mental construct of reality depends on both sensory information and cognitive processes (e. g. hearing a ringtone when we are expecting a cell vs. when we are not). The brain is plastic/nervous system has neuroplasticity , meaning neural tissue has the capacity to adapt by changing (physically or chemically) how its functions are organized to adapt to environmental change and compensate for injury. E. g. how a blind person has enhanced auditory capacities, and how connections among neurons are changing in response to experience.