In previous topics, you explored the basic building blocks of the nervous system and the nervous system itself. In this topic, you will delve into the most complex part of the human body. Actually, the most complex part of any known living human being: the brain. With billions of cells and trillions of connections between those cells, your brain represents one of the final frontiers of human understanding. One of the key questions for psychology, and for science in general in the 21st century, is to determine if we can fully understand the human brain. Although there are many more mysteries to unlock about the human brain, by the end of this topic, you should understand your own brain much more fully.

Essential Questions

• What techniques have been used to investigate the brain and its functioning and how do they differ from one another?
• What are the major divisions of the brain and how do they reflect different levels of complexity?
• What are some of the most important specialization areas within the brain and how do they correspond with thoughts and behaviors?
• What is the importance of the division of the brain into left and right hemispheres, and which aspects of experience are influenced by this division?