Mind-Machine Interfaces, 2: Altered states of consciousness, 3: Brain Disorders and possibilities for treatment.

The goal of this assignment is to explore an active area of academic research in biological psychology. You are expected to develop a strong understanding of the research background and theoretical approach to a topic relevant to biological psychology. This should be reflected through explicit connections made between your topic and material that is covered in the course. Additionally, it is encouraged that you use your knowledge of biological psychology to make informed speculations about how research in your topic area might evolve in the future.

29 Jul 2019 21:10

Write a 5-6 page paper, not including references, on one of the topics listed below. You may choose to constrain your focus to a more narrow stream of research within any of these topics, but you must identify which of the three provided topics it relates to. You should have a minimum of three primary citations for research in your topic area. A reference page must be included for all research cited in your paper. Use APA formatting throughout your paper.

Mind-machine interfaces — In the last several decades there have been many drastic advancements in the field of mind-machine interfaces, from responsive prosthetic limbs and cell phones to “augmented” and “virtual” realities. As these technologies become integrated into everyday life, it is increasingly important to understand the nature of the relationship between human minds and machines, and how this relationship might evolve.

Altered states of consciousness — Humans have been intentionally altering our conscious states for thousands of years, but it is only recently that psychological science has been able to investigate the biological underpinnings of drug-related, meditative, or otherwise altered states of consciousness. Such altered states can speak volumes about the organization of the brain and mind.

Brain disorders and possibilities for treatment — The human brain is a vastly complex set of interacting systems. As such, there are many different ways for the brain to malfunction or display maladaptive behaviour. This large array of brain disorders that span the genetic through to global network scales and the treatment options are as diverse as the etiologies