Psychology Neuroscience

Neuroscience and Psychology: How the Brain Shapes Behavior

A practical course on the brain, mind, behavior, and evidence-based understanding of human experience

Neuroscience and Psychology: How the Brain Shapes Behavior logo
Quick Course Facts
17
Self-paced, Online, Lessons
17
Videos and/or Narrated Presentations
5.6
Approximate Hours of Course Media
About the Neuroscience and Psychology: How the Brain Shapes Behavior Course

Neuroscience and Psychology: How the Brain Shapes Behavior is a practical course on the brain, mind, behavior, and evidence-based understanding of human experience. Designed for learners who want a clearer picture of how biological processes influence thoughts, emotions, and actions, this Psychology course builds a strong foundation for understanding everyday behavior and real-world applications.

Explore How Neuroscience And Psychology Explain Human Behavior

  • Learn how the nervous system, neurons, and brain structures work together to shape experience and action.
  • Understand core Psychology concepts through an evidence-based lens that connects brain function to behavior.
  • Build practical insight into learning, memory, emotion, decision-making, stress, and mental health.
  • Apply Neuroscience and Psychology to daily life, academic study, and better self-understanding.

A practical course on the brain, mind, behavior, and evidence-based understanding of human experience.

This course begins with the foundations of Neuroscience and Psychology, showing why these fields belong together and how they provide a more complete understanding of human behavior. You will study the central and peripheral nervous systems, the role of neurons and glial cells, and the organization of the brain into systems that support perception, cognition, and action.

From there, the course examines how sensation becomes perception, how attention selects what matters, and how learning and conditioning shape behavior over time. You will also explore memory systems, emotion and motivation, decision-making, executive function, developmental change, and the biological basis of stress and resilience. These topics are presented in a way that makes complex Psychology ideas easier to understand and apply.

The course also connects brain science to important real-world topics such as psychological disorders, sleep, habits, social behavior, and research methods. By learning how scientists study behavior and the brain, you will gain a stronger appreciation for evidence-based thinking and the role it plays in interpreting human experience.

By the end of the course, you will be able to think more clearly about how the brain shapes behavior, recognize the biological and psychological factors behind everyday choices, and use a deeper Psychology framework to understand yourself and others with greater confidence.

Course Lessons

Full lesson breakdown

Lessons are organized by topic area and each includes descriptive copy for search visibility and student clarity.

Foundations

1 lesson

This opening lesson explains why neuroscience and psychology are best studied together. Psychology helps us describe behavior, thought, emotion, and motivation; neuroscience helps us understand the bi…

Neural Foundations

2 lessons

Lesson 2: The Nervous System: Central and Peripheral Architecture

20 min
The nervous system is the body’s communication network, carrying information between the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body. In this lesson, learners distinguish the central nervous system (…

Lesson 3: Neurons, Glia, and Communication in the Brain

20 min
This lesson introduces the brain's basic communication system: neurons, glia, and the signals that pass between them. Students learn how neurons receive, process, and transmit information, why glial c…

Brain Organization

1 lesson

Lesson 4: The Brain in Systems: Lobes, Structures, and Core Functions

22 min
This lesson introduces how the brain is organized into major systems that work together to produce behavior, thought, and feeling. You will learn the basic functions of the four lobes of the cerebral …

Cognition and Perception

2 lessons

Lesson 5: Sensation and Perception: How the Brain Builds Experience

20 min
This lesson explains the difference between sensation and perception : how the nervous system detects physical energy and how the brain turns those signals into meaningful experience. Students will le…

Lesson 6: Attention and Consciousness: Selecting What Matters

18 min
Attention is the brain’s way of selecting some information while filtering out the rest. It helps us focus on a task, shift between goals, and ignore distractions, but it is limited and highly context…

Learning

1 lesson

Lesson 7: Learning and Conditioning: How Behavior Changes

20 min
This lesson explains how behavior changes through experience, focusing on the basic principles of learning and conditioning. Students will learn how association, reinforcement, punishment, and observa…

Memory

1 lesson

Lesson 8: Memory Systems: Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval

22 min
Memory is not a single function but a set of systems that help the brain encode information, store it over time, and retrieve it when needed. In this lesson, we focus on the core stages of memory, the…

Affective Science

1 lesson

Lesson 9: Emotion and Motivation: Brain, Body, and Behavior

20 min
Emotion and motivation are not separate from the brain—they are products of brain systems, body signals, and environmental context working together. This lesson explains how affective science studies …

Higher-Order Cognition

1 lesson

Lesson 10: Decision-Making and Executive Function

20 min
This lesson explains how the brain supports decision-making and executive function —the mental processes that help us plan, focus, inhibit impulses, and adapt when circumstances change. You will see w…

Development

1 lesson

Lesson 11: Developmental Neuroscience and Psychological Growth

19 min
Developmental neuroscience explains how the brain changes from infancy through adulthood, and why those changes matter for attention, emotion, learning, and self-control. In this lesson, we focus on t…

Health and Stress

1 lesson

Lesson 12: Stress, Resilience, and the Biology of Adaptation

18 min
This lesson explains how the brain and body respond to stress, why stress can be both harmful and helpful, and how resilience emerges from biological adaptation. Students learn the basic stress respon…

Clinical Applications

1 lesson

Lesson 13: Psychological Disorders Through a Biopsychological Lens

22 min
This lesson explains psychological disorders through a biopsychological lens : how biological factors, psychological processes, and social context interact to shape symptoms, risk, and recovery. Stude…

Health and Behavior

1 lesson

Lesson 14: Sleep, Habits, and Brain Health

18 min
This lesson explains how sleep supports brain health, learning, mood, and self-control. It also shows how habits are formed in the brain, why repeated routines can feel automatic, and how sleep and ha…

Social Behavior

1 lesson

Lesson 15: Social Neuroscience: How People Influence People

19 min
Social neuroscience studies how other people shape the brain, body, and behavior in real time. This lesson focuses on core social processes such as imitation, empathy, conformity, and social reward, s…

Scientific Thinking

1 lesson

Lesson 16: Research Methods in Neuroscience and Psychology

22 min
Scientific thinking is the foundation of good neuroscience and psychology. In this lesson, you will learn how researchers turn questions about the brain and behavior into testable studies, how to dist…

Applications

1 lesson

Lesson 17: Applying Neuroscience and Psychology in Everyday Life

20 min
This lesson focuses on how to use neuroscience and psychology in everyday life without overclaiming or oversimplifying. You will learn how to translate brain and behavior research into practical decis…
About Your Instructor
Professor Bo Bennett

Professor Bo Bennett

Professor Bo Bennett guides this AI-built Virversity course with a clear, practical teaching style.