Equipment to Improve the Teaching of Behavioral Neurosciencein an Undergraduate Psychology Program

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The laboratory section of the course in physiological psychology is being upgraded so that students will experience the research methods of modern behavioral neuroscience. The focus is on behavioral testing and biopotential recording systems. The behavioral testing equipment consists of a 4 station operant conditioning system, a figure-8 activity device with photoelectric sensing, a radial arm maze, a water maze with photoelectric sensing and video monitoring, a rota-rod treadmill, and a rotometer. The human biopotential recording equipment consists of a 24 channel "Neurosearch" system for acquiring and processing human biopotentials, and an AST 390C computer. The animal biopotential equipment consists of a remote telemetry system for EEG, EKG, and temperature, and interfaces with the computer for data collection. The laboratory experiments using this equipment are designed to enable students to explore the behavioral consequences of biological manipulations, and directly observe the physiological activity that accompanies ongoing behavior. Students thus gain a better understanding and appreciation of the biological bases of all behavior, and are better prepared for graduate work in areas related to neuroscience. The equipment is also used in independent student research projects. The university will contribute an amount equal to the award.