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Brain & Behaviour 1 - PSY00019C

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  • Department: Psychology
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2026-27

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2026-27

Module aims

Everything that goes on in the mind, the way we see, feel, remember and act, is constrained by the way the brain works. The aim of this module is to provide a framework for understanding the link between the brain and behaviour. The module will begin by outlining the principles of neuroscience and their importance in studying cognitive functions in the healthy brain and their deterioration in dementia. The later part of the course aims to introduce students to the neuroscience of attention and working memory and the techniques and methods used in the study of the brain.

Module learning outcomes

  • Describe the fundamental principles underlying cognitive processes in the brain.
  • To be able to link the cognitive and behavioural problems in dementia to patterns of neurodegeneration, and to describe something of the aetiology, evolution and treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
  • Describe the main strengths and weaknesses of the key methods used in cognitive neuroscience.
  • To explore what attention and working memory are, where in the brain these processes operate and how they act.

Module content

The module will initially provide a historical perspective on the relationship between the mind and brain. It will then explore the ways that the neurons in the brain communicate with each other and how this can sometimes go wrong. The course will also delve into the mysteries of how the brain is organized and what a human brain is actually like.

The second part of the module uses dementia to introduce some basic facts about the brain. The lectures will also hopefully convince you that neuroscience (the study of the brain and the nervous system) brings an important perspective to bear on understanding all aspects of the mind and behaviour, from development and language to thinking, memory, emotion and social interaction.

The third part of the course will begin by exploring attention, the process that allows us to cognitively or physically act on a goal and address three key questions: What exactly is attention? Where in the brain does attention operate? How does attention act in the brain? In the second half of the course we will shift our focus to working memory, the system that allows us to hold and manipulate information over short periods. We'll ask: What is working memory? Where in the brain are working memory representations stored? How do we maintain items in working memory over time? Throughout the series, we will examine these functions from both cognitive and neuroscientific perspectives, providing you with a deep understanding of the brain mechanisms behind attention and working memory.

The final part of the module is an overview of the available methods used examine the links between brain and behaviour - the central objective of Cognitive Neuroscience - characterizing their strengths and weaknesses and their usefulness for answering research questions from different angles. It will focus on two widely used methods in greater depth: electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Finally, it will show how using multiple methods can offer complementary accounts of the neural mechanisms underpinning behaviour by using the visual system as a model.

During Skills Weeks, you will be working on a practical related to problems with speech and language that follow a stroke. Specifically, you will learn about semantic aphasia, learn how to conduct analyses on secondary data and how to present this in a practical report.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) 50.0
Essay/coursework 50.0

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) 50.0
Essay/coursework 50.0

Module feedback

The marks on all assessed work will be provided on e-vision.

Indicative reading

The Brain & Behaviour strand uses different reading materials across the teaching blocks in both Y1 and Y2, please see the reading list for each teaching block. Example reading includes chapters from:


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.