Table 4.
Survey statements probing confidence with neuroscience concepts and science skills
| Neuroscience concepts | Science skills |
|---|---|
| Anatomy and function of a neuron | Solve problems |
| Anatomy and function of the brain | Write papers |
| The process of neurotransmission | Design laboratory experimentsa |
| Gene transcription and translation | Develop descriptions, explanations, and predictions based on scientific evidencea |
| Neural plasticity | |
| Learning and memory | Critically review journal articles |
| Pharmacology | Work effectively with others |
| Psychopathology | Give oral presentations |
| Sensory receptor function | Give poster presentationsa |
| Classical conditioning | Solve problems as a team with other students or colleagues |
| Operant conditioning | Generate testable hypotheses |
| How an action potential is generated | Conduct laboratory experimentsa |
| Comparisons and contrasts between brains from humans versus other animals | Think critically and logically about the relationship between evidence and explanations for that evidence |
| Habituation and sensitization | Identify questions that can be answered by scientific inquiry |
| Spinal cord anatomy | Talk about scientific procedures and explanations with others |
| How animals move | |
| How animals sense stimuli | |
| How animals regulate internal states such as temperature, thirst, and hunger | |
| How mental disorders arise and how they are treated | |
| How drugs affect the nervous system |
a For individual item analyses, see Table 6.