Khan Academy on a Stick

Executive systems of the brain

Aristotle asserted that what separates humankind from non-human animals is our ability to engage in high reasoning. This reasoning includes solving problems, making decisions, recalling and recording memories, and expressing complex emotions. We’ll explore different states of consciousness, and how our brain adapts and responds to stimuli. Learn all about the higher-order executive functions of the brain, which help you remember your friend’s name, learn a new language, and even fall asleep at night.

Health and medicine

Piaget's stages of cognitive development
Learn about the stages and developmental milestones in Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
Problem solving
Learn about types of problems and common approaches to solving them.
Decision making
Learn about common heuristics, biases, and other factors that affect our decisions.
Semantic networks and spreading activation
Learn about how knowledge is organized in the mind.
Intelligence
Learn about different definitions of intelligence and the nature/nurture debate in the context of intelligence.
Aging and cognitive abilities
Learn about how cognitive abilities change as we age.

Cognition

Explore cognitive development and intelligence, as well as how our minds solve problems, make decisions, and represent knowledge.

Divided attention, selective attention, inattentional blindness, & change blindness
Learn about divided attention, selective attention, inattentional blindness, & change blindness. By Carole Yue.
Theories of selective attention
Learn about the three major theories of selective attention. By Carole Yue.
Theories of language and cognition
Learn about theories of the relationship between language and cognition. By Carole Yue.
Theories of language development: Nativist, learning, interactionist
Learn about the nativist, learning, and interactionist theories of human language development. By Carole Yue.
Language and the brain: Aphasia and split-brain patients
Learn about language areas of the brain and the effects of damage to those parts of the brain. By Carole Yue.

Attention and language

Have you ever tried to multi-task? Explore the concept of selective and divided attention, as well as the role of language in cognition and development.

Sleep and consciousness

Explore states of consciousness, circadian rhythms, sleep stages, and sleep disorders.

Information processing model: Sensory, working, and long term memory
Learn about the information processing model of human memory.
Encoding strategies
Learn about rote rehearsal, chunking, mnemonic devices, self-referencing, and spacing.
Retrieval cues
Learn about how priming, environmental context, and internal state affect memory.
Retrieval: Free recall, cued recall, and recognition
Learn about three types of retrieval: free recall, cued recall, and recognition.
Memory reconstruction, source monitoring, and emotional memories
Learn about memory reconstruction, source monitoring, and flashbulb memories.
Long term potentiation and synaptic plasticity
Learn about synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation, the physiological mechanism behind learning.
Decay and interference
Learn about decay and interference in human memory.
Aging and cognitive abilities
Learn about how cognitive abilities change as we age.
Alzheimer's disease and Korsakoff's syndrome
Learn about how Alzheimer's Disease and Korsakoff's Syndrome affect memory.

Memory

Explore the structure of human memory; processes involved in normal encoding, retrieval, forgetting, and aging; and diseases affecting memory.

Emotion

Learn about the physiological, behavioral, and cognitive components of emotion. Appreciate how different areas of our brain play a role in emotion. Understand the basic theories of emotion.