Physiological Psychology Introductions: Areas of ...
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- 1. Physiological Psychology Introductions: Areas of biopsychology / Mind/body relations
2. Fig. 1-1, p. 2 3.
- Biological Psychology is the study of the physiological and genetic basis of behavior.
- Emphasis is placed upon physiological, evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of behavior.
- Strong emphasis on brain function.
- Components of biological psychology
- Many different areas with many different names.
4.
- Different names
- Biological Psychology
- Physiological Psychology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
- The biological basis of behavior
- Biology heavily influence early psychologists
- Ex. Luigi Galvani Late 1700s
- Ex. Pierre Flourens Early 1800s
5.
- Heavy influence of Psychophysics
- Weber Webers law
- Fechner
- Psychology begins in 1879
- Wilhelm Wundt
- William James championed the role of evolution and biology in understanding psychological processes
6.
- Donald Hebb The Organization of Behavior (1949)
- Wilder Penfield
7. Todays Biopsychology
- Very eclectic, multidisciplinary field
- Should not be rigidly defined
- Key: brain, behavior relations
- A part of Neuroscience: the study of the nervous system
- Many parts to neuroscience
- Neuroanatomy
- Neurophysiology
- Neurochemistry
- Neuropharmacology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
8. Many areas within Biopsychology
- Mix of pure and applied research
- Physiological psychology
- Scientific study of brain/behavior in controlled experimental settings
- Generally uses animal subjects
- Psychopharmacology study of the effect of drugs on the brain, behavior, and well as interactions
9.
- Neuropsychology Generally studies the effects of brain damage in humans
- Deals with clinical populations
- Gathers information via case-studies
- Works towards treatment
10.
- Cognitive Neuroscience cross between cognitive psychology and physiological psychology
- Experimental exploration of human cognition and the physiological processes involved
- E.g., fMRI analysis of attention
- E.g., Event-related potentials and dreaming
11.
- Neurophilosophy - the interdisciplinary study of neuroscience and philosophy
- Works both ways:
- Use neuroscience results to understand philosophy E.g., Dennett
- Use philosophy as a basis for the understanding of neuroscience
12. Comparative Psychology
- Study of the role of evolution in brain and behavior
- Comparison of behaviors of different species of animals with attention to the phylogenetic and ecological context
- Includes laboratory research as well as the study of animals in their natural environments (ethology)
13.
- Psychoneuroimmunology study of the interactions between the brain and the immune system / endocrine system in regulating behavior
- Examples
- Illness and stress
- wound healing is much slower in psychologically stressed adults
- Placebo effects
14. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Brain functioning can be explained at a more microscopic level in terms of neuron and glia activity.
- Understanding the mind and consciousness is key to biopsychology
15. Fig. 1-2, p. 3 16. Levels of explanation
- All of the sciences strive to uncover reality
- Many different ways of doing that on many different levels.
- Understanding behavior
- Psychology
- Brain
- Neural chemistry
- Physics
- **Important: all levels are needed
17. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Biological explanations of behavior fall into four categories:
- Physiological- emphasis on brain and other vital organs.
- Ontogenetic- describes the development of a structure or behavior.
- Evolutionary- focuses upon the evolutionary history of a behavior.
- Functional- describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did.
18. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Deep understanding of a particular behavior is tied to being able to explain the behavior fromeachof these perspectives.
19. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Biological explanations of behavior raise the issue of the relationship between the mind and the brain also know as the mind-body or mind-brain problem.
- The mind-brain problem has a variety of explanations.
20. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Dualismis the belief that there are different kinds of substances and the mind and the body are separate entities.
- Defended by French philosopher Rene Descartes.
- Most common belief among nonscientists.
- Rejected by most neuroscientists.
21. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Monismis the belief that the universe is only comprised of one type of substance.
- Forms of monism include:
- Materialism - everything that exists is physical by nature.
- Mentalism - only the mind truly exists.
- Identity position - mental processes are the same as brain processes but simply described in different ways.
22. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Explanations of the mind-body relationship do not answer some fundamental questions:
- Why is consciousness a property of brain activity?
- What kind of brain activity produces consciousness?
- How does brain activity produce consciousness?
23. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Because consciousness is not observable, its function is often difficult to define and/ or explain.
- Solipsism - suggests that I alone am conscious
- Difficulty of knowing if others have conscious experiences is known as the problem of other minds.
24. The Use of Animals in Research
- Animal research is an important source of information for biological psychology but remains a highly controversial topic.
- Animal research varies on the amount of stress and/ or pain that is caused to the animal itself.
25. The Use of Animals in Research
- Reasons for studying animals include:
- The underlying mechanisms of behavior are similar across species and often easier to study in nonhuman species.
- We are interested in animals for their own sake.
- What we learn about animals sheds light on human evolution.
- Some experiments cannot use humans because of legal or ethical reasons.
26. Fig. 1-12, p. 23 27. The Use of Animals in Research
- Opposition to animal research varies:
- Minimalists favor firm regulation on research and place consideration upon the type of animal used and the amount of stress induced.
- Abolitionists maintain that all animals have the same rights as humans and any use of animals is unethical.
28. The Use of Animals in Research
- Justification for research considers the amount of benefit gained compared to the amount of distress caused to the animal.
- No clear dividing line exists.
- Colleges and research institutions in the United States are required to have an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
- Oversees and determine acceptable procedures.
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