- 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
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- Many different areas with many different names.
4.
- The biological basis of behavior
- Biology heavily influence early psychologists
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- Ex. Luigi Galvani Late 1700s
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- Ex. Pierre Flourens Early 1800s
5.
- Heavy influence of Psychophysics
- Psychology begins in 1879
- William James championed the role of evolution and biology in
understanding psychological processes
6.
- Donald Hebb The Organization of Behavior (1949)
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
8. Many areas within Biopsychology
- Mix of pure and applied research
-
- Scientific study of brain/behavior in controlled experimental
settings
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- 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
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
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- Use neuroscience results to understand philosophy E.g.,
Dennett
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- 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
-
- wound healing is much slower in psychologically stressed
adults
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.
- **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.
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- Ontogenetic- describes the development of a structure or
behavior.
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- Evolutionary- focuses upon the evolutionary history of a
behavior.
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- 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.
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- Defended by French philosopher Rene Descartes.
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- Most common belief among nonscientists.
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- Rejected by most neuroscientists.
21. The Mind-Brain Relationship
- Monismis the belief that the universe is only comprised of one
type of substance.
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- Materialism - everything that exists is physical by
nature.
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- Mentalism - only the mind truly exists.
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- 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:
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- Why is consciousness a property of brain activity?
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- What kind of brain activity produces consciousness?
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- 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:
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- The underlying mechanisms of behavior are similar across
species and often easier to study in nonhuman species.
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- We are interested in animals for their own sake.
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- What we learn about animals sheds light on human
evolution.
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- 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:
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- Minimalists favor firm regulation on research and place
consideration upon the type of animal used and the amount of stress
induced.
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- 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.
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- 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).
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- Oversees and determine acceptable procedures.