Psychology 2221A/B Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Metencephalon, Pia Mater, Glossopharyngeal Nerve
23 Jun 2018
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Biopsych Midterm 1 Review
CHAPTER ONE
Biopsychology: the scientific study of the biology of behaviour
- Biopsychology is empirical
- Knowledge acquired through observation
- Biopsychologists must be skeptical and think critically
- Base things on evidence
The Human Brain: An amazingly intricate network of neurons
Neurons: Cells that receive electrochemical signals—they communicate electrically and
chemically
Neuroscience
- The scientific study of the nervous system
- May prove to be the brains ultimate challenge: Does the brain have the capacity to
understand something as complex as itself?
Four Major Themes
1. Thinking Creatively About Biopsychology
2. Clinical Implications
3. The Evolutional Perspective
4. Neuroplasticity (brain is always changing)
Biological Perspective: The Beginning
Mind Body Dualism
- Mind= spiritual entity
- Not subject to physical laws
- Cannot be studied
- Rejected by most neuroscientists
- Brain is separated from mind
Monoism
- Mental events are a product physical events
- Can be studied
- E.g. chemical reactions in brain produce emotions, decisions, etc
- Luigi Galvani
Severed frog leg- moved when electrical current was passed through it
E.g. discovered electrical nature of nerve conduction
Localization Issue
- Idea that specific areas of the brain carry out specific functions
- Brocas Area very important for speech production
- Unfortunately, this idea also lead way for phrenology
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Thought specific brain areas related to your personality, the greater the bump,
the greater the personality in that area
History of Biopsychology
D.O. Hebb- “The Organization of Behaviour” (1949)
- Key factor in biopsychology’s development into a major neuroscientific discipline
- Helped discredit notion that psychology functions are too complex to be derived from
physiological activities
- Based theory on experiments with humans, lab animals, case studies, observations of
his own daily life
- Used an integrative approach
The Disciplines of Neuroscience
1. Biopsychology
2. Neuroanatomy Structure of nervous system
3. NeurochemistryChemical bases of neural activity
4. Neuroendocrinology Interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine
systems
5. Neuropathology Nervous systems disorders
6. Neuropharmacology Effects of drugs on neural activity
7. Neurophysiology Functions and activities of the nervous system
Research Approaches
3 Dimensions Along Which Biopsychological Research Varies:
- Subjects (Human, Non Human)
- Methods (Experiments, Non Experiments)
- Types of Research (Pure, Applied)
Human Subject Advantages:
- Cheaper
- More ethical- consent
- Humans give feedback
- Human brain
- Follow instructions
Non Human Subject Advantages:
- More control of their life
- Brains are simpler
- We can do more with animals
- Comparative approach
- Pre-clinical approach
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Experiments
- Control Variables
- Establish cause and effect relations
- Essential to scientific discover
- Paradoxically simpler
- Between and within subject’s designs
- IV and DV
Confounded Variable: Unintended differences between conditions that can influence the
dependent variable, can be difficult to eliminate, can make experiments difficult to interpret
Non Experiments
Quasi-experimental: Studies groups of subjects exposed to conditions in the real world, not real
experiments so there are potential confounds
Case Studies: Focus on a single case or subject, usually more in depth than other approaches,
good source of testable hypothesis, problem= generalizability
Six Major Divisions of Biopsychology
1. Psychophysiology:
Studies the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes
in human subjects
Typically uses non-invasive procedures (e.g. electroencephalogram, measures of
eye movements)
2. Physiological Psychology:
Division that studies the neural mechanisms of behaviour
Uses direct manipulation of the brain in controlled experiments
Subjects usually lab animals
Strong focus on pure research
Look at its affect on behaviour
3. Psychopharmacology
Focuses on the manipulation of neural activity and behaviour with drugs
Substantial portion of research is applied
Uses both animals and humans
4. Neuropsychology
Studies the effects of brain damage in humans
Focuses on case studies and quasi-experimental studies
Large focus on cerebral cortex, since it is most likely to be damaged by accident
or surgery
Most applied of the biopsychological subdisciplines
5. Comparative Psychology
Deals with biology of behaviour compares different species to understand
evolution, genetics, and adaptiveness of behaviour
Uses lab and or ethological research
Areas of research that often employ comparative analysis:
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Biopsychology: the scientific study of the biology of behaviour. The human brain: an amazingly intricate network of neurons. Neurons: cells that receive electrochemical signals they communicate electrically and chemically. Four major themes: thinking creatively about biopsychology, clinical implications, the evolutional perspective, neuroplasticity (brain is always changing) Mental events are a product physical events. E. g. chemical reactions in brain produce emotions, decisions, etc. Severed frog leg- moved when electrical current was passed through it. Idea that specific areas of the brain carry out specific functions. Unfortunately, this idea also lead way for phrenology. Thought specific brain areas related to your personality, the greater the bump, the greater the personality in that area. Key factor in biopsychology"s development into a major neuroscientific discipline. Helped discredit notion that psychology functions are too complex to be derived from physiological activities. Based theory on experiments with humans, lab animals, case studies, observations of his own daily life.
