CHAPTER 1: Biopsychology as a Neuroscience

Neuroscience

study of the nervous system - from structure to function, development to degeneration, in health and in disease.

6 BRANCHES OF NEUROSCIENCE

● Neuroanatomy

● Neuropathology

● Neurochemistry

● Neuropharmacology

● Neuroendocrinology

● Neurophysiology

Biopsychology

- also called physiological psychology

- is the scientific study of the biology of behavior.

-denotes a biological approach to the study of psycholog

Pre-Biological Explanations

In the past, behavior had been explained as a product of supernatural or natural elements

5 ELEMENT EMOTION CHART

Fire, Wood, Earth, Water, Metal

Psychological Tradition

-Insanity was a natural phenomenon, caused by mental or emotional stress

Insanity

was a natural phenomenon, caused by mental or emotional stress

Nicholas Oresme

argued that depression was a result of “bizzare behavior”

Biological Tradition

-Hippocrates, Father of Western Medicine, explained that hysteria is caused by the uterus.

-Galen adopted the ideas of Hippocrates creating the humoral theory of disorders

4 humor

phlegm, blood, yellow bile, black bile

- Sigmund Freud

behavior is determined by sexual and aggressive drives

- Erik Erikson

development follows the epigenetic principle according to a predetermined rate

Hans Exsenck's Biologically Based Factor Theory (Personality has 3 dimensions)

Extraversion, Neuroticism, Psychoticism.

Extraversion

      cortical arousal and sensory thresholds

Neuroticism

diathesis-stress model

Psychoticism

predisposition to stress that develops into psychological illness

       David Buss' Evolutionary Theory of Personality

- Personality is shaped by evolutionary experiences in adaptation problems (survival & reproduction) and their mechanisms (solutions)

Physical Mechanisms

- physiological organs and systems that evolved to solve problems of survival

Physiological Mechanisms

internal and specific cognitive, motivational, and personality systems that solve adaptation problems.

Examples of Physiological Mechanisms

(Attraction- dominance, Trust - dependability, Intimacy - love)

Donald O. Hebb

author of Organization of Behavior (1949)

Organization of Behavior (1949)

- learning based on conjunctures on neural networks and synapses being able to strengthen or weaken over time

Human Subjects Advantages

-They can follow instructions

-They can report their subjective experiences

-Humans are often cheaper

Non-Human Subjects

The brains and behavior of non-human subjects are simpler than those of human subjects.

Comparative approach

the study of biological processes by comparing different species.

Experiments

Is the method used by scientists to study causation - to find out what causes what.

Independent Variable

the variable that is controlled by the experimenter by administering treatments.

Dependent Variable

These variables are expected to change as a result of an experimental manipulation of the independent variable.

Confounding Variable

-is an outside influence that changes the effect of a dependent and independent variable.

- This extraneous influence is used to influence the outcome of an experimental design.

-is an extra variable entered into the equation that was not accounted for.

Conditions

Designed by the experimenter under which the subjects will be tested.

WITHIN-SUBJECTS DESIGN

all participants are exposed to every treatment or condition.

Carryover Effect

is a type of practice effect that occurs because the results from one test influences another. Whenever subjects perform in more than one condition (as they do within subject designs) there is a possibility of carryover effects.

       BETWEEN-SUBJECTS DESIGN

>A different group of subjects is tested under each condition.

> The basic idea behind this type of study is that participants can be part of the treatment group or the control group, but cannot be part of both.

> A between-subjects design is a way of avoiding the carryover effects that can plague within subjects’ design.

Quasi-experimental Studies

- studies of groups of subjects who have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world.

-These studies have the appearance of experiments, but they are not true experiments because potential confounded variables have not been controlled or randomly selected.

Case Studies

-Studies that focus on a single case or subjects.

-Provide a more in-depth picture that that provided by an experiment or quasi-experimental study.

Generalizability

-the degree to which the results can be applied to other cases.

• disadvantage of case studies

Pure Research

-is research motivated primarily by the curiosity of the researcher.

-It is done solely for the purpose of acquiring knowledge.

Applied Research

Is research intended to bring about some direct benefit to humankind.

6 Major Divisions of Biopsychology

A. Physiological Psychology

B. Psychopharmacology

C. Neuropsychology

D. Psychophysiology

E. Cognitive Neuroscience

F. Comparative Psychology

Physiological Psychology

Study of the neural mechanisms of behavior by manipulating the nervous systems of non-human subjects in controlled experiments.

Psychopharmacology

-Study of the effects of drugs on the brain and behavior.

-The goal is to develop therapeutic drugs or reduce drug abuse

Neuropsychology

Study of psychological effects of brain damage in human patients.

Psychophysiology

Study of the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects by non-invasive physiological recording.

Cognitive Neuroscience

study of the neural mechanisms of human cognition, largely through the use of functional brain imaging.

Types of Brain Imaging

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)-

can be used to produce activation maps showing which parts of the brain are involved in a particular mental process.

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan

builds up a picture of the brain based on the differential absorption of X-rays.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

 uses trace amounts of short-lived radioactive material to map functional processes in the brain.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

is the measurement of the electrical activity of the brain by recording from electrodes placed on the scalp.

Comparative Psychology

study of the evolution, genetics, and adaptiveness of behavior, largely through the use of the comparative method.