biopsychology chapter 1

purpose of the nervous system

sends signals in order to regulate thoughts, feelings, movements, and bodily functions

neuroanatomy

the study of the structure of the nervous system

neurochemistry

study of the chemical reactions that regulate neural and psychological activity

neuroendocrinology

the study of interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system

neuropathology

the study of nervous system diseases

neuropharmacology

the study of the effects of drugs on the nervous system

neurophysiology

the study of the function of the nervous system

3 R's of ethics

1. Replacement (using materials that avoid using living creatures)

2. Reduction (using fewer animals)

3. Refinement (Reduce pain and suffering for the animals)

between-subject

e.g music effect on studying

• 1 group studies w/ music, 1 group without

• 1 group, 1 variable

within-subject

each participant tests all conditions

• 1 group switches between music and no music

independent variable

the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

dependent variable

the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.

confounded variable

an unintended difference between the conditions of an experiment that could have affected the dependent variable

quasiexperiment

• cannot test a variable for some reason (unethical, illegal)

• find groups of people who already have that variable

• test in the real world

• cannot randomly assign variables

pure research

a type of scientific investigation that seeks to gain knowledge for the sake of knowledge itself

applied research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

physiological psychology

the study of behavior as influenced by biology

• how the NS affects behavior

• performed mostly on lab animals by manipulating NS

• unethical to perform on humans

• invasive procedures

• primarily pure research

psychopharmacology

the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior

• can be both pure/applied research

• used to understand substance use disorders

neuropsychology

The study of the behavioral effects of brain damage in humans

• often uses nonexperimental methods

• neuroimaging and standardized tests

psychophysiology

how psychological events physically affect the body

• uses noninvasive recordings of humans (pupils, heartrate, etc)

cognitive neuroscience

study of the physical changes in the brain and nervous system during cognitive function

• fMRI to see what part of the brain is active when a person is doing a task

comparative psychology

branch of psychology that studies the behavior of different animal species in order to compare it to humans

ethological research

the study of animal behavior in its natural environment