Brain and Behavior

Behavioral neuroscience

studies the relationships between behavior and the body/brain

Behavior

overt acts and internal events (learning, thinking, and emotion)

Mind-brain problem

deals with what the mind is and its relationship to the brain

Monism

idea that the mind and body consist of the same substance

Materialistic monism

view that body and mind and everything else are physical

Dualism

idea that the mind and brain are separate

Model

a proposed mechanism for how something works

Rationalism

gathering information by reasoning

Empiricism

gathering information through observation

Luigi Galvani

used electricity to stimulate nerves in the late 1700s

Hermann von Heimholtz

demonstrated nerves do not behave like conducting wires

Localization

idea that specific areas of the brain carry out specific functions

Equipotentiality

idea brain can function as an undifferentiated whole

Phrenology

each of 35 different “faculties” of emotion and intellect located in precise areas of the brain

Nature versus nurture

ongoing debate about how important heredity is relative to environmental influences in shaping behavior

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

double-stranded double helix chain of chemical molecules

Gene

biological unit that directs cellular processes and transmits inherited characteristics

Alleles

different versions of a gene

Dominant allele

produces effect regardless of which allele it is paired with

Recessive allele

has influence only when paired with the same allele

Heterozygous

two alleles are different

Homozygous

two identical alleles

Brocas area

left side of the brain, producing speech

frontal lobe

reasoning

motor cortex

voluntary movement

somatosensory cortex

feeling

types of touch feeling

vibration, pressure, temperature, texture

occipital lobe

vision

Wernickes area

understanding speech

Phenotype

an observable characteristic

Genotype

combinations of alleles

X-linked

a characteristic produced by an unpaired gene on the X-chromosome

Polygenic

characteristics determined by several genes

Heredity

destiny or predisposition

natural selection

those whose genes endow them with more adaptive traits are more likely to survive and reproduce

Heritability

percentage of the variation in a characteristic attributed to genetic factors

vulnerability

genes contribute to predisposition for a disorder

theory

integrates and interprets diverse observations to explain a phenomenon

Inductive

observation→ generalization→ theory

Deductive

theory→ predictions→ experiment

Experimental study

researcher manipulates independent variable to produce change in the dependent variable

Correlational study

researcher observes whether two variables are related

Naturalistic observations

observing things in their natural environment

Case studies

an intense focus on a single individual to understand their situation

surveys

information about a lot of people

Golgi stain

randomly stains about 5% of neurons in a slide

Myelin stain

taken up by the fatty myelin surrounding axons

Nissl stain

identifies cell bodies of neurons

Autoradiography

stains and reveals which neurons are active

Immunocytochemistry

uses antibodies attached to a dye to identify cell components

Light microscopy can only magnify

1500x

Electron microscope magnify up to

250,000x

Transmission electron microscope

passes beam of electrons through thin slice of
tissue. Magnifies images up to 50 million times

Electroencephalography

Measuring and Manipulating Brain Activity

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

electronic amplifier detects electrical activity of all
neurons between two electrodes

Temporal resolution

events as close as 1 ms apart

Spatial resolution

imprecise unless electrodes are applied directly to the brain surface