Bio Psych

Introduction to Biological Psychology

  • Course: Psychology 2703 Biological Psychology

Why Study Brain and Behaviour?

  • Major unanswered scientific questions regarding how the brain produces behaviour.

  • Complexity: The brain is the most intricate organ found in various animal groups.

  • Understanding: Behavioral disorders can be explained and potentially cured through brain studies.

  • Diversity: Studying the brain enhances our understanding of diversity across species.

  • Interdisciplinary insights: Insights from brain studies can enlighten other fields of knowledge.

Clive Wearing's Case

  • Clive Wearing: A patient with a unique perception of time and memory.

  • Despite having unimpaired sensory perception, he cannot retain memory for longer than a blink.

  • Demonstrates a discontinuous experience of reality, akin to poor film continuity.

What is Behaviour?

  • Observable actions that occur fleetingly.

  • Behaviour patterns over time, including thinking.

The Brain

  • The brain: A living, physical organ that can exhibit consciousness without observable behaviour.

  • Temporal isolation raises questions about communication and brain activity.

Perspectives on Brain and Behaviour

Historical Approaches

  1. Mentalism: Behaviour as a function of a non-material mind (Aristotle).

  2. Dualism: Concept of both a non-material mind and a material body interacting (René Descartes).

  3. Materialism: Behaviour explained entirely through the workings of the nervous system, emphasizing the brain's physicality.

Mentalism

  • Developed by Aristotle. Advocates for the brain's role as cooling blood, with no contributory role to behaviour.

  • Psyche: Synonymous with mind, previously regarded as the source of behaviour.

Dualism

  • Champions: René Descartes. Proposed two substances: non-material mind and material body.

  • Suggested interaction occurs via the pineal gland affecting behaviour through fluid regulation.

Issues with Dualism

  • The pineal gland's role disproved in behaviour control; involves biological rhythms, not intelligence.

  • Challenges to non-material influence violate the conservation law.

Materialism and Evolution

  • Supports the idea that behaviour can be explained solely through the nervous system's workings.

  • Influencers: Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, noting similarities across species.

  • Most scientists lean toward materialism.

  • The mind is seen as a function of the brain.

Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection

  • Principle: Survival of the fittest through differential reproductive success from environmental interactions.

  • Results: Species evolve and undergo changes, based on phenotypic traits.

Implications for Brain and Behaviour

  1. All animal brains are fundamentally related due to species interrelatedness.

  2. Simplistic animal studies enhance understanding of human brain structures and functionalities.

  3. Behaviour similarities exist across species, reinforcing emotional expression commonalities.

  4. Higher animal behaviour evolved from simpler predecessors, inclusive of learned traits.

Nervous System Overview

  • CNS (Central Nervous System): Encompassing the brain and spinal cord.

  • PNS (Peripheral Nervous System): Comprising all neurons outside the CNS, divided into:

    • Somatic division: Sensory and motor functions.

    • Autonomic division: Controls internal organ functions.

Brain Structure

  • Forebrain: Prominent in mammals for conscious behaviour.

  • Brainstem: Governances of unconscious behaviour, prevalent in simpler organisms.

  • Major lobes:

    1. Temporal Lobe: Involved in hearing, language, and memory.

    2. Frontal Lobe: Responsible for executive functions and decision-making.

    3. Parietal Lobe: Goal-directed movement and sensory integration.

    4. Occipital Lobe: Primarily responsible for vision.

Defining Behaviour

  • Oxford English Dictionary: Behaviour as responses to specific situations or stimuli.

  • Eibesfeldt: Defines behaviour as temporal patterns through movements, vocalizations, and thinking.

  • Behaviours can be fixed (innate) or learned, with fixed behaviours often hereditary and flexible behaviours learned through experience.

Evolution of Brain and Behaviour

  • Jerison’s Principle of Proper Mass suggests a positive correlation between behavioural complexity and brain size.

  • Encephalization Quotient (EQ): Ratio of actual brain size to expected size based on body mass, with humans having the largest EQ.

  • Brain size alone does not correlate directly with intelligence or behaviour effectiveness.

Culture and Brain Size

  • Human brains have evolved complex cultural behaviours passed through generations.

  • Study of crows exhibiting learned behaviours highlights cultural transmission in non-human species.