Cram Study Sheet (Module 1.4a)

1. Why Are Psychologists Concerned with Human Biology? overall

Behavior and mental processes come from the brain → To understand psychology, we must understand biology.

Key Points

  • Ancient ideas:

    • Hippocrates located the mind in the brain.

    • Aristotle incorrectly believed the mind was in the heart.

  • Phrenology (Franz Gall, early 1800s)

    • False theory that bumps on the skull reveal mental abilities and traits.

    • Wrong, but important because it introduced the idea of localization of function.

  • Biological psychology studies links between:

    • Biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) processes

    • Psychological processes

2. The Bio-psycho-social Approach

Three Levels of Analysis

  1. Biological

    • Genetic predispositions

    • Gene mutations

    • Natural selection

    • Genes responding to environment

  2. Psychological

    • Learned fears/expectations

    • Emotional responses

    • Cognitive processing

  3. Social-Cultural

    • Presence of others

    • Cultural/family expectations

    • Peer & group influences

    • Media influences

Purpose

Provides a more complete understanding of behavior or mental processes.

3. Neuroplasticity — How Biology + Experience Shape the BrainDefinition

Neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to change by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience. Strongest in childhood but continues lifelong.

Major Examples

  • London taxi drivers

    • Repeated navigation practice → enlarged hippocampus (spatial memory center)

  • Professional musicians

    • Enlarged auditory cortex (sound-processing)

  • Acrobats, jugglers, unicyclists

    • Brain areas for balance and motor learning grow with practice

  • Daniel Kish (uses echolocation though fully blind)

    • Brain reorganizes to interpret echoes visually

Takeaway

Practice = physical brain changes
New skills = new neural pathways
Even 1 hour of learning produces measurable changes

4. Why Neuroplasticity Matters

  • Helps us learn new skills

  • Allows recovery after brain injury

  • Enables adaptation to changing environments

  • One reason humans are exceptionally flexible learners

5. Key Terms to Memorize

  • Neuroplasticity: Brain’s ability to change with experience

  • Biological psychology: Links between biological processes and behavior

  • Localization of function: Different brain regions have specific functions

  • Bio-psycho-social approach: Integrates biological, psychological, and social influences

Quick Recall Questions

  1. What does neuroplasticity allow the brain to do?
    Adapt, form new pathways, reorganize after damage.

  2. List the three levels of analysis in the biopsychosocial approach.
    Biological, Psychological, Social-Cultural.

  3. What was phrenology right AND wrong about?
    Wrong: Skull bumps reveal mental traits.
    Right: The idea that brain areas have specific functions (localization).

  4. Give an example of experience shaping the brain.
    (Taxi drivers, musicians, jugglers, echolocation, practice increasing brain regions)

Super-Condensed Version

  • Behavior = biology + psychology + social context.

  • Phrenology was wrong about bumps but right about localized brain functions.

  • Biopsychosocial approach: complete picture of behavior using 3 levels.

  • Neuroplasticity: brain rewires with experience; strongest in childhood, lifelong in adults.

  • Examples: taxi drivers → larger hippocampus; musicians → bigger auditory cortex; blind echolocation.

  • Practice changes the brain.

1. Early Brain Study Methods

  • Lesions: Destroying tissue (naturally or experimentally) to study loss of function.

    • Damage to brain areas → loss of specific abilities (ex: vision, speech).

  • Early case studies helped map brain functions (e.g., damage to left-front → speech issues).

2. Modern Brain Study Tools.

EEG (Electroencephalogram)

  • Measures electrical activity via electrodes on scalp.

  • Good for studying sleep, seizure activity, general brain wave patterns.

  • Fast but not precise about location of activity.

MEG (Magnetoencephalography)

  • Measures magnetic fields produced by neural electrical activity.

  • Good temporal resolution.

  • Detects how tasks influence brain activity.

B. Brain Imaging (Structure & Function)CT (Computed Tomography)

  • Uses X-rays → images of brain structure.

  • Locates brain damage.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

  • Shows brain activity by tracking radioactive glucose.

  • Active neurons use more glucose → “hot spots.”

  • Useful to see which regions are active during tasks.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

  • Uses magnetic fields + radio waves.

  • Produces detailed images of soft tissues, including brain structures.

  • Used to study abnormalities (ex: enlarged ventricles in schizophrenia).

fMRI (Functional MRI)

  • Shows brain function + structure.

  • Tracks blood flow → brain activity during tasks.

  • Compares successive MRI scans to find active regions.

C. Additional Techniques

Optogenetics

  • Light used to activate/deactivate specific neurons.

  • Helps identify causes of sensations, fear, depression, etc.

fNIRS (Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

  • Uses infrared light to track blood flow in brain.

  • Portable: used for infants & difficult-to-reach populations.

3. Examples of Findings

  • MEG: PTSD soldiers show hyperactive fear responses.

  • CT: Children's brain injuries predict memory/learning issues.

  • PET: Monkeys with anxiety show more glucose used in fear regions.

  • MRI: Musicians with perfect pitch have larger left brain areas.

  • fMRI: Trauma survivors show activation in fear centers when reminded of events.

4. Table Summary (Super Condensed)

Tool

Measures

Good For

Example Finding

EEG

Electrical waves

Fast, broad activity

Depression/anxiety patterns

MEG

Magnetic fields

Fast, precise timing

PTSD fear-response activity

CT

X-ray images

Structural damage

Childhood injuries predict learning issues

PET

Glucose use

Active brain tasks

Fear/memory activity in anxious monkeys

MRI

Structure

Soft tissue detail

Larger auditory area in musicians

fMRI

Blood flow

Function + structure

Fear activation in trauma survivors

5. Key Concepts to Memorize

  • “Mind is what the brain does.”

  • Neurons communicate via electrical and chemical signals.

  • Active neurons consume more glucose (PET) and more oxygen-rich blood (fMRI).

  • Different brain tools reveal structure (e.g., CT, MRI) vs function (e.g., EEG, PET, fMRI).

1. Brain-Scanning Study Example

  • Researchers scanned 129 people’s brains while doing tasks (reading, gambling, rhyming).

  • With 80% accuracy, scientists could later identify each mental activity from brain-scan data.
    → Shows distinct brain activation patterns for different tasks.

2. “Lit-Up Brain” Images

  • Brain areas don’t literally light up—images reflect activity levels.

  • People often find brain images more believable than text descriptions (neuroscience bias).

  • Neuroskeptics warn against over-interpreting brain scans (e.g., predicting customer preferences or detecting lies).

3. Uses of Brain Imaging

  • Neuromarketing

  • Neuroleadership

  • Neurolaw

  • Predicting or explaining behavior

  • Showing structure AND function

4. Modern Neuroscience = Big Science

  • Large-scale projects:

    • Human Brain Project (Europe, $1B)

    • Studies of brain aging (ages 3–96)

  • Hundreds of scientists collaborate internationally.

  • Studying the brain today is like early explorers mapping the world.

5. Beautiful Brain Connections (Figure 1.4-5)

  • Advanced techniques like diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) map neural fiber pathways.

  • Led to creation of new detailed brain maps with previously unknown neural centers.

Brain Scan Types (Match the Terms)Techniques

i. fMRI
ii. PET scan
iii. MRI

Descriptions

a. Tracks radioactive glucose to reveal brain activity
b. Tracks successive images of brain tissue to show brain function
c. Uses magnetic fields and radio waves to show brain anatomy

✔ Correct Matches

  • i → b (fMRI shows function over time)

  • ii → a (PET uses radioactive glucose)

  • iii → c (MRI shows structure/anatomy)

✏ Quick Concept ReviewCompare fMRI, PET, MRI

  • MRI:

    • Structure only

    • Magnetic fields + radio waves

    • High-resolution images

  • fMRI:

    • Function

    • Follows blood flow (oxygenated hemoglobin)

    • Successive images that show activity changes

  • PET:

    • Function

    • Uses radioactive glucose tracer

    • Shows metabolic activity

💡 Why so many brain-study technologies?

  • The brain is complex → different tools reveal different layers:

    • Anatomy

    • Activity

    • Connections

    • Metabolism

    • Changes over time

  • Together they give a fuller picture.

What might be the most interesting technique?

Possible reasons:

  • fMRI: lets you see thinking in real time

  • DTI: visualizes neural pathways like a "wiring map" of the brain

  • PET: shows metabolism and chemical processes