Biopsychology.pptx

biopsych

1. Biopsychology Unit 1 Nature and scope Methods and ethics Divisions Books- Pinel , Carlson

2. Definition Scientific study of the biology of behaviour (Dewsbury, 1991). Also called psychobiology, behavioural biology, behavioural neuroscience.

3. Origins of biopsychology Major developments in 20 th century. The organization of behaviour - D.O. Hebb (1949). Discredited that psychological functioning is too complex to have its roots in the physiology and chemistry of the brain.

4. Relation to neuroscience? Biopsychologists are neuroscientists who bring to their research a knowledge of behavior and of the methods of behavioral research . The ultimate purpose of the nervous system is to produce and control behavior ( Grillner & Dickinson, 2002 ). Is an integrative discipline. Shares a relationship with the following neurosciences: Neuroanatomy . The study of the structure of the nervous system Neurochemistry . The study of the chemical bases of neural activity Neuroendocrinology . The study of interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system Neuropathology . The study of nervous system disorders Neuropharmacology . The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity N europhysiology . The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system

5. Research approaches in biopsychology Three major approaches- Human and nonhuman subjects Formal experiments and nonexperimental studies Pure and applied research Human and nonhuman subjects- Mice, rats, cats, dogs and primates studied the most. Human subject advantages- Can follow instructions Can report subjective experiences Cheaper They are human, thus their brains shed light on evolutionary continuity. Nonhuman subject advantages- Simpler brains. Therefore, revelation of fundamental brain- behaviour interactions. Comparison of different brain structures, their presence and absence. Ethical liberations

6. Experiments and Non-experiments- Experiments used to study causation. Between-subjects ( a different group of subjects is tested under each condition)and within-subject designs ( same group of subjects under each condition). Independent variable- Difference between the conditions Dependent variable- The variable measured by the experimenter to assess the effect of the independent variable Confounded variable- Unintended difference Eg . Coolidge effect Quasi-experimental studies- studies of groups of subjects who have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world. Case studies- Studies that focus on a single case or subject. Low generalizability

7. Pure and A pplied research- Pure research- motivated primarily by the curiosity of the researcher Applied research- intended to bring about some direct benefit to humankind. Translational research- aims to translate the findings of pure research into useful applications for humankind. Pure research more prone to political regulation.

8. Divisions of Biopsychology Physiological psychology- studies the neural mechanisms of behavior through the direct manipulation and recording of the brain in controlled experiments—surgical and electrical methods are most common . Animals. Psychopharmacology - focuses on the manipulation of neural activity and behavior with drugs. Neuropsychology - study of the psychological effects of brain damage in human patients . Case studies and quasi-experimental studies. Psychophysiology- studies the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects . Noninvasive physiological recording. Cognitive neuroscience- Cognitive neuroscientists study the neural bases of cognition, a term that generally refers to higher intellectual processes such as thought, memory, attention, and complex perceptual processes. Uses functional brain imaging. Comparative psychology- study of the evolution, genetics, and adaptiveness of behavior, largely through the use of the comparative method.

9. How do biopsychologists conduct work? Converging operations- S trength of one approach compensates for the weakness of others. the convergence of neuropsychological case studies ( case studies of Korsakoff patients), quasiexperiments with human participants (comparisons of alcoholics with people who do not drink alcohol), and controlled experiments on laboratory animals (comparison of thiamine-deficient and control rats ). Scientific inference- Scientists carefully measure key events they can observe and then use these measures as a basis for logically inferring the nature of events they cannot observe.

10. Critical thinking in biopsychology- T he first step in creative thinking is spotting the weaknesses of existing ideas and the evidence on which they are based—the process by which these weaknesses are recognized is called critical thinking . The first step in judging the validity of any scientific claim is to determine whether the claim and the research on which it is based were published in a reputable scientific journal.

11. Understanding human consciousness: A physiological approach To think and be aware of our own existence Proof of consciousness? Split brains- The corpus callosum is a large bundle of nerve fibres that connect corresponding parts of one side of the brain with the those of the other. Is cut to reduce the severity of epilepsy (known as split-brain operation). The two cerebral hemispheres act independently after the operation. The sensory mechanisms, memories and motor systems can not exchange information. Left hemisphere controls speech. People who converse with a person with split-brain operation is talking to only one side of the brain. Right hemisphere can not read so the person keeps putting the book down. One exception to crossed representation is olfactory system. The effects of cutting the corpus callosum reinforce the conclusion that we become conscious of something only if information about it is able to reach the parts of the brain responsible for it.

12. The nature of physiological psychology The goals of research- Scientific explanation takes two forms- Generalization and reduction. Generalization- Explaining particular instances of behaviour as examples of general laws deduced from experiments. Reduction- Explaining complex phenomena in terms of simpler ones. Physiological psychologists combine the two. We must understand psychologically why a behaviour occurs before moving to understanding its physiology.

13. Biological roots of physiological psychology- Greeks, E gyptians, Indians and Chinese believed heart to be the center of thoughts and emotions. Views of Aristotle, Galen, Descartes on importance of brain in controlling our senses. Descartes spoke about reflexes that are not controlled by us voluntarily. Was a dualist. Work of Johannes Muller- Doctrine of specific nerve energies. Used experimental ablation to prove it. Paul Broca used experimental ablation. Broca’s area/region- connected to our ability to speak. Luigi Galvani, Gustav Fritsch and Eduard Hitzig - Electrical impulses and how our muscles respond to it. Contributed to the understanding of primary motor cortex. Hermann Von Helmholtz- Speed of conduction through nerves