Introduction and approaches in biological psychology

Question 1

What are biological bases of behaviour?

What does it study?

Answer 1

The study of how structures and actions of the brain and body produce behaviour and experiences

Question 2

What are 3 examples of the scientific disciplines in BBB?

Answer 2

1. Neuroscience
2. Psychology
3. Mathematics and computer science

Question 3

Why care about BBB?

3 reasons

Answer 3

1. Key to understanding who we are
2. Helps understand other living organisms
3. Helps understand brain and behaviour disorders and their treatment

Question 4

What are the 3 approaches to the study of the brain-behaviour relationship?

Answer 4

1. Somatic intervention
2. Behavioural intervention
3. Correlation

Question 5

What is somatic intervention?

Answer 5

Manipulating the brain to change behaviour eg. apply stimulation to motor cortex to move limbs

Question 6

What is behavioural intervention?

Answer 6

Manipulate behaviours to change the brain eg. Experience change in size of brain areas (London taxi drivers have larger hippocampus)

Question 7

What is the correlation approach?

Answer 7

Brain and body co-vary - there are parallel changes and brain and behaviour (eg. severity of disorder and size of brain change)

Question 8

What are the levels of analysis in explaining the brain-behaviour relationship?

Answer 8

1. organ level
2. Neural systems level
3. Brain region level
4. Circuit level
5. Cellular level
6. Synaptic level

6 levels (get more specific)

Question 9

What did Ancient Egyptians think of the brain? (14th century BC)

Answer 9

Heart, liver and lungs preserved, brain thrown away (didnt think it was important)

Question 10

What did Aristotle (Ancient Greece) think about the brain? (4th century BC)

Answer 10

Brain = cooling unit for blood

Question 11

What did Galen (Ancient Greece) think about the brain? (2nd century AD)

Answer 11

Considered a link between gladiator brain injuries and behaviour - employed empirical approach to attempt to identify a pattern

Question 12

What did Descartes think about the brain? (17th century)

Answer 12

Dualism (mind and body are distinct and seperable - meet in the pineal gland)

Question 13

What did William James think about the brain? (19th century)

1890: Principles of Psychology

Answer 13

Phrenology - Consciousness and human experience are properties of the nervous system

Question 14

What did Donald O. Hebb think about the brain?

Answer 14

Behavior and neural function are perfectly correlated, (…) one is completely caused by the other. There is no separate soul or life force to stick a finger into the brain now and then make neural cells do what they would not otherwise.

Question 15

What are 3 classic theories on the causes of behaviour?

Answer 15

1. Mentalism
2. Dualism
3. Materialism

Question 16

What is mentalism?

Answer 16

Soul (a nonmaterial entity) produces behaviour

Question 17

What is dualism?

Answer 17

Descartes
Body and brain = machines producing motion and breathing
Mind produces rational behaviour
Mind + body = person

Question 18

How would dualism test the existence of mind

Answer 18

1. Language test (describe things not physically present)
2. Action test (display rational behaviour - not automatic response to a situation)

Question 19

What is materialism?

Answer 19

Behaviour is produced by the nervous system

Question 20

What are 2 examples of materialism?

Answer 20

1. Darwin & natural selection
2. Epigenetics