UNIT 1: Introduction Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is Biological Psychology?
Biological Psychology seeks to explain behaviour in terms of its underlying physiology, its development, its evolution, and its function.
How many neurons are there?
100B neurons + GLIA (current estimate: 86B)
Rate of neuron death
1/sec, 85K/day, 31.5M/year
What is the mind-body problem?
the general belief htat one has a “mind” and that conscious decisions are “free will”. But if the body is a mechanism, then behaviour comes from chemical interactions, rendering a “mind” useless.
What is dualism?
the idea that the mind had some independence from the body.
What is interactionism?
from descartes, a form of dualism claiming that the mind influences the function of the body in an unspecified way.
What is parallelism?
from spinoza, a form of dualism suggesting that the mind and brain exist independently and do not interact with each other, but agree with each other.
What is monism?
idea that the mind and brain are one in the same and reflects the functions of the brain.
What is materialism?
claims that the brain is a machine, and the mind is irrelevant to its function
What is identity position?
argues that the mind is the same thing as brain activity, accepting that the mind exists but doesnt exist independently from a conscious brain
What is emergency property position?
views the mind as a new property of the brain manifest only when the brain functions in certain ways.
What was the ancient egypt debate?
there was no regard for the brain
What was the ancient greece debate?
aristotle (350 BC)
“cardiocentric” theory - heart was the center of thought, brian cooled the blood
hippocrates (400 BC)
proposed brain to be the center of thought
galen (200 AD)
claimed there was “animal spirits” in brain from observing gladiator injuries, created brain model
What was the renaissance debate?
rebirth of critical thought, control of behaviour
vesalius and da vinci (1500)
interest in fluid spaces of the brain (ventricular system)
What was Descartes’ theory?
proposed that the body consisted of a large collection of reflexes controlled by the mind, that the soul was indivisible and the pineal gland was the only unitary structure
What was Phrenology (Gall & Spurzheim)?
The idea that mental faculties are localized in the brain and reflected in skull bumps. Though flawed, it introduced ideas of brain–function mapping.
Who was Broca, and what did he discover?
Paul Broca discovered the left frontal area related to speech production (“Broca’s area”) via patient “Tan” with expressive aphasia.
Who was Wernicke?
Identified a posterior brain region responsible for language comprehension (“Wernicke’s area”).
What is the Associationist–Connectionist model?
subfunctions localized to areas; these areas connected in circuits.
What did Fritsch & Hitzig show?
Electrical stimulation of dog brains caused limb movements, supporting motor cortex localization.
What did Hughlings-Jackson discover?
during seizure in epliepsy patients showed that a single area is devoted to motor control
What did Penfield discover?
Through stimulation mapping during epilepsy surgeries, he identified distinct motor and sensory cortical maps.
What did Goltz discover?
after multiple large surgical excisions on dogs, few major effects on behaviour
What did Head & Goldstein discover?
that the brain, when damanged, can recover its original function
