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Chapter One

Introducing Biological Psychology

Shorten!!!

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Biological Psychology as an Interdisciplinary Field

Includes the study of psychology, biology, physiology, biochemistry, the neural sciences and related fields.

Biological Psychology: the study of relationships between the nervous system and behavior, which can be circular.

Example: high testosterone may produce aggression (biology

affects behavior), but watching your favorite sports team lose may

reduce testosterone levels (behavior affects biology).

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Highlights in the Biological Psychology Timeline

Prehistoric (7000 yrs

ago): Trepanation

Courtesy San Diego Museum of Man

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Highlights in the Biological Psychology Timeline

Egyptians (5000 yrs ago):

Greek Thinkers (4th century BC):

Courtesy San Diego Museum of Man

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René Descartes (1596-1650)

Continued the notion that fluids produced movement.

Withdrawal Reflex Nerves sense heat or pain

and opened “pores” in the brain.

Pores release animal spirits which flow through hollow tubes in the body.

Reservoirs in the muscles would fill with these spirits, causing the foot to pull away from the fire.

http://www.nyu.edu/pages/linguistics/courses/v610051/gelmanr/

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The mind-body question:

Dualism: The belief that the body is physical but

the mind (or soul) is not.

Monism: The belief that the mind is the product of

activity in the nervous system.

René Descartes (1596-1650)

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The mind-body problem: Pre-Descartes

mind influences body, but not vice versa; the puppeteer and puppet

Descartes: a mutual interaction Mind and body both influence each other Pineal gland

The site of the mind-body interaction

René Descartes (1596-1650)

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The Brain Sciences Advanced Quickly (1500-1800)

Electricity established as the mode of communication used by the nervous system

Galvani’s Lab

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Early 1800s: Sensory and

motor information travels in separate pathways

i.e., info is only sent in one direction

The Brain Sciences Continue to Sound More Modern

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The Brain Sciences Continue to Sound More Modern

Phrenology (popular from 1820 to 1850) the correlation of bumps on the skull

with personal traits, was misguided in most respects,

but was modern in its acceptance that functions may be localized in the brain (localization of function).

http://mcvey.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/phrenology.jpg

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The Neuron Doctrine

Nervous system comprised a vast array of independent, separate nerve cells.

Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) Proposed Neuron Neuron

Doctrine Doctrine From Santiago Ramon y Cajal, Histologie du systeme

nerveux de l’homme et des vertebres. Paris: A. Maloine, 1909–1911

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Important Concepts(that we take for granted today)

1. The nervous system (esp. brain) controls behavior

2. The nervous system communicates with electricity

3. Sensory and motor information travels in separate pathways

5. Nervous system is divided into independent, separate nerve cells

6. Functions may be localized in the brain.