Chapter 1

Question 1

What is Biological Psychology?

Answer 1

Study of the biological bases of psychological processes and behavior. (behavioral neuroscience, brain and behavior, physiological psychology)

Question 2

Dualism

Answer 2

The mind has an immaterial aspect that is distinct from the material body and brain. Promoted by Rene Descartes.

Question 3

Phrenology

Answer 3

Pseudoscientific fad of early 1800s of the belief that bumps on the skull reflect enlargements of brain regions responsible for certain behavioral faculties. Specific behaviors/feelings/personality traits correspond to specific regions of the brain.

Question 4

Localization of Function

Answer 4

Concept that different brain regions specialize in specific behaviors. Established from the idea of phrenology.

Question 5

Ontogeny

Answer 5

Process by which an individual changes in the course of its lifetime.

Question 6

Neurons/Neuroscience

Answer 6

Study of the nervous system, nerve cells

Question 7

Neuroplasticity

Answer 7

Ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or the environment. Brain physically changes or alters with new experiences/memories added.

Question 8

Adult neurogenesis

Answer 8

Creation of new neurons in the brain of an adult.

Question 9

Social neuroscience

Answer 9

Field of study that uses the tools of neuroscience to discover both the biological bases of social behavior and effects of social circumstances on brain activity.

Question 10

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 10

Field of study devoted to asking how natural selection has shaped behavior in humans and other animals.

Question 11

Epigenetics

Answer 11

Study of factors that affect gene expression without making any changes in the nucleotide sequence of the genes. Ex. rats with maternal neglect show higher reaction to stress.

Question 12

Gene expression

Answer 12

turning on/off of specific genes without changing the structure. Part of epigenetics

Question 13

Neuroeconomics

Answer 13

Study of brain mechanisms at work during economic decision making. Brain regions that are especially active when making decisions.

Question 14

Consciousness

Answer 14

State of awareness of one’s own existence, thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

Question 15

Why does biological psychology have a long past but only a short history?

Answer 15

The brain was not considered very important starting in the time of Pharos, when the mummification process would discard the brain. In the New/Old Testament, the brain is never mentioned. Aristotle (350 BCE) considered mental capacities are from the heart. Also thought the brain was a cooling system. Hippocrates (400 BCE) thought the brain to function emotion, perception and thought. Galen studied head injuries of gladiators to propose that behavior results from the movement of “animal spirits” from the brain through nerves to the body. Leonardo da Vinci showed neuroanatomical illustrations of nerves and brain structures. Rene Descartes explained behavior resembles a machine and the concept of dualism.

Question 16

Describe the 4 major theoretical perspectives of modern biological psychologists.

Answer 16

Behavioral description-might describe behavior in terms of detailed acts or processes or in temrs of results or functions
Evolution-Darwin’s theory relative. Can evaluate the similarities among species due to ancestry and by looking at species specific differences.
Development- Ontogeny, looking at behavior development over the lifetime
Biological Mechanisms-Neurons behind behavior

Question 17

Somatic Intervention

Answer 17

Alter the structure or function of the brain or body to see how the alteration changes behavior

Question 18

Within-participant/between-participant

Answer 18

within=control group is the same group as tested

between=two different groups of individuals compared (one treated diff)

Question 19

Behavioral intervention

Answer 19

Altering or control behavior of an organism to look for a resulting change in body structure or function

Question 20

Correlation

Answer 20

Measures how closely changes in one variable are associated with changes in another variable

Question 21

Causality

Answer 21

relation of cause and effect, manipulation specifically caused a result

Question 22

Reductionism

Answer 22

Strategy of breaking a system down into smaller parts to understand

Question 23

Levels of analysis

Answer 23

Scope of experimental approaches.