chapter 1: introduction Flashcards
foundations of behavioral neuroscience, natural selection and evolution, ethical issues in research, careers in neuroscience
what is behavior?
a combination of perceived stimuli and movement
generalization
explanations of examples of general laws that are revealed through experiments
reduction
explanations of complex phenomena in a simpler manner
what is the goal of research in behavioral neuroscience?
to understand the function of a given behavior and how it relates to other physiological factors
where was the original seat of thought and emotion thought to be and why?
the heart because its movement was necessary for life in response to varying emotions
hippocrates
believed the brain was responsible for thought and emotion
what are the two major perspectives of the mind-body question?
monism and dualism
monism
the body and mind are both just matter and energy, and the mind is a product of the nervous system
dualism
the mind is a nonphysical entity, separate from the brain
rené descartes
-dualist who believed that the mind and the brain were linked through the pineal gland
-that the brain contains hollow chambers called ventricles filled with pressurized fluid, he believed the mind controlled the pineal gland like a joystick that pushed ventricles in the direction of a specific muscle, inflating it and causing it to move
-viewed the body as a machine with reflexes that did not require participation of the mind
luigi galvani
-monist who electrically stimulated frog legs which led to muscle contraction
-discovered that nerves are what make movement happen
johannes muller
developed the doctrine of specific nerve energies
doctrine of specific nerve energies
all nerves send electrical impulses, but the type is dependent on the stimuli being perceived; the brain is like a walkie talkie with different channels for each type of stimuli (auditory, visual, etc.)
experimental ablation
removing parts of the brain to see what behavioral function is lost
pierre fluorens
performed experimental ablations on animals and discovered the brain regions responsible for heart rate, breathing, purposeful movements, and visual/auditory reflexes
paul broca
observed behavioral impairments amongst stroke victims
broca’s area
portion of the cerebral cortex on the frontal left side responsible for speech production
jan purkinje
discovered purkinje fibers by processing and staining brain tissue of sheep
what are purkinje fibers responsible for?
heart contractions
santiago ramon y cajal
-developed the golgi stain to examine the individual structure of neurons in the brain
-discovered that there are billions of neurons in the nervous system
-received the nobel prize in 1906
what are the four f’s of natural selection?
fight, flee, feed, f*ck
how are new genetic traits most often brought about?
genetic mutations
can behaviors themselves be inherited?
no, but the brain structure which causes them can
what is most correlated with IQ: brain size or quantity of neurons?
quantity of neurons in the brain available for executive functions
