Chapter 1: The Major Issues Flashcards
Gottfried Leibniz
“Why is there something rather than nothing?”
It would seem that nothingness would be the default state.
Biological Psychology
The study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behavior and experience.
(also called biopsychology, psychobiology, physiological psychology, and behavioral neuroscience)
the Hard Problem
- Given this universe composed of matter and energy, why is there such a thing as consciousness?
- How did brain activity become conscious
- Philosopher **David Chalmers **
the Mind-Brain Problem
What is the relationship between mental experience and brain activity?
Consciousness as a Fundamental Property of Matter
Cannot be reduced to something else. We can’t explain why, it just is.
Dorsal View
from the top
Ventral View
from the bottom
Neurons
Convey messages to one another and to muscles and glands. Very large in size, shape, and functions.
Glia
“Supporting cells” Don’t convey information
Physiological Explanation
Relates behavior to the activity of the brain and other organs.
*deals with the machinery of the brain
Ontogenetic Explanation
How a structure or behavior develops,including the influences of genes, nutrition, experiences, and their interactions.
Evolutionary Explanation
Reconstructs the evolutionary history of structure or behavior.
Functional Explanation
Why a structure or behavior evolved as it did.
(ex, gene spreading by genetic drift)
Gregor Mendel
Mendelian Inheritance Pea Plants Coined terms “dominant” and “recessive” in reference to traits
Genes
Units of heredity that maintain their structural identity from one generation to another.
Chromosomes
Strands of genes that come in pairs
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid
A double-stranded molecule; encodes genetic instructions
RNA
Ribonucleic acid
- A single-stranded molecule
- Perform vital roles in coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.
Enzymes
Biological catalysts that regulate chemical reactions to the body
Homozygous
Identical pair of genes
Heterozygous
Unmatched pair of genes
Dominant gene
Shows a strong effect in either the homozygous or heterozygous condition
Recessive gene
Shows it’s effect only in the homozygous condition
Sex-linked genes
Sex chromosomes (X and Y)
Autosomal genes
All chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes
Sex-limited genes
Present in both sexes, generally on autosomal chromosomes, but active mainly one sex.
Mutation
- A heritable change in a DNA molecule
- Duplication - chromosome appears twice
- Deletion - chromosome does not appear at all
- Microduplication/Microdeletion - happens on just a tiny portion of a chromosome.
Epigenetics
Changes in geno expression without modification of the DNA sequence.
Monozygotic
From one egg
Dizygotic
From two eggs
Heretability
Estimate of the degree to which variation in a characteristic depends on genetic variations in a given population,
Phenylketonuria (PKI)
A genetic inability to metabolize the amino acid phenylalnine.
*can impair brain development leavingthe child mentaly retarded, restless, and irritable.
Evolution
A change over generations in the frequencies of various genes in a population.
Artificial selection
Choosing individuals with desired trait and make them the parents of the next generation.
Lamarckian Evolution
Jean Lamark’s theory of evolution through the inheritance of acquired characteristics.
*evolution no longer producing limbs that don’t serve a purpose because they don’t serve a purpose.
Fitness
The number of copies of one’s genes that endure in later generations.
Evolutionary Psychology
Concerns how behaviors evolved; emphasis is on evolutionary and functional explanations.
Altruistic Behavior
An action that benefits someone other than the actor
Kin Selection
Selection for a gene that benefits the individual’s relatives
Reciprocal Altruism
Individuals help those who will return the favor
Four Reasons for Animal Testing
- The underlying mechanisms of behavior are similar across species and sometimes easier to study in a nonhuman species
- We are interested in animals for their own sake (curiosity)
- What we learn sheds light on human evolution
- Legal and ethical restrictions present certain kinds of research on humans
Minimalists
Tolerate certain kinds of animal research but wish to prohibit others depending on probable value of research, amount of distress to the animal and the type of animal.
Three R’s of Animal Testing
Reduction of an animal number (using fewer animals)
Replacement - using computer models or other substitutes when possible
Refinement - modifying the procedure to reduce pain and discomfort
Abolitionists
See no room for compromise. Believe all animals have the same rights as humans
