L01: psychobiology Flashcards
definition of psychology
‘psyche’ + ‘logos’ = the study of the soul/mind
two philosophical positions of the mind
dualists and materialists
dualist
the mind is different and separate from matter, ‘WHERE in the brain is the mind?’
materialist
mind is what the brain does, ‘HOW do brains mind?’
psychobiology
the study of the human brain - aims to understand the biological basis of human behaviour
behaviour definition
an organisms internally coordinated response to its internal and external environment
3 systems that an organism uses to respond to its environment
immune, endocrine, nervous system
immune system
protects the body from infection by fighting bacteria, viruses etc
endocrine system
maintains and regulates the body’s internal state, controls growth, development and reproduction
nervous system
controls ongoing activity by coordinating rapid and precise responses to stimuli. the biological basis of all cognitive functions
educational psychologists: adhd vs muscle tone
young boy constantly fidgets, cant sit still + drops to the floor and crawls being disruptive. prescribe ritalin for ADHD
however it could be LOW muscle tone - arms floppy, child struggles to make sense of sensory input (where his legs and arms are.
keeping track of his own body parts is difficult enough = less attention to give elsewhere. prescribe physiotherapy
court case: false memory
in a court case it may be that a witness is not lying but they have false memory retrieval eg. eye witness testimony, leading questions, post event discussion, anxiety etc.
clinician: psychosomatic illnesses
illnesses that are in the mind/cant be seen. harder to diagnose so a biological understanding of the brain can help with treatments that will work eg. SSRI’s
social psychology vs biopsychology
social = ‘what’ and ‘why’ of human behaviour, need for social interaction
bio = ‘how’ of human behaviour NOT disregarding all and relying on genetics as an explanation
biological ideas in psychological research
no psychological theory or concept can violate biological (physical) principles:
‘reincarnation’ is not biologically possible, so theories about it are not psychological
BUT theories about belief in reincarnation are, because this happens in peoples brains
no psychological research question can be outside a biological framework:
research into ‘life after death’ is not psychological research, BUT research into near death experience is
