Lecture 1 - Introduction Flashcards
Biological psychology
To understand the biology underlying behaviour and experience
Gender differences
Male and female brain functioning/ brain doesn’t necessarily differ -> few anatomical differences
Difference due to social and cultural expectation not biological differences
California institute of psychology experiment:
2 groups given a math problem
Group 1: “Will be very difficult and women will not be able to do it”
Group 2: “Will be a very easy problem”
Group 1 were unable to the problem, Group 2 were
(Results were due to the expectation they were given)
The hippocampus (memory) is larger in women the amygdala (emotion) is larger in men
Left hemisphere
Verbal information processing
Right hemisphere
Visual information processing
Five viewpoints of behaviour
Describing behaviour (e.g. language- describing how speak = behavioural neuroscience) Studying the evolution of behaviour (e.g. language- how it has changed and evolved, different techniques and results) Development of behaviour over life span (e.g. language- how it changes from child to old age) Studying the biological mechanisms of behaviour (e.g. language- brain area activity with familiar and unfamiliar words) Studying the applications of biological psychology (e.g. language- how can it be improved after lesion)
Levels of analysis
Social interaction – brain responses
Gross anatomy of the brain
Single neuron activity
Molecular properties
Social level Organ level Neuron system level Brain region level Circuit level Cellular level Synaptic level Molecular level
Cells
A single unit within all living systems
Eukaryote
Organism with cells containing internal membrane-bound organelles -> e.g. animal and plant cells
Prokaryote
Smaller with no internal membrane-bound structures (e.g. mitochondria) or nucleus -> for example bacteria
Nucleus
Gives directions for making proteins
DNA contained in chromatin (condenses to form chromosomes) in nucleus
Makes ribosomes (where proteins are made) -> from DNA as instructions
Plasma Membrane
The boundary between the cell and it’s environment
Maintains homeostasis – Allows nutrients and necessities into the cell and prevents waste and things that are not needed from entering
It is selectively permeable - Only allows certain types of molecules through (e.g. water etc. as well as molecuules that diffuse (travel across down the concentration gradient) through channels (e.g. sodium, calium)
Is comprised of phospholipids (see pictured)
Tail is a fatty acid and so repels water (hydrophobic) and head is attracted to water (hydrophilic)
DNA composition
4 Nucleotide Bases -> Guanine and Cytosine connected, Thymine and Adenine connected
Phosphate backbone -> Phosphate and Deoxyribose (5-carbon sugar)
(one single unit of Phosphate, Deoxyribose and Nucleotide base => Deoxyribonucleic acid)
Double stranded -> two strands of phosphate backbone
Very long sequence is very tightly coiled to form chromosomes for storage -> different organisms have different numbers of chromosomes (Human= 46, Sunflower= 34, Cat= 38, Mosquito= 6, Dog= 78) though unknown as to why
RNA
Used in the process to make proteins
Single stranded -> one strand of backbone only
Uracil bas connects to Adenine instead of Thymine
Ribose (5-carbon sugar) instead of Deoxyribose in the phosphate backbone
Proteins
Proteins (e.g. enzymes-> responsible for function of life) are comprised of a sequence of amino acids (order and particular amino acid determined by DNA)
There are 20 different types of amino acids -> they are all the same except for the variable region (R)
Central carbon with H, Amine group (NH2), Carboxylic acid group (COOH) and R variable side chain
Process of making proteins
Transcription
o DNA (template) information copied into mRNA -> bases of DNA paired to complementary mRNA by RNA polymerase (enzyme)
o mRNA leaves the nucleus
Translation
o mRNA goes to the ribosomes (formed by rRNA)
o Ribosome links mRNA to tRNA (connected to amino acids)
o The amino acids join together to form a polypeptide chain -> protein
