Notes : Topic 1 Flashcards
Why is the brain the most complex organ on earth
there’s is still a lot we dont understand, our brain influences our thoughts and behaviours and is involved with 80 billion neurons!!
How would a Behaviourist define behaviour?
They would say that behaviour is caused only by Overt (external) actions and that we learn to act a specific away through experiences and environmental stimuli
How would a cognitive psychologist define behaviour?
that behaviour is caused by both Overt and Covert actions
What is the difference between Innate behaviours and learned behaviours
Innate behaviours: inherited behaviours that are fixed (can’t be changed) and have a genetic factor
Learned behaviours; not inherited but learned through experience
An example of an innate behaviour are “fixed action patterns,” what are these
They are an instinctive behavioural sequence
eg. when a dog sees a cat, it has the instinct to chase it
What did Aristotle believe about the brain and behaviour
That the brain was NOT involved in producing behaviour, the heart was. The heart was related to our conscious and filtered out blood
According to Aristotle, the ______ is what makes people who they are, it is composed of the mind and consciousness.
the “Psych”
What is “Mentalism?” (Aristotle)
the belief that behaviour is the product of an immaterial mind
Who created Dualism?
Rene Descartes
According to Dualism, how does brain and behaviour relate to one another?
The mind and the body are separate, but they connect to one another
According to Dualism, how exactly (biologically) does the mind and body connect
The mind connects to the body by the Pineal Gland.
The pineal gland controls the flow of fluid through ventricles to fill muscles and cause movement
Why did Rene Descartes believe that the Pineal Gland connects the body and mind
Because it was located in a place that made in non symmetrical with the other parts of the brain
What is “Monism?”
The idea that the mind and the body consist of the same substance (directly tied to one another)
What is “Materialistic Monism” and why is it different from just monism
Materialistic monism is the idea that both the mind and body are psychical .
Monism just says that they are the same but doesn’t exactly say “what” it is
What is materialism?
The idea that behaviour can be explained by the body, specifically the nervous system, we dont need to consider consciousness
Who created the idea of Materialism?
Darwin
Who used electricity to stimulate nerves, specifically by electrocuting frog legs?
Luigi Galvani
How did Fritsch and Hitzig produce movement? What animal did they work with?
they electrically stimulated certain parts of the brain of dogs, hoping it could cause the dog to move a certain way
Because Fritsch and Hitzig electrically stimulated brains, what were their findings?
its not just 1 nerve that connects to one muscle. Stimulating the brain directly causes THROUGH MULTIPLE electrical signals
Who demonstrated that nerves DO NOT behave like conducting wires, because they move much slower?
Hermann Heimholtz
What did Walter Dixon figure out and how?
That chemicals are also involved in signals, not just neurons.
there is liquid around a stimulated heart that slows it down. He used the same liquid on an unstimulated heart, which made it slow down as well.
What is Localization and what is Equipotentiality?
Localization is the idea that specific areas of the brain are in charge and in charge only of once specific function.
Equipotentiality is the idea that the brain functions as a whole (everything works tougher)
we are actually a little bit of both
