Perspectives On Brain And Behavior Flashcards
What is mentalism and who created it?
Mentalism is created by Aristotle (2000+ years ago), and it’s a conception of the brain and behavior that the mind (or psyche) is the source of all human behavior and life in general. It considered Psyche a nonmaterial entity independent of the body, which led to the Christian belief of the existence of souls.
What is Dualism, who was its founder, and what was its controversies?
Dualism was founded by Descartes, first described in his work in 1664 “Treatise on Man”, and holds the belief that “psyche” is a separate entity in the pineal gland of the brain that works together with the brain to control movement and other activities of the body.
It had a mind-body problem — since the body can fully function without the pineal gland, it was difficult for dualism to explain the interactions between psyche and the brain.
What is materialism and who was its founders?
Materialism is a contemporary view of the brain and behavior founded at the same time with the theories of evolution (Darwin, Alfred), and states that “All being processed and phenomena can be explained by the interactions of physical matters of the brain.” For materialism, it was unnecessary to refer to an immaterial mind to explain behavior, as all evidence can be found in the mechanisms of the brain and the whole system.
Methods of Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral neuroscience follows the scientific method of an empirical investigation — observation followed by experimental data to come to a conclusion.
