Psychobiology Flashcards
psychobiology
attempts to explain psychological phenomena in terms of their biological foundations. this is represented by individuals such as Hippocrates, Aristotle, Galen, Harley, Bain
Karl Lashley
made 2 major observations:
the loss of ability following the loss of part of the cortex (it was the amount of destruction, not the area of the destruction)
any part of a functional area of the brain has the ability to develop the function of the whole unless a massive part was destroyed
mass action: Lashley’s observation that if cortical tissue is destroyed following the learning of a complex task, deterioration of performance on the task is determined more by the amount of tissue destroyed than by its location.
equipotentiality
any part of a functional area in the brain can perform the function associated with that area. For example, within the visual area of the cortex, any of the cells within that area allow vision to occur. To destroy a brain function, then, the entire brain area associated with that function would need to be destroyed. If any part of the area were spared, the function would still be maintained.
engram
neurophysiological locus of memory and learning.
THEORETICAL thing we are looking for in the brain that was responsible for all memory (a hard drive), but they never found it because it doesn’t exist
Donald Hebb
he found that there was no difference in intelligence due to losses of tissue in the brain. injury to an infant’s brain will develop a loss of potential, but the same loss in an adult won’t move that person backwards
neural interconnections in a newborn’s brain are randomized. Experience is what causes networks to be organized and provides us with a way to quickly interact with our environment (cell assembly)
research on the nature of fear and study of animals in enriched or impoverished sensory environment
reverberating neural activity
this allows neurons that had been separated to become associated
Roger Sperry
learned neurosurgical techniques interested in certain routes that information is transferred from the opposite side of your cortex.
corpus callosum and optic callosum: two routes of information in the brain
interhemospheric transfer means stuff coming in the right eye goes to the left side of the brain and vice versa
brain splitting
each section of our brains has its own consciousness, memory, cognition, and emotion
ethology
comparative study of the natural behavior of animal species in their natural habitat
species-specific behavior
behavior that is typically engaged in by all members of a species under certain environmental circumstances.
nativistic position of ethologists caused conflict with radical behaviorists
most important question: how much behavior is due to instinct (genetics) and how much to learning?
sociobiology
edward osborne wilson is the founder and wanted to know the interactions between the organisms biology and their environment
attempt to explain complex social behavior in terms of the evolutionary theory through cost-benefit analysis
biogrammar
according to sociobiologists, the inherited structure that predisposes organisms towards certain kinds of social activities
Wilson’s leash principle
humans create culture because doing so enhances survival
there should be a close relationship between culture and the satisfaction of biological needs
if culture strays too far away from biology, the leash holding them together will ensure they come back together
Evolutionary psychology
modern extension of darwin’s theory of human and nonhuman social behaviors
human brain comprises many functions mechanisms. called psychological adaptations or evolved cognitive mechanisms designed by the process of natural selection
accepted adaptalism
a belief that if a bodily structure or behavioral tendency now exists, it must have contributed to the survival of the ancestors of the species
