Trimester One Test Flashcards
Principles of BLOA
BIG: Behavior can be inherited and genetically based
ARI: Animal research provides insight to human behavior
BC: Biological correlates to behavior
How principles are demonstrated in research
Martinez and Kesner (1991)- ARI & BC
Minnesota Twin Study (Bouchard 1991)- BIG
Rosenzweig and Bennet (1972)- ARI
Newcomer et al (1999)- BC
Martinez and Kesner (1991)
Principle: ARI and BC
Aim: the role of acetylcholine on memory
Method: Rats were trained to run in a maize, split into 3 groups
Group 1: injected with scopolamine (blocks acetylcholine receptors) which DECREASES acetylcholine was the slowest
Group 2: injected with dopamine (blocks production of cholinesterase which is responsible for the “clean-up” of the acetylcholine from synapses and returns it to its “resting state”) which INCREASES acetylcholine was the quickest to complete the maize
Group 3: the control group that was not injected was in the middle
Results: Group 1 had the slowest time (difficulty finding way through maize), Group 2 had the quickest time (made fewer mistakes), and Group 3 had the middle time
Evaluation: allowed for establishment of cause and effect relationship b/w acetylcholine and memory, however it could be argued that findings can not be generalized for the human population. Determined that Acetylcholine is important for memory as seen with different mental capacities of rats
Rosenzweig and Bennet (1972)
Principle: ARI
Aim: to investigate whether environmental factors affect the development of neurons in the cerebral cortex
Method: Rats were taken and placed into two different environments, enriched and impoverished
Impoverished environment: separate cages with no toys or maze
Enriched environment: large cage with toys and a maze
Lasted 30-60 days and within this window of time researchers studied the changes that occurred within their brains
Results: the rats that were kept in the enriched environment had a thicker cerebral cortex and had strengthened the pathways to their brain as opposed to the rats that were kept in the impoverished environment (brain plasticity)
Newcomer et al (1999)
Principle: BC
Aim: to investigate how levels of cortisol affect our verbal declarative memory
Method: Three groups had to listen and recall a prose paragraph that tested their verbal declarative memory
Group 1: given 40mg tablet of cortisol
Group 2: given 160 mg cortisol tablet
Group 3: given placebo tablet
(each per day of the four-day experiment)
Results: Those who were given the high levels of cortisol performed poorly on the declarative memory test as opposed to those who were given a low level of cortisol. The lower level group showed no decrease in memory.
Research Methods at BLOA
Experiments, observations, correlational studies, brain imaging, animal research, concordance studies (twins)
Ethical Considerations
Animal Research
Explain one study related to localization of functions in the brain.
Localization is when you are able to trace back a certain behavior to its origin in the brain.
Phineas Gage (1848) - a metal pole shot through his left cheek, pierced base of his skull, went through the front of his brain and exited out of the top of his head. His speech and language remained unaffected but the doctor discovered that the balance between his intellectual ability and emotional control was destroyed. He began to use profanity and pornographic language causing women to be warned to steer clear of him. Through this study scientist were provided evidence that showed them that the brain effected one’s personality and social behavior. Psychologists were able to determine that the frontal lobe is responsible for specific functions and that many behaviors can be localized in this area of the brain.
Broca (1861)- Paul Broca discovered that those who were suffering damage to Broca’s Area were unable make grammatically complex statements. However, the patients were able to understand those who spoke to them but unable to speak themselves. Now known as Broca’s aphasia, One of Broca’s famous patients was Tan (called Tan because that was the only word he could say). After he passed they conducted a post mortem study. His brain autopsy showed the source of the brain damage and revealed that the speech disability was caused by a specific brain trauma.
Wernicke (1974)- Carl Wernicke’s patients were able to speak but unable to comprehend what those around them were saying. This condition became known as Wernicke’s aphasia. The post mortem studies that were conducted also assisted in concluding that language processing is localized. Wernicke’s Area was responsible for auditory and speech.
Using one or more examples, explain effects of neurotransmission on human behavior.
Neurotransmission: the process of neurons sending electrochemical messages to the brain
Neurotransmitters: nervous system, neurons/brain
serotonin
acetylcholine
dopamine
Martinez and Kesner (1991) - acetylcholine and memory
test that demonstrated effect of acetylcholine on memory
positive correlation between memory and acetylcholine
Kasamatsu and Hirai (1999) - serotonin, sensory deprivation and how monks experienced the world
Monks went on a 48 hours expedition, pilgrimage
had hallucinations b/c they had high serotonin levels
sensory deprivation
Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behavior
Hormones: go through the blood stream, endocrine system, excreted through glands
Oxytocin (trust)
Adrenaline (fight or flight response)
Testosterone (estrogen)
Cortisol (stress and hormone)
Oxytocin and Trust (Bumgartner et al 2008)
-Oxytocin hormones correlate to behavior of trust
-Trust game b/w investors and trustees
-investors could give trustee their money to triple
-trustees had the option to either share the money they were given or keep it for themselves
-the 49 participants had fMRI taken
-2 groups: those who were given oxytocin and those who were given a placebo
Results: Participants who received a placebo are more likely to decrease their rate of trust after they had been briefed that their trust was broken. Participants who received oxytocin in the nasal spray continued to invest at similar rates. Researchers hypothesized that oxytocin may have a role in decreasing fear reactions (via the amygdala) that may arise as a consequence of betrayal and our reliance on positive feedback that can influence future decisions (via caudate nucleus)
Cortisol, stress, and memory- Newcomer et al (2008)
- correlation b/w the hormone cortisol and the behavior of memory
- different levels of cortisol causes different levels of stress
- group given higher level of cortisol performed worse than the lower/moderate level and the placebo group
Discuss two effects of the environment on physiological processes
Deprivation of neuroplasticity- Rosenzweig and Bennet (1972)
Neuroplasticity also known as brain plasticity- the brain’s ability to rearrange the connections between neurons
This process can occur at 3 different times:
-At the beginning of life- when an immature brain is organizing itself
-In case of brain injury- to compensate for lost functions or maximizing remaining functions
-Through adulthood when something is learned
Connects to Rosenzweig and Bennet study- the more stimulation their brain received the thicker their cerebral cortex
Mirror Neurons - Iacoboni (2004) and Keysers (2003)
Mirror Neurons = a neuron that fires when an animal/person performs an action/when the animal observes somebody else performing that action
Iacoboni (2004)
Asked participants to look at people’s faces while in an fMRI
Aim: to see if looking at the emotional expression of a person would cause the brain of the observer to be stimulated in the same place as if they were making the same facial expression
Method: First imitated faces and then just watched
Results: Findings supported research that was found when similar experiments were conducted on animals. Same area of the brain was activated in both cases and limbic system was also stimulated
Keysers:
Aim: Studied MN in relation to the emotion - disgust
Method: He put his volunteers in a brain scanner and wafted disgusting odours
For example, rancid butter and rotten eggs into their nostrils
He wafted some non-disgusting ones too, as a control
Results: The disgusting odours, he found, activated part of the brain called the anterior insula. He then played film clips of people’s faces registering disgust to his volunteers, and found activity in exactly the same part of the brain.
Examine one interaction b/w cognition and physiology in terms of behavior
Cognitive- mental processing of acquiring knowledge and understandings through experiences
Physiology- internal, biological mechanisms of living organisms (way of function)
Amnesia: memory
- biological cause: damage to the brain - effects cognition: memory - causes: injury, stroke, brain infections, sedative drug, alcoholism
Anterograde Amnesia- inability to form new memories but can remember things from before the accident
Retrograde Amnesia- inability to remember things from before the accident but able to recall new memories - has to deal with long term memory
when you have both anterograde and retrograde amnesia you are unable to remember anything
cognition - physiology
brain damage - amnesia is found in the hippocampus
Clive Wearing and HM
- man who was a musician got a brain infection (encephalitis)
- caused damage to hippocampus (antero and retro amnesia)
- memory lasted 7-30 seconds- couldn’t form new memories
- could still talk, read, write, conduct, and sight-read music (procedural knowledge)
- MRI - damage to hippocampus and frontal region
HM (40 yr study)- fell off his bike at the age of nine-brain damage
-epileptic seizures start at age 10
-major seizures since age 16
-drugs don’t work
-At age 27, had brain surgery to control seizures, they removed tissue from temporal lobe but ended up taking too much, including part of hippocampus
MRI scan in 1997 - localization - memory is located in the hippocampus
Discuss use of brain imaging technologies in investigating the relationship between biological factors and behavior
CAT: take x-rays of slices of the body (better for tumors), better way to look at brain activity
PET: Positron Emission Topography
- monitor glucose metabolism in the brain- injected with radioactive glucose
- used for: brain tumors, brain differences in norm, people vs. people with psychological disorders can record ongoing brain activity
EEG: Electroencephalogram
- print out look at brain waves
- registers patterns of voltage change in the brain
- cannot reveal what is happening deeper in the brain
fMRI: 3D pictures of the brain structure using magnetic field
-shows actual brain activity- indicates what parts of brain are active- when engaged in a specific behavior
