What Is Biopsychology

Question 1

What is biopsychology?

Answer 1

Scientific study of the biology of behaviour

• link between brain and behaviour
• neurons contribute to psychological processes

Question 2

Hebb

Answer 2

His comprehensive theory linking psychological phenomena to brain activation
-bridge between psychology and neuroscience

Question 3

Types of Research

Answer 3

Human or nonhuman
Experimental or non
Pure or applied

Question 4

Advantage of Human or Non

Answer 4

Follow instruction
Report subjective experience
Have human Brian’s

Question 5

Why study animals?

Answer 5

• Differences more quantitative than qualitative
• Brian’s and behaviour more simple
• Comparison valuable cues into cortical function
• fewer ethical constraints

Question 6

Responsible use of non human animals in research

Answer 6

APA
Understanding animal research
Animal research for life
APS

Question 7

Against Animal research

Answer 7

Uncaged:protecting animals
National Anti-Vivisection Society
Stop Animal tests

Question 8

Experimental

Answer 8

Establish cause and effect
Essential to scientific discovery
Are paradoxically very simple

Question 9

Non-experimental

Answer 9

Studies group of subjects exposed to conditions in the real world
-not real experiments as potential confounded variables have not been controlled

Question 10

Pure Research

Answer 10

Conducted for the purpose of acquiring knowledge

Question 11

Applied Research

Answer 11

Intended to bring about some direct benefit

-some research may have both

Question 12

Physiological Psychology

Answer 12

Focuses on direct manipulation of the nervous system in controlled lab settings
E.g - studied contribution of the hippocampus to memory
Removing hippocampus in rats and assessing memory tasks

Question 13

Psychopharmacology

Answer 13

Nervous system is manip pharmacologically
Focuses on drug effects on behaviour and how theses changes are mediated by changes in neural activity
Many favour pure
E.g have improved memory of Alzheimer’s
Drugs that increase levels of neurotransmitters acetylcholine

Question 14

Neuropsychology

Answer 14

Behavioural deficits produced by humans by brain damage
Only studied by case studies and quasi
Mostly applied
E.g patients with alcohol produced brain damage have particular difficult in remembering recent events

Question 15

Psychophysiology

Answer 15

Recording the physiological responses of human subjects
Humans used - recording noninvasive
Usual measure EEG
E.g have shown that similar faces elect the usual changes in autonomic nervous system activity even when patients with Brian damage report they do not recog face

Question 16

Cognitive Neuroscience

Answer 16

Learning , memory attention and perception
Often employs human subjects
Collaborations between researchers
E.g - Brian imaging technology to observe changes that occur in various parts of the brain while performing memory tasks

Question 17

Comparative Psychology

Answer 17

Study of evolutionary & genetic factors of behaviour
Comparative & functional approaches
Labs as well as natural conditions
E.g species of birds that hoard their seeds tend to have big hippocampi
Confirming the hippocampus is involved in memory for location

Question 18

Converging Operations

Answer 18

Using multiple
Approaches to address a single question
E.g Korsakoff syndrome - memory loss and most seen in alcoholics
Alcohol accelerates development of brain brain damage in thiamine deficient rats
By exploring possible causes using multiple approaches stronger conclusions can be made

Question 19

Critical Thinking

Answer 19

Moniz - noble prize for development of pre frontal lobotomy as treatment for psychiatric disorders
Psychosurgery based on observation of single chimpanzee
Failed to eval the consequences of surgery in patients
-prefrontal lobotomies little therapeutic benefit
-undesirable side effects
40,000 produced it in untied states
Continued to performed in some countries