Biological Psychology Quiz

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Biological Psychology

• Biological psychology studies the relationship between behavior, emotion, and cognition, on one hand, and brain function on the other.
• It examines the biological basis of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, encompassing electrical and chemical processes crucial for nervous system communication.
• A behavior is any action or response to stimulation exhibited by an organism.

What is Human Consciousness?

• Human consciousness involves awareness of thoughts, reason, perceptions, memories, and feelings.
• It includes the ability to communicate thoughts and intentions.
• Consciousness encompasses the ability to reflect on one's own existence.

Philosophy of Consciousness

• Neuroscience is shifting the study of consciousness from a metaphysical to an empirical realm.
• It allows researchers to investigate the physical mechanisms underlying consciousness.

Historical Origins: Monism Versus Dualism

• Monism posits a single underlying reality, either the body or the mind.
• Dualism proposes that both body and mind exist as distinct entities.

Historical Origins: The Location of the Mind

• Ancient cultures, including Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese, often believed the heart housed the mind.
• Aristotle also considered the heart to be the source of thought and emotion.
• Galen proposed the ventricles of the brain as the origin of mental activities.
• This view became the accepted understanding of the Christian Church until the 14th century.
• Descartes, a dualist, proposed a hydraulic model with the pineal gland controlling the nervous system.
• Galvani's experiments disproved Descartes' hydraulic model, demonstrating the electrical stimulation of nerves.

Historical Origins: Reflex

• A reflex is an involuntary response to a stimulus caused by a direct connection between a sensory receptor and a muscle.

Historical Origins: Bell-Magendie Law

• The Bell-Magendie Law explains that the dorsal root of a spinal nerve carries sensory information to the spinal cord, and the ventral root carries motor information to muscles.

Historical Origins: Doctrine of Specific Nerve Energies

• The doctrine of specific nerve energies proposes that the nervous system detects messages based on which nerve carries the message rather than how it's stimulated.
• Johannes Müller (1835) articulated this concept.

Historical Origins: Localization of Function

• The idea that specific functions are located in particular areas of the nervous system.
• Phrenology assumed mental functions are localized to specific brain areas, related to the size and integrity of those areas.

Historical Origins: Localization of Function - Evolution

• Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, influencing the understanding of animal research in relation to human behavior.
• Pierre Flourens, through experimental ablation, identified the brain as the location of the mind, not the heart.
• This marked the beginning of comparative psychology, as exemplified by George Romanes.

Historical Origins: Localization of Function - Phineas Gage

• Phineas Gage's accident, involving a tamping rod piercing his prefrontal cortex, impacted his decision-making and emotional responses.
• Damasio's (1994) research further confirmed the prefrontal cortex's role in rational decision-making and emotional processing.

Historical Origins: Localization of Function - The Four Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex

• The brain is divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital.
• Specific regions within each lobe perform unique functions.

Historical Origins: Localization of Function - Karl Lashley

• Karl Lashley researched the physical location of memories.
• He developed the concepts of mass action and equipotentiality:
  • Mass action - the more brain area destroyed, the more severe the impact on learning.
  • Equipotentiality - any part of a functional area can perform that function.

The Neuron

• Neurons are the structural units of the brain, responsible for its functioning.
• Nerve net theory proposes a network of connected nerves as a model of the nervous system.
• The neuronal theory posits the nervous system as a collection of connected neurons.

The Synapse

• Synapses are the points of functional contact between neurons and their targets.
• Sherrington's studies on reflexes and neuron interaction helped define the concept of the synapse
• Loewi's experiments demonstrated the presence of neurotransmitters in neurons.

Techniques for Studying Brain Function: Ablation of Neural Tissue

• Ablation (lesioning) involves the experimental destruction of neurons or surgical removal of a brain part to understand its function.
• Stereotaxic apparatus is a surgical instrument for precise brain lesion creation.

Techniques for Studying Brain Function: Static Images of the Nervous System

• Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT scan) produces cross-sectional images of the brain using X-rays.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) utilizes strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed 3D images of the brain, measuring hydrogen atom radiation.
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) identifies myelinated axon bundles in the living human brain through specific radio frequencies and magnetic field pulses.

Techniques for Studying Brain Function: Recording Nervous System Activity

• Macroelectrodes record from multiple neurons simultaneously.
• Microelectrodes record from single or a few neurons.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG) graphically records the brain's electrical activity.
• Evoked potentials measure neural responses to sensory stimulation to determine specific brain areas.

Techniques for Studying Brain Function: Positron Emission Tomography

• Positron Emission Tomography (PET scan) measures metabolic activity in specific brain regions or structures, helping determine neural functioning.

Techniques for Studying Brain Function: Functional MRI

• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) measures cerebral blood flow to visualize neural activity in specific brain areas.

Techniques for Studying Brain Function: Measuring Chemical Activity

• Autoradiography involves injecting radioactive chemicals to identify their location in the nervous system.
• Microdialysis measures the chemical constituents of neural fluid to identify neurotransmitters in specific brain areas.

Genetic Methods

• Twin studies, adoption studies, genomic studies, and targeted mutations are used to examine the genetic basis of psychological characteristics.

Areas of Study within Biological Psychology

• Physiological psychology investigates the relationship between the nervous system and behavior.
• Psychophysiology examines the connection between physiology and behavior using physiological responses.
• Psychopharmacology explores drug effects on behavior, focusing on psychoactive drugs.
• Comparative psychology studies the behavior of different animal species to learn about the influence of genetics and evolution on behavior.
• Neuroscience classifications of specialization within the relevant field.

Ethics of Conducting Human Research

• Guidelines established by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the American Psychological Association, govern human research to maximize knowledge gain and minimize risks to participants.
• Informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality, and the right to withdraw are essential ethical considerations.

Ethics of Conducting Research: Research on Nonhuman Subjects

• Federal laws, such as the Animal Welfare Act, protect nonhuman research subjects and ensure their humane treatment in research.
• Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) oversee animal research to maintain ethical and regulatory compliance.
• The APA provides further guidelines for animal research practices and care.

Test your knowledge of biological psychology concepts, including the relationship between biology and behavior, historical perspectives, and techniques used in neuroscience. This quiz covers key topics such as dualism, human consciousness, and the effects of drugs on behavior.