Biopsychology Chapter 1

Biopsychology: Definition and Origins

• Biopsychology is the study of the biological basis of behavior and mental processes.
• The field of biopsychology originated from the integration of psychology, biology, and neuroscience.

Fields of Neuroscience Relevant to Biopsychology

• Six fields of neuroscience are particularly relevant to biopsychological inquiry:
  • Physiological psychology
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Cognitive neuroscience
  • Comparative psychology

Research Methods in Biopsychology

• Experiments: used to establish cause-and-effect relationships, can be between-subjects or within-subjects designs, and involve independent and dependent variables.
• Quasi-experimental studies: used when controlled experiments are impossible, involve self-selected subjects, and can't control confounding variables.
• Case studies: used to study rare conditions, involve single-subject design, and have questionable generalizability.

Pure and Applied Research

• Pure research: driven by the curiosity of the researcher, focuses on acquiring knowledge, and has no direct practical application.
• Applied research: aims to provide a direct benefit to humanity, involves translating pure research into practical applications.

Divisions of Biopsychology

• Physiological psychology: focuses on the direct manipulation of the nervous system, mostly uses animal subjects, and conducts pure research in a laboratory setting.
• Psychopharmacology: focuses on the manipulation of the nervous system using pharmacological methods, studies the effects of drugs on behavior, and conducts both pure and applied research.
• Neuropsychology: focuses on the psychological effects of brain dysfunction, uses case studies and quasi-experimental designs, and conducts applied research.
• Psychophysiology: focuses on the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes, uses non-invasive recordings from humans, and conducts pure research.
• Cognitive neuroscience: focuses on the neural basis of cognitive processes, uses non-invasive functional brain imaging, and conducts interdisciplinary research.
• Comparative psychology: adopts comparative and functional approaches, includes both laboratory and ethological studies, and involves evolutionary psychology and behavioral genetics.

Converging Operations

• Converging operations: involves collaboration between different areas of biopsychology to ask good questions, compensates for the shortcomings of individual approaches, and leads to progress in understanding the biological basis of behavior.

Scientific Inference

• Scientific inference: involves making conclusions about the unobservable workings of the brain based on the effects of processes on behavior.
• Brain activity is not directly observable, so scientists study the effects of processes to make inferences about brain function.

Critical Thinking in Biopsychology

• Critical thinking: involves identifying weaknesses in arguments and claims, and considering alternative explanations.
• Examples from the history of biopsychology serve as illustrations of the importance of critical thinking.

Research with Human Subjects

• Human subjects can follow directions and report subjective experiences
• Studying humans is often less expensive
• Humans have a more complex brain, which can be an advantage in research

Research with Nonhuman Subjects

• Nonhuman subjects have a simpler nervous system, making research easier
• Studying various species allows for a comparative approach
• There are fewer ethical constraints when working with nonhuman subjects
• Research with nonhuman subjects can provide insights into brain function due to evolutionary continuity
• Brain function is similar across species, with differences mainly in size and cortical development
• Biopsychological research with both humans and nonhumans is regulated by independent committees that follow strict ethical guidelines

Experiments

• Experiments are used to determine how experimental manipulations affect behavior.
• Experiments involve two or more treatment conditions with different groups of subjects (between-subjects design) or the same group of subjects (within-subjects design).
• The independent variable is set by the experimenter and is the manipulation that produces different treatment conditions.
• The dependent variable is what the experimenter measures, which is the response by the subject following the experimental manipulation.
• The goal of an experiment is to keep all conditions constant except for the independent variable to measure its effect on the dependent variable.

Limitations of Experiments

• Unintended differences between treatment groups (confounded variables) can influence the dependent variable, making it difficult to determine cause.
• Confounded variables make it challenging to conclude that the independent variable caused the effect.

Nonexperimental Studies

• Nonexperimental studies are used when controlled experiments are impossible or unethical.
• Quasiexperimental design examines subjects in real-world situations who are "self-selected" for the research based on a specific condition.
• Quasiexperimental design cannot control for confounding variables and cannot establish direct causal relationships.

Case Studies

• Case studies are scientific studies conducted on a single subject.
• The main problem with case studies is their limited generalizability, meaning research findings are limited in their applicability to the population in general.

Divisions of Biopsychology

• Six divisions of biopsychology take different approaches to studying brain-behavior relationships
• These divisions often overlap, and researchers may use multiple approaches to answer research questions

Physiological Psychology

• Studies brain-behavior relationships through direct manipulation of the nervous system
• Techniques include lesion techniques and invasive recording of brain activity
• Focuses on pure research, often using laboratory animals as subjects

Psychopharmacology

• Similar to Physiological Psychology, but focuses on pharmacological manipulations of the nervous system
• Explores how drugs affect behavior and neural activity
• Research can be pure or applied, focusing on drug abuse and therapeutic drugs

Neuropsychology

• Studies behavioral deficits in humans with brain damage, typically cortical damage
• Most applied of the six divisions, using case studies and quasi-experimental studies
• Research focuses on diagnosis, treatment, and lifestyle counseling

Psychophysiology

• Examines the relationship between physiology and psychological processes
• Uses human subjects, with non-invasive techniques such as EEG, muscle tension, and heart rate
• Measures brain activity and other physiological processes

Cognitive Neuroscience

• Focuses on the neural basis of cognitive processes like learning, attention, and perception
• Often uses human subjects, non-invasive techniques like fMRI, and collaborations with other divisions
• Currently the most active division of biopsychology

Comparative Psychology

• Examines the biology of behavior, using comparative and functional approaches
• Conducts research in laboratories and natural environments (ethology)
• Incorporates evolutionary psychology and behavioral genetics, using comparative analysis

Converging Operations

• Using multiple approaches to solve a problem yields the greatest progress
• Example: Jimmie G.'s Korsakoff's syndrome diagnosis, which was initially thought to be caused by alcohol toxicity
• Converging lines of research revealed the true cause to be a thiamine deficiency