copyright © 2009 allyn & bacon what is biopsychology, anyway? this multimedia product and its...

Copyright © 2009 Allyn & Bacon

What Is Biopsychology, Anyway? This multimedia product and its contents are

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Chapter 1Biopsychology as a Neuroscience


Four Major Themes

1. Thinking about biopsychology Becoming a critical thinker Becoming a creative thinker

2. Clinical implications Study of diseased or damaged brains leads

to new knowledge New knowledge leads to new treatments


Four Major Themes (continued)

3. The evolutionary perspective Environmental pressures on human

evolution Comparative approach (other species)

4. Neuroplasticity Brain growth and restructuring


What Is Biopsychology? “The scientific study of the biology of

behavior” Also called psychobiology,

behavioral biology, behavioral neuroscience

Psychology: the scientific study of behavior

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What Is Biopsychology? (continued)

Hebb (1949) proposed that psychological phenomena might be produced by brain activity

Biopsychology takes an eclectic approach based on experiments, case studies, observation, and inference

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Biopsychology and Other Disciplines of Neuroscience

Knowledge from other disciplines of neuroscience is applied to the study of behavior

Each discipline studies a different aspect of the nervous system that informs our understanding of what produces and controls behavior


Other Disciplines of Neuroscience Neuroanatomy

Structure of the nervous system Neurochemistry

Chemical bases of neural activity Neuroendocrinology

Interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system


Other Disciplines of Neuroscience (continued)

Neuropathology Nervous system disorders

Neuropharmacology Effects of drugs on neural activity

Neurophysiology Functions and activities of the nervous

system


Biopsychological Research: Three Major Dimensions Human and nonhuman

subjects Experiments and

nonexperiments Pure and applied research


Human and Nonhuman Subjects While some questions about behavior

can only be addressed using human subjects, much can be learned from studying the brains of other species

Species differences are more quantitative than qualitative


Human and Nonhuman Subjects (continued)

Why use nonhumans? Simpler brains makes it more likely that brain-behavior

interactions will be revealed Comparative approach – gain insight by making

comparisons with other species Fewer ethical restrictions than with humans

Why use humans? They can follow instructions They can report their introspections They’re cheaper


Experiments and Nonexperiments Experiments involve the manipulation of

variables In nonexperiments, the researcher does

not control the variables of interest Quasiexperimental studies Case studies


Experiments and Nonexperiments (continued) Experiments involving living subjects

require that subjects be placed in various conditions Between-subjects design: Different group

of subjects tested under each condition Within-subjects design: Same group of

subjects tested under each condition


Experiments and Nonexperiments (continued)

The difference between the conditions is the independent variable

The effect of the independent variable is the dependent variable

Must avoid confounded variables that affect the dependent variable



Example: control of confounded variables—the Coolidge effect The confounded variables: A female

hamster may be more receptive to a new partner due to novelty or to his vigor (compared to the fatigued former partner)


Lester & Gorzalka (1988) solve

confounded variable problem with a clever

experimental design: a third male


Quasiexperimental studies – studies of groups of subjects exposed to conditions in the real world

Not real experiments as potential confounded variables have not been controlled



Case studies focus on a single individual, such as Jimmie G.

Usually more in-depth than other approaches, but may not be generalizable

Generalizability – the degree to which results can be applied to other cases



Pure and Applied Research Pure research – conducted for the

purpose of acquiring knowledge Applied research – intended to bring

about some direct benefit to humankind Some research projects may have

elements of both


Divisions of Biopsychology Six major divisions

Physiological psychology Psychopharmacology Neuropsychology Psychophysiology Cognitive neuroscience Comparative psychology

Each has a different approach, but there is much overlap


Divisions of Biopsychology (continued)

Physiological psychology Neural mechanisms of behavior Direct manipulation of the brain

Psychopharmacology Effects of drugs on the brain and

behavior Neuropsychology

Psychological effects of brain damage in humans


Psychophysiology Relation between physiological activity and

psychological processes Example: visual tracking in schizophrenics



Cognitive neuroscience – the neural bases of cognition Functional brain

imaging is the major method of cognitive neuroscience


Comparative psychology Comparing different species to understand

evolution, genetics, and adaptiveness of behavior



Converging Operations Using multiple approaches to address a

single question Korsakoff’s syndrome – a condition

characterized by severe memory loss and most commonly seen in alcoholics Is Korsakoff’s the result of the toxic effects

of alcohol on the brain?


Converging Operations (continued)

Jimmie G. – an alcoholic with Korsakoff’s syndrome

Korsakoff’s is also seen in malnourished persons who had little or no alcohol

Thiamine-deficient rats exhibit memory deficits

Alcohol accelerates the development of brain damage in thiamine-deficient rats


By exploring the possible causes of Korsakoff’s using multiple approaches, or converging operations, findings are more accurate

Korsakoff’s syndrome is the result of thiamine deficiency, but the damage is accelerated by alcohol

Converging Operations (continued)


Scientific Inference The empirical method that

biopsychologists use to study the unobservable

Scientists measure what they can observe and use these measures as a basis for inferring what they can’t observe


Theperceptionof motion under four different

conditions

Scientific Inference (continued)


Critical Thinking The ability to evaluate scientific

claims by identifying potential omissions or weaknesses in the evidence


Critical Thinking (continued)

Case 1: Delgado claims that a charging bull can be tamed by stimulation of its caudate nucleus

Exciting account reported in popular press Many possible alternative explanations Morgan’s Canon – prefer the simplest

explanation


Critical Thinking (continued)

Case 2: Moniz wins Nobel Prize for prefrontal lobotomy

Adoption for human therapy based largely on one study of a single chimpanzee

Inadequate postoperative evaluation of human patients, often by the physician who prescribed the surgery

Undesirable side effects such as amorality, lack of foresight, emotional unresponsiveness, epilepsy, and urinary incontinence


Critical Thinking(continued)

The prefrontal lobotomy procedure developed by Moniz and Lima

copyright © 2009 allyn & bacon what is biopsychology, anyway? this multimedia product and its...

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