psy 100 unit 2 week 3 ch 2

UNIT

2Chapter 2: The Biological Basis of Behavior

PSYCHOLOGY100: Unit 2: Weeks 2 & 3: Spring 2013

Copyright ©Pearson Education 2013


Enduring Issues

To what extent is behavior caused by internal processes,

as opposed to environmental factors?

Diversity-UniversalityDiversity-

Universality

Stability-ChangeStability-Change

Mind-BodyMind-Body

Nature-NurtureNature-Nurture

Person-SituationPerson-Situation



Enduring Issues

To what extent does heredity affect behavior?


Universality


Mind-BodyMind-Body





Enduring Issues

Does the nervous system change due to experience?


Universality


Mind-BodyMind-Body





Enduring Issues

Are there differences between men and women in the way that the brain works?


Universality


Mind-BodyMind-Body





Enduring Issues

What is the connection between what we experience and our biological processes?


Universality


Mind-BodyMind-Body





Psychobiology and Neuroscience

Psychobiology:Focuses on biological bases of behavior and mental processes

Neuroscience:The study of the brain and the nervous system

Neurons: The Messengers



Complex network of

cells that carry

information to and from all parts of the

body

ervous systemervous system



The Neuron

Terminal buttons

Axon

Cell body (soma)

MyelinDendrites



Three Types of Neurons

Afferent (sensory) neurons

Efferent (motor) neurons

Association neurons (interneurons)



The Neural Impulse



All-or-None Law

The neuron either fires completely or it does not fire at all.



The Synapse

Terminal button



Neurotransmitters



Applying Psychology

• Caffeine

• Cocaine

• Antidepressants

• Botulism

• Black widow spider

• Antipsychotics

Drugs and Behavior



Effects of Cocaine



Neural Plasticity and Neurogenesis

Neural plasticity: Experience can change the brain structurally and chemically.

• Rosenzweig (1984)

Neurogenesis: Adult brains can produce new brain cells.

Source: From “Brain changes in response to experience” by M. R. Rosenzweig, E. L. Bennett, and M. C. Diamond. Copyright © 1972, Scientific American, Inc.

The Central Nervous System



The Organization of the Nervous System

PERIPHERAL

Autonomic Somatic

Parasympathetic Sympathetic

Brain

CENTRAL

Spinal Cord



The Brain

The human brain is the product of millions of years of evolution in three stages:

• Central core

• Cerebral cortex

• Limbic system



The Central Core

Hindbrain

Midbrain

Thalamus

Hypothalamus

Reticular formation



Structures in the Hindbrain



Outer surface

of the two

cerebral

hemispheres

that regulates

most complex

behavior

erebral cortexerebral cortex



Four Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex

Both the left and right hemispheres can be roughly divided into four sections.



The Limbic System

Limbic system: Ring of structures that plays a role in learning and emotional behavior



Hemispheric Specialization



The Split-Brain Experiment

The corpus callosum is sometimes severed to reduce seizures.

• Left visual field right hemisphere

• Right visual field left hemisphere



Broca’s Area & Wernicke’s Area



• Microelectrode techniques

• Macroelectrode techniques–EEG

• Structural imaging–CAT or CT scanning–MRI

• Functional imaging–EEG imaging–MEG, MSI–PET scanning–fMRI

Tools for Studying the Brain



The Spinal Cord

Spinal cord:

• Complex cable of neurons that runs down the spine, connecting the brain to most of the rest of the body

• Functions as a “communication superhighway”



The Spinal Cord and Reflex Action

Motor neurons

Sensory neurons

Interneurons

The Peripheral Nervous System



Peripheral Nervous System

Parasympathetic

PERIPHERAL

Autonomic

Sympathetic

Somatic



Peripheral Nervous System

Peripheral nervous system (PNS): Links the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body• Afferent neurons• Efferent neurons

PERIPHERAL

Autonomic Somatic



Autonomic NS: Sympathetic

“Fight or flight”

Source: Adapted from General Biology, revised edition, 1st edition by Willis Johnson, Richard A. Laubengayer, and Louis E. Delanney, Copyright © 1961. Reprinted with permission of Brooks/Cole, an

imprint of the Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning.



Autonomic NS: Parasympathetic

Source: Adapted from General Biology, revised edition, 1st edition by Willis Johnson, Richard A. Laubengayer, and Louis E. Delanney, Copyright © 1961. Reprinted with permission of Brooks/Cole, an imprint of the Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning.

“Rest and digest”

The Endocrine System

Genes, Evolution, and Behavior



Behavior Genetics

Genes, Evolution, and Behavior

Two different but related fields contribute to the understanding of the influence of heredity

on behavior:

Evolutionary

Psychology



Genetics



B = dominant gene

Transmission of Eye Color

b = recessive gene



Behavior Genetics

Animal behavior genetics• Strain studies• Selection studies



Behavior Genetics

Human behavior genetics

•Family studies

•Twin studies– identical twins– fraternal twins

•Adoption studies



Social Implications

New challenges have arisen as a result of our better understanding of genes.

• Modern prenatal screening can detect genetic defects; do parents have the right to abort because of this?

• Over-simplified reporting of genetic technologies in mass media can lead to misinterpretation of complex research findings.



Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology examines adaptive value of behaviors from an evolutionary perspective.• Darwin’s natural selection

Charles Darwin

Acknowledgments: See other PPT

psy 100 unit 2 week 3 ch 2

Documents

brain changes

centralnervous system

peripheralnervous system

limbic systemlimbic

autonomic ns

brainthe human brain

body functions

parasympathetic rest