Lesson 1 - Biopsychology as Neuroscience

• Biopsychology is the scientific study of the biology of behavior. Some refer to this field as psychobiology, behavioral biology, or behavioral neuroscience; but we prefer the term biopsychology because it denotes a biological approach to the study of psychology rather than a psychological approach to the study of biology.
• The study of the biology of behavior has a long history, but biopsychology did not develop into a major neuroscientific discipline until the 20th century. Although it is not possible to specify the exact date of biopsychology’s birth, the publication of The Organization of Behavior in 1949 by D.O. Hebb played a key role in its emergence.
• In his book, Hebb developed the first comprehensive theory of how complex psychological phenomena, such as perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and memories, might be produced by brain activity. Hebb’s theory did not much to discredit the view that psychological functioning is too complex to have its roots in the physiology and chemistry of the brain.
• Hebb based his theory on experiments involving both humans and laboratory animals, on clinical case studies, and on logical arguments developed from his own insightful observations of daily life. This eclectic approach has become a hallmark of biopsychological inquiry.
• In comparison to physics, chemistry, and biology, biopsychology is an infant.
• Neuroscience is a team effort, and biopsychologists are important members of the team. Biopsychology can be further defined by its relation to other neuroscientific disciplines.
• Biopsychologists are neuroscientists who bring to their research a knowledge of behavior and of the methods of behavioral research.
• Biopsychology is an integrative discipline. Biopsychologists draw together knowledge from the other neuroscientific disciplines and apply it to the study of behavior.
• Neuroanatomy: The study of the structure of the nervous system
• Neurochemistry: The study of the chemical bases of neural activity
• Neuroendocrinology: The study of interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system
• Neuropathology: The study of nervous system disorders
• Neuropharmacology: The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity
• Neurophysiology: The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system
• DIVISION OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY

  Physiological Psychology: division of biopsychology that studies the neural mechanisms of behavior through the direct manipulation and recording of the brain in controlled experiments– surgical and electrical methods are most common.
• The subjects of physiological psychology research are almost always laboratory animals because the focus on direct brain manipulation and controlled experiments precludes the use of human participants in most instances. There is also a tradition of pure research in physiological psychology; the emphasis is usually on research that contributes to the development of theories of the neural control of behavior rather than on research of immediate practical benefit.
• DIVISION OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY

  Psychopharmacology: similar to physiological psychology except that it focuses on the manipulation of neural activity and behavior with drugs. In fact, many of the early psychopharmacologists were simply physiological psychologists who moved into drug research, and many of today’s biopsychologists identify closely with both approaches.
• Psychopharmacologists study the effects of drugs on laboratory species–and on humans, if the ethics of the situation permits it.
• DIVISION OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY

  Neuropsychology: study of the psychological effects of brain damage in human patients
• The outer layer of the cerebral hemisphere–the cerebral cortex –is most likely to be damaged by accident or surgery; this is one reason why neuropsychology has focused on this important part of the human brain.
• Neuropsychology is the most applied of the biopsychological sub-disciplines, the neuropsychological assessment of human patients
• DIVISION OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY

  Psychophysiology: studies the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects. Because the subjects of psychophysiological research are human, psychophysiological recording procedures are typically non-invasive; that is, the physiological activity is recorded from the surface of the body.
• The usual measure of brain activity is the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG). Other common psychophysiological measures are muscle tension, eye movement, and several indicators of autonomic nervous system activity (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure, pupil dilation, and electrical conductance of the skin).
• The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the division of the nervous system that regulates the body’s inner environment.
• Most psychophysiological research focuses on understanding the physiology of psychological processes, such as attention, emotion, and information processing.
• DIVISION OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY

  Cognitive Neuroscience: youngest division of biopsychology. Cognitive neuroscientists study the neural bases of cognition, a term that generally refers to higher intellectual processes such as thought, memory, attention, and complex perceptual processes.
• Because of its focus on cognition, most cognitive neuroscience research involves human participants, and because of its focus on human participants, its methods tend to be non-invasive, rather than involving penetration or direct manipulation of the brain
• The major method of cognitive neuroscience is functional brain imaging: recording images of the activity of the living human brain while a participant is engaged in a particular cognitive activity.
• DIVISION OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY

  Comparative Psychology: division of biopsychology that deals generally with the biology of the behavior, rather than specifically with the neural mechanisms of behavior. Comparative psychologists compare the behavior of different species in order to understand the evolution, genetics, and adaptiveness of behavior.
• Some comparative psychologists study behavior in the laboratory; others engage in ethological research –the study of animal behavior in its natural environment.
• Progress is most likely when different approaches are focused on a single problem in such a way that the strength of oneapproach compensate for the weaknesses of the others; this combined approach is called converging operations.