BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY

• Neuroscientists no longer believe that glia outnumber neurons in the human brain
• Between early adolescence and age 20, most risky behaviors increase, even while the prefrontal cortex is approaching maturity
• Current research indicates that astrocytes and scar tissue are more helpful than harmful for regrowth of axons
• A new study found that people who lose a sensation as a result of brain damage also have trouble thinking about concepts related to that sensation
• Previous data showed that acetaminophen decreases emotional pain. New data say that it also decreases pleasant experiences
• Certain bird species sleep while they are flying over great distances
• Thirst anticipates needs, and so does satiation of thirst
• New research sheds important light on male–female differences in brain anatomy
• A new hypothesis holds that the rapid formation of new neurons in an infant hippocampus is responsible for both the ease of new learning and the phenomenon of infant amnesia
• Accumulating data cast doubt on the central role of dopamine in addictive behaviors
• It is often said that Man is unique among animals
• Unique


  Strikingly different - not identical with any animal
• Each species, even each individual, is unique in this sense
• Unique (in an absolute sense)

  So different, so "essentially different" that the gap between him and animals cannot possibly be bridged - he is something altogether new
• Using the term "unique" in an absolute sense is scientifically meaningless
• Using the term "unique" in an absolute sense reveals and may reinforce conceit, and it leads to complacency and defeatism because it assumes that it will be futile even to search for animal roots
• Using the term "unique" in an absolute sense is prejudging the issue
• Biological psychology


  All psychology is biological, but it is helpful to distinguish among levels of explanation - not everything can be explained in terms of the most basic biological components
• Much of psychology is best described in terms of cultural, social, and cognitive factors
• Biological psychology is the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behavior and experience
• Biological psychology


  Approximately synonymous with biopsychology, psychobiology, physiological psychology, and behavioral neuroscience
• Biological psychology deals mostly with brain activity
• Neurons


  • Convey messages to one another and to muscles and glands
  • Vary enormously in size, shape, and functions
• Glia


  • Generally smaller than neurons
  • Have many functions but do not convey information over great distances
• The activities of neurons and glia somehow produce an enormous wealth of behavior and experience
• Three main points to remember from this book

  1. Biological explanations of behavior

  2. Genetic, evolutionary, and functional explanations of behavior

  3. Ethical issues of research with laboratory animals
• Researchers continue to debate the function of yawning. Brain mechanisms produce many behaviors that we engage in without necessarily knowing why.
• Commonsense explanations of behavior

  Refer to intentional goals such as "He did this because he was trying to..." or "She did that because she wanted to..."
• Often, we have no reason to assume intentions. A 4-month-old bird migrating south for the first time presumably does not know why.
• Biological explanations of behavior

  Fall into four categories: physiological, ontogenetic, evolutionary, and functional
• Physiological explanation


  Relates a behavior to the activity of the brain and other organs
• Ontogenetic explanation


  Describes how a structure or behavior develops, including the influences of genes, nutrition, experiences, and their interactions
• Evolutionary explanation


  Reconstructs the evolutionary history of a structure or behavior
• Functional explanation


  Describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did
• Four types of biological explanations

  • Physiological
  • Ontogenetic
  • Evolutionary
  • Functional
• An evolutionary explanation states what evolved from what, while a functional explanation states why something was advantageous and therefore favored by natural selection.
• Fields of specialization in biological psychology

  • Research fields: Neuroscientist, Behavioral neuroscientist, Cognitive neuroscientist, Neuropsychologist, Psychophysiologist, Neurochemist, Comparative psychologist, Evolutionary psychologist
  • Practitioner fields: Clinical psychologist, Counseling psychologist, School psychologist
• Research positions ordinarily require a PhD. People with a master's or bachelor's degree might work in a research laboratory but would not direct it.
• Only the male sings. He sings only during the reproductive season and only in his territory
• Functions of the song

  To attract females and warn away other males