Chapter 1

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  • human brain
    is a squishy, wrinkled, walnut-shaped
  • neuroscience
    (the scientific study of the nervous system), comprises several related disciplines like
    biopsychology.
  • neurons
    (cells that receive and transmit
  • Case of Jimmie G.
    He
    forgot everything that was said or shown to him
    within a few seconds. Jimmie could not remember
    anything that had happened to him since his early
    20s, and he was not going to remember anything that
    happened to him for the rest of his life.
  • Four Major Themes of chapter 1
    1. THINKING CREATIVELY ABOUT
    BIOPSYCHOLOGY.
    2. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS.
    3. THE EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE.
    4. NEUROPLASTICITY.
  • THINKING CREATIVELY ABOUT
    BIOPSYCHOLOGY.
    Some of the most important advances in
    biopsychological science have been
    made by researchers who have managed
    to overcome the restrictive effects of
    conventional thinking and have taken
    creative new approaches.
  • thinking creatively
    (thinking in productive,
    unconventional ways) the cornerstone of any science.
  • Clinical
    (pertaining to illness or
    treatment), considerations are woven
    through the fabric of biopsychology.
  • Two aspects to the clinical implications
    theme:
    1. much of what biopsychologists
    learn about the functioning of a
    healthy brain comes from
    studying dysfunctional brains.
    2. many of the discoveries of
    biopsychologists have relevance
    for the treatment of brain
    dysfunction.
  • evolutionary perspective
    (The approach that focuses on the
    environmental pressures that likely led
    to the evolution of the characteristics
    (e.g., of brain and behavior) of current
    species.)
    thinking of the environmental pressures
    that likely led to the evolution of our
    brains and behavior often leads to
    important biopsychological insights.
  • comparative approach
    (trying to understand biological
    phenomena by comparing them in
    different species) an important component of the
    evolutionary perspective
  • neuroplasticity
    (The notion that the brain is a
    "plastic" (changeable) organ
    that continuously grows and
    changes in response to an
    individual's environment and
    experiences.) it is a major component of many
    areas of biopsychological
    research.
  • Emerging Themes of This Text
    1. THINKING ABOUT EPIGENETICS.
    2. CONSCIOUSNESS
  • Epigenetics
    (The study of all mechanisms of
    inheritance other than the
    genetic code and its expression).
  • consciousness
    (the perception or awareness of some
    aspect of one's self or the world)
  • Biopsychology
    is the scientific study of the biology of behavior. denotes a biological approach to the study of
    psychology rather than a psychological approach
    to the study of biology
  • Psychology
    the scientific study of behavior, the scientific study of all overt activities of the
    organism as well as all the internal processes
    that are presumed to underlie them (e.g.,
    learning, memory, motivation, perception,
    emotion).
  • The publication of The Organization of
    Behavior in 1949 by Donald Hebb
    developed the first comprehensive
    theory of how complex psychological
    phenomena, such as perceptions,
    emotions, thoughts, and memories,
    might be produced by brain activity. discredit the view that psychological
    functioning is too complex to have its
    roots in the physiology and chemistry of
    the brain.
  • Disciplines of neuroscience that are particularly relevant
    to biopsychology:
    Neuroanatomy, Neurochemistry, Neuroendocrinology, Neuropathology, Neuropharmacology, and Neurophysiology.
  • 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
    dysfunction.
  • Neuropharmacology.
    The study of the effects
    of drugs on neural activity.
  • Neurophysiology.
    The study of the functions
    and activities of the nervous system.
  • Three major dimensions along which biopsychological
    research may vary:
    1. It can involve either human or nonhuman
    subjects.
    2. It can take the form of either formal experiments
    or nonexperimental studies.
    3. It can be either pure or applied.
  • Humans have several advantages over other animals as
    experimental subjects of biopsychological research:
    ●They can follow instructions.
    ● They can report their subjective experiences.
    ● Their cages are easier to clean.
    ● Humans are often cheaper.
    ● Greatest advantage of humans: they have
    human brains.
  • "three
    R's":
    Reduction, Refinement, Replacement
  • EXPERIMENTS.
    The method used by scientists to study
    causation-to find out what causes what.
  • between-subjects design
    a different group of subjects is tested
    under each condition
  • within-subjects design
    tests the same group of subjects under
    each condition.
  • independent variable
    the difference between the conditions
  • dependent variable
    variable measured by the experimenter
    to assess the effect of the independent
    variable.
  • Coolidge effect
    the fact that a copulating male who becomes
    incapable of continuing to copulate with one sex
    partner can often recommence copulating with a new
    sex partner
  • QUASIEXPERIMENTAL STUDIES.
    Conducted because biopsychologists can't bring
    the experimental method to bear on all problems
    of interest to them. studies conducted in prohibitive situations of
    groups of subjects who have been exposed to the
    conditions of interest in the real world. not true experiments because potential
    confounded variables have not been controlled.
  • case studies
    studies that focus on a single subject, or very
    small number of subjects. focus on providing a more in-depth picture than
    that provided by an experiment or a
    quasiexperimental study, and are an excellent
    source of testable hypotheses.
  • generalizability
    a major problem of case studies because
    each individual is different. the degree to which their results can be
    applied to other cases.
  • Pure research
    motivated primarily by the curiosity of the
    researcher—it is done solely for the purpose of
    acquiring knowledge.
  • Applied research
    intended to bring about some direct benefit to
    humankind.
  • translational research
    research that aims to translate the findings of
    pure research into useful applications for
    humankind