Chapter 1: Biopsychology as a

NeuroscienceWhat is
Biopsychology, Anyway?
NeuronsCells that receive and transmit electrochemical signals.
Neurosciencethe scientific study of the nervous system.
Comprises of several related disciplines.

What is Biopsychology?
BiopsychologyThe scientific study of the biology of behaviour. Some refer
to this as psychobiology, behavioural biology, or behavioural neuroscience.
Biopsychology did not develop into a discipline until the 20th century.

What Is the Relation between Biopsychology and other

Disciplines in Neuroscience?

Biopsychologists are neuroscientists who bring to their research a

knowledge of behaviour and of the methods of behavioural research.

Disciplines relevant to biopsychology:

NeuroanatomyThe study of the structure of the nervous system.
NeurochemistryThe study of the chemical bases of neural activity.
NeuroendocrinologyThe study of interactions between the nervous
system and the endocrine system.
NeuropathologyThe study of nervous system disorders.
NeuropharmacologyThe study of the effects of drugs on neural
activity.
NeurophysiologyThe study of the functions and activities of the
nervous system.

What Type of Research Characterize the Biopsychological

Approach?

Biopsychological research can involve human or non human subjects.

Human and Nonhuman Subjects

Rats are the most common, however mice, cats, dogs and non-human
pimates are also studied.
Human subjects are the most convenient in biopsychology and the
least costly.

The brains of humans differ from other mammals, so studying on the

brain of a human has the most advantages.
Nonhuman subjects have three advantages over human subjects:
1. The brain and the behaviour of nonhuman subjects are simpler
that those of human subjects. Therefore the study of nonhuman
secies is more likely to reveal fundamental brain-behaviour
interactions.
2. insights frequently arise from the comparative approach, the
study of biological processes by comparing different species. For
example, comparing the behavior of species that do not have a
cerebral cortex with the behavioros species that do can provide
valuable clues about cortical function.
3. Possible to conduct experiments on animals that is not ethical to
conduct on humans.

Experiments and Nonexperiments

Experiments
Used by scientists to find causation.
The experimenter sets two conditions under which the subjects will be
tested. Ususally, a different group of subject is tested under each
condition (between-subject design), but sometimes it is possible to
test the same group of subjects under each conditions (withinsubject design).
Difference between conditions is called the independent variable.
The variable that is measured by the experimenter to asses the effects
of the independent variable is called the dependant variable.
A variable that might have an effect on the dependant variable that
differs from the independent variable is called the confounding
variable.
Coolidge Effect is the fact that a copulating male who becomes
incapable of continuing to capulate with one sex partner can often
recommence copulating with a new sex partner (created by Lester and
Gorzalka).
Lordosis is when a mammal has an arched-back, rump-up, taildevirted posture (female when she is ready to have sex).
Quasiexperimental Studies
Quasiexperimental studies are studies on groups of subjects who
have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world.
These seem like experiments, however theyre not because their
confounding variables have not been controlled for.
Case Studies

Studies that focus on a single case or subject are called case studies.
Because they focus on a single case, they usually provide more in
depth information. However, they have a problem with their
generalizability.
Generalizability is the degree to which results can be applied to
other cases.

Pure and Applied Research

Pure research is research motivated primarily by the curiosity of the
researcher. It is done solely for the purpose of acquiring knowledge.
Applied research is research intended to bring about some direct
benefit to humankind.
Pure research is more vulnerable to the vagaries of political regulation
because politicians and the voting public have difficulties
understanding why research of no immediate practical benefit should
be supported.

What Are the Divisions of Biopsychology?

Psychological Psychology
This is the division of biopsychology that studies the natural
mechanisms of behaviour throughout direct manipulation of the brain
in controlled experimentssurgical or electrical manipulations are the
most common.
Usually laboratory animals.
Psychopharmacology
This is similar to psychological psychology, except that it focuses on
the manipulation of neural activity and behaviour with drugs.
Although drugs are sometimes used by psychopharmacological to
study the basic principles of brain-behaviour interaction, the purpose
of many psychopharmacological experiments is to develop therapeutic
drugs, and to reduce drug abuse.
Neuropsychology
This is the study of psychological effects of the brain damage in human
patients.
This deals exclusively with case studies and quasiexperimental studies
of patients with brain damage resulting from disease, accident, or
neurosurgery.
The cerebral cortex is the most likely to be damaged from an accident
or surgery.
This is the most applied field in the discipline.
Psychophysiology

This is a division of biopsychology that studies the relation between

physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects.
This discipline usually uses an EEG.
Some other measures are muscle tension, eye movement, and several
indicators of autonomic nervous system activity.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the division of the
nervous system that regulates the bodys inner environment.

Cognitive Neuroscience
This is the youngest division of biopsychology, but it is currently among
the most active and exciting.
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.
Methods for this field are non-invasive as researchers work on human
subjects.
The biggest method of cognitive neuroscience is functional brain
imaging while a subject is engaged in a particular cognitive activity.
Comparative Psychology
Comparative psychologists compare the behaviour of different species
in order to understand the evolution, genetics, and adaptions of
behaviour.
Some psychologists engage in ethological research, which is the
study of animal behaviour in its natural environment.
Evolutionary psychology and behavioural genetics are a part of
comparative psychology.

Covering Operations: How Do Biopsychologists Work

Together?

A combined approach is called converging operations. Progress is

most likely made when different approaches are focused on on a single
problem in such a way that the strength of one approach compensates
for the weaknesses of the others.
Korsakoffs syndrome is when one has severe memory loss, and
because this occurs commonly in alcoholics, it was initially believed to
be a direct consequence of the toxic effect of alcohol in the brain.

Scientific Inference: How Do Biopsychologists Study the

Unobservable Workings of the Brain??

Scientific inference is when scietists measure key events that they

can observe and then use these measures as a basis for logically
inferring the nature of events that they can not observe.

Critical Thinking about Biopsychological Claims

Critical thinking is spotting a weakness of existing ideas and the
evidence on which they are based.

The first step to determine if something is valid is by judging the

validity of the research publications and if it is a reputable scientific
journal. The journal must go through a review process, and if it has not,
you should be skeptical about the information provided.