PSYCH 106:
PHYSIOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGY
Course Outline
1. Biopsychology as a Neuroscience
2. Anatomy of the Nervous System
3. Neural Conduction and Synaptic Transmission
4. Research Methods of Biopsychology
5. Development of the Nervous System
6. Brain Damage and Neuroplasticity
7. Learning, Memory and Amnesia
8. Hunger, Eating and Health
9. Hormones and Sex
10. Sleep, Dreaming, and Circadian Rhythm
11. Drug Addiction and the Brain’s Rewards Circuits
12. Biopsychology of Emotion, Stress, and Health
13. Biopsychology of Psychiatric Disorders
Chapter 1
BIOPSYCHOLOGY AS A
NEUROSCIENCE
OUTLINE
1. What is Biopsychology?
2. Relation between Biopsychology and other fields of
Neuroscience
3. Biopsychological research methods
4. Divisions of Biopsychology
5. Converging operations
6. Scientific inference
INTRODUCTION
▪ Human brain – “a squishy,
wrinkled, walnut-shaped hunk of
tissue”; 1.3 kg.
➢ Neurons – cells that receive and
transmit electrochemical signals
▪ Neuroscience – scientific study of
the nervous system
➢ Does the brain have the capacity to
understand something as complex as
itself?
BIOPSYCHOLOGY
▪ Scientific study of the biology of
behavior
▪ Also called Psychobiology,
Behavioral Biology, Behavioral
Neuroscience
BIOPSYCHOLOGY
▪ Biopsychology began to emerge as a distinct area in
psychology towards the end of the 19th century
▪ Donald O. Hebb’s The Organization of Behavior (1949) – how
psychological thought processes are produced by brain activity.
▪ Eclectic – a combination of theories and research from many
different areas (psychology, biology, physiology,
pharmacology, and anatomy) to better describe, understand
and predict behavior.
BIOPSYCHOLOGY as a
Discipline of Neuroscience
What is NEUROSCIENCE?
▪ Neuroscience – the study of the nervous system
▪ It includes many different approaches such as:
❖ Neuroanatomy
❖ Neurochemistry
❖ Neuroendocrinology
❖ Neuropathology
❖ Neuropharmacology
❖ Neurophysiology
BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Three Major Dimensions
Human and Experiments Pure and
Nonhuman and Non- Applied
subjects Experiments Research
Human and Nonhuman Subjects
▪ Species differences are more quantitative than qualitative.
▪ Why use nonhumans?
1. They have simpler nervous systems
2. It is possible to use a comparative, cross-species approach
3. It has fewer ethical constraints
▪ Why use humans?
1. They can follow instructions
2. They can report their introspections
3. They are often less expensive
Experiments and Non-Experiments
▪ Experiments involve the manipulation of variables.
▪ Experiments involving living subjects require that subjects be placed in
various conditions.
Experiments and Non-Experiments
▪ Conditions
➢ Between-subjects design:
➢ Within-subjects design:
Experiments and Non-Experiments
▪ Conditions
➢ Between-subjects design: Different groups of subjects tested under each
condition
➢ Within-subjects design: Same group of subjects tested under each
condition
Experiments and Non-Experiments
▪ Independent Variable (IV) – causes a change in the DV
▪ Dependent Variable (DV) – effect of the IV
Example: Effect of time sleep on students’ scores
IV – time of sleep
DV – test scores
▪ Confounding/Confounded variable – other factor associated
with DV and IV
Example: You can’t sleep because you are worried that you might fail
▪ May distort or mask the effects of IV on the DV.
▪ Lester & Gorzalka (1988) solve
confounded variable problem with a
clever experimental design: a third male
▪ Problem: Coolidge effect only been
demonstrated in males (hamsters);
attempts with females were
unsuccessful.
▪ Hypothesis: Studies with females were
confounded by the fact that male
partners get fatigued so quickly.
▪ Solution: Use more male partners to
compensate for the confound of male
sexual fatigue.
Experiments and Nonexperiments
▪ Nonexperiments – researcher does not control the variables
1. Quasiexperimental studies – studies of groups of subjects
exposed to conditions in the real world
➢ Not real experiments as potential confounding variables have not been
controlled.
2. Case studies focus on a single individual
➢ Usually more in-depth than other approaches, but may not be
generalizable.
➢ Generalizability – the degree to which results can be applied to other
cases.
Example of Case Study: Jimmie G.
▪ Location of Damage: Medial Diencephalon (Medial Thalamus and
Medial Hypothalamus)
▪ Jimmie G. was a gregarious 49-year-old man, who enjoyed talking
about his experiences as a schoolboy and about his time in the
navy.
▪ Intelligent, and possessed superior math and science abilities
▪ Resident of a neurological ward.
▪ When recounting his experiences as a schoolboy, he used past
tense; however, when recalling his experiences from the navy, he
switched to present tense.
Example of Case Study: Jimmie G.
▪ Never talked about anything that happened to him after his time in
the navy.
▪ Jimmie G. believed that he was a 19-year-old young man still
serving his country.
▪ When shown his reflection, he would become confused and
disgruntled.
▪ If you were to leave his presence only to come back a few minutes
later, Jimmie G. would greet you as if he had never seen you before.
Example of Case Study: Jimmie G.
▪ Additional testing revealed that he was suffering from Korsakoff’s
syndrome, which is a disorder displayed in people who have
consumed large amounts of alcohol.
▪ Amnesia is attributable to the brain damage caused by thiamine
deficiency (vitamin B1), most often seen displayed in chronic
alcoholics.
▪ In its advanced stages, like that of Jimmie G’s case, Korsakoff’s
syndrome produces profound amnesic effects.
Pure and Applied Research
▪ Pure research – conducted for the purpose of acquiring knowledge.
▪ to expand knowledge, understand underlying principles, and explore
theoretical concepts.
▪ It is driven by intellectual curiosity and the desire to uncover fundamental
truths about the natural world.
▪ Applied research – intended to bring about some direct benefit to
humankind.
▪ primary goal to solve specific, practical problems or address real-world
issues.
▪ It is focused on the direct application of knowledge to develop solutions,
products, or technologies.
▪ Some research projects may have elements of both
DIVISIONS OF BIOPSYCHOLOGY
Physiological
Psychopharmacology Neuropsychology
Psychology
Cognitive Comparative
Psychophysiology Neuroscience Psychology
Divisions of Biopsychology
▪ Physiological Psychology
❖ Neural mechanisms of behavior
❖ Direct manipulation of the brain
▪ Psychopharmacology
❖ Effects of drugs on the brain and behavior
▪ Neuropsychology
❖ Psychological effects of brain damage in humans.
Divisions of Biopsychology
▪ Psychophysiology
❖ Relation between physiological activity and psychological processes
❖ Example: visual tracking in schizophrenics Divisions of Biopsychology
Divisions of Biopsychology
▪ Cognitive Neuroscience –
the neural bases of cognition
❖ Functional brain imaging is the
major method of cognitive
neuroscience.
▪ Comparative Psychology
❖ Comparing different species to
understand evolution, genetics and
adaptiveness of behavior.
