what is biopsychology? why study...

What is biopsychology? !

Why study biopsychology?"

•! PSYC 106 – Introduction to Biological Psychology"

•! Professor Gorman"

When you hear the word

“biological,” what comes to

mind?"

•! Biology is NOT determinism"

•! Brains produce behavior AND behavior

changes brains"

•! Multiple approaches COMPLETE, don’t

COMPETE"

MANTRAS"

Anatomy –"

Physiology – "

Development – "

Evolution – "

Ecology – "

Why do birds sing?"

Why does your dog growl?"

Why is someone dependent on

alcohol?"

Levels of Analysis: "

Reductionism vs emergent properties (TRANS)"

"How does bird learn song?"

" "Through social interactions"

" "Through hearing/brain"

" "Through particular song nuclei"

" "Looking at structure of these nuclei"

" "Cellular mechanisms"

" "Ionic mechanisms"

•! Monisha Sullivan"

•! Nadine Burke"

•! Anda & Felitti (ACE)"

•! Michael Meaney"

•! Bruce McEwen"

•! Is it surprising that childhood traumas are

associated with higher rates of addiction?"

•! Heart disease?"

•! Cancer?"

“Mechanisms” – HOW adverse

experiences alter brain/body/mind?"

•! Animal studies – fear/anxiety/hormones/

immune function/gene expression "

•! Human studies try to confirm"

Course Description:

This course surveys the field of Physiological/Biological

Psychology, an area of study concerned with physiological

and evolutionary explanations of perception, cognition, and

behavior. Because these functions depend on the nervous

system, a major focus of the course will be on the structure

and function of the brain with an emphasis on brain-

behavior relations. Topics will include: evolutionary

perspectives on brain and behavior, anatomy and

development of the brain, neural signaling

(neurotransmitters, drugs, hormones), and neural

mechanisms of sensory processing, motor control

(movement, action), motivated behavior (feeding,

drinking), emotion, and learning and memory.

Required Texts:

Biological Psychology (10th Ed.) James W. Kalat,

available at the bookstore

Supplemental readings may be posted on the course

website

Optional Resources:

Study Guide for Kalat's Biological Psychology

Book website with quizzes

http://www.wadsworth.com (follow links to the book

psychology ! biopsychology etc.)

Course Structure:"

Fundamentals"

Inputs -- Sensory Components"

Outputs -- Motor/Movements"

In-between -- Motivation/Cognition etc"

Odds and Ends"

Study Questions"•! Along what dimensions can the nervous

system be usefully divided into smaller units, either functionally (i.e., in terms of how things work) or structurally (i.e., in terms of how it is built)?

•! Why and how does Nadine Burke use assessments of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in her San Francisco medical clinic?

•! Today 1.1, 4.1-4.3; New Yorker Article •! Next Class 1.2; 2.1-2.2

Fig. 2-1, p. 28!

Fly, worm, bacterium?"

1-4 mm"

Choi, BIOL PSYCHIATRY 2009;65:227–234"

Summary"

•! Structured -- Not homogeneous mush"

•! Named descriptively"

•! Function is localized but also distributed!

•! Can identify structure/function (brain/

behavior) relationships"

Study Questions"

•! Along what dimensions can the nervous system be usefully divided into smaller units, either functionally (i.e., in terms of how things work) or structurally (i.e., in terms of how it is built)?

•! Why and how does Nadine Burke use assessments of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in her San Francisco medical clinic?