PSYC 2410 Study Guide - Summer 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Neuron, Cerebral Cortex, Memory
12 Oct 2018
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PSYC 2410
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
What is Biopsychology?
Biopsychology is the study of the biological basis of behaviour. The brain and behaviour are two
of the most interesting subjects in science and studying the relationships between the brain and
behaviour is a fascinating field of research
The emergence of biopsychology as a distinct field of study occurred in the 20th century and is
generally traced to the publication of D.O. Hebb's The organization of Behaviour where the first
comprehensive theory of how the brain and the rest of the nervous system determine what we
perceive, feel, think and remember
oHebb's theory was based upon an eclectic approach, assimilating research involving
humans and laboratory animals, clinical studies, and logical arguments
This approach has guided biopsychological research where researchers use
theories ad research from psychology, biology, physiology, pharmacology, and
anatomy to describe, understand and predict behaviour
There are four main themes that will guide our study of biopsychology
oThinking clearly about biopsychology
Development of your ability to critically evaluate the information you are
presented from a variety of sources such as the media, internet, friends, relatives, and
teachers
You will learn to take nothing at face value and to judge the rationality and
source of claims and assess their relevance to society in general and individuals in
particular
You will learn to become creative in your thinking, how to look at issues from
different perspectives and expand your thinking about that issue
oClinical implications
Show you how what we learn about the normal brain often comes from
examining a diseased or damaged brain and from that how we also have the
opportunity to learn how to treat brain disorders
oThe evolutionary perspective
Evaluates the evolution of the brain and behaviour due to likely environmental
pressures and how this is often understood using a comparative approach which
evaluates biological phenomena by comparing them in different species
oNeuroplasticity
The understanding that the brain is a plastic organ, capable of changing in
response to genetic programs and experiences
To conclude, biopsychology employs the research and theories of other disciplines to
understand and predict behaviour.
Disciplines such as neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neuroendocrinology, neuropathology,
neuropharmacology, and neurophysiology specialize in the study of the brain and bio-
psychologists make a unique contribution to these fields by bringing their expertise in behaviour
and methods of behavioural research
The Diversity of Biopsychological Research
To understand the study of Biopsychology it is important to know how bio-psychologists
conduct their research. There are three dimensions along which this research varies:
a. Human vs. nonhuman subjects
With human research the advantages are that they can follow directions, report
subjective experiences, are often less expensive to study and have a human brain
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The advantages of working with nonhuman subjects is that they have a simpler
nervous system, studying various species makes the comparative approach possible
and there are fewer ethical constraints in working with nonhuman subjects
On the point of studying the brain you might ask why do research with
nonhumans? The answer relates to the evolutionary continuity of the brain
Our brains differ from other mammals more in terms of size and cortical
development but basic functioning is consistent between species
On the point of ethical constraint it is important to understand that ALL
biopsychological research is regulated by independent committees that follow strict
ethical guidelines
b. Experimental vs. nonexperimental studies
Biopsychological research can be conducted using either an experimental or a
nonexperimental approach
Experiments
Used to determine the basics of how experimental manipulations effect
behaviour
In an experimental situation the experimenter attempts to keep all
conditions constant for each treatment condition so that the only thing that
varies between each treatment condition is the independent variable
The experimenter can then measure the effect of the
independent variable on the dependent variable
When the experiment is well designed the conclusion that can be drawn
from any differences that occurred between treatment groups is that they were
caused by the independent variable
while this sounds like a simple process it is often difficult to
obtain a conclusive determination of cause due to the influence of
unintended differences between the treatment groups that can influence
the dependent variable
Confounded variables make a conclusive determination of the
experimental effect of the independent variable difficult because it is impossible
to determine how much of the effect seen on the dependent variable was
caused by the independent or confounded variable
Nonexperimental studies
Can be situations in research that make it impossible to conduct
controlled experiment
There may be situations with human subject where it would be
impossible for technical or ethical reasons to assign them to a treatment group
Instead of completely abolishing a line of research with human
subjects, researchers can use alternative design protocols with less stringent
criteria than those for experimental studies
Quasi-experimental design
Researchers can examine subjects in real world situations who are "self-
selected" for the research based upon a specific condition those subjects have
The major shortcoming of this type of experimental design is that it
cannot control for confounding variables and therefore cannot allow
establishment of direct causal relationships
Case studies
Scientific studies that are conducted on a single subject
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Biopsychology is the study of the biological basis of behaviour. The brain and behaviour are two of the most interesting subjects in science and studying the relationships between the brain and behaviour is a fascinating field of research. The emergence of biopsychology as a distinct field of study occurred in the 20th century and is generally traced to the publication of d. o. This approach has guided biopsychological research where researchers use theories ad research from psychology, biology, physiology, pharmacology, and anatomy to describe, understand and predict behaviour. There are four main themes that will guide our study of biopsychology o. Development of your ability to critically evaluate the information you are presented from a variety of sources such as the media, internet, friends, relatives, and teachers. You will learn to take nothing at face value and to judge the rationality and source of claims and assess their relevance to society in general and individuals in particular.
