Download chapter 3: biological psychology

Pages 53-93
Objective 1: Explain why psychologists are concerned with human biology,
and describe the ill-fated phrenology theory

Phrenology:

Biological Psychology
Neural Communication
Objective 2: Explain how viewing each person as a biopsychosocial system
helps us understand human behavior, and discuss why researchers study
other animals in search of clues to human neural processes.
Neurons
Objective 3: Describe the parts of a neuron, and explain how its impulses are
generated

Neuron:
o Parts of a Neuron

Cell Body

Dendrites:

Axon:

Myelin Sheath:

Nodes of Ranvier:

Axon Terminals:
o Action Potential

Selectively permeable:

Ions:

Stimulus Threshold


All-or-None-Law
Refractory Period
How Neurons Communicate
Objective 4: Describe how nerve cells communicate

Synapse

Neurotransmitters:
(See chart)
How Neurotransmitters Influence Us
Objective 5: Explain how neurotransmitters affect behavior, and outline the effects
of acetylcholine and the endorphins

Acetylcholine (Ach):

Endorphins
How Drugs and Other Chemicals Alter Neurotransmission
Objective 6: Explain how drugs and other chemicals affect neurotransmission, and
describe the contrasting effects of agonists and antagonists

What happens when the brain is flooded with drugs such as heroin and morphine?

Agonists

Antagonists
The Nervous System
Objective 7: Describe the nervous system’s two major divisions, and identify the
three types of neurons that transmit information through the system

3 Types of Neurons
o Sensory Neurons:
o Motor Neurons:
o Interneurons
The Peripheral Nervous System
Objective 8: Identify the subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system, and
describe their functions
The Central Nervous System
Objective 9: Contrast the simplicity of the reflex pathways with the complexity of
neural networks.
 Spinal Cord:

Reflexes:
The Endocrine System
Objective 10: Describe the nature and functions of the endocrine system and its
interaction with the nervous system

Hormones:
Hormones are to the endocrine system as _____________ are to the
____________ __________________.
The endocrine system is faster / slower than the nervous system.
(circle the correct answer)

Adrenal glands:

Pituitary gland:
The Brain
The Tools of Discovery
Objective 11: Describe several techniques for studying the brain
Clinical Observation
Manipulating the Brain
Recording the Brain’s Electrical Activity
 Electroencephalogram (EEG):
Neuroimaging Techniques
 Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan:

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scan

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI):
Older Brain Structures
Objective 12: Describe the components of the brainstem, and summarize the
functions of the brainstem, thalamus, and cerebellum
The Brainstem
 Brainstem
o Medulla:
o Pons:

Reticular Formation (Reticular Activating System: RAS):

Thalamus:

Cerebellum (Latin for
):
The Limbic System
Objective 13: Describe the structures and functions of the limbic system, and
explain how one of these structures controls the pituitary gland.

Limbic System
o Amygdala:
o Hypothalamus:
“Hypo” means________________
“Reward” centers


Lateral Hypothalamus:
Ventromedial Hypothalamus:
o Hippocampus:
The Cerebral Cortex
Objective 14: Define cerebral cortex, and explain its importance for the human
brain.

Cerebral Cortex:
“Cortex” means ______________
Structure of the Cortex
Objective 15: Identify the four lobes of the cerebral cortex

o Glia Cells:
Frontal Lobe:

Parietal Lobe:

Occipital Lobe:

Temporal Lobe:
CRITICAL THINKING EXERCISE
CHAPTER 3: BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Assume that you play cards in your leisure time; perhaps the game of bridge or another
game that requires some skill. Using the table on the reverse side, identify how the
specific brain sites in the list would be involved in the complex skills employed in
playing cards.
Begin by identifying the general brain function. Then determine how that part of the
brain is directly involved in card playing. Please be as specific as possible; see the
“Hypothalamus” for an example of what I would like you to do.
BRAIN SITE
FUNCTION
INVOLVEMENT
HYPOTHALAMUS
Directs maintenance activities
(eating, drinking, body
temperature) also linked to
emotions
You get a bad hand but
regulate your emotions and
stay a “good sport”
OCCIPITAL LOBE
RETICULAR
FORMATION
(Reticular Activating
System: RAS)
CEREBELLUM
PARIETAL LOBE
CORPUS CALLOSUM
MEDULLA
TEMPORAL LOBE
FRONTAL LOBE
THALAMUS
AMYGDALA
HIPPOCAMPUS
Functions of the Cortex
Objective 16: Summarize some of the findings on the functions of the motor cortex
and the sensory cortex, and discuss the importance of the association areas.

Motor Functions:
o Motor Cortex:
o Mapping the Motor Cortex:
o Neural Prosthetics:

Sensory Functions:
o Sensory Cortex:

Association Areas:
Language
Objective 17: Describe the five brain areas that would b involved if you read this
sentence aloud.

Aphasia:
o Broca’s Area:
o Wernicke’s Area:
The Brain’s Plasticity
Objective 18: Discuss the brain’s plasticity following injury or illness.
Our Divided Brain
Objective 19: Describe split-brain research, and explain how it helps us understand
the functions of our left and right hemispheres
Splitting the Brain
 Corpus Callosum:

Split brain
o Everyday functioning for these patients is relatively unchanged
Studying Hemispheric Differences in the Intact Brain
The cerebral cortex is divided into a right and left hemisphere that is connected by the
corpus callosum

Lateralization:

Left Hemisphere:

Right Hemisphere:

Most of the functions of the cerebral cortex are shared by both hemispheres

Counter intuitively, input from the senses of vision and touch go into the opposite
hemisphere
Example: Stimulation of the left hand goes to the right hemisphere
Brain Organization and Handedness
Objective 20: Discuss the relationships among brain organization, handedness, and
mortality
Is Handedness Inherited?
So, Is it all Right to Be Left-Handed?
A Scientific Mystery: The Case of the Disappearing Southpaws
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW
Linking Brain Chemistry to Behavior
Check your understanding of relations between brain chemistry and behavior by
indicating which neurotransmitters or other biological chemicals have been linked to the
phenomena listed below. Choose your answers from the following list:
A. acetylcholine
B. norepinephrine
C. dopamine
D. serotonin
E. endorphins
_____1. A transmitter involved in the regulation of sleep, eating, and aggression.
_____2. The two neurotransmitters that have been linked to depression.
_____3. Chemicals that resemble opiate drugs in structure and that are involved in
feelings of pain and pleasure.
_____4. A neurotransmitter for which abnormal levels have been implicated in
schizophrenia.
_____5. The only neurotransmitter between motor neurons and voluntary muscles.
Relating Disorders to the Nervous System: Indicate the probable location of
any brain damage or the probable disturbance of neurotransmitter activity. (Your
answers should be in complete sentences)
Case 1: Zeon is exhibiting language deficits. In particular, he does not seem to
comprehend the meaning of words.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Case 2: Zelda displays tremors and muscular rigidity and is diagnosed as having
Parkinson’s Disease.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Case 3: Zeon, a 28-year-old computer executive, has gradually seen his strength and
motor coordination deteriorate badly. He is diagnosed as having multiple
sclerosis.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Case 4: Wendy is highly irrational, has poor contact with reality, and reports
hallucinations. She is given a diagnosis of schizophrenic disorder.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Chapter 1 Review
_____1. Researchers must describe the actions that will be taken to measure or control
each variable in their studies. In other words, they must:
A. provide operational definitions of their variables
B. decide whether their studies will be experimental or correlational
C. use statistics to summarize their findings
D. decide how many subjects should participate in their studies
_____2. A researcher wants to see whether a protein-enriched diet will enhance the
maze-running performance of rats. One group of rats is fed the high-protein
diet for the duration of the study; the other group continues to receive ordinary
rat chow. In this experiment, the diet fed to the two groups of rats is the
_____________ variable.
A. extraneous
C. dependent
B. control
D. independent
_____3. In a study of the effect of a new teaching technique on students’ achievement
test scores, an important extraneous variable would be the students’
A. hair color
C. IQ scores
B. athletic skills
D. sociability
_____4. Which of the following correlation coefficients would indicate the strongest
relationship between two variables?
A. +.58
C. -.97
B. +.19
D. -.05
Review Questions for Prologue and Chapter 1
_____1.
Students will be able to read a statement printed in the Comic Sans font faster
than the same statement written in the Lucinda Calligraphy font.
The statement above is a(n)
A. hypothesis
B. theory
C. Replication
D. operational definition
E. correlation
_____2.
A quasi-experiment cannot be considered a controlled experiment because
A. subjects cannot be randomly selected
B. subjects cannot be randomly assigned
C. experimenter bias is unavoidable
D. demand characteristics are unavoidable
E. too few subjects participate in the procedure
_____3.
When subjects in the experimental group put a puzzle piece in the wrong
place, the experimenter unconsciously winced. The experimenter did not
wince when subjects in the control group put a piece in the wrong place.
One method to eliminate the wincing of the experimenter is by instituting
A. the experimenter expectancy effect
B. the single-blind/single-mask procedure
C. the double-blind/double-mask procedure
D. counterbalancing
_____4.
If Aristotle and Locke, who both believed that what we know is acquired from
experience, were alive today, they would best agree with the
A. behavioral approach
D. biological approach
B. psychoanalytic approach
E. psychodynamic approach
C. humanistic approach
_____5.
Wilhelm Wundt and the structuralists studied questions still asked today
primarily by
A. behavioral psychologist
D. humanistic psychologists
B. cognitive psychologists
E. sociocultural psychologists
C. psychodynamic psychologists
_____6.
With which definition of psychology would John B. Watson and B.F.Skinner
most agree?
A. Psychology is the science of behavior
B. Psychology is the science of mental processes
C. Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes
D. Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes specific to contexts.
Amygdala:
Area of the brain in the temporal lobe that seems to affect aggressive
behavior
Auditory:
Having to do with the sense of hearing
Autonomic
Nervous System:
Part of the peripheral nervous system that controls things that you don’t
have to think about (such as heartbeat)
Axon:
Long section of the nerve cell that carries impulses to other nerve cells
Broca’s area:
Area on the left side of the brain in the frontal lobe; it controls the
ability to speak
Central
Nervous System:
The brain and the spinal cord
Cerebellum:
A large structure that bulges out at the lower end of the brain; controls
movement and balance
Corpus Callosum:
A large bundle of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres;
carries communication back and forth between the two hemispheres
Convolutions:
The folds and ridges on the surface of the brain
Dendrite:
Part of a neuron that receives information from other neurons
Epilepsy:
A severe disease of the nervous system characterized by convulsions
and often unconsciousness
Fissure:
A large groove in the cortex
Forebrain:
One of the major divisions of the brain; contains the cerebrum,
olfactory bulbs, thalamus, and hypothalamus
Frontal Lobe:
One of the main divisions of each half of the forebrain; involved in
motor control, motivation, planning, and emotion
Gyrus:
The bulge between one sulcus and another
Hippocampus:
An area of the brain that is involved with hearing
Hypothalamus:
An area of the brain that regulates much of what goes on inside of the
the body
Korsakoff’s
Psychosis:
A psychosis characterized by loss of recent memories
Lens:
A transparent structure in the eye that helps focus light
Limbic system:
A group of brain areas involved in the control of motivated behavior
and emotion
Mammillary
bodies:
An area in the limbic system that seems to be involved in memory
processing
Medulla
Oblongata:
The part of the hindbrain that connects to the spinal cord; helps
control breathing and heart rate
Midbrain:
One of the three major divisions of the brain; located between the
hindbrain and the forebrain
Neuron:
A cell with a long thin shape and an ability to conduct electrochemical
signals.
Occipital Lobe:
One of the main divisions of each half of the forebrain; involved in sight
Optic Chiasma:
Area in the brain where the neurons of the optic nerve are rearranged to
go to both sides of the brain
Parietal Lobe:
One of the main divisions of each half of the forebrain; involved in body
image; helps bring together information from the senses and is involved
in language
Peripheral
Nervous System:
The nervous system excluding the brain and spinal cord and including
all other sensory and motor nerves
Phrenology:
The study of personality through the feeling of bumps on the head
Pineal body:
A small area in the brain that might serve as a kind of internal clock
Pons:
Part of the hindbrain; a “bridge” of sensory and motor nerves; contains
part of the reticular formation that is involved in sleep
Receptor Cells:
Cells that specialize in detecting stimuli such as light
Reticular formation: A network of nerve cells running through the center of the brainstem;
affects attention and wakefulness
Retina:
Membrane in the eye that contains light-sensitive cells
Sulcus:
A groove in the cortex
Temporal Lobe:
One of the main divisions of each half of the forebrain; involved in
hearing and memory
Thalamus:
An area of the forebrain through which most sensory information passes
Ventricles:
Four fluid-filled cavities (hones) in the brain
Wernicke’s Area:
Area on the left side of the brain in the temporal lobe; controls the
ability to understand spoken language