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The Biology of Psychology
Wade Johnson
• Ever wonder why you behave as you do?
• Or better yet why do others behave as they do?
• The answer is simply people behave as they
must because of a number of individual factors.
• To answer that we need to know “how” people
behave as they do.
So fasten your seat belts the
answer to these questions is
incredible!
All we study in science is
incredible, but human body and
its complicated physical
mechanisms are even more
incredible.
• More the most fantastic human function, by far is
the human mind. How does that make us who we
are, how we think, how we make decisions, how we
act and react?
• Our minds is the most significant item about us that
make us unique in all the universe and different
from every other living thing including other
people.
Psalm 139:14 [we] are wonderfully and fearfully
made.
The human body has millions of sensor cells all
over and inside.
There are three categories of sensory cell;
1. Physical Receptors
2. Chemical Receptors
3. Internal Receptors
• These sensor receptor cells have the unique of
detecting function information (data) through
these various senses, converting the data to
chemical electrical energy through a process
call transduction and transmitting the sensory
information from the sensors to the brain and
central nervous system.
Now get this!
• These neural chemical electrical signals are
unique and specific to the sensory organ that
is transmitting the information.
• A close example would be similar to a bar
code.
• The brain decodes these signals and identifies
it as to which sensory cell has sent it and the
nature of the information embedded on the
signal.
• This information is selected, organized
interpreted and stored experiential data into
meaningful patterns and useable mental
representations with a system we call
perception.
• The brain organizes sensory impressions into a
whole –complete form-forming capability of
our senses particularly with respect to the
visual recognition of figures and whole forms
instead of just a collection of simple lines and
curves.
• The complete
form-forming
capability of our
senses is known as
the Gestalt Theory
• The physical receptors are the optic system
(eyes) the auditory system (ears) and the skin
surface.
• Sensory information that is picked up by the
optic system is in the form of Light waves
enter retina detected and transduced into
neural signals. The light passes through the
pupil, and cornea. Rods and cones send
signals to the brain by activating bipolar and
ganglion cells. The Signal exits eye through
optic nerve to brain for further processing.
• Vision comes to you in the form of wave
energy.
• The waves are in nature and travel at 186,000
miles per second. They are transferred into
light energy by the nervous system.
• A wavelength of light is measured in *Nano
seconds.
• A Nano is one billionth of a meter.
• (*Greek = Dwarf).
• Human vision ranges form about 375 to about
775 Nanometers.
Sensory information that enters through the
auditory system is in the form of Sound a form
of energy created by changes in pressure that
moves through air, water, and other matter, in
waves of vibration.
• Variations in Air Pressure and Corresponding
Waveform. The rapid back-and-forth vibration
creates the longitudinal or compression waves
of sound
The ear is the sense organ that detects sounds.
These vibrations are transduced into neural signals
that are sent to the brain for further processing.
• Sensory information that enters from the
surface of the skin or, the sense of touch, has
receptors that yield sensations of heat
(warmth), cold, pressure, and pain.
• Signal transduction converts a mechanical or
chemical stimulus to a cell into a specific cellular
response. Signal transduction starts with a signal to
a receptor, and ends with a change in cell function.
• The Olfactory system Nose- Smelling and the
gustatory system the Tongue- Tasting make up
the chemical receptors.
• Then we have the internal sensory cells that
are really amazing. Those internal sensors are
the Vestibular Sensors, and Kinesthetic
Sensors.
• Kinesthetic sensors or the Kinesthesis sense is
responsible for body and posture orientation
and the orientation of the various parts of the
body to each other. Information is fed to the
brain from the sensors in the joints, tendons
and muscles. Instructions are then sent from
the brain to the joints, tendons and muscles
ordering them to perform certain tasks as
needed.
• The ability to touch your nose with your finger
is possible because of the Kinesthesis activity.
Vestibular Sense or Vestibular Neurophysiology
The Balance System
• The sense of balance and general body
orientation and position with respect to gravity
and space and our surroundings is controlled
by the vestibular sense. You are aware of
where you are now, and in what position
because of your vestibular sense
• Although much is known about the vestibular
part of the inner ear, key aspects of how the
vestibular receptors perceive, process and
report essential information are still mysterious
• Our vestibular system contains three
semicircular canals in each labyrinth. The
canals are cleverly arranged in such a way that
each canal on the left side has an almost
parallel counterpart on the right side
Each of these three pairs works in a push-pull
fashion: when one canal is stimulated, its
corresponding partner on the other side is
inhibited, and vice versa.
• As humans grow we learn new skills requiring
the coordinated movement of the body and
its limbs.
• As we develop these motor skills and
movements the kinesthetic sense is able to
program itself to automatically function as
needed.
• Then there are those
Feature detectors
specialized neurons
that respond only to
certain sensory
information.
• Feature detection is a process by which the
nervous system sorts or filters complex natural
stimuli in order to extract behaviorally
relevant cues that have a high probability of
being associated with important objects or
organisms in their environment, as opposed to
irrelevant background or noise
• Certain basic mechanisms for perceptual selection are built
into the brain. However a certain amount of interaction with
the environment is necessary for feature detector cells to
develop normally.
• Well now, how is this sensory information
transmitted to the areas of the brain and
spinal cord where the real work is done?
• It is done with neurons. Neurons are excitable
cells in the nervous system that processes and
transmits information by electrochemical
signaling.
• There are three types of neurons; Sensory
neurons, Motor neurons , Interneurons .
Neocortical Networks
• As you would imagine
the sensory neurons
pick up the sensory
stimuli by responding
to touch, sound, light
and numerous other
stimuli
affecting
cells of
thy1-YFP
mouse
the sensory organs that
then send signals to the
spinal cord and brain at
1000 feet per second.
200 µm
Feng et al., (2000) Neuron 28:41
• Interneurons picks up the signals and connect
neurons to other neurons within specific
regions of the central nervous system the
brain and spinal cord.
• Information received from the sensory
neurons is processed by processing systems in
the brain and spinal cord and they send
activation signals again through the
Interneurons to the Motor neurons that
activate muscle contractions and to certain
glands.
• These neurons are magnificent pieces of work. They
are made up of the neuron cell body dendrites,
axons and axon terminals.
• The cell membrane of the axon and cell body
contain voltage-gated ion channels which
allow the neuron to generate and propagate
an electrical signal (an action potential). These
signals are generated and propagated by
charge-carrying ions including sodium (Na+),
potassium (K+), chloride (Cl-), and calcium
(Ca2+).
Neurocrines
Table 8-4-2: Major Neurocrines
Voltage dependent conductances
• Channel opening is a
function of
transmembrane voltage
• When the
information is
handed off from
one neuron cell to
another it has to
fire the charge
across a fluid filled
gap between the
axon of one cell to
the dendrite of
another.
• This gap is called the synapse. It acts
something like a capacitor in an electrical
circuit.
• When the neural impulse reaches the synapse the axon
terminal releases chemicals (neural transmitters) into the
cleft. Neurotransmitters the chemical keys to this vital
communication between the sensors and the brain and spinal
cord.
• Chemical synapses allow neurons to form circuits within the
central nervous system. They are crucial to the biological
computations that underlie perception and thought. They
allow the nervous system to connect to and control other
systems of the body.
• The key element in the action of neurons is
chemical electricity.
They are involved in physical process such as
muscle contraction glandular action to secrete
specific hormones into the blood stream as
needed
They are also critical to the psychological processes
such as thoughts, memory and emotions.
The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system that
functions to coordinate the activity of all parts of the body located in the
center of the body and is made up of the brain and the bundle of nerves
in the spinal cord.
The spinal cord acts as the primary information pathway between the
brain and all the other nervous systems of the body. It receives sensory
information from the skin, joints, and muscles of the trunk, arms, and
legs, which it then relays upward to the brain.
It is the nerves (neurons) in the spinal cord that
carry messages between the brain and the body.
We can’t understate the importance of the
spinal cord as it acts as the primary information
pathway between the brain and all the other
nervous systems of the body.
It receives sensory information from the skin,
joints, and muscles of the trunk, arms, and legs,
which it then relays upward to the brain.
• There is a peripheral
nervous system that
contains among other
items the Autonomic
Nervous System
which controls
involuntary functions;
heart rate, digestion,
pupil dilation, and
breathing.
• Like an automatic
pilot.
• self-regulating a key
principle of all body
systems, which
depend of constant
feedback in order to
maintain
homeostasis.
• There are multiple
feedback loops in
the body which
continually send and
receive information
about what’s going
• The Autonomic Nervous System has two
branches
• Sympathetic and parasympathetic system
work in tandem to create a synergistic
stimulation that can be described as a
continuum depending upon how vigorously
each division is attempting to carry out its
actions.
• Controls those feelings
which are experienced as
coming UP – anger, fear,
excitement, desire, hatred
– and which if expressed
involve movement out, or
towards, or in the case of
fear, away from, an object.
• Sympathetic physiology
increases energy and
readies the body for action
– so it is also about the
need to do, express, act.
The parasympathetic nervous
system is the subsystem that
returns the body to balance
(homeostasis or relaxed state).
Also facilitates a concomitant of
coming DOWN – disappointment,
grief, shame, guilt, despair; and
contentment, peacefulness,
satisfaction - feelings which involve
a decrease in tension, withdrawal
of energy inward and tend more
towards introspection.
• Laughter and tears are both usually a sign of
parasympathetic activity. The parasympathetic
nervous system uses only acetylocholine (ACh) as its
neurotransmitter.
• The cerebrum also contains the cerebral cortex
involved in the higher-level functions such as
thinking, remembering and solving problems.
• The limbic system is of particular importance to the
functions of mental process and behavior. It is a set
of brain structures including the hippocampus,
amygdala, anterior thalamic nuclei, and limbic
cortex.
The limbic system
A set of highly inter-related brain structures which, when seen from the side, seem to
nest inside each other, encircling the brainstem in a 'wishbone'.
it supports a variety of functions including emotion, behavior, long term memory, the
formation of memory, Learning and cognitive processing and olfaction (Sense of Smell)
Explains why smells effect our memory
Responsible for the mental integration of
all functions related to personal
‘experience’ and personal identity.
The limbic system operates by influencing the
endocrine system and the autonomic nervous
system
• Emotions and feelings, like wrath, fright, passion,
love, hate, joy and sadness, are mammalian
inventions, originated in the limbic system.
• When we speak of “chemistry” between people
that is literally true.
• The Limbic system sends signals to the appropriate
glands to secret certain hormones into the blood
to induce certain feelings and their corresponding
actions.
This is the reason we can have behavior and
mental processes.
• That brings us to the next stage of our mental
process and subsequent behavior.
Consciousness.
• Consciousness connects the brain to specific
things in the environment to enable us to
coordinate our actions with the events that
are taking place around us.
• The concept that one exists as an individual,
separate from other people, with private
thoughts.
• In biological psychology, awareness comprises
one’s perception and cognitive reaction to a
condition or event.
• We make sense of our experiences and the
world around us.
• We are aware and conscious due to
interaction with sensory memory, perception,
environment and our own mental processes
with the help of our Limbic and Central
Nervous systems.
Now let’s consider how those
mental processes are formed
• When all this data comes in from the sensors
our minds form perceptions of the experience.
• Information is placed in the short term memory (the
workbench) where the perception and thought process
takes place.
• The meta memory scans the memory banks for
information pertaining to the experience.
• The memory banks finds and delivers the
information needed with the help of the
limbic system.
• The limbic system integrates the various
pieces of information.
• The frontal lobe, which we associate with
planning and intentional movement, houses
the central executive, which regulates the
activity of the other components of working
memory.
• Memory is critical to our
psychological and physical
survival.
• We could not function with
out memory.
• We can not learn without
memory.
• The cerebrum also contains the limbic system
which mediates emotional responses and
memory.
• The brain stem also controls the involuntary
activity of the tongue, larynx eyes and facial
muscles through specific motor neurons in
these areas.
• When you learn to
ride a bike, shoot a
gun, learn to dance or
perform any activity
that requires honed
motor skills your
practice in these
activities programs
the cerebellum so
that after a while
these movements are
semiautomatic.
• The cerebellum is known as the little brain.
Connected to the back of the brain stem
coordinates motor activity especially the fine
tuning or voluntary movements.
• The cerebellum functions in tandem with the inner ear to
and the kinesthetic system to help to coordinate motor
activity and maintain posture and balance.
• The process of selecting, organizing and
interpreting sensory data into useable mental
representations of the world is called
perception.
• Perception is a continuing process that never
ceases.
Pc>Bl>Bh>Cs
• There is always an excess of sensory
information, but the brain manages to sort
out the important messages and discard the
rest.
• This is called selective attention.
• There are certain stimuli in the environment
the brain determines is not necessary to
process.
• Example the sound of the HVAC system
• And how previous experiences will affect how
we perceive the next similar event.
• How one personally
interprets the
transaction and/or
experiences will affect
their behavior which
results from that
transaction.
• And this is an amazing fact regarding
perception we have some control over how
we choose to perceive an experience.
And how previous
experiences will affect
how we perceive the next
similar event.
Pc>Bl>Bh>Cs
• The number and type of experiences plus ,our
level of maturity will influence how we react
to the experience.
• The integrated processes we just discovered
all work together to allow us to think.
• Thinking is manipulating information in order
to make sense of it and thereby make
determinations as to what to do about it.
Information is gathered
and formed into a cognition.
• Cognitions are Billions of bits of data that is
related to a subject that enter into your
conscious mind when that subject is brought
to mind.
• Cognitions are then organized into concepts.
• Thinking allows us to solve problems. Problem
solving leads to decision making.
• It is through our decisions that we define who
we are.
• Our major decisions structure our lives. Smaller
decisions provide the texture to our lives.
• strong feelings about major, life-impacting
decisions, intuition works remarkably well
ion helping to make decisions.
• This is because the amygdala and other
brain regions associated with emotions store
heaps of valuable information—culled from
previous experiences and the pleasure or
displeasure they brought—that comes back
to us in the form of hunches.
• Thinking is biological.
• Neural, hormonal and chemical processes
working together produces thought.
• We gather and process information from the
sensors, the limbic system, and memory banks
where perception, learning and memory are
combined and stored.
• From memory, perception and thinking we
derive intelligence which in turn facilitates a
greater level of memory, perception and
thinking abilities.
• The property of the mind that encompasses
many related abilities, such as the capacities to
reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think
abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use
language, and to learn.
• The number of those cognitive abilities
available for use and the extent to which one is
capable of using them determines applicable
intelligence.
• Efficiency of neurons firing across synapse.
• Speed and availability of memory recall
• Capacity and efficiency of stored data in
memory
• Efficiency of habituation and classical
conditioning
• Effectiveness of operant conditioning
• Self concept
• From these factors we are capable of
developing maturity.
• Maturity refers to one’s mental and emotional
stability with regard to the exercising of
judgment through application of experience
and wisdom.
• Another significant aspect of the biology of
Psychology is the mental process that
generates the behavior we call emotion.
• Emotion is a feeling state involving thoughts
(cognitive), physiological changes, and an
outward expression or behavior.
• One experiences a cognition about something
creating a concern.
• Organizing raw sensory stimuli into
meaningful experiences involves cognition, a
set of mental activities that includes thinking,
knowing, and remembering.
• From this cognition one draws a perception
which sets off a collection of bodily responses
from the limbic system sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous system.
• secreting certain hormones (neurochemical
activity) into the system, depending on the
nature of the cognition, whether fear, love,
anger, , sorrow, reverence, pleasure,
displeasure, hate, etc.
• The awareness of these responses constitutes
a mental response and a physical (body, facial)
expression.
• The greater the mental response the greater
the level of emotion.
• Our education, thoughts, values, and
expectations also help determine the type and
intensity of our emotional responses.
• Once an emotional event is initially processed, it
eventually winds up in the prefrontal cortex, the
more civilized part of brain.
• Based on prior experiences, it will tell us if we are
being rational or not.
• It allows us to think through things, analyze
them, and anticipate consequences of our
behavior and predict how those consequences
would make us feel.
That is what happens when we think and
behave.
Do you find that amazing?
• Can you believe that all this biological,
physiological, and psychological activities
working together all came about by accident?
• Genesis 1:26 Mankind was created in the
image of the mighty ones.
• Proverbs 16:4 made all things
• John 1:3 all things made by him
• Psalm 139:14 Fearfully made
• Knowledge and experience are extremely
important for perception, because they help
us make sense of the input to our sensory
systems. To understand these ideas, try to
read the following passage:
• To be conscious to be awake, aware, alert,
attentive. The extent to which we are
conscious, or aware, will influence the extent
to which we can properly process data.
• We make sense of our experiences and the
world around us. We are aware and conscious
due to interaction with sensory memory,
perception, environment and our own mental
processes with the help of our Limbic and
Central Nervous systems.
• In biological psychology, awareness comprises
one’s perception and cognitive reaction to a
condition or event.
• Popular ideas about consciousness suggest a
condition of being aware of one's awareness
or, self-awareness.
• It is through these mechanism that we able to
learn.
• Learning is adding knowledge, skills.
understanding and awareness to one’s
consciousness, mental processes and applied
behavior.
• Learning and conditioning produce relatively
permanent changes in neural connections and
various parts of the brain. We can actually
alter the number of neural connections in the
brain as we develop more knowledge.