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Biological Psychology
Branch of psychology concerned with the links
between biology and behavior
Areas of study include neuroscience
(functions and structures of the brain),
nervous system, endocrine system and the
relative contribution of evolution and
genetics
Phrenology
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The science which studies the
relationships between a
person's character and the
morphology of the skull. It is
a very ancient object of
study.
Discovered by the Austrian
physician Franz Joseph GALL
(1758-1828).
Brain Teaser Time!!!
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1. Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was
named April. The second child was named May. What was
the third child’s name?
2. A clerk at a butcher shop stands five feet ten inches tall
and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?
3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the
highest mountain in the world?
4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet
by three feet by four feet?
5. What word in the English language is always spelled
incorrectly?
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6. Billie was born on December 28th, yet her birthday
always falls in the summer. How is this possible?
7. In British Columbia you cannot take a picture of a man
with a wooden leg. Why not?
8. If you were running a race and you passed the person
in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?
9. Which is correct to say, “The yolk of the egg is white”
or “The yolk of the egg are white?”
10. A farmer has five haystacks in one field and four
haystacks in another. How many haystacks would he have
if he combined them all in one field?
Measuring Brain Structures and Activity
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Electroencephalogram
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Or EEG measures
electrical currents
across the brain.
Intended to measure
brain activity.
Measuring Brain Structures and Activity
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CT scan
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Computerized axial
tomography is an X-ray
of brain tissue. Shows
brain structure
Measuring Brain Structures and Activity
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PET scan
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Positron Emissions
Tomography. Patients
drinks radioactive
glucose and image shows
areas of brain activity.
Measuring Brain Structures and Activity
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MRI
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Magnetic Resonance
Imaging exposes brain
to magnetic field to
shows brain structure
Measuring Brain Structures and Activity
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fMRI
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Functional MRI uses
magnetic field. Most
recent and promising
tool for research.
Shows brain structure
and activity
Neurons and Neuroscience
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Neuron A nerve cell. The building blocks of
the nervous system. Trillions of nerve cells
are in the brain (neurons and neuroglia)
 Dendrite Extensions that receive
messages and conduct impulses toward
the cell body
 Axon The extension of a neuron, ending
in terminal branches, through which
messages are sent to other neurons or
to muscles or glands
 Myelin Sheath Layer of fatty cells
encasing the fibers of many neurons
enabling greater transmission speed of
neural impulses
Neurons and Neuroscience
Neural Communication
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Synapse The area between the axon tip of
the sending neuron and the dendrite of the
cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny
gap is called the synaptic gap.
Neurotransmitters Chemical messengers
that cross the synaptic gaps between
neurons. These travel across the synapse
and bind to specific receptor sites on the
receiving neuron.
Excess neurotransmitters are enzymatically
broken down or reabsorbed by receptors in
a reuptake process.
Neural Communication
Some Important Neurotransmitters
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Acetylcholine Learning, memory and muscle control.
Deficit present in Alzheimer’s disease.
Endorphins Opiate-like action linked to pain control
and to pleasure.
Norepinephrine/Noradrenaline Related to arousal
and state of alert (fight or flight).
Serotonin Mood, sleep, arousal, pain sensitivity and
hunger regulation. Implicated in depression.
Antidepressants raise levels.
Dopamine Movement, learning and attention. A
deficit seen in Parkinson’s disease. An excess in
schizophrenia.
Neural Communication
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Action Potential A neural impulse. A brief
electrical charge that travels down an axon.
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Threshold The level of stimulation required
to trigger a neural impulse.
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All or Nothing (None) response Like it
sounds. Neurons on the basis of “all or
nothing”.
Refractory period The period of rest
following a neural impulse
Cool Research in Neural Communication
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Neural plasticity and Synaptic pruning
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Neurogenesis
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Article on Neuroplasticity
Article on Adult Neurogenesis
Mirror neurons
Organization of the Nervous System
Brain Stem
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Medulla
Oblongata Along
brain stem the
MO controls
heartbeat and
breathing
Reticular
formation bundle
of nerves running
through the
brainstem;
controls arousal
and attention
Thalamus
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Pair of eggshaped organs
above the
brainstem;
receives
information
from all senses
(except smell)
and relays it to
the rest of the
brain:
afferent/sensory
impulses
Thalamus
Cerebellum
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Located in the rear
of the head, behind
the brainstem, the
cerebellum controls
balance and
coordination
Limbic System
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Amygdala Controls
emotions of fear,
anger and
aggression
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Brain 24
Hypothalamus Key
structure regulates
hunger, thirst, body
temp, sex, fight or
flight, reward
center
Mind 6
Hippocampus
Implicated in
learning and
memory
Cerebral Cortex
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Controls
information
processing;
convolutions
increase surface
area
Composed of two
hemispheres, and
four lobes, Frontal,
Parietal, Occipital
and Temporal
Frontal Lobes
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Includes
Association areas
for judgment,
planning,
processing new
memories
At back is the
motor cortex
(controls
movement)
Speech 2 parts of
the brain
Broca and beyond
Parietal Lobes
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Contains the
sensory cortex
Contralateral
Occipital Lobes
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Located in the
back of the
head it
contains the
visual cortex
Temporal Lobes
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Located on the
sides of head,
above ears
Receives and
processes
auditory
information
Corpus Callosum
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The bundle of
nerves that
connects the left
and right
hemispheres
Name that brain part
Split Brain Research
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Sperry and Gazzaniga’s research
 The Brain: Split Brain
 Split Brain NP.Org
 Scientific American excerpt
The Endocrine System
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Endocrine System
 the body’s “slow”
chemical
communication
system comprised of
a set of glands that
secrete hormones
into the bloodstream
 Governed by the
hypothalamus and
pituitary gland
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Hormones- chemical substances
that carry messages through the
body in blood.
Hormones affect behavior, body
structure, metabolism, energy, and
personality.
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Heredity- is the transmission of
characteristics from parents to
children.
Genes are the basic building blocks
of heredity.
Identical twins- develop from a
single fertilized egg and share the
same genes.
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Fraternal twins- develop from two
fertilized eggs and genes are no
more similar than those between a
brother and sister.
All the effects that genes have on
behavior occur through their role in
building and modifying the physical
structures of the body.