Biological approaches to the mind and behaviour ps1005
100 million neurons in brain – uses 25% of our energy.
Psychological and physiological systems are intertwined.
Biological explanations of behaviour:
Physiological – relates to brain activity / activity of other organs. For
example, chemical reactions that enable hormones to influence brain
activity. Brain activity causes behaviour.
Ontogenetic (means origin of being) – development of structure or
behaviour. Including the influence of genes, nutrition and
experience.
Evolutionary – reconstruct the evolutionary history of behaviour or
structure.
Functional – why structure or behaviour evolved as it did. For
example, within a small population, genes can spread by accident
through the process of genetic drift. = Functional gene recognises
that advantage can explain why behaviour evolved the way it did –
for example camouflage = survival.
3 main approaches to studying the neuroscience of behaviour:
Manipulate the body:
Administer hormone – Eg testosterone or placebo to study the
strength of mating behaviour.
Stimulate brain region –
Cut connections between parts of nervous system to see if there is a
recognition of stimulus
, Somatic – the effect on the body
Experience affects the body: Behaviour intervention
Male in presence of female – somatic (affect on body) = see the
change in hormone levels
Present stimulus – see changes in electrical activity in brain
Give training – see anatomical changes in nerve cells
Bodily and behavioural measures covary: Brain body associations –
Brain size correlates to learning scores
Hormone levels correlates to strength of mating behaviour
Enlarged cerebral ventricles correlation schizophrenia symptoms
What is causality and what is causation?
Correlation tells us two variables are related but doesn’t tell us about
causality and why they are related
X causes y and y causes x (causal relationship)
To look into causality, we need to do experiments and manipulate
variables.
Levels of analysis – Behavioural intervention to see the effect
(somatic variables)
100 million neurons in brain – uses 25% of our energy.
Psychological and physiological systems are intertwined.
Biological explanations of behaviour:
Physiological – relates to brain activity / activity of other organs. For
example, chemical reactions that enable hormones to influence brain
activity. Brain activity causes behaviour.
Ontogenetic (means origin of being) – development of structure or
behaviour. Including the influence of genes, nutrition and
experience.
Evolutionary – reconstruct the evolutionary history of behaviour or
structure.
Functional – why structure or behaviour evolved as it did. For
example, within a small population, genes can spread by accident
through the process of genetic drift. = Functional gene recognises
that advantage can explain why behaviour evolved the way it did –
for example camouflage = survival.
3 main approaches to studying the neuroscience of behaviour:
Manipulate the body:
Administer hormone – Eg testosterone or placebo to study the
strength of mating behaviour.
Stimulate brain region –
Cut connections between parts of nervous system to see if there is a
recognition of stimulus
, Somatic – the effect on the body
Experience affects the body: Behaviour intervention
Male in presence of female – somatic (affect on body) = see the
change in hormone levels
Present stimulus – see changes in electrical activity in brain
Give training – see anatomical changes in nerve cells
Bodily and behavioural measures covary: Brain body associations –
Brain size correlates to learning scores
Hormone levels correlates to strength of mating behaviour
Enlarged cerebral ventricles correlation schizophrenia symptoms
What is causality and what is causation?
Correlation tells us two variables are related but doesn’t tell us about
causality and why they are related
X causes y and y causes x (causal relationship)
To look into causality, we need to do experiments and manipulate
variables.
Levels of analysis – Behavioural intervention to see the effect
(somatic variables)
