Bio-psychologists believe that behaviour is hereditary and carried in the genes. The brain and nervous system are integral to this approach and the chemicals in our bodies such as the neurotransmitters and hormones have a large impact on our behaviour. This can be traced back to the genes and DNA as this is where the chemicals are produced. This approach believes that too much or too little of these chemicals can cause mental health problems such as depression and schizophrenia. 1 – The Biological approach treats mental illnesses as any other illness by labelling it, normally by using the DSM IV or ICD 10 then using drugs to treat the illness (or psychosurgery).
The hippocampus on the other side is responsible for the production of corticosteroids (chemicals that produce physiological responses to stimuli). How the mind creates memories is controlled by the hippocampus. So as to work efficiently, the amygdala and the hippocampus rely on each other greatly. The amygdala regulates the responses to stimuli and the hippocampus uses these responses in the formation of both short-term and long-term memories. Damage to the amygdala or hippocampus causes loss of emotions and memory respectively.
Biological Psychology Name PSY 340: Biological Foundations of Psychology Date Biological Psychology The beginning of behavior, emotion, and thought all begin in the brain and this is the foundation of biological psychology. Biological psychology is the scientific study of the physiological bases of human behavior and mental processes. Biological psychology is also known as behavioral neuroscience and physiological psychology. Biological psychology focuses on the relationship of underlying physiological events and psychological processes. This form of psychology is involved with the mind-body dispute and researchers how they affect one another.
If a blood vessels bursts this is called a stroke. The blood becomes sticky because the amount of sugar and fats that have been released into the blood to try and respond. Stress can be linked with many problems such as eczema, depression and stomach. There are different ways to manage stress and this can be from medication to exercise. The human body is designed to know when stress is used and is effecting the body and your body should know how and when to react to it.
The loops involves the orbital frontal cortex which picks up on situations that we need to worry about and then sends this message on to the Caudate Nucleus which describes whether or not the message is important and if it deems yes, the message is passed on to the thalamus, which acts upon the received message. However in a faulty brain such as someone with OCD, the Caudate Nuclei has tissue damage and so whenever it receives information from the Orbital Frontal Cortex, it deems the message as important and therefore an issue that needs to be dealt with. Because of this sufferers of OCD get compulsions such as a repeated washing of their
In the first Alarm stage, the presence of a stressful event is registered. This can be a threat from outside or a physical stressor, such as injury or illness affecting the body. Adrenaline is released and the heart rate goes up. Muscle tension, blood sugar and the pain threshold increases. In the second stage of Resistance, the body’s stress response is fully activated and is apparently coping with the stressor.
The abnormality lies mainly in the pathway linking the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex with the basal ganglia. The frontal lobes are responsible for deliberation and judgement (thinking), while the basal ganglia act as a relay station in the planning and execution of movements (behaviour). PET Scans of patients with active symptoms of OCD show heightened activity in parts of the frontal cortex known as the Orbital frontal cortex (OFC). Obsessive and compulsive symptoms can be caused by a loss of tissue in the caudate nuclei, areas in the basal ganglia that filter messages coming from the OFC before passing the more important ones to other parts of the brain. Researchers suspect that the caudate nuclei form perform this selection function poorly with those with OCD.
The body receives oxygen from the lungs and transmits it to your muscles through your bloodstream. The heart controls the flow of blood throughout the body and your heart rate is a factor of that flow. Therefore when your muscles work harder and require more oxygen, your heart rate increases to meet the needs to maintain a consistent internal state, the harder you work the faster your heart pumps. The probable homeostatic responses to changes in the internal environment during exercise to the breathing rate, exercise will increase the demands on your body to supply the fuel it needs to perform. Your body’s need for oxygen will increase.
Psychologists working from the biological perspective argue that we can inherit a predisposition to anxiety disorders (Morris & Maisto, 2010). In addition, research has shown that there are several parts of the brain that are involved with fear and anxiety, which reinforces the biological connection to anxiety disorders. Many psychologists theorize that anxiety is the result of excessive activation of the brain mechanism responsible for the fight-or-flight response (2011). Fight-or-flight is our brains way of determining the level of danger in a situation. When we are confronted with danger, like the smell of smoke, or a car coming toward us on the street two brain circuits become active and relay information about the danger.
Explain one study related to localisation of function in the brain. Using one or more examples, explain effects of neurotransmission on human behaviour Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behaviour. Discuss two effects of the environment on physiological processes Neuroplasticity (Rosenzweig & Bennet/Macguire); SAD(Rosenthal) Examine one interaction between cognition and physiology in terms of behaviour. Evaluate two relevant studies. Meditation (Davidson); SAD (Rosenthal); Amnesia (H.M/Clive Wearing) Discuss the use of brain imaging technologies (for example, CAT, PET, fMRI) in investigating the relationship between biological factors and behaviour.