Preview

Biological Psychology

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2332 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Biological Psychology
Biological � PAGE * MERGEFORMAT �9�

Running Header: BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Biological Psychology Paper

Sandra Lattin

University of Phoenix

Biological Psychology

Biological psychology, as defined by the New World Encyclopedia, "is the application of the principles of biology to the study of mental processes and behavior". In other words, it is the study of psychology in terms of bodily mechanisms.(New World Encyclopedia). Most processes associated with psychology have some sort of correlation with biological/physiological processes. The field of Biological psychology is based on this assumption or view.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW AND KEY PLAYERS IN ITS EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Avicenna (980-1037) is a Persian psychologist and recognized physiological psychology in the treatment of illnesses involving emotions. He recognized the importance of physiological psychology and applied it to treat various illnesses related to emotions. Gradually, he came up with a way where irregularities in the pulse rate could be associated with inner feelings. It later on paved way to the word association test which is used in the field of psychology even to this day. Apart from this, he also provided psychological explanations for various somatic illnesses. Thus, he was able to link the physical and psychological aspects of various illnesses.

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) proposed models to explain animal and human behavior. He proposed theories linking the mind and body and explanations for motor behavior (reflexes). He was a pioneer in identifying the mind with consciousness and self-awareness. He was also able to differentiate it from the brain.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) described the nature of evolutionary theory. It describes the way in which our bodies and behaviors change across many generations of individuals. He proposed the theory of Natural Selection, the evolutionary principle describing a mechanism by which organisms have developed and changed, based on the principle of "the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Biopsychology is the study of the biology of behavior. To make this more simply understood it is the psychology between the body and the brain. A good example of this is how the nervous system affects the way our body controls or reacts to certain things.…

    • 518 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biological psychology is the study in which we try to understand the processes of the mind and its mental processes. This field gives a clearer understanding of why you are the way you are.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Psyc221 Notes

    • 6651 Words
    • 27 Pages

    * Biological Psychology (physiological psychology, neuroscience)- the study of what happens in the brain, nervous system, and other aspects of the body…

    • 6651 Words
    • 27 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Discuss the biological approach in psychology. Refer to at least one other approach in your answer. (12 marks)…

    • 1797 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biological Worksheet

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Biological psychology; also known as biopsychology, behavioral neuroscience, or physiological biology, is the biological study of thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Biological psychology is the field of psychology that analyzes how the brain and neurotransmitters influence our behaviors, thoughts and feelings. This field can be thought of as a combination of basic psychology and neuroscience.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Psychology

    • 3848 Words
    • 17 Pages

    11. Correct Freud believed that adult problems usuallyYour answer: can be traced back to critical stages during childhood…

    • 3848 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biological psychology is the scientific study of the biology of behavior. This study is also known as biopsychology, psychobiology, behavioral biology, and/or behavioral neuroscience.…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of the most perplexing issues in psychology is understanding the relationship between the mind and the brain. We all recognize that we have conscious awareness of our surroundings, and also of ourselves (self-awareness). It is this experience which has normally been described as the mind. But what is the basis of the mind? Is it the expression of a non-physical soul, or is it a product of physical processes within our body? Philosophers and scientists have been pondering this question for centuries. Explaining the nature of consciousness (that is, the mind) was regarded by William James (one of the great pioneers of psychology) as the most challenging question for psychology to answer. Today, a hundred years after…

    • 2352 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Darwin, on the other hand, developed the Theory of Evolution. The basis of this theory came from the known fact that no two living things are exactly alike. Furthermore, he theorized that as a result of natural dangers and limitations, more creatures were also born than could survive. Thus, the idea of survival of the fittest, or natural selection, was born unto the mind of Darwin. Darwin rationalized that those with the best characteristics fit to live, were those who lived. Therefore, the living creatures with these characteristics were able to pass them on to the next generation. He believed that nature selected who could survive long enough to reproduce.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    psychology

    • 2326 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Memory is a record of our previous experiences and it allows us to adapt to our constantly changing environment. Instead of our memory being an exact recollection of our past experiences, such as an automatic tape recorder, it is a constructive process in which we process, retrieve and store information with some errors, for we can't remember everything.…

    • 2326 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biological Psychology is a process in which biological psychologist or individuals that study the subject attempt to explain behavior using biology. Biologists tend to look at the brain first when it comes to studying a subject so Biological psychologist study the brain and how the brain effects behavior. When Biological Psychologist try to tie the links between the mind and behavior they must first look at how the various parts of the brain work and function.…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The biological perspective is one of the main approaches to performing psychological research. It is focused on the idea that behaviors have biological causes and is also known as physiological psychology or biopsychology. It often blends with many different sciences, particularly neurology and genetics. Common types of biological studies on behavior include things like the effects of physical child abuse on future adult actions, how injuries such as head trauma affect behavior, or whether or not criminal behavior can be explained by genetics.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Psychology

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages

    *In psychology- It is more than listening to teachers, honing skateboard jumps, or mastering the use of an iPod.…

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Psychology

    • 1477 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This study was a replication of Loftus and Palmer (1974). The aim was to find out whether or not participants who had watched a video clip of a train crush would make different estimates of the speed the trains where travelling according to the question they were asked . This experiment was a laboratory experiment and independent measure sampling was used to pick out the participants used in the experiment. It was observed that the participants that used the verb slammed had a significantly larger percentage average than those that were given the verb clashed. This gave a conclusion that was very similar to that of loftus and palmer that leading question do have an effect on memory…

    • 1477 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    memory

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Psychology is the investigation of the mind and how it processes and directs our thoughts, actions and conceptions. However, in 1879 Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany. Nevertheless, the origins of psychology go all the way back thousands of years starting with the early Greeks. This foundation is closely connected to biology and philosophy; and especially the subfields of physiology which is the study of the roles of living things and epistemology, which is the study of comprehension and how we understand what we have learned. The connection to physiology and epistemology is often viewed as psychology, which is the hybrid offspring of those two fields of investigation.…

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays