What is Biological Psychology? - BulletPoints 0

• There are many questions about the relationship between physics and psychology, but also about our existence. Questions that cover this subject are ‘Why is there something instead of nothing?’ and ‘How did the universe develop?’.

• Biological Psychology is the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behaviour and experience. Biological psychology tries to find a link between the build-up of the brain and the behaviour an organism shows.

• Mental activity and certain types of brain activity are inseparable. This is called monism (the universe exists out of one type of material). The opposite of this is dualism (the brain exists out of one type of substance and matter is something else). Most scientists and neuroscientists support monism.

What are nerve cells and nerve impulses? - BulletPoints 1

• The nervous system consists of two kind of specialized cells. Neurons process and transmit information by electrical and chemical signalling; and glia maintain homeostasis, form myelin, provide support and protection for neurons.

• The myelin sheath is an insulating layer around the axon. It has intervals called the nodes of Ranvier. The myelin sheath accelerates the action potential. An afferent axon is an axon that imports information into a structure. An efferent axon is an axon that exports information from a structure. An interneuron is a neuron that connects afferent neurons and efferent neurons in neural pathways.

• The vertebrate brain does not replace damaged neural cells, as damaged cells in

What is biological psychology? - Chapter 1 (12)

Biological Psychology is the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behaviour and experience. Biological psychology tries to find a link between the build of the brains and the behaviour an organism shows. It’s not only a research field, but also a certain position. We behave because of certain brain mechanisms, which we have developed because previous animals have survived with these mechanisms and produced better than animals with other mechanisms. In order to make a connection between brains and behaviour, we need to know more about the different areas of the brain.

The writers of this book want you to remember three things:

1. Perception happens in the brains. When something touches your hand, your hand will send a signal to the brain. You will feel it in your brain, not in your hand.

2. Mental activity and certain types of brain activity are inseparable. This is called monism (the universe exists out of one type of material). The opposite of this is dualism (the brain exists out of one type of substance and matter is something else). Most scientists and neuroscientists support monism.

3. You have to be careful in reporting what is an explanation and what isn’t. Research has shown that some parts of the brain are less active in depressive people. However, this doesn’t mean that less active parts of the brain cause depression. We need to know more before concluding something.

There are four categories of biological explanations of behaviour:

1. The Physiological explanation focuses on

What are nerve cells and nerve impulses? - ExamTest 1

Questions

Question 1

The two kinds of cells in the nervous system are ___, which receive and transmit information to other cells, and ___ which do not transmit information.

1. Neurons, glia
2. Glia, hypoglia
3. Glia, neurons
4. Neurons, corpuscles

Question 2

The outer surface of a cell is called the ___ and the fluid inside the cell is the ___.

1. Cytoplasm, endoplasm
2. Membrane, nuclear fluid
3. Wall, goo
4. Membrane, cytoplasm

Question 3

Which part of a neuron contains the nucleus?

1. Cell body
2. Dendrites
3. Axon
4. Presynaptic ending

Question 4

Neurons have one ___, but can have any number of ___.

1. Dendrite, axons
2. Axon, dendrites
3. Cell body, axons
4. Axon hillock, cell bodies

Question 5

As a general rule, axons convey information ___.

1. Toward dendrites of their own cell.
2. Toward their own cell body.
3. Away from the cell body.
4. To glia.

Question 6

What is an interneuron?

1. A glia cell that separates one neuron from another.
2. A neuron that receives all its information from other neurons and conveys impulses only to other neurons.
3. A neuron that has its cell body in the spinal cord and an axon that extends to a muscle or gland.
4. A cell whose properties are halfway between those of a neuron and those of a glia cell.

Question 7

A neuron that conveys information toward the hippocampus is considered a (an) ___ cell, with regard to the hippocampus.

1. Afferent
2. Efferent
3. Intrinsic
4. Motor

Question 8

A neuron that conveys information away from the hippocampus is considered a (an) ___ cell, with regard to the hippocampus.