Biopsychology: Kim Patrick L. Magdangan, LPT, RGC

BIOPSYCHOLOGY
Kim Patrick L. Magdangan, LPT, RGC

Learning Objectives
• After studying this introduction, you should
• be able to:
• 1. State the mind–brain problem and con-

• trast monism with dualism.
• 2. List three general points that are important

• to remember from this text.
• 3. Give examples of physiological, ontoge-

• netic, evolutionary, and functional explana-
• tions of behavior.
• 4. Discuss the ethical issues of research with

• laboratory animals.
Biological Psychology?
• Is the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and
developmental mechanisms of behavior and experience.
It is approximately synonymous with the terms
• Neuroscience includes much that is relevant to behavior

but also includes more detail about anatomy and
chemistry.
The Mind–Brain
Problem
◉ One view, called dualism, holds that the mind is separate
from the brain but somehow controls the brain and
therefore the rest of the body.
◉ However, dualism contradicts the law of conservation of
matter and energy, one of the cornerstones of physics.
◉ According to that principle, the only way to influence any
matter or energy, including the matter and energy that
compose your body, is to act on it with other matter or
energy.
4
Four Types of Biological
Explanation
◉ Physiological explanation relates a behavior
to the activity of the brain and other organs. It
deals with the machinery of the body—for
example, the chemical reactions that enable
hormones to influence brain activity and the
routes by which brain activity controls muscle
contractions.
◉ The term ontogenetic comes from Greek roots meaning
the origin (or genesis) of being. An Ontogenetic
explanation describes how a structure or behavior
develops, including the influences of genes, nutrition,
experiences, and their interactions.
◉ For example, males and females differ on average in

several ways. Some of those differences can be traced to
the effects of genes or prenatal hormones, some relate to
cultural influences, many relate partly to both, and some
await further research.
◉ An Evolutionary explanation reconstructs the
evolutionary history of a structure or behavior. The
characteristic features of an animal are almost always
modifications of something found in ancestral species.
◉ For example, bat wings are modified arms, and porcupine

quills are modified hairs. In behavior, monkeys use tools
occasionally, and humans evolved elaborations on those
abilities that enable us to use tools even better (Peeters et
al., 2009).
◉ A functional explanation describes why a structure or
behavior evolved as it did. Within a small, isolated
population, a gene can spread by accident through a
process called genetic drift.
◉ For example, a dominant male with many offspring spreads

all his genes, including some that may have been irrelevant
to his success or even disadvantageous. However, a gene
that is prevalent in a large population probably provided
some advantage—at least in the past, though not
necessarily today.
◉
◉ For example, many species have an appearance that
matches their background. A functional explanation is that
camouflaged appearance makes the animal inconspicuous
to predators. Some species use their behavior as part of
the camouflage.
◉ For example, zone-tailed hawks, native to Mexico and the
southwestern United States, fly among vultures and hold
their wings in the same posture as vultures. Small
mammals and birds run for cover when they see a hawk,
but they learn to ignore vultures, which pose no threat to
healthy animals. Because the zone-tailed hawks resemble
vultures in both appearance and flight behavior, their prey
disregard them, enabling the hawks to pick up easy meals
◉ (Clark, 2004).
The Use of Animals in
Research
◉ Given that most biological psychologists and
neuroscientists are primarily interested in the
human brain and human behavior, why do they
study nonhumans? Here are four reasons:
◉ 1. The underlying mechanisms of behavior are
similar across species and sometimes easier
to study in a nonhuman species.
◉ 2. We are interested in animals for their own
sake.
◉ 3. What we learn about animals sheds light on
human evolution.
◉ 4. Legal or ethical restrictions prevent certain
kinds of research on humans.
Opposition to Animal Research
◉ “Never knowingly harm an innocent” and
“Sometimes a little harm leads to a greater
good.”

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BIOPSYCHOLOGY

Kim Patrick L. Magdangan, LPT, RGC

• 1. State the mind–brain problem and con-

• 2. List three general points that are important

• 3. Give examples of physiological, ontoge-

• 4. Discuss the ethical issues of research with

• Neuroscience includes much that is relevant to behavior

◉ For example, males and females differ on average in

◉ For example, bat wings are modified arms, and porcupine

◉ For example, a dominant male with many offspring spreads

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