Understanding Psychology

ELEVENTH EDITION
Charles G. Morris, Albert A. Maisto

Chapter 2 CHAPTER

The Biological
Basis of Behavior 2
Enduring Issues in
the Biological
Basis Behavior
 Enduring Issues

Person-Situation
To what extent
Mind-Body
is behavior caused by
internal processes,
Nature-Nurture as opposed to environmental

Stability-Change factors?

iversity-Universality
 Enduring Issues

Person-Situation
What is the
Mind-Body connection between what we
experience and our biological
Nature-Nurture processes?

Stability-Change

Diversity-Universality
 Enduring Issues

Person-Situation To what extent does

heredity affect behavior?
Mind-Body

Nature-Nurture

Stability-Change

versity-Universality
iversity-Universality
Enduring Issues

Person-Situation
Does the nervous
system change due to
Mind-Body
experience?
Nature-Nurture

Stability-Change

Diversity-
Universality
 Enduring Issues

Person-Situation Are there differences

between men and women in the
Mind-Body way that the brain works?

Nature-Nurture

Stability-Change

Diversity-Universality
Neurons: The
Messengers
Psychobiology and Neuroscience
LO 2.1 Define and differentiate between psychobiology and neuroscience. Describe a typical neuron.
Distinguish between afferent neurons, efferent neurons, association neurons, mirror neurons,
and glial cells.

Psychobiology:
Focuses on biological
bases of behavior and
mental processes
Neuroscience:
The study of the brain
and the nervous system
The Neuron

Axon
Terminal
Cell body buttons
(soma)

Dendrites
Myelin
Types of Neurons

• Sensory (or afferent) neurons

• Motor (or efferent) neurons
• Interneurons (or association neurons)
• Mirror neurons
• Glial cells (or glia)
Mirror Neurons
“Found in the brains of humans and other primates, mirror neurons
appear to play a key role in how a primate’s brain is wired to mimic the
sensations and feelings experienced by other related animals and,
thus, to identify and empathize with them (Ramachandran, 2005;
Rizzolatti et al., 2008).”
– Learning Objective 2.1 (Morris & Maisto)
The Neural Impulse
LO 2.2 Describe how neurons transmit information including the concepts of resting potential,
polarization, action potential, graded potential, threshold of excitation, and the all-or-none
law.
What Language Do Neurons Speak?

Neurons communicate through

electrochemical impulses

• Action potential
• All or none law
• Resting potential
• Polarization
• Ions
The Synapse
LO 2.3 Describe the parts of the synapse.

Terminal button
Neurotransmitters
LO 2.4 Explain the role of neurotransmitters in the synapse.

Neurotransmitter Effects
Acts where neurons meet skeletal muscles. It also appears
to play a critical role in arousal, attention, memory, and motivation.
Acetylcholine (ACh) Alzheimer’s disease, which involves loss of memory and severe language
problems, has been linked to degeneration of the brain cells that produce
and respond to ACh
Involved in a wide variety of behaviors and emotions, including pleasure
Dopamine and pain. Implicated in schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.

Involved in the regulation of sleep, dreaming, mood, eating, pain, and

Serotonin aggressive behavior. Implicated in depression.

Affects arousal, wakefulness, learning, memory, and mood.

Norepinephrine
Involved in the inhibition of pain. Released during strenuous exercise. May
Endorphins be responsible for “runner’s high.”

A largely inhibitory neurotransmitter distributed widely throughout the

GABA (Gamma central nervous system. Implicated in sleep and eating disorders, GABA
aminobutyric acid) has also been linked to extreme anxiety.
Involved in learning and memory and the perception of pain.
Glutamate
Principally responsible for inhibition in the spinal cord and lower brain
Glycene centers.
Applying Psychology

s and Beh avior

Drug

• Caffeine
• Cocaine
• Antidepressants
• Botulism
• Black widow spider
• Antipsychotics
Effects of Cocaine
Neural Plasticity and Neurogenesis
LO 2.5 Explain neuroplasticity and neurogenesis.

Neural plasticity
•The brain changes in
response to the
organism’s experiences
Neural networks
•Neurons are functionally
connected to one another
forming circuits
Neurogenesis
•The production of new
brain cells
The Central
Nervous System
The Divisions of the Nervous System
LO 2.6 Identify the parts and functions of the brain and nervous system.

Nervous System

Central Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System

Brain Spinal Cord Autonomic Division Somatic Division

Sympathetic Parasympathetic
Central Nervous System

CENTRAL

Brain Spinal Cord

The Brain
.

The human brain is the

product of millions of
years of evolution in
three stages:
• Central core
• Cerebrum
• Limbic system
The Central Core

Hindbrain
Midbrain
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Reticular formation
Structures in the Hindbrain
 Outer surface
of the two
cerebral erebral
hemispheres
cortex
that regulates
most complex
behavior
Four Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex

Both the left and right hemispheres can be

roughly divided into four sections.
The Limbic System

Limbic system:
Ring of structures
that plays
a role in learning
and emotional
behavior
Hemispheric Specialization
LO 2.7 Explain what is meant by "hemispheric specialization" and the functional differences
between the two cerebral hemispheres.
The Split-Brain Experiment

The corpus callosum

is sometimes severed
to reduce seizures.
• Left visual field 
right hemisphere
• Right visual field 
left hemisphere
Broca’s Area & Wernicke’s Area
Handedness
“A common misconception is that hemispheric specialization is related
to handedness…many people mistakenly believe that in left-handed
people the right hemisphere governs language, analytic, and sequential
tasks, whereas the left hemisphere dominates in visual, spatial, and
nonverbal tasks. The fact is that speech is most often localized in the
left hemisphere for both right- and left-handed people.”

– Learning Objective 2.7 (Morris & Maisto)

 Tools for Studying the Brain
LO 2.8 Discuss how microelectrode techniques, macroelectrode techniques, structural imaging,
and functional imaging provide information about the brain.
.

• Microelectrode techniques
• Macroelectrode techniques
–EEG
• Structural imaging
–CAT or CT scanning
–MRI
• Functional imaging
–EEG imaging
–MEG, MSI
–PET scanning
–fMRI
The Spinal Cord
LO 2.9 Explain how the spinal cord works.

Spinal cord:
• Complex cable of neurons
that runs down the spine,
connecting the brain to most of
the rest of the body
• Functions as a “communication
superhighway”
The Spinal Cord and Reflex Action

Motor neurons
Sensory neurons
Interneurons
The Peripheral
Nervous System
Peripheral Nervous System
LO 2.10 Identify the peripheral nervous system and contrast the functions of the somatic and
autonomic nervous systems.

PERIPHERAL

Autonomic Somatic

Parasympathetic Sympathetic
Peripheral Nervous System

Peripheral nervous system

(PNS): Links the brain and
spinal cord to the rest of the
body PERIPHERAL

• Afferent neurons
• Efferent neurons Autonomic Somatic
Subsystems in the PNS

PERIPHERAL

Autonomic Somatic
Parts of the Autonomic Nervous System
LO 2.11 Explain the differences between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic
nervous
systems.

PERIPHERAL

Autonomic Somatic

Parasympathetic Sympathetic
Autonomic NS: Sympathetic

“Fight or flight”
Autonomic NS: Parasympathetic

“Rest and digest”

The Endocrine
System
The Endocrine System
LO 2.12 Describe the endocrine glands and the way their hormones affect behavior.

pineal

pituitary

parathyroids

thyroid

pancreas

adrenals

gonads
Genes, Evolution,
and Behavior
Genes, Evolution, and Behavior
LO 2.13 Distinguish between behavior genetics and evolutionary psychology.

Two different but related fields contribute to

the understanding of the influence of heredity
on behavior:

Behavior Evolutionar
Genetics y
Psychology
Genetics
LO 2.14 Define genetics. Differentiate among genes, chromosomes, and DNA.
Transmission of Eye Color
LO 2.15 Describe what is meant by dominant and recessive genes, polygenic inheritance,
and genotype v. phenotype.

B = dominant
gene
b = recessive
gene
The Human Genome
LO 2.16 Describe the human genome and what can be learned by studying it.

• Genome refers to the full complement of an

organism’s genetic material

• Approximately 20,000 to 25,000 genes

in a human being.
• Humans share 98.7% of their genes
with chimpanzees
• Variation in human genetic code for
any two different people is much less
than 1%.
• Results of Human Genome Project have
identified genes on specific chromosomes
associated with various traits and
disorders
Behavior Genetics
LO 2.17 Compare and contrast strain studies, selection studies, family
studies, twin studies, and adoption studies as sources of
information about the effects of heredity.

Animal behavior genetics

• Strain studies
• Selection studies
Behavior Genetics
Human behavior genetics
•Family studies
•Twin studies
• identical twins
• fraternal twins
•Adoption studies
Average Risk of Schizophrenia Among Biological
Relatives of People with Schizophrenia

.
Social Implications
LO 2.18 Identify the key ethical issues that arise as society gains more control
over genetics .

New challenges have arisen

as a result of our better
understanding of genes.

Modern prenatal screening • Over-simplified reporting

can detect genetic defects; of genetic technologies in
do parents have the right mass media can lead to
to abort because of this? misinterpretation of complex
research findings.
Evolutionary Psychology
LO 2.19 Describe how evolutionary psychologists view the influence of natural selection on human
social behavior.

Evolutionary psychology
examines adaptive value
of behaviors from an
evolutionary perspective.
• Darwin’s natural selection

Charles Darwin
Lecture Activities
If the neural
impulse fires
with same
“strength”
every time it
fires, how can
you tell the
difference among
different stimulus
intensities?
 ?!
Peer Instruction
I’ve often heard that people only use 10% of their brain.
However, even a relatively simple task like playing a piano or
even just tapping along to music requires many parts of the
brain to be active — well over 10%. In fact, I’ll bet that you have
a tough time figuring out which part of the brain would most
likely NOT be activated by playing the piano?

A. Pons
B. Pituitary gland
C. Hippocampus
D. Thalamus
On the next slide, you
will read about three
psychological scenarios.
In small groups, discuss
which brain areas/systems
are probably being
activated in these
scenarios.
Shandra is a painter. She is standing by her easel. The
window is open and she can smell the jasmine flowers
in her yard. She is painting with her right hand. She
can hear her children playing in the background.

Melanie is a police officer. She is preparing for her

rank-advancement exam. It’s late at night. She is
reading through some material and viewing pictures
related to brutal murder cases. She is drinking coffee
and eating a sandwich.

James is a football player. He is the quarterback in a

tough game and the home crowd is yelling and
screaming. It’s the fourth quarter and James is tired
and sweating as he goes up to hike the ball. After
hiking the ball, he and his teammates execute some
very complicated running and passing routes to
execute a play.
Split-Brain Experiment

Sperry and Gazzaniga devised a creative

experiment to test hemispheric functioning. In
this experiment, visual stimuli were shown to
either the LEFT or RIGHT visual fields of split-
brain patients.
On the next slide, you will see a red “X.” Stare
at the X until you are asked to provide a verbal
response.
 Trial #1
(Click anywhere to begin)
What did you see?

TRY AGAIN CONTINUE

 Trial #2
(Click anywhere to begin)
What did you see?

TRY AGAIN CONTINUE

Given what you now know about how the brain
processes information from the two visual fields,
It’s a ball!
how do you think a split-brained patient would
respond when asked to identify an object flashed
to the RIGHT VISUAL FIELD?

I saw nothing.
How do you think a split-brained
patient would respond when asked to
identify an object flashed to the LEFT
VISUAL FIELD?
In small groups, discuss how
the sympathetic NS functions
help out in a “fight or flight”
situation. What are the
implications when the
sympathetic NS remains
active for extended time
periods?