Jan 18, 2024	PSY 340 Brain and Behavior Class 02: Introduction: Overview and Major Issues (Outline)

The Mind and the Body: How are they connected?

Dualism argues that  mind  AND  body are separate

• Argued by René Descartes (& this view is called Cartesianism)
• Almost ALL philosophers and neuroscientists reject this notion even though it often feels like the right answer.
  

Monism argues that there is only ONE thing. Most scientists accept monism.

• Identity Position: Mind & body are actually the same
  
• Consciousness is an emergent property of what the body does
• Thus, the mind is an activity of the body (that is, the brain).

Easy vs. Hard Problems (David Chalmers)

• Easy Problems

• The Hard Problem
  

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The is a course in biological psychology (also known as psychobiology, physiological psychology, or behavioral neuroscience). It involves

• Physiology deals with tissues, cells, chemicals, systems of the body

• Evolutionary Psychology deals with genetics and how the earth's physical & social environments have shaped our behaviors for reproductive and survival purposes

• Growth & Development: how does the biology of the body interact with the environment to produce both behavior & structures

Fundamental General Points

• Perception occurs in your brain, NOT on your skin, in your eyes, or somewhere "out there"

• Be careful about what you claim is an explanation for understanding the brain and behavior. Correlation ≠ Causation.

What is biological psychology concerned with?

How Do We Explain How or Why an Animal Looks and Acts Like This?

• Physiological: How the body as a machine does things (makes chemicals, moves muscles, etc.)
  

• Ontogenetic (or Developmental): How behaviors and physical structure actually grow or develop in a specific animal. Influenced by and interaction with genetics, nutrition, AND experience.

• Evolutionary: How a structure or a behavior in different species of animals developed over the course of their evolutionary history. Concerned with how animals are similar in physical structure or behaviors.

• the structure of the brains of all these animals above are quite similar.

• Across evolution, brains become larger and more convoluted (more hills and valleys)

• The "Triune" or Reptilian Brain Is A Myth. The theory claims we have (1) a basic reptile brain, (2) a paleomammalian brain, and (3) a newer "neocortical" brain. Reptile brains did NOT come before mammal brains. They developed along separate but parallel tracks. Thus, mammals did not simply add neocortex to an underlying "reptilian" brain.
  

• Functional: Why a behavior or a structure evolved or developed as it did. What advantage or benefit comes to us because of the behavior or structure?

• Dogs: Originally domesticated from wolves, dogs show lower levels of fear and aggression. Hence, they can be companions to humans who will care for them.

• Humans: the functional advantage of language
  

Thus the four explanatory approaches to explain human behavior rests upon physiological, ontogenetic (developmental), evolutionary, and functional points of concern.

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Two Important Trends in Contemporary Behavioral Neuroscience (not in book)

1. The "Predictive Brain": The human brain is continually making models of the world around it and updating those models based on moment-by-moment experience (Clark, 2012)

Hollow Face Optical Illusion video  

2. The "Extended Mind" Hypothesis: The mind uses objects external to our bodies by incorporating them into the mind's own functioning. 

There will be other trends that I will talk about in later classes

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This page was first posted January 18, 2005.