Source: David Myers Worth Publishers
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Biological Bases of Behaviors
Unit 2 Biopsychology Psychology 40S
C. McMurray
Source: David Myers Worth Publishers
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History of Mind
In 1800, Franz Gall suggested that bumps
of the skull represented mental abilities. His theory,
though incorrect, nevertheless proposed that
different mental abilities were
modular.
Phrenology
Bettm
an/ Corbis
Phineas Gage• In 1848, Phineas Gage, a
railroad worker was packing gunpower into a rock with a tamping iron. A spark ignited the gunpowder, shooting the rod up through his left cheek and out the top of his skull, leaving his frontal lobes massively damaged. To everyone’s amazement, Gage was immediately able to sit up and speak. Although his mental abilities and memories were intact, his personality was not. The soft spoken Gage was now irritable, profane and dishonest. Gage was no longer Gage.
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"You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourselfAny direction you choose.”
Watch video:
Human brain built for survival
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/6835-human-body-built-for-survival-video.htm
The Brain
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Older Brain Structures
The Brainstem is the oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull. It is responsible for automatic survival
functions.
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Brain Stem
The medulla is the base of the brainstem that
controls heartbeat and breathing.
The pons above the medulla are responsible
for sleep.
Reticular Formation is a nerve network in the
brainstem that plays an important role in
controlling arousal.
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Brain Stem
The Thalamus is the brain’s sensory
switchboard, located on top of the
brainstem. It directs messages to the
sensory areas in the cortex and transmits
replies to the cerebellum and
medulla.
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The “little brain” (cerebellum)
attached to the rear of the brainstem. It
helps coordinate voluntary
movements and balance.
Cerebellum
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The Limbic System is a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the
border of the brainstem and
cerebrum, associated with emotions such as fear, aggression and
drives for food and sex. It includes the hippocampus,
amygdala, pituitary gland and
hypothalamus.
The Limbic System
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Amygdala
The Amygdala consists of two almond-shaped
neural clusters linked to the emotions of fear and
anger.
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Hypothalamus
The Hypothalamus lies below (hypo) the thalamus. It directs several maintenance activities like eating,
drinking, body temperature, and
control of emotions. It helps govern the
endocrine system via the pituitary gland.
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The Cerebral CortexThe intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells
that covers the cerebral hemispheres. It is the body’s ultimate control and information processing
center.
brain map
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Structure of the Cortex
Each brain hemisphere is
divided into four lobes that are separated by
prominent fissures. These lobes are the
frontal lobe (forehead), parietal
lobe (top to rear head), occipital lobe
(back head) and temporal lobe (side
of head).
Brain Lobes
• The Frontal Lobes are involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
• The Parietal Lobes receive sensory input for touch and body position.
• The Occipital Lobes receive visual information from the opposite visual field.
• The Temporal Lobes receive auditory information primarily from the opposite ear.
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Functions of the Cortex
The Motor Cortex is the area at the rear of the frontal lobes that control voluntary
movements. The Sensory Cortex (parietal lobe) receives information from skin
surface and sense organs.
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The brain is sculpted by our genes but also by our experiences.
Plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to modify itself after some type of injury or
illness.
rubber hand illusionWatch the brain that changes itself
Ellen Degeneres rubber hand episode
The Brain’s Plasticity
The Split Brain Experiments
• In the 1960s, there was no other cure for people who suffered from a special kind of epilepsy than by cutting off the connection, corpus callosum, between the two hemispheres. This made it possible for the patients to live a normal life after the operation, and it was only when carrying out these experiments one could notice their somewhat "odd behavior.“
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Left HemisphereLanguageMathLogic
Right HemisphereSpatial abilitiesFace recognitionVisual imageryMusic