Annotated Bibliography

Biological and Cognitive Psychology Research: An Annotated Bibliography

Hotting, K, Holzschneider, K, Stenzel, A., Wolbers, T., & Roder, B. (2013). Effects of a cognitive training on spatial learning and associated functional brain activations. BMC Neuroscience, 14doi:10.1186/1471-2202-14-73

In this research article relating to cognitive training, it provides solid evidence reassuring the effects of cognitive training on the brain. Cognitive loss is believed to decrease with the aging process. Plasticity is also believed to decrease as one ages. According to the research, both thinking exercises as well as physical training improves the neural pathway connections. Specifically spatial training improved significantly over perceptual training.

Post- testing concluded that spatial training was improved greatly, but perceptual training lacked in comparison. Also, the physical training had nearly no effect on the individuals tested. Physical training keeps one healthy, but does not help the thinking processes, according to the research found in this study.
This source is important to my field of study because I am a psychology major. My belief system for psychology is deeply rooted within biological psychology, and cognitive psychology. The thought process is unique for each person, and so are the individual biological processes for each person.

Kalat, J.

W.. (2009). Biological Psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Human brain and behavior is based on the anatomy of the brain, as well as the biological components. The body is controlled by the brain, and the brain interacts greatly with sensations gathered from the body. This book is generalized around psychology as a biological entity. The anatomy of the brain protects the body, and stabilizes chemicals within it's processes. Chemicals interact with one another within the brain at synapses, and other places to ensure the equilibrium is constant. Essentially, the body and the brain rely on one another to keep each other safe.

This source is important to my field of study because I believe that psychology starts with biology. How a person is physically configured is going to directly relate to how a person is mentally configured, in a psychological concept. The mental status can be directly related to imbalances biologically, therefore, it is important to understand psychology from a biological

perspective.

Schultz, D.P., Schultz, S.E..

(2005). Theories of Personality. Belmont, CA: Thomson, Wadsworth.

Personality is an outward extension of a person's innermost thoughts. This book is stationed around the personality, and what makes a specific person so unique. It explores many different approaches established by major influential psychologists in the past. The explanations of personality can be explained many ways, but it's mostly thought of from cognitive ways. The way one thinks is a direct reflection of the thoughts one possesses. Therefore, personality is an incredibly cognitive process, and genuine to each individual.

This source is important to my field of study because I believe that thought is a process that influences all bodily actions. If one were to change a way of thinking, the actions will follow. In psychology, this is an important research topic, as well as rehabilitation tactic. Many psychologists follow this way of thinking, and many follow the exact opposite. It's all in the way of thinking.

Trettenbrein, P.C. (2015). Neuroscience and human nature: Review of The Altruistic Brain. Frontiers In Psychology,

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Many psychologists still to this day debate Sigmund Freud's Nature vs. Nurture argument. The article here states that people, as humans, are “wired” to be good. That being said, this originates from the original thought from Freud. Humans are predestined by nature to be good, according to the article. The steps in which the researcher takes are detailed, and are a process. He uses his ideas to prove that the thoughts of most humans are good, and will choose the morally correct option without thought in a situation. The wiring and cognitive processes of each human differs. The research here insinuates each human will make decisions in a morally correct way.
This source is important to my field of study because this ties in both my cognitive psychology and biological psychology ideologies. This research insinuates that cognitive thought is based on biological processes. Anything the human mind decides is predetermined by biology, and a naturistic way of thinking.