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The biology of psychology
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Introduction
The study of psychobiology attempts to explain behaviour in terms of physiological mechanisms. Previous research shows that female and male reactions differ with regards to emotional stimuli (Campbell et al., 2002 & Orozco & Ehlers, 1998, as cited in Hall, 2004). “Sex Differences in Functional Activation Patterns Revealed by Increased Emotion Processing Demands” (Hall, Witelson, Szechtman, & Nahmias, 2004) studied the effects that different emotional stimuli have on brain activation patterns (Hall et al.). The study was divided into two experiments, both of which compared and contrasted the results between two different groups of eight women and eight men (Hall et al.). In experiment one, patients performed three tasks: facial detection, identity matching and emotion matching (Hall et al.). In experiment two, a different group of eight women and eight men performed gender matching and emotion matching, with an additional auditory stimulus (Hall et al.). The results showed that sexual dimorphism was present in the reactions between women and men (Hall et al.). This essay proposes to examine the psychobiological aspect of the studies, to identify any interesting and relevant results, and to analyze its key elements and scientific rigor. Furthermore, it will explore possible future improvements to the study, as well as highlight possible applications of the results. This essay will prove that the research paper is both relevant and interesting to psychobiology.
Relevance to Psychobiology
As previously mentioned above, psychobiology studies psychological phenomena in terms of biological processes. Studies that are deemed to be psychobiological must consist of both psychology and biology. The study focused on the ar...
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...2007) Age-dependent differences in human brain activity using a face- and location-matching task: An fMRI study. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disor, 24, 235-246.
Hall, G., Witelson, S., Szechtman, H., & Nahmias, C. (2004). Sex differences in functional
activation patterns revealed by increased emotion processing demands. NeuroReport , 15 (2), 219-223.
Kirsch, I., Deacon, B., Huedo-Medina, T., Scoboria, A., Moore, T., & Johnson, B. (2008). Initial severity and antidepressant benefits: A meta-analysis of data submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. PloS Med , 5 (2).
Position emission tomography. (1998, August 12). Retrieved October 06, 2008, from TRIUMF - Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics: http://www.triumf.ca/welcome/
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RajMohan, V., & Mohandas, E. (2007). The limbic system. Indian Journal of Psychiatry , 49 (2), 132-139.
8Th edition, Chapter 15.3. Kentridge, B. (1995). S2 Psychopathology Lecture 3: Schizophrenia. Retrieved March 4, 2005. From Http://www.dur.ac.uk/robert.kentridge/ppath3.html Mann, R. (1996).
Antidepressant are a form of pharmacotherapy treatment developed to treat the symptoms of major depression. Antidepressants are used for many other types of conditions including anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, dysthymia, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, and substance abuse, pain syndromes, gastrointestional disorders. Antidepressants usually require several weeks to notice significant effects. There are no antidepressants or any medication that is completely free of adverse effects. This article explains that the adverse effects of antidepressant can decrease compliance and slow down the rate of recovery. It is important for one to take note of potential side-effects before choosing the best antidepressant to suit their personalized needs. Statistics show that about 28 percent of patients sto...
Kaplan, H. I., Sadock, B. J., & Grebb, J. A. (1994). Synopsis of psychiatry: behavioral sciences,
Antidepressants are FDA approved drugs given to patients to alleviate symptoms, most commonly anxiety and depression. There are many people who are skeptical about the use of these drugs and if they really work as a benefit toward the people taking them. There are many pros to taking the medications, but there are also cons. This is why users of these drugs have to be aware of the side effects in order to get the full use of the medicine. Research shows that the benefits of antidepressants outweigh the negative long term effects, but only if they are taken in moderation.
Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Psychology. (2nd ed., p. 600). New York: Worth Pub.
...ignificant evidence for my research argument indicates that the nature of gender/sex consists of a wide consensus. The latter is significant to original sex differences in brain structure and the organized role through sex differential prenatal hormone exposures through the term used in the article as (the ‘hardwiring’ paradigm). The article is limited to scientific shortcoming that presents neuroscientific research on sex and gender for it lacks an analysis that goes beyond the observed results. The article is based on neuroscience studies and how it approached gender, yet the article suggests that gender should be examined through social, culture studies, ethnicity and race. This article will not form the foundation of my research but will be used a secondary material. The neuroscience evidences will be used to support my argument and will be used as an example.
Davis, S. F., & Palladino, J. J. (2003). Psychology. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Throughout this course, much of what we have discussed has depended strongly on an interpretation of scientific information. We have questioned, criticized, accepted, rejected, and formed our own ideas about topics in neural and behavioral science. A book which I have read recently seems to fit in with this type of discussion. Blaming the Brain, by Eliot Valenstein, describes the major biological theories of mental illness and the lack of evidence we have to fully support them.
Wood, S. Wood, E. Boyd, D. (2014). Mastering the World of Psychology. A. Chow(Ed.). Jersey, NJ: Text.
Physiology treats mental disorders in the same way like a fractured bone. It considers symptoms to be outward signs of the inner physical disorder and believe that if symptoms are grouped together and classified into a condition, the actual cause can be discovered and suitable physical treatment can then applie...
The biological approach to psychology makes the assumption that all behaviours are associated with changes in the brain function and that psychopathology will be caused by a disorder within the brain, neuroanatomy. Many biological psychologists tend to assume that most behaviours, normal and disordered, involve an inherited component from the biological parents. In theory this suggests that all behaviours can be related to changes in brain activity.
One of the major theories of biological psychology is that "We cannot know ourselves if we do not know our bodies." Through application of this theory, biological psychologists strive to understand the relationship between the mind and body and they influence sickness or health. It is believed that poor health can lead to negative attitudes while poor attitudes can lead to poor health. Biological psychologists research and study the correlation of this theory in an attempt to help solve some mental and emotional problems.
Bio-Psychologists study the principles of biology as it relates to the comprehension of psychology in the field neuroscience that underlies ones emotions, ideology, and actions (Brittanica). Based upon the conduction of research, the relationship between the brain and ones behavior extends to the physiological process in one’s intellect. Scientists are cognizant that neurotransmitters function as a significant role in mood regulation and other aspects of psychological problems including depression and anxiety. A biological perspective are relevant to psychology in three techniques including: the comparative method, physiology, and the investigation of inheritance (Saul Mc. Leod).
Men and women differ physically, emotionally and mentally. However, these differences has an advantage. The difference in physical appearances allows men to be attracted to females, and women to be attracted to males. The different emotional beings permit men and women to depend on each other for comfort at times of sadness, anger, happiness and many other emotions. Mentally, men and women think very differently, but this difference accounts for a gender to be curious and wanting to find out how the opposite sex thinks. Analyzing the difference in behaviors in both males and females, judging from effects of the brain, effects of inherited genes, in comparison to the effects of the environment and surroundings, reveals that the vast differences in males and females results from the effects of
Edited by Raymond J. Corsini. Encyclopedia of Psychology, Second Edition, Volume 1. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.