PSY190 General Psychology

Introduction
Psychology should not separate from biology.
Human behaviors are related with biological
processes.
Biological psychologists study the effects or
causes of physical and chemical changes to
our behavior and mental processes.
Biological explanations should not be
overemphasized.
Neurons
Fundamental unit of the nervous system
Specialized cells that transmit neural impulses to other
neurons, glands and muscles
 The neurons have:
 Dendrites: receive signal from axons and carry signals to
cell body
 Synaptic terminals: release neurotransmitter
Three types of neuron:
 Sensory neurons: transmit impulses to central nervous
system
 Motor neurons: carry outgoing signals from brain or spinal
cord to muscles and glands
 Interneurons: receive signals and send impulses
Glial cells: hold neurons in place, provide nutrients &
maintain signaling capacity
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals that assist in the transfer of signals
from one neuron to another.
Excitatory postsynaptic potential
Depolarizes (+ molecules flow in) the neuronal
membrane
More likely to fire an action potential
Glutamate- needed in memory formation
Inhibitory postsynaptic potential
Hyperpolarizes (- molecules flow in/+ molecules flow out)
the neuronal membrane
Less likely to fire an action potential
GABA- drugs for anti-anxiety
Organization and Functions
of the Nervous System
 The central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain and
spinal cord.
 The peripheral nervous system is made up of the sensory and
motor systems
 has two components:
 The somatic system:
 carries information from the sensory systems to the CNS
 sends movement instructions back to the muscles.
 The autonomic system:
 transmits messages between the CNS and the body’s organs and
glands to control activity of organs and glands. (Ex: heart beat)
 via the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches
The organization of the
Brain
The hindbrain
Structures such as the medulla control vital
functions (Ex: blood pressure, heart rate, and
breathing).
The reticular formation is a network of cells
running throughout the hindbrain that alters the
activity of other brain structures. (Ex: arousal
and attention)
The cerebellum controls finely coordinated
movements (including speech), storing
memories about movement and involved in
impulse control, emotion, and language.
The organization of the Brain
(con’t)
 The midbrain
 Located between the hindbrain and forebrain
 controls certain automatic behaviors.
 The substantia nigra together with the striatum, is involved in
initiating smooth movement (ex: get up out of a chair).
 The forebrain
 The thalamus relays sensory signals, process and makes sense out of
those information.
 Hypothalamus regulates basic drives (ex: hunger, sex drives).
 The suprachiasmatic nuclei determines our biological rhythms.
 The amygdala and hippocampus are part of the limbic system, which
plays an important role in regulating emotion and is involved in
memory and other thought processes.
 Ex: PTSD->unusual activity in amygdala; hippocampus damaged->can’t form
new memory
The Cerebral Cortex
The cerebral cortex is the outer surface of the
cerebrum or cerebral hemispheres.
The anatomical areas of the cortex include:
Frontal, Temporal, Parietal, and Occipital lobe
The functional areas:
Sensory Cortex: receives sensory information.
 Ex: Visual cortex receives visual information
Motor Cortex: control the onset of voluntary
movement.
Association Cortex: receives information from more
than one sense and combines sensory and motor
information.
 Aphasia, a deficit in understanding and producing language,
is caused by damage to Broca’s area or Wernicke’s area.
Split-Brain Studies
Split-brain (severed corpus callosum) data
demonstrate that each hemisphere is superior
in certain abilities.
The left hemisphere
controls spoken language,
controls right side of the body
The right hemisphere
controls recognition of faces and tasks dealing
with spatial relations, such as drawing three-
dimensional shapes.
controls the left side of the body.
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM:
COORDINATING THE INTERNAL WORLD
influences a wide variety of behaviors
Glands-cells of endocrine organs
secrete hormones, which travel via the
bloodstream and affect coordinated systems of
target tissues and organs.
Ex: fight-or-flight syndrome
perceived threat-> pituitary releases ACTH->
adrenal glands release cortisol-> activate
emotion-related limbic system
A negative feedback system involving the brain
regulates the amount of hormone released.