The Biological Perspective P1

1. The Biological PerspectiveP1 12th IB Themes

2. Outline the principles that define the biological level of analysis. Question 1

3. Principles of Biological • Behavior can beinheritedbecause it is genetically based (Innate-within since birth) • Evolution may play a key role in behavior. • What behavior traits do you share with your parents? • Animal research provides insight into human behavior. • LOTS of animal research. Unethical for humans • There are biological correlates of behavior. • A link between 2 factors: hormone & behavior • Can you think of an example?

4. Terms To KNow • Physiology: • The science of the function of living systems. A subcategory of biology. • Organs, cells, endocrine system, hormones • Biological ecosystem

5. Ex: The Biology of Behavior • Many physiological (biological) factors play a role in behavior: • Brain processes • Neurotransmitters (NT) • Hormones • Genes • Responds to environmental stimuli • Stressful situation/stimuli (PTSD, Little Albert) • Attractive person, pheromones, sex drive • Brain damage (Phineas Gage) • Nature Via Nurture Debate

6. Terms To KNow • Bidirectional: • The relationship between biology and cognition goes both ways. • Biology may affect cognition • Cognition may affect biology • Ex: you can think stressful thoughts and cause the body to respond.

7. Nature or Nurture? Neither! • Interactionist: • The theory used by modern psychology (and IB); a holistic approach • Nature (biological) & nurture (environment) • Life is a Rube Goldberg machine?

8. Terms To KNow • Reductionist: • Micro-level of research • Break down complex human behavior into its smallest parts • Ex: a gene, NT, a protein enzyme • Ex: reduce in math to the smallest number The sum of you?

9. Dr. HouseReductionistAll you are, is the product of genetic soup.

10. Reductionist approach • Arguments Against Reductionism • A complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts • The simplest explanation is the best • Putting people under a microscope, genetic biology • Reducing all of human experience to what biologists can poke and test • No nurture, culture, gender, experience, exposure • Limits our understanding of complex systems (forcing animal instincts onto human behavior) • A reductionist view ignores influences such as social, cognitive, or cultural factors

11. Explain how the principles that define the biological level of analysis may be demonstrated in research. Question 2

12. You pick … • ANY biological study that demonstrates (at least) 1 of the 3 principles. • Behavior can be genetically based. • Animal research = human behavior. • A link between 2 factors: biology & behavior • Can you think of an example?

13. Ex: neuronS • Neurons: • NT are Endogenous (from within) chemicals which relay, amplify, and modulate signals between neurons • Send electrochemical messages to the brain • Cause us to respond to stimuli-from the environment or from internal changes in the body

14. EX: neurotransmitters • Have a range of effects of human behavior: • Mood • Memory • Sexual arousal • Mental illness • NTs are Excitors or Inhibitors.

15. nT’s Are Reductionist? • Your soul mate is really a love cocktail of dopamine, norepinephrine, and oxytocin? • Mothers only love their children because of oxytocin? • NTs may not explain behavior alone

16. See NT’s pg. 59 • To help you make your chart for your RW • Know 5 MAJOR NTs, and some studies

17. nT STUDY, PG 61 • Kasamatsu & Hirai, 1999 • NT serotonin study, Tokyo Univ. • “How sensory deprivation affects the brain” • Buddhist monks, 72 hr pilgrimage to holy mountain • No food, water, no speaking, exposure to cold • After 48 hours hallucinations, “seeing the ancestors” • Researchers took blood samples before they left and after the reported hallucinations • Found increased serotonin levels, activated hypothalamus and frontal cortex • Sensory deprivation triggers serotonin, alters experience DVD: Monk Levitates

18. NT Study, PG 62 • Martinez & Kesner, 1991 • The Role of NT in Learning and Memory • Experiment to determine the role of the NT acetylcholine (ACH) on memory (formation). • Rats trained through maze, to end, received food. • Group 1: injected rats with scopolamine, which blocks ACH receptor sites (decreasing available ACH) • Group 1 slower in maze, more errors

19. Neurotransmitter Study • Martinez & Kesner, 1991 • Group 2: injected with physostigmine (f-eye-so-stig-mean) • Blocks the production of cholinesterase (chol-in-ester-aise) which “cleans-up” ACH from the synapse • Now there is more ACH to excite neurons • Does not return the neuron to its resting state. Cholinesterase Normally cleans up ACH from synapse

20. Neurotransmitter Study • Martinez & Kesner, 1991 • Group 2: injected with physostigmine (fis-o-stig-mean) • Group 2: ran through maze, found food even quicker, fewer errors, even better than the control group • Group 3: Control. No injections. Cholinesterase Normally cleans up ACH from synapse

21. Results: • Conclusion: ACH plays an important role in creating memory

22. Results: • Strength of this study: design, application, use of an experimental method (control group) made it possible to est. a cause-and-effect relationship between ACH and memory. • Limitation: to what extent can these findings be generalized to humans? Is it possible to apply rat studies to humans? • It is assumed memory processes are the same for all animals. Are they? • Principle #2? Videos: Mouse Maze (3)

23. HUMAN Results: • Human research DOES show that ACH-producing cells in basal ganglia (forebrain) are damaged in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

24. The IB goal… • Did you see how we broke that 1 study down? • All the way through? • Method, results, strengths, limitations, ethics • Application to animals • Application to humans • Now you need to be able to do this.

25. SEROTONIN & SEXUAL PREFERENCE • Liu et al, 2011, China • Serotonin is linked to sexual behavior • Group 1: male mice, low serotonin • Group 2: male mice, normal serotonin • Group 1 tried to mount male mice (8 min), with male/female choice, tried to mount both 80% • Group 2 mice, only tried to mount male 20-30% • Pg 64, Video: http://ibpsychrevision.blogspot.com/p/biological-level.html

26. a neuron that fires when an animal (or person) performs an action • ALSO fired when someone ELSE performs that same action and your OBSERVE

27. Discovered by accident (Gallese et al, 1996) Italy • Isolated the neural response in rhesus monkeys for food (peanut, neural messages are electric, cracking sound) • Just watching another monkey get a peanut, they observed the same response • Pg 67 • Video: Monkey see/monkey do • Contagious Yawning

28. Marco Iacoboni (2004) look at human faces in fMRI • Does looking at the emotion expressed on a face cause the brain to be stimulated? • 1st participants imitated the faces they were shown • 2nd time just watch faces • Same results in humans! • Stimulated the limbic system for happy face (pleasure center) • Pg 67

29. People learn by observing others, imitation (Cognitive & Learning) • The Chameleon Effect? • Mirror neurons: play a vital role in the ability to learn (and empathize) with others • Mirrors the behavior of the other • See AND doing=the same thing in the brain!

30. Of course, too much beer might kill mirror neurons with brain cells

31. Art (& Music) Appreciation? • Freedberg & Gallese (2007), pg. 66 • Is this why we like certain art? • We feel the pain or joy? • Can we apply to musicals, opera, ballet, television, movies, soap operas? • Books, poems? • (video: • Mirror Neurons Part 1 & 2)

32. Mirror Neuron System (MNS) theory of autism • Distortion in development of the MNS interferes with imitation • Leads to autism’s core features of social impairment and communication difficulties. • Also Asperger’s? • MNS theory does not explain the normal performance of autistic children on imitation tasks that involve a goal or object.

33. New Brain Research • V.S.Ramachandran(Vilayanur Subramanian) • Neurologist (India), Dir. Center for Brain & Cognition • Behavioral neurology & neurological syndromes • Profound impact on the way we think about the brain. • Pub. over 180 papers in scientific journals, book Phantoms in the Brain (NOVA, PBS, BBC) • Phantom Limb Syndrome: • Pain in missing limb; use of visual feedback as treatment (the mirror box) • Are these mirror neurons? • (video)

34. Read the Article • “In the Mind” (Mirrors in the Mind)

35. Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the biological level of analysis. Question 3

36. The Brain • The “Command Center” of human activity • Matures over a lifetime • Adapts to the environment • Prior to modern scanning (PET, EKG, MRI) all we had were case studies of brain damage (Gage) • Longitudinal Studies: over a long period of time • Ex: childhood results, teen, adult • Observe both short-term and long-term

37. Ways we study the Brain • PET Scan, Cat Scan • EKG, EEG • MRI (fMRI) • Case Studies (of accidents, strokes) • Lesion/Ablation Studies (animals) • What are the limitations to the fMRI? • Pg 68

38. Case Study: Phineas Gage • Dr. John Harlow, 1848 • Phineas Gage, 25, railroad foreman, well-adjusted, well-respected member of the community, • 3 ft iron rod exploded into skull • Entered left cheek, pierced base of skull, through front of brain, high speed exit top of head • Pole landed 100 ft away, covered in blood & brains • Taken by ox cart to local hotel for Dr. • Lost vision in left eye, perfect in right eye • Phineas was awake, alert, walking, talking • Pg. 69

39. Case Study: Phineas Gage • Medically healed in 2 months • Emotionally he was a different person • Balance between intellectual abilities (reason) & emotional control was destroyed. • Highly agitated, irreverent, gross profanity (pornographic), impatient, indulgent, fitful • No follow through on plans • “a child in his intellectual capacity, but with the animal passions of a strong man.” • On a social and human relations level, Gage could not function. • He was incapable of making good and effective decisions, although his memory, language and traditional “intelligence” were untouched.

40. Case Study: Phineas Gage • Gage lived for another 13 yrs, in good health, free from paralysis, with speech, memory, & basic intelligence intact • Yet…Gage could not hold a job • Eventually joined a circus “freak show.” • After a series of epileptic seizures, he died at 38.

41. Case Study: Phineas Gage • Dr. John Harlow, 1848 • Longitudinal study: • provided evidence that the brain affects personality & social behaviors. • Front lobe no longer considered expendable. • Now we know: frontal lobe has a specific function, many behaviors are localized there (reason, emotion) • Useful case study? • Can you ethically justify this case study? • Video: Phineas Gage

42. Case Study: ELLIOT • Dr. Antonio Damasio, 1994 (pg 71) • Patient “Elliot” (30s) • Had been responsible, successful business person, with a good job • He had a happy, stable family life • Then…a tumor grew in his frontal lobe--the size of an orange, putting pressure on both frontal lobes • The tumor & damaged tissue had to be removed. • Would you remove the tumor and live?

43. Case Study: ELLIOT • “Elliot” experienced a radical personality change • Could not follow a schedule, impulsive, no self-discipline • Obsessed on unimportant tasks • Could not motivate himself enough to get dressed • Incapable of making basic decisions • Ex: he would spend an entire afternoon deciding whether to classify data by date or place. • The next date for an appointment • Whether to use a black or blue pen • Which restaurant to visit for lunch

45. Case Study: ELLIOT • He lost his job, could not hold a new job • Entered a risky business ventures, ended up bankrupt. • His marriage ended in divorce • He quickly married, divorced again. • He became dependent on a disability check to survive. • Had to be in the custody of a sibling. • Unable to live in a community (lacked social intelligence). • Developed a passion for collecting ‘junk’ (hoarding?) • His self-destructive behavior doesn’t bother him.

46. Sounds like A country song? Lost my job Lost my wife Lost my dog Lost my frontal lobe…

47. Case Study: Elliot • On “intelligence” & personality tests, Elliot seemed normal, well-adjusted • I.Q. score superior, perceptual, LTM & STM memory, new learning, language, and math ability intact. • He’d tell his story without feeling anything • He seemed detached from his feelings. • He was monotone: no sadness, no impatience, no frustration • When shown disturbing pictures of injured people, natural disasters, complete destruction, he had no emotional reaction • Elliot realized he would have reacted differently before the surgery

48. Dr. Damasio case STUDY: Elliot • Dr. Antonio Damasio • According to lesion studies, & fMRIs, the frontal cortex = reasoning. • Elliott could reason…he knew all his choices. • Elliott no longer felt anything, without emotions he could not make a choice. • You must feel something to make a choice. • Dr. Damasio is a leading expert, speaker, author Videos: Damasio

49. case STUDY: Elliot • Try to imagine not feeling. • Imagine your favorite show, • or song, or band, or dance move, • or animal, or person… • and imagine feeling nothing.

50. Dr. Damasio Dr. Damasio’s theory • Our forebrain uses “somatic markers” in decision making • (biasing devices to help us choose) • We make many decisions in a day: • Watch out! from a falling object, to eat, to be a friend, to vote, to drive in bad weather, activities like writing, composing, designing a new bridge, jogging, graduate, go to college, having surgery • Somatic markers let us “keep in mind” the feelings associated with the long term goal (satisfaction, health). This gets us through the transition period.