Psychology
Biological Evidence
Biological evidence in psychology refers to the physical indicators of biological processes that influence behavior and mental processes. This evidence can include brain imaging, genetic markers, and physiological measures such as hormone levels. By studying biological evidence, psychologists can gain insights into the biological underpinnings of psychological phenomena, leading to a better understanding of human behavior and mental health.
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3 Key excerpts on "Biological Evidence"
- Nancy Fenton, Jessica Flitter(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Research & Education Association(Publisher)
Chapter 5 Biological Bases of BehaviorBiological psychology can be traced to the beginnings of psychology because it has its roots in physiology. The field of biological psychology , also called neuroscience , focuses on how genes, the nervous system, and the endocrine system influence behaviors and mental processes. Technological advances have allowed biological psychologists to provide a more complete understanding of what occurs on a physiological level during a psychological experience such as thinking or memory.Heredity, Environment, and EvolutionAn important aspect of the study of psychology is the interplay among genetic, environmental, and evolutionary influences. Complex human traits, such as intelligence, aggression, altruism, and personality, are influenced by all of these factors. For instance, psychologists attempt to determine how an individual’s level of aggression is impacted by inheritance and exposure to violence, as well as why aggressive tendencies were naturally selected.Biologists and psychologists are both interested in the various influences of nature and nurture on human traits. Biologists study physical traits, such as height and eye color, or susceptibility to diseases, such as cancer. In contrast, psychologists are interested in behavioral traits and psychological illnesses. Behavioral traits include aggression, intelligence, personality, etc.; psychological illnesses include anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, etc. The scientific discipline of behavioral genetics attempts to integrate the influences of heredity, environment, and evolution in terms of their effect on human behavior.HeredityBiological psychologists are interested in the study of heredity, or how the traits of parents are transmitted biologically to offspring. The nucleus of each human cell contains forty-six chromosomes , twenty-three donated by each parent. Chromosomes that determine gender are known as the X and Y chromosomes . One X chromosome is donated by the mother, and either an X or Y chromosome is donated by the father. An XX individual is female; an XY person is male. Each chromosome contains genes , which are made up of a chainlike molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) . Each individual gene can be either dominant or recessive. A dominant gene takes precedence over a recessive gene for that particular trait. For the gene that determines eye color in humans, brown is the dominant gene and blue is the recessive gene. If either parent donates a dominant gene for eye color, the child will have brown eyes. If both parents donate recessive genes for eye color, the child will have blue eyes. A Punnett square can be used to predict the outcome of various traits. The genotype is the genetic makeup for a trait in an individual, which may or may not be expressed, while the observable characteristics of genes are referred to as the phenotype
eBook - ePub- G Neil Martin, G Neil Martin(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
Table 1.1 suggests, biological psychologists specialise in the topics that are of interest to them. There are some terms used to describe specific types of biological psychology (and, therefore, biological psychologist) and there are other terms that are synonymous with it. Some of the terms that are interchangeable with biological psychology include psychobiology and physiological psychology – to all intents and purposes, all of these terms refer to the same discipline. Other terms that refer to specific areas of biological psychology include neuroscience, neuropsychology, histology and psychoneuroimmunology.Neuroscience
Neuroscience is an area of study where psychology, physics, chemistry and biology converge. It refers to the study of the neural basis of behaviour, and much of the work in the area is cellular in nature. Neuroscientists are interested in how specific brain cells, types of brain cell or groups of brain cells contribute to brain function and to behaviour. For example, neuroscientists may be interested in discovering whether specific types of cell are involved in specific behaviours (such as object or face recognition); they might be interested in discovering which chemical systems in the brain become active or inactive during certain psychological states such as sleep, mental impairment, depression, schizophrenia, and so on. It is sometimes prefaced by 'cognitive' to indicate that the study involves the neural basis of aspects of cognition such as using language, recognising objects, places and faces, recognising and experiencing emotion, performing mental arithmetic tasks, engaging in visual imagery, and so on (Posner and DiGirolamo, 2000).Some psychologists combine what seem on the surface to be entirely different branches of the discipline, such as neuroscience and social psychology. Social cognitive neuroscience, for example, involves the study of the social processes that influence behaviour, the information processing that gives rise to social behaviour and the neural basis of the cognitive behaviour that involves information processing (Ochsner and Lieberman, 2001). Some of the topics that interest social cognitive psychologists include the role of specific brain regions in socio-emotional behaviour, and the role of neural mechanisms in regulating aggression, dominance and bonding.
- Amy E. Wenzel(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
This is yet further evidence that there is a close link between the biological constructs that underlie disease and social environments. And researchers no longer think about genetic versus environmental influences or explanations but, rather, the interplay between the two. In short, it is not plausible to consider biological constructs apart from the social and psychological context. This essential principle underlies the key conceptual ideas of biopsychosocial medicine and more specific fields such as social psychiatry, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), and developmental psychobiology. It is comparatively easy to identify important biological constructs specific to abnormal and clinical psychology; several are discussed herein. It is a greater challenge to operationalize why and how a biological construct may be of particular importance. Several terms are important in this regard. One leading term of particular significance is biomarker, or a biological marker. A generic definition for biomarker is that it is a measureable, objective, but also changeable sign of pathological process, normal biological process, or treatment response that can be measured in the body. This definition is not overly prescriptive, but it does distinguish biological markers from other clinical markers, such as patient-reported symptoms. Biomarkers would not include, for example, individual patient reports of mood. Rather, a biomarker would be a measured index of some biological substance, pattern, or process that is thought to be associated with a condition, such as glucocorticoid resistance from the dexamethasone suppression test in depression. There is no necessary condition that biomarkers agree with or track patient-reported symptoms; generally, the agreement is only modest—and arguably that is what gives thrust to this line of research and why research of this kind is inherently challenging
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