Biopsych chp. 1

relates a behavior to the activity of the brain and other organs

how a structure or behavior develops

reconstructs the evolutionary history of structure or behavior

why a structure or behavior evolved as it did

a particular area of a songbird brain grows under the influence of testosterone; hence, it is larger in breeding males than in females or immature birds.

a young mail bird learns its song by listening to adult males. development of the song requires a certain set of genes and the opportunity to hear the appropriate song during a sensitive period in early life

certain pairs of species have similar songs, suggesting that the two evolved from a single ancestor

birds have evolved tendencies to sing in ways that improve their chances for mating

defended dualism: min and brain interact at a single point in space which was suggested to be the pineal gland

conflicts with the law of the conservation of matter and energy

monism: mental events don't exist at all, and any folk psychology based on minds and mental activity is fundamentally mistaken

monism: only the mind really exists and the physical world could not exist unless some mind were aware of it

monism: mental processes and certain kinds of brain processes are the same thing, described in different terms

alternative to dualism; the universe consists of only one kind of substance

i alone exist, encounters problem of other minds: difficulty of knowing whether other people have conscious experiences

why and how any kind of brain activity is associated with consciousness

An evolutionary explanation states what evolved from what, e.g. humans evolved from earlier primates and therefore have certain features that we inherited from those ancestors, even if the features are not useful to us today. A functional explanation states why something was advantageous and therefore evolutionarily selected.

case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, description

(r): indicates strength (0.00 - 1.00) and direction (+ or -) of relationship

studied cognition through introspection - beginning of the modern era of psychology

subjective analysis of the structure of sensation and mental events

study of purposive behavior, mental abilities, and functional aspects

psyche, constructs, mental processes

leaning theory, behavior into constituent, observable elements