The Classic Wanderer

2 What Historical Disciplines Converge To Create Biological Psychology?

• Sabrina Sarro
• 05.05.2023
• 0
• 18

Learning Objectives –

1. Understand the core premises of biological psychology and the early thinkers.
2. Critically evaluate empirical support for various biological psychology theories.
3. Explore applications and implications of key concepts from this perspective.

Biological psychologists are interested in measuring biological, physiological, or genetic variables in an attempt to relate them to psychological or behavioural variables, Because all behaviour is controlled by the central nervous system, biological psychologists seek to understand how the brain functions in order to understand behaviour.

Key areas of focus include sensation and perception; motivated behaviour (such as hunger, thirst, and sex); control of movement; learning and memory; sleep and biological rhythms; and emotion. As technical sophistication leads to advancements in research methods, more advanced topics such as language, reasoning, decision making, and consciousness are now being studied.

Biological psychology has its roots in early structuralist and functionalist psychological studies, and as with all of the major perspectives, it has relevance today. In section 1.2, we discuss the history and development of functionalism and structuralism.

• In this chapter, we extend this discussion to include the theoretical and methodological aspects of these two approaches within the biological perspective and provide examples of relevant studies.
• The early structural and functional psychologists believed that the study of conscious thoughts would be the key to understanding the mind.

Their approaches to the study of the mind were based on systematic and rigorous observation, laying the foundation for modern psychological experimentation. In terms of research focus, Wundt and Titchener explored topics such as attention span, reaction time, vision, emotion, and time perception, all of which are still studied today.

Wundt’s primary method of research was introspection, which involves training people to concentrate and report on their conscious experiences as they react to stimuli. This approach is still used today in modern neuroscience research; however, many scientists criticize the use of introspection for its lack of empirical approach and objectivity.

Structuralism was also criticized because its subject of interest – the conscious experience – was not easily studied with controlled experimentation. Structuralism’s reliance on introspection, despite Titchener’s rigid guidelines, was criticized for its lack of reliability.

Critics argued that self-analysis is not feasible, and that introspection can yield different results depending on the subject. Critics were also concerned about the possibility of retrospection, or the memory of sensation rather than the sensation itself. Today, researchers argue for introspective methods as crucial for understanding certain experiences and contexts.Two Minnesota researchers (Jones & Schmid, 2000) used autoethnography, a narrative approach to introspective analysis (Ellis, 1999), to study the phenomenological experience of the prison world and the consequent adaptations and transformations that it evokes.

Jones, serving a year-and-a-day sentence in a maximum security prison, relied on his personal documentation of his experience to later study the psychological impacts of his experience.

What is the discipline of biological psychology?

Key Takeaways –

• Biological psychology – also known as biopsychology or psychobiology – is the application of the principles of biology to the study of mental processes and behaviour.
• Biological psychology as a scientific discipline emerged from a variety of scientific and philosophical traditions in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• In The Principles of Psychology (1890), William James argued that the scientific study of psychology should be grounded in an understanding of biology.
• The fields of behavioural neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and neuropsychology are all subfields of biological psychology.
• Biological psychologists are interested in measuring biological, physiological, or genetic variables in an attempt to relate them to psychological or behavioural variables.

What are the origins of biological psychology?

Abstract – One of the earliest recorded works in Biological Psychology was published in 1910 by Argentine psychiatrist José Ingenieros (1877-1925), Professor of Experimental Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Buenos Aires.

Ingenieros, a multifaceted personality and prolific author and educator famous for his lapidary aphorisms, has been considered a ‘luminary’ for generations. Trained as a physician, he was the first scientist to establish a comprehensive psychological system in Latin America. His long list of publications includes more than 300 titles generally divided in two periods: studies in mental pathology and criminology (1897-1908) and studies in philosophy, psychology and sociology (1908-1925).

His works were never made particularly available to English-speaking audiences, despite the fact that certain of his books are still best-sellers in the Spanish-speaking world. We present an overview of Ingenieros’ life and work, and a detailed account of his profoundly interesting work Principios de Psicología Biológica, in which he analyzes the development, evolution and social context of mental functions.

What are the other disciplines of biopsychology?

Other names for this field include psychobiology and biological psychology. The sub fields of this science include cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, and neuropsychology.

What is the history of biological perspective in psychology?

The Biological Perspective – This field of psychology is often referred to as biopsychology or physiological psychology. This branch of psychology has grown tremendously in recent years and is linked to other areas of science including biology, neurology, and genetics.The biological perspective is essentially a way of looking at human problems and actions.

The study of physiology and biological processes has played a significant role in psychology since its earliest beginnings, Charles Darwin first introduced the idea that evolution and genetics play a role in human behavior. Natural selection, first described by Charles Darwin, influences whether certain behavior patterns are passed down to future generations.

Behaviors that aid in survival are more likely to be passed down while those that prove dangerous are less likely to be inherited. Consider an issue like aggression. The psychoanalytic perspective might view aggression as the result of childhood experiences and unconscious urges.

1. The behavioral perspective considers how the behavior was shaped by association, reinforcement, and punishment,
2. A psychologist with a social perspective might look at the group dynamics and pressures that contribute to such behavior.
3. The biological viewpoint, on the other hand, would involve looking at the biological roots that lie behind aggressive behaviors.

Someone who takes the biological perspective might consider how certain types of brain injury might lead to aggressive actions. Or they might consider genetic factors that can contribute to such displays of behavior.

Who are the major contributors to biological psychology?

The founding of the biological field of psychology is largely attributed to Charles Darwin, but the works of physician John Harlow, primatologist Jane Goodall, and psychologists Leda Cosmides and John Tooby have contributed to the field as well.

What are the main disciplines of biology?

Biology encompasses diverse fields, including botany, conservation, ecology, evolution, genetics, marine biology, medicine, microbiology, molecular biology, physiology, and zoology.

What is the origin and history of biological science?

Physiology – Over the course of the 19th century, the scope of physiology expanded greatly, from a primarily medically oriented field to a wide-ranging investigation of the physical and chemical processes of life—including plants, animals, and even microorganisms in addition to man. Living things as machines became a dominant metaphor in biological (and social) thinking.

What are the four biological psychology concepts?

Areas of study within biological psychology include neural mechanisms, genetics, behavior, and the relationship between the body and the mind. Understanding the human mind and human behavior through biological psychology is very important.

What are the 6 major branches of biopsychology?

The field of biopsychology is divided into various concentrations; physiological psychology, psychopharmacology, neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, comparative psychology, and psychophysiology.

What are the two disciplines of biology?

What is Biology? – Biology is a field of study that examines living things and their essential functions. Botany, conservation, ecology, evolution, genetics, marine biology, medicine, microbiology, molecular biology, physiology, and zoology are just a few of the many disciplines that make up biology.

What are the 5 historical perspectives of psychology?

There are various approaches in contemporary psychology, An approach is a perspective (i.e., view) that involves certain assumptions (i.e., beliefs) about human behavior: the way they function, which aspects of them are worthy of study and what research methods are appropriate for undertaking this study.

• There may be several different theories within an approach, but they all share these common assumptions.
• The five major perspectives in psychology are biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive and humanistic.
• You may wonder why there are so many different psychological approaches and whether one approach is correct and another wrong.

Most psychologists would agree that no one approach is correct, although in the past, in the early days of psychology, the behaviorist would have said their perspective was the only truly scientific one. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, and brings something different to our understanding of human behavior.

What are the main views of biological psychology?

The biological approach believes behavior to be a consequence of our genetics and physiology. It is the only approach in psychology that examines thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from a biological and, thus physical point of view. Therefore, all that is psychological is first physiological.

• All thoughts, feelings & behavior ultimately have a biological cause.
• A biological perspective is relevant to the study of psychology in three ways: 1.
• Comparative method : different species of animal can be studied and compared.
• This can help in the search to understand human behavior.2.
• Physiology : how the nervous system and hormones work, how the brain functions, how changes in structure and/or function can affect behavior.

For example, we could ask how prescribed drugs to treat depression affect behavior through their interaction with the nervous system.3. Investigation of inheritance : what an animal inherits from its parents, mechanisms of inheritance (genetics). For example, we might want to know whether high intelligence is inherited from one generation to the next.

What are the origins of physiological psychology?

Physiological psychology is the study of how mental processes influence physical behavior. Thousands of years ago, humans had some recognition of the role of the brain in thought. The brain was of great interest to scientists and philosophers in ancient Greece, Egypt, and Persia.

Who is the father of biopsychology?

Donald Olding Hebb
Born	July 22, 1904 Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada
Died	August 20, 1985 (aged 81) Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	Dalhousie University ( BA, 1925), McGill University ( MA, 1932), Harvard University ( PhD, 1936)
Known for	Cell assembly theory
Awards	Fellow of the Royal Society
Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Institutions	Montreal Neurological Institute, Queen’s University, Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology, McGill University
Thesis	The innate organization of visual perception in the rat (1936)
Doctoral advisor	Karl Spencer Lashley
Doctoral students	Brenda Milner

Donald Olding Hebb FRS (July 22, 1904 – August 20, 1985) was a Canadian psychologist who was influential in the area of neuropsychology, where he sought to understand how the function of neurons contributed to psychological processes such as learning,

He is best known for his theory of Hebbian learning, which he introduced in his classic 1949 work The Organization of Behavior, He has been described as the father of neuropsychology and neural networks, A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Hebb as the 19th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.

His views on learning described behavior and thought in terms of brain function, explaining cognitive processes in terms of connections between neuron assemblies,

What is the contribution of biological psychology?

A Word From Verywell – Biopsychology represents one of the important ways of thinking about psychology. This perspective in psychology has allowed researchers to gain a greater understanding of how the brain and nervous system influence human behavior.

By studying normal brain functioning as well as how brain disease and injury influence behaviors, feelings, and thoughts, researchers are able to come up with new ways of treating potential problems that might arise. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Van Oudenhove L, Cuypers SE. The Philosophical “Mind-Body Problem” and Its Relevance for the Relationship Between Psychiatry and the Neurosciences, Perspect Biol Med,2010;53(4):545-557. doi:10.1353/pbm.2010.0012
2. Pandya SK. Understanding brain, mind and soul: Contributions from neurology and neurosurgery, Mens Sana Monogr,2011;9(1):129-149. doi:10.4103/0973-1229.77431
3. Latash ML, Zatsiorsky V. Biomechanics and Motor Control: Defining Central Concepts, Cambridge, MA: Academic Press; 2015.
4. Parker Jones O, Alfaro-Almagro F, Jbabdi S. An empirical, 21st century evaluation of phrenology, Cortex,2018;106:26-35. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2018.04.011
5. Goldstein DS. Adrenal Responses to Stress, Cell Mol Neurobiol,2010;30(8):1433-1440. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9
6. Brisch R, Saniotis A, Wolf R, et al. The role of dopamine in schizophrenia from a neurobiological and evolutionary perspective: old fashioned, but still in vogue, Front Psychiatry,2014;5:47. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00047
7. Hisahara S, Shimohama S. Dopamine Receptors and Parkinson’s Disease, Int J Med Chem,2011;403039. doi:10.1155/2011/403039

Additional Reading

Kalat JW. Biological Psychology, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning; 2013.

By Kendra Cherry Kendra Cherry, MS, is the author of the “Everything Psychology Book (2nd Edition)” and has written thousands of articles on diverse psychology topics. Kendra holds a Master of Science degree in education from Boise State University with a primary research interest in educational psychology and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Idaho State University with additional coursework in substance use and case management.

How does biopsychology contribute to psychology?

Biology + Psychology Biopsychology (also known as physiological psychology, behavioral neuroscience or psychobiology) is an interdisciplinary field that analyzes how the brain and neurotransmitters influence our behaviors, thoughts and feelings. Specifically, biopsychology is the application of the principles of biology (in particular neurobiology), to the study of physiological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behavior in human and non-human animals.

1. The focus of the work in this field is at the level of nerves, neurotransmitters, brain circuitry and the basic biological processes that underlie normal and abnormal behavior.
2. Most typically, experiments in behavioral neuroscience involve non-human animal models (such as rats and mice, and non-human primates), which have implications for better understanding of human pathology.

Biopsychologists have an understanding of biological processes, anatomy and physiology. Components of specific interest to professionals in this field are the brain, neurotransmitters and the nervous system. Consequently, students wishing to pursue this field of study should take courses that help them understand the relationship between our biological make up (hormones, chemicals, etc.) and our behavior.

1. Employment Educational requirements for biopsychologists include at least a bachelor’s degree in biopsychology, biology, psychology or neuroscience.
2. Employment opportunities are greater for those who pursue a master’s degree and most employers require several years of experience working in studies related to biology, neuroscience or both.

Good candidates for employment must have excellent organizational and analytical skills, as well as good computer database skills for data collection. These professionals work in a laboratory environment and may study laboratory animals or analyze human samples.

• Many biological psychologists have an interest in a particular condition or part of the brain, and research opportunities are available in a number of disciplines.
• Neuroscientists concentrate on discovering causes and affects of brain injury, mental illness, hormones and stress, typically examining neural function in laboratory animals.

Pharmaceutical companies employ biological psychologists to study the influences of certain drugs on the brain, development and mental stability of humans. Other employers include hospitals, health care organizations and government agencies. Entry-level opportunities in biological psychology consist primarily of assistant and coordinator positions.

1. Research assistants typically conduct the hands-on work necessary for experiments in the field.
2. The work is dependent on the interests of the assistant’s supervising professor or researcher and may include gathering data from human research participants, performing simple surgical procedures or conducting experiments on animal subjects.

Mid-level and advanced careers include academic, counseling and scientific research positions. Biological psychologists teach in high schools, community colleges and postsecondary institutions. Often, those at the college level combine a teaching profession with research in the field and may benefit from finding employment with a public research university.

What is the discipline of biological science?

“Biological Science Disciplines” is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine’s controlled vocabulary thesaurus, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure, which enables searching at various levels of specificity.

1. All of the divisions of the natural sciences dealing with the various aspects of the phenomena of life and vital processes.
2. The concept includes anatomy and physiology, biochemistry and biophysics, and the biology of animals, plants, and microorganisms.
3. It should be differentiated from BIOLOGY, one of its subdivisions, concerned specifically with the origin and life processes of living organisms.

This graph shows the total number of publications written about “Biological Science Disciplines” by people in this website by year, and whether “Biological Science Disciplines” was a major or minor topic of these publications. To see the data from this visualization as text, click here.

What are the three major science disciplines?

Science is a field of work that involves studying the organic and inorganic matter of the earth and the universe. There are three main branches of science: physical science, earth science and life science. Each of the three branches of science has its own career applications.

What is the discipline of biological science?

“Biological Science Disciplines” is a descriptor in the National Library of Medicine’s controlled vocabulary thesaurus, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), Descriptors are arranged in a hierarchical structure, which enables searching at various levels of specificity.

All of the divisions of the natural sciences dealing with the various aspects of the phenomena of life and vital processes. The concept includes anatomy and physiology, biochemistry and biophysics, and the biology of animals, plants, and microorganisms. It should be differentiated from BIOLOGY, one of its subdivisions, concerned specifically with the origin and life processes of living organisms.

This graph shows the total number of publications written about “Biological Science Disciplines” by people in this website by year, and whether “Biological Science Disciplines” was a major or minor topic of these publications. To see the data from this visualization as text, click here.

Is biopsychology a discipline?

Biopsychology – An Integrative Discipline It encompasses the branch of biology that deals with the anatomy, biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology of neurons and neural circuits.

What is the discipline of neuroscience in psychology?

Neuroscience psychology is an interdisciplinary field that integrates several areas, including psychology, biology, chemistry, and physics. Neuroscience psychology may add knowledge about human thoughts, emotions, and behavior by studying the nervous system.