Biological Psychology Worksheet
Answer the following questions in short-essay format. Be prepared to discuss your answers.
1. What is biological psychology?
Biological psychology refers to the field of psychology in which the study of organism’s actions or behaviors along with inner processes such as; emotions, learning, perceptions, memory, and motivation is geared towards a biological standpoint. Biological psychology or biopsychology focuses on the scientific approaches of study on behavior (Pinel, 2009). When biopsychologists study behavior from the biological perspective, they look at aspects such as the nervous system; specifically the brain, along with genetics, physiology, and comparative method (McLeod, 2007). Biopsychologists are also referred to as neuroscientists for their contribution to research on behavior and the relation to the nervous system (Pinel, 2009).
2. What is the historical development of biological psychology?
The historical development of biological psychology can be traced backed to ancient Greeks, but thought to be rebirthed during Renaissance. Credit of the scientific knowledge being resolved is giving to a French philosopher, Rene Descartes. He proposed that although the body and brain are separate units; the human mind influences and controls thought and behavior, as an explanation to actions of how and why humans behave (Pinel, 2009). Later in history; more specifically the 19th century modern biology was born when Charles Darwin provided supporting evidence and an explanation for the evolutionary theory. Darwin’s argument held that evolution takes place through natural selection (Pinel, 2009). The most recent history is the start of biopsychology in the 20th Century with credit of its emerge given to D.O. Hebb. His complete and profound accomplishment theory was the first to be developed. His theory examined how
References: McLeod, S. A. (2007). Biological Psychology - Simply Psychology. Retrieved June 09, 2013 from http://www.simplypsychology.org/biological-psychology.html Pinel, J. P. J. (2009). Biopsychology (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.