Historical Roots of Biopsychology Lesson 1

Major Issues in Psychology n Nature vs Nurture n Mind/Brain relationship n Freewill vs Determinism

The Mind/Brain Problem n What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? n or Mind/Body problem l Where is the seat of consciousness? l Ancient Egyptians  heart & liver l Aristotle  heart ~

The Mind/Brain Problem n Dualism l fundamentally different l body is physical matter l mind (soul?) is nonphysical n Problem: How do they interact? n Rene Descartes l interactionism l pineal gland ~

The Mind/Brain Problem n Monism l only one form of reality l several types monism l mentalism, materialism n Identity position l operations of brain  mental events l mind cannot exist independently n Humans are mechanistic l behave according to physical laws ~

The Mind/Brain Problem n Monism’s Problem: l How can a physical system produce mental states? l What about free will? n Modern scientists l dualists or monists? ~

The Mind/Brain Problem: Dualism n Sir John Eccles l Nobel Prize (1963) l Neuroscientist n Point of interaction: l supplemental motor area ~

The Mind/Brain Problem n Consciousness l unique property of brains? n Or could it exist in other entities? l Livers? l Computers? n No definitive answer yet ~

Biopsychology: History n Trepanation l Evidence from 10,000 years ago l Stone surgery n Mind/Brain related ~

Biopsychology: History n René Descartes ( ) l Mechanical statues l reflexes l testable hypotheses n Luigi Galvani ( ) l electrical stimulation of frog leg ~

Biopsychology: History n Francis Gall ( ) l phrenology l specifics discredited l Localization of function supported n Johannes Muller ( ) l Localization of function l Doctrine of specific nerve energies ~

Biopsychology: History n Hermann von Helmholtz ( ) l speed of conduction of nerve impulse n Fritsch & Hitzig (1870) l Electrical stimulation of brain l muscle movements ~

Biopsychology: History n Charles Darwin ( ) l Natural Selection n Organisms evolve l structure l physiology l behavior n Adaptive variations conserved n Relevance of animal research to human behavior ~

Biopsychology: History n Paul Broca l ( ) n Localization of language function l left hemisphere l clinical neuropsychology ~

Biopsychology: History n Santiago Ramon y Cajal ( ) l Nature of the Nervous System n The Neuron Doctrine l Nervous system made up of discrete cells n Otto Loewi ( ) l Signaling between neurons l Chemical neurotransmitters ~