Contents What is Physiological Psychology? Assumptions Methods of Investigation Core Studies from Physiological Psychology: Dement and Kleitman (1957) and Raine (1997) Contributions to Psychology Advantages and Disadvantages Summary

Physiological Psychology This approach is sometimes known as the Biological approach. This area of psychology focuses on nature rather than nurture. Physiological Psychologists are study how the body affects behaviour.

Assumptions All of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours have a biological cause Much of our behaviour has a genetic basis. Psychology should investigate the brain, the endocrine system, neurochemistry and genes

Methods of investigation Laboratory Experimentation. The IV often involves giving drugs, removing part of the brain or stimulating the brain to look at the effects on behaviour, the DV. Laboratory Observations Controlled observations of our biological processes. Sleep laboratories are often used to look at brain activity. Correlations Correlations measure the relationship between 2 variables to see if there is a trend or pattern. Physiological psychologists have found a significant positive correlation between time spent in rapid eye and time spent in REM sleep.

Core Studies from Physiological Psychology Raine (1997) Brain abnormalities in murderers indicated by positrom emission tomography.” Aim: To see if people who have claimed not guilty reason insanity to a murder charge have a dysfunction in the brain areas associated with aggression. Method Participants: 41 Prisoners charged with murder and claiming “Not Guilty reason Insanity.”Each participant was matched with a “normal” person on age, sex and mental illness, where relevant. Procedure: All participants were injected with a tracer substance that was taken up by the brain to show the location of brain activity. A positron emission tomography was used to show brain activity during a cognitive task. Results Murderers brain’s had less activity in areas associated with aggression, self control and inhibitions. For example the pre-frontal cortex, the corpus callosum and the amygdala.

Dement and Kleitman (1957)“The relation of eye movements during sleep to dream activity: an objective method for the study of dreams. Aim: To test whether: 1) Significantly more dreaming occurs during REM sleep than non-REM sleep. 2) There is a a significant positive correlation between lengths of time spent in REM sleep and duration of dreaming 3) There is a significant relationship between the pattern of rapid eye movement observed during sleep and the content of the dream reported on waking. Participants: 7 adult males and 2 adult females. Design: Laboratory experimentation using observation. Procedure: Participants sleep individually in a sleep laboratory. Electrodes were placed near their eyes to record eye movement and on their scalp to measure brain waves. Participants were awoken several times during the night and they were asked to recall whether they had been dreaming, the length of the dream and the dream content. Results: 1) Significantly more dreaming was reported during REM sleep than non-REM sleep. 2) There is a a significant positive correlation between length of time spent in REM sleep and reported duration of dreaming 3) There is a significant relationship between the pattern of rapid eye movement observed during sleep and the reported content of the dream reported on waking.

Contributions to Psychology Physiological Psychologists have increased our understanding of the following: 1) Aggression - Biological causes of aggression 2) Abnormality - Biological causes of mental illness 3) Memory - The impacts of brain injury on memory 4) Localisation of Function - Damage to specific parts of the brain has shown specific behavioural effects. 5) Gender - The effects of hormones and genetics on our behaviour.

Advantages and Disadvantages Rigorous scientific methodology. Many practical applications. This approach has developed many effective treatments for mental illness. Provides evidence in support of the nature side of the nature/ nurture debate. Over Simplistic. This approach places too much emphasis on biology when clearly humans are influenced by many other factors Reductionism. This approach explains complex emotions, behaviours and thoughts in terms of our biology. There may be a more complex explanation.

Summary Physiological Psychology explain human behaviour through looking at our biological make-up. Physiological Psychologists use scientific methods to carry out their research. Physiological Psychology has furthered our understanding of aggression, abnormality, memory etc. It is very scientific, but it has been accused of reductionism