1. PSY460 Biological Bases of Behavior
Introduction to the Class
Chapter 1: The Major Issues
Mind-Brain Relations
Nature & Nurture

2. Slide 2: The Syllabus Class & Labs- where and when
Reaching me & office hours
Resources
The web page & resources
Textbook & Annual Editions
Laboratory Assignments
Nature of lab assignments
Late Assignments
Grade Scale- a point system
Participation
Class/Lab Participation
Research Participation

3. Slide 3: Intro to Biological Psychology
Phineas Gage- Film
Biological Psychology-
the study of behavior and experience in terms of genetics, evolution and physiology (esp. nervous physiology… i.e., the brain and autonomic nervous system).
Names of Scientists of the field
Physiological psychologist
Biopsychologist
Behavioral Neuroscientist
Neurologists

4. Slide 4: Explaining Behavior and Experience
What is the job of psychology? Explain/Understand Behavior and Experience
Biopsychology (4 approaches to explanation)
Physiological explanation- explanations for psychology at the level of the the brain, organ structures and biochemical interactions.
Ontogenetic Explanations- contribution of genes, nutrition and experience on behavior (alcoholism).
Evolutionary Explanation- where (ancestors) the behavior evolved from (e.g., piloerection)
Functional Explanation- how is behavior of a functional value (useful) for survival (reproduction) (e.g., greed).
Sociobiology (aka evolutionary psychology) = evolution of social behavior

5. Slide 5: Consequences of Biopsychological Perspective
A conscious understanding of “reasons” for behavior are not necessary to explain behavior!
We act because of nervous system wiring
We act because of genetic make-up
could you ask someone to explain the reasons for their eye-color?
We act because of a distant ancestor did the same
“fight/flight” activation to threat
We act because it has served us in the past to survive and reproduce.
Jealousy, greed, helping, altruism, aggression

6. Slide 6: The Brain & Conscious Experience
Biological Psychology- An ambitious field….
PHILOSOPHIES OF EXISTENCE:
The mind-body problem: what is the relation between mind and the body?
Dualism (2 kinds of existence)
Monism (1 kind of existence)
Material Monism
Mental Monism
METHODOLOGICAL LEAPS OF FAITH:
The problem of minds- How can we know others really experience what we do?
Solipsism- “I alone am conscious/exist”
Non-solipsists- can know by reason and analogy
but how far can you go…Monkeys, rats, roach, amoebas???

7. Slide 7: Summary
Our experiences and behaviors certainly exist. Biopsychologist attempt to explain these most frequently in terms of physiological and genetic processes.
“The physiology of human experience
consciousness
What to expect-
mechanistic explanations
evolutionary (rather that cultural) explanation
references to animal research
the grounds of much of our experience (“body”)

8. Slide 8: The Language of Genetics
“We should not be amazed that almost every human behavior has some heritability (effected by genetic influence)” But how much is nature vs. nuture????
Gene- a physiological unit of heredity that maintains its structural identity from one generation to another. (come in pairs) ---Examples?
Chromosomes- strands of genes (23 pairs)
Chromosome is Homozygous for a gene
identical pair of genes on each chromosome pair
Chromosome is Heterozygous for a gene
unmatched pair of genes of each chromosome pair
“Ultimately he ability of any biological organism to do anything at all…. depends on the genes.”- from previous Kalat text

9. Slide 9: Language of Genetics (cont.)
Dominant Genes (A)- genes that show a strong effect in either the homozygous and heterozygous condition
Recessive Genes (a)- genes that show its effect only in homozygous conditions.
Homozygous pairings= AA (dominant trait expressed)
or aa (recessive trait expressed)
Heterozygous pairings= Aa or aA (dominant expressed)
Common Example of and inherited trait: Taste and PTC
Dominant Gene- (T) can taste in moderate concentrations
Recessive Gene- (t) can taste only in high concentrations
(overhead 1)

10. Slide 10: Passing on Traits
Quick & Dirty Exercise-gene for “ticklishness” (somatic sensitivity)
“A” (dominant)- highly sensitive to tickling
“a” (recessive)- modestly sensitive
SCENARIOS:
Parents- Aa and Aa
Parents- AA and aa
Parents- aA and AA
What is the chance that their child will be highly sensitive in each case? If there are 4 children in each family, what is the likelihood of a hetero- or homozygous gene pairing?

11. Slide 11: Gene Expression…if the conditions are right!
Simple results of a dominant/recessive gene combinations
Eye color, Hair color, toes and finger size etc etc….
More complicated cases involve combinations of other genes & environmental conditions to produce their effect.
Partial Penetrance- genes expressed (penetrate into one’s life) only under certain conditions.
Genes and Alcohol risk- expression only apparent in certain environments.
Sex-Linked Genes- genes found exclusively on the male/female chromosomes
“X”- the female chromosome- loaded with genes (Rs & Dom)
“Y”- the male chromosome- virtually w/o genes..X is default
XX = female XY= male (fem. genes expressed)

12. Slide 12: Sex Linked & Sex Limited Genes
Red-Green Color Blindness- a condition that results from combination on the sex chromosomes
text example (not actual number)
if 8% of women had recessive RG gene then 8% of all men but only 1% of women would be color blind
Sex-Limited Gene Expression- expression effects only one sex or it has a much stronger effect on one sex.
examples- location of hair growth, breast growth

13. Slide 13: Sources of Variation
Why aren’t we clones of one another?
Recombination - receiving new combinations of genes from our parents..
They might be Aa and Aa
We might be AA or aa or Aa
Mutation- a random change in a single gene . A gene for blue eyes-- become one for brown.
Usually recessive, therefore rarely harmful because both parents would have to have recessive mutation to have gene expressed.
Unless… “inbreeding” occurs. Why???
Hemophilia (the disease of czars)-- Romanov Family

14. Slide 14: Measuring the Contribution of Genes
Heritability- estimate of variance (effect) due to heredity.
Scale- 0 to 1.
e.g., .15 = low .85 = high heritability
PKU = 1, gene combination inhibits phenylalanine.
Key Point- in the cases of looking at the heritability of behavior, one cannot speak only only of genes or environment. Behaviors are clearly affected by both (while the contributions of each may not be be equal.
Measuring Heritability (of Depression, for example)
Identical Twin Studies-
compare identical twin to fraternal twins
Adoption Studies
are children more like adopted or biological parents?

15. Slide 15: Genes affecting Behavior
“They have a Gene for….” (depression in text)
KEY POINT: Genes don’t directly affect behavior
genes affect physiological processes by affecting protein production which affect chemical production (for example).
Depression (factors which affect serotonin or NE use at the neuronal level)
Even more indirect routes
limitations of physiology due to genetic building
Dr. Craig = Michael Jordan? Ever? Nope!

16. Slide 16: Evolution of Behavior
Evolution- the changes over many generations of the frequencies of various genes in a population.
How did we evolve (from where?)
evolutionary tree
98% shared genes with chimpanzee
How do species evolve (process of change)
natural (vs. artificial) selection
Characteristics that lend themselves to survival assist an individual in surviving to reproductive age, therefore these “survival” genes are passed on to the next generation
Process- mutations and recombination make animal more or less able to reproduce.

17. Slide 17: Misunderstandings of Evolution
Evolution=Improvement?
Maybe, maybe not… dependent on environment of the time… (e.g., peacock..)
Have human stopped evolving?
No. As long as we reproduce we evolve
Lack or excess use lead to change in that use area? (Lamarkian Evolution,… giraffe, lil’toe)
Not one that will be passed down to children
Does evolution act to benefit individuals/species?
Neither… it is a neutral event in which genes live on, but not you or necessarily the species as you know it.

18. Slide 18: Sociobiological Example: Evolutionary Explanations of Altruism
Sociobiology- the study of the evolution of social behavior
Functional explanations
Criticisms of the field
Functional explanations are often speculative
Sociobiological explanations sometimes imply that human behavior has evolved to be as it is, and therefore it should stay that
Altruistic Behavior
animal behaviors
human behavior
Class Discussion of the evolutionary and functional explanations for “Altruism”
(exercise?? See “Stop & Check” on pg. 16)
Common Explanations & Rebuttals
reciprocal altruism
kin selection

19. Figure: Genetic combinations/outcomes
[BACK]
Figure 1.7  Four equally likely outcomes of a mating between parents who are heterozygous for a given gene (Tt)
A child in this family has a 25% chance of being homozygous for the dominant gene (TT), a 25% chance of being homozygous for the recessive gene (tt), and a 50% chance of being heterozygous (Tt).

20. Slide 20: