Lecture Slides for PSY-2 Introduction by Dr. Adams

1. Introduction: Building the Mind’s
Machine
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2. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY:
scientific study of the biological bases
of behavior & mental processes
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3. A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIO PSYCH
TREPHINATION EDWIN SMITH PAPYRUS
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4. A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIO PSYCH
HIPPOCRATES ARISTOTLE
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5. “Men ought to know that from nothing else but the brain come
joys, delights, laughter and sports, and sorrows, griefs,
despondency, and lamentations. And by this, in an especial
manner, we acquire wisdom and knowledge, and see and hear,
and know what are foul and what are fair, what are bad and
what are good, what are sweet, and what unsavory;...And by the
same organ we become mad and delirious, and fears and terrors
assail us, ...All these things we endure from the brain...In these
ways I am of the opinion that the brain exercises the greatest
power in the man. This is the interpreter to us of those things
which emanate from. It is the brain which is the messenger to
the understanding.”
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIO PSYCH
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6. GALEN
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIO PSYCH
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"there is a hairlike pair of nerves in the
muscles of the larynx on both left and right,
which if … cut render the animal speechless
without damaging either its life or functional
activity"

7. GALEN
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIO PSYCH
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8. LEONARDO DA VINCI
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIO PSYCH
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9. RENE DESCARTES
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BIO PSYCH
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10. DEBATE #1: Dualism VS Materialism
DUALISM:
the mind and body are separate
MATERIALISM:
the mind is a consequence of the body
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11. DEBATE #2: Nature VS Nurture
NATURE:
internal, biological influences
NURTURE:
external, environmental influences
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12. THE FUTURE OF BIO PSYCH
• NEUROPLASTICITY: the nervous system can
change in response to experience
• SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE: biological bases of
social behavior
• EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY: natural
selection has shaped behavior
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13. THE FUTURE OF BIO PSYCH
• EPIGENETICS: gene expression can be turned
on & off
• NEUROECONOMICS: the brain mechanisms
at work during decision making
• CONSCIOUSNESS: the state of awareness of
one’s own experiences
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