The relationship between biological and cognitive psychology



The relationship between biological and cognitive psychology MACROBUTTON AcceptAllChangesShown "[Click here and type your name]" MACROBUTTON AcceptAllChangesShown "[Click here and type your institution's name]" The relationship between biological and cognitive psychologyBiological Psychology is the investigation of human behavior which results from the affects of the combination of both internal and external forces. In simpler terms; it is the study of how individuals act and react in regards to physiological changes in their brains and bodies. The basic principles of biology are applied when investigating the way humans behave towards certain events or circumstances. Biological psychology is concerned with the fact that every action and/or emotion presented by humans has its basis in functions of the brain. For this reason this field of psychology was previously referred to as “physiological psychology or behavioral neuroscience” (Rossman, 2007). The discipline of Psychology is different from the study of biology and the field of neuroscience for the reason that it is principally interested in the relationships of psychological processes and their effects on individual behavior. Psychology in general is concerned with the total processes of an entire organism. The subdivision of biological psychology brings together the investigation of the neural functions and processes of the human brain with examinations of the actual effects these processes have on actions and behaviors. Neuroscience attempts to discover how the chemicals and synaptic activity of neurons actually work, why they function as they do and how they can be altered through the use of specific medications etc. this research in turn assists biological psychologists to better understand human behavior. These findings can additionally be used and transmitted to the field of cognitive psychology which attempts to investigate how individuals think and the underlying processes related to thought processes. Cognitive Psychology relates to developments, both past and present, in the investigation of the memory process, verbal communication, discernment, the ability to solve problems, and thinking in general. Essentially, cognitive psychology scrutinizes the ways in which individuals obtain and put into operation, data or information they have obtained from various sources. The discipline of cognitive psychology is directly interrelated to cognitive science and is inspired by fields of study such as environmental science and physics, among others. Cognitive psychology has historically been established on the suppositions that Human cognition can be completely disclosed by implementation of the scientific method. Particularized systems of intellectual processes can be acknowledged and understood by using this method. Additionally; internal psychological processes can be illustrated by a set of rules which attempt to explain how information is processed. Cognitive psychology is concerned with the ways in which individuals process information, how they use that information and the differences in individual thought processes regarding the information. The many ways in which individuals perceive, store and use information both in the present and the future can assist researchers to better understand how the process of solving problems and learning new tasks is applied. Through observational studies, it becomes possible to determine the underlying principles of cognition; how these principles are employed, utilized and adjusted/adapted to suit the needs of the individual.Donald Olding Hebb is one of the many prominent, psychologists who assisted in the development and advancement of the field of cognitive psychology. Through extensive research related to the connections between the brain and behavior, Hebb formulated and published one of the most renowned pieces of work related to neuroscience and psychological theory in history; The Organization of Behavior:?a Neuropsychological Theory, which posited three theories; the “Hebb synapse”, the “Hebb cell assembly”, and the “phase sequence”, which he suggested as simply being a more updated adaptation of the theory of “connectionism.” “In [Hebb’s theory], he formulated his “dual trace mechanism,” whereby interconnected and coactive circuits permanently modify the efficacy of activated pathways. Drawing on data and concepts from the molecular to systems level, Hebb’s synthesis has come to inspire investigators working on mechanisms of learning and memory at all levels of brain function’ (Haider, 2008). Presently, the theories proposed by Hebb are the ideas on which the majority of neurological models of functioning are based upon. His contributions to the fields of both neuroscience and cognitive psychology are unparalleled and have continued to be extremely valuable in assisting scientists and those in the field of psychology to better understand the ways in which the human mind interacts with human behaviors. Karl Spencer Lashley was a remarkably talented individual who also grew to be one of the most renowned psychologists in history. From a very young age, Lashley was fascinated with animals and their behavior and how biological factors affected these behaviors. His interest in both zoology and behavioral psychology soon led Lashley along an educational journey in which he was eventually appointed as a professor of research in the field of neuropsychology at Harvard University. During his tenure at Harvard and before he was appointed to this position, Lashley performed numerous research studies which involved investigations into the behavior of rats and the ways in which the destruction of particular cerebral functions affected their ability to remember and form specific habits. The culmination of his localization experiments was Brain Mechanisms and Intelligence: A Quantitative Study of Injuries to the Brain (1929), his longest, most significant monograph. In it he summarized his concepts of equipotentiality and mass action and marshaled the experimental evidence to support them. Thus he accounted for the absence of precise and persistent localization of function in the cortex. Lashley's experiments denied the simple similarity and correspondence, previously assumed, between associationistic connectionism and the neuronal theory of the brain as a mass of neurons connected by synapses (Your Dictionary, 2010). Lashley and Hebb worked together for a number of years. While Lashley placed his focus of studies on the on the numerous ways individuals learn and solve problems, Hebb continued his research regarding the difference in temperaments and emotions. In a continuation of their studies in the field of neuropsychology, the results of their separate studies would ultimately be tested once again with the use of “brain lesion” research. The major focus of Lashley’s research was to “prove” that there was not one specific region of the brain which held memories; he concluded that memories were spread throughout different regions of the brain which is not only an important theory/discovery in the world of neuroscience, but the discipline of psychology as well. Hebb’s theory that memories are held in and activated by extremely intricate functions within the brain which are triggered by internal and external forces, verifies a number of psychological theories, both biological and cognitive. “That is, memory is a process of neural activity that is determined both by the functional, neurological components and the significance or valence of incoming sensory material. Studies involving brain lesions and damage have indicated that morphological changes result in memory formation. Such evidence is testament for the functional, neurological component of memory-related processing” (Brennan, 2001). ReferencesBrennan, A. (2001). Memory, Learning and Our Virtual Brains: A Hebbian Web. Serendip Home | Serendip's Exchange. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from /neuro01/web3/Brennan.htmlHaider, B. (2008, July 12). Contributions of Yale Neuroscience to Donald O. Hebb’s Organization of Behavior. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from , J. (2007, December 3). Biological Psychology: Foundations of Biopsychology - Associated Content - . Associated Content - . Retrieved January 25, 2011, from Dictionary. (2010.). Karl Spencer Lashley Biography. Biography. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from ................
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