Psychology GRE - Physiological Philosophy

had one of the earliest theories that behavior, intellect, and even personality might be linked to brain anatomy.

developed PHRENOLOGY - if a particular trait were well developed, then the part of the brain responsible for that trait would expand

if a particular trait were well developed, then the part of the brain responsible for that trait would expand

impetus of work for Pierre Flourens

first person to study the functions of the major sections of the brain.

he studied the brain with extirpation and ablation

various parts of the brain are surgically removed , and the behavioral consequences are observed

believed it was important to study how the mind functioned in adapting to the environment

he formed one of the first theories of functionalism

a system of thought in psychology that was concerned with studying how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments

important name in functionalism; his 1896 article was seen as its inception

his article criticized the concept of the reflex arc, which breaks the process of reacting to stimulus into discrete parts

he believed that psychology should focus on the study of the organism as a whole as it functioned to the environment

added to the knowledge of physiology by examining the behavioral deficits of people with brain damage....

He was the first to demonstrate that specific functional impairments could be linked with specific brain lesions

discovered that a man who'd been unable to talk was unable to do so because of a lesion in a specific area on the left side of the brain - Broca's area...

in 1848, he was injured when an explosive charge sent an iron rod through the front of his skull

he had minor physical impairments but there were notable differences in his personality

this was due to prefrontal cortex damage

law of specific nerve energies

each sensory nerve is excited by only one kind of energy (e.g., light or air vibrations)

the brain interprets any stimulation of that nerve as being that kind of energy

Sensation depends more on the part of the brain that the nerves stimulate than on the particular stimulus that activates them

first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse

credited with the transition of psychology into the field of the natural sciences

• synapses
• many of his conclusions held over time except....he thought that synaptic transmission was an electrical process, but we now know that is primarily a chemical process

transmit sensory information from receptors to the spinal cord and brain

transmit motor information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles

found between the other neurons and are the most numerous of the three tupes ofneurons

located predominantly in the brain and spinal cord and are linked to reflexive behavior

Reflexive behavior is controlled by neural circuits called reflex arcs

controls behavior that is crucial to survival

composed of the brain and the spinal cord

made up of nerve tissue and fibers outside the brain and spinal cord

subdivided into somatic and autonomic nervous systems

parasympathetic nervous system + sympathetic nervous system

regulates heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and glandular secretions

manages the involuntary muscles

regulates body temperature

functions are automatic (independent of conscious control)

consists of sensory and motor neurons distributed throughout the skin and muscles

sensory neurons are transmitted through these fibers

motor impulses travel along these fibers

pioneered work in regard to the ANS (autonomic nervous system)

• - main role: conserve energy
• - associated with resting and sleeping states, and acts to reduce heart rate and respiration rates
• - manages digestion

promotes resting and digesting

• acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter responsible for parasympathetic responses in the body