Biological Psychology Ethics

Tim Weaver

General Psychology

PSY7310 Biological Psychology

Winter Quarter 2012

Timweaver3@capellauniversity.edu

Dr. Linda Reed

Biological Psychology

As a study, psychology has many branches within itself. Each thought of psychology

throughout history has brought about another school of psychology. Psychology or

philosophy enthusiasts and scholars alike have taken interests in not only understanding

the themes of psychology but have contributed to the creation of another branch. So, of

course, somewhere along the line was the dawning of a new era of psychology: biological

psychology. In the following composition the reader will learn the meaning of biological

psychology and its significance, history of this branch, pioneers of the sect, relationships

bio-psy has with other branches of psychology and neuroscience(s), and the assumptions

generated through practicing biological psychology.

Biological psychology, often referred to as biopsychology, is the branch of

psychology which studies the relationship between the human brain and human

behavior(s), (Wickens, A. P. 2005); it is the field of psychology which studies the

physical basis of psychological phenomena. In the formal study of biological psychology,

there was said to be a strict and codependent relationship between genetics and the

outcome of a person’s personality, (Richardson, R. D. 2006). Pioneers such as Charles

Darwin, William James, and William Sheldon have been credited with defining

biopsychology as a formal study.

Biological psychology, which is also known as behavioral neuroscience, got its start in

the later part of the 19th century, (Kowalski, R. & Western, D. 2009). A psychology

enthusiast by the name of William James became interested in biology after reading

Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species. James questioned Darwin’s theories and tested each

presumption. The performance of doing so resulted in the formal school of biological

psychology. James studied the possibility of a psyche that dealt with our perception of

life as well as with movement, (Richardson, R. D. 2006). The audience should keep in

mind though, not any one person can assume all responsibility for creating any branch of

psychology as that would mean to ignore the stigmas that had influenced these men along

the way, (Goodwin, C. J. 2008).

As has been noted above, Charles Darwin published a very controversial book in 1859

which proposed the theory of evolution. Darwin presentation of such a theory entailed

stating the human brain was progressing over time. This book also claimed that with

evolution, behaviors also changed over time. This publication was a major stepping stone

for other philosophers and psychologists to produce more thoughts on this subject; after

all, psychology is based off of questioning theories which have already been set in place.

As mentioned earlier, William James has been credited with being known as the

“father of behavioral neuroscience,” (Goodwin, C. J. 2008). James had already made his

mark in psychology after writing many publications focusing on the new social science of

psychology. He wrote of religion in psychology and the sense of mysticism, and also of

pragmatism, (Richardson, R. D. 2006). It was not until after Darwin’s publication on the

theory of evolution that James took on biology as his next focal point in his psychological

works. Even after studying the relationships between the brain and behavior, James still

claimed humans, whether or not we are an intelligent species, are all ignorant at times,

(James, W. 1983).

Sigmund Freud is one of the more famous pioneers of psychology. From

psychologists focusing on biology before him, Freud was able to form psychoanalysis

which spotlighted the functioning of the brain and how different stimuli affect different

parts of the brain therefore impacting the behaviors of people. Psychoanalysis focuses on

the unconscious mind and on human psychological functioning and behavior. He also

presented a theory to the world of psychology concerning the id, ego, and superego. This

theory illustrates clearly how the brain is related to a person’s behavior.

The first relationships held with this school of psychology that come to mind are

behavioral psychology and cognitive psychology. Focusing solely on behavior was a

result of the school of behavioral neuroscience.

Behaviorism and cognitive psychology were being studied almost simultaneously; some

say cognitive psychology was a result of denying the theories associated with

behaviorism while others claim behavioral psychology was a result of the studies of

cognitive psychology. John B. Watson, the founder of behaviorism, stated that there must

be physical/external evidence for an investigation to hold validity, (Wolman, B. B. 1989).

The term behavioral psychology seems deceiving since biological psychology is also

known as behavioral neuroscience and the views of these two schools contradict each

other on many occasions. Cognitive psychology rejected behaviorism and brought back

many of the theories associated with biopsychology. Unlike behaviorism and similar to

biopsychology, cognitive psychology does not need physical evidence in order to be

considered valid. Cognitive psychology and biopsychology share the use of neuroscience

and the concentration of actions and reactions of the human body.

Biological approaches to psychology aides many clinicians these days in the diagnoses

of mental disorders. For example, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) can be

diagnosed by a physician but holds most validity with the help of a psychologist- a

biological psychologist. Another theory deduced from using a biological approach to

psychology is that “it runs in the family.” Biological psychology has made a tremendous

influence on the medical world in aiding in the treatment of mental disorders. It was

psychologists that determined schizophrenia is more likely to arise in children whose

fathers were older than 50 at time of impregnation, (Bhattacharya, S. 2004).

At this point, the composition should have conveyed to the audience biological

psychology’s history, the people that made it happen, and where you can find traces of

this branch of psychology. There should be nothing left to question about the general idea

of behavioral neuroscience. This school of psychology will continue to be recognized for

its tremendous influences on the formal social science of psychology because of the

publications, investigations, and theories birthed because of the original question: Is there

a relationship between the brain and behavior? If so, what is that relationship exactly?

ReferencesWickens, A. P. (2005). Foundations of Biopsychology (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson

Prentice Hall.

Richardson, R. D. (2006). William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Kowalski, R. & Western, D. (2009). Psychology (5th ed). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Wolman, B. B. (1989). Dictionary of Behavioral Science. New York, NY: Academic Press Inc.

James, W. (1983). Talks to Teachers on Psychology. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Bhattacharya, S. (2004-10-24). Mental Health: Father’s age linked to schizophrenia risk. Message posted to http://www.newscientist.com