Psychology - Biological Psychology Biological Essay

Important Theorists and their Contributions:

Broca contributed greatly to the initial recognition of the importance of specific brain regions to particular aspects of human psychology and behavior in the middle of the 19th century. Shortly thereafter, William James published one of the first formal academic explanation of biopsychology just before the turn of the 20th century, titled the Principles of Psychology (Dennet, 1991; Pinker, 2002). James acknowledged that personal experience and external environmental factors played a role in human psychological development, but only in so far as they represent sets and types of automatic, involuntary, and inherent biological responses to circumstances (Dennet, 1991).

Approximately 60 years later, Walter Hess pioneered a method of directly exploring the role of specific brain regions and structures through the use of electro- stimulation (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2005). By implanting electrodes into anesthetized laboratory animals, Hess demonstrated that specific behaviors could be triggered by electrically stimulating the areas of the brain responsible for certain behaviors.

Throughout the rest of the 20th century, neurophysiologists continued and expanded on the methods introduced by Hess by producing similar methods of brain stimulation (and inhibition) through surgical lesions of brain structures suspected in connection with certain behaviors and pharmacological action (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2005). In the modern era of psychobiological research, the use of magnetic resonance imaging and similar imaging techniques have allowed a comprehensive understanding of major neuropsychological components of human psychology (Dennet, 1991; Dennet, 1996).

The Interrelationships Among Neurology, and Different Psychological Perspectives:

James' first textbook on biopsychology suggested that all other psychological perspectives merely describe manifestations of biological processes (Dennet, 1991). The modern view of biopsychology is that biological processes are a fundamental component of human behavior but that elements of developmental psychology, conditioning, and myriad other non-physiological factors contribute to psychological expression. All modern psychological perspectives acknowledge the role of strictly biological factors, and no modern school of psychology claims an exclusive explanation for human psychology.

Bibliography

Dennet, D. (1991). Consciousness Explained. New York: Little Brown & Co.

Dennet, D. (1996). Kinds of Minds: Toward an Understanding of Consciousness. New York: Basic Books

Gerrig, R, Zimbardo, P. (2005). Psychology and Life. 17th Edition. New York:…