Introduction: Overview and Major Issues

Biopsychology is about what it sounds like -- the biological aspects of psychology. This means it’s primarily concerned with the brain and how it functions, but also aspects of genetics and evolution that contribute to our psychology. So, the content of this class will primarily be about the brain, and also about genetics and evolution.

But the primary question of biopsychology, at least according to the book, is to understand the relation between biology and consciousness. It states upfront that there’s no good answer to what consciousness even is, let alone what about our biology makes it possible. But interrogating the question is part of grappling with the material. Psychology assumes consciousness; I’m not sure the field could exist without that assumption. And biology mostly isn’t about the problem of consciousness; it’s about the science of what we know is definitely happening in living organisms.

But we know that the biology of an individual person -- the genes they inherit, the patterns of neurons firing in their brains, the numbers of different neurotransmitters present at any time -- often correlates to the individual’s experience of their own consciousness. And so to understand ourselves and provide help to those living with mental illnesses and psychological disorders, understanding the biology behind psychology is key.

There are 3 main points the book seeks to communicate.

1. Perception occurs in the brain. A person might touch a hot stove and jerk their hand back without the information being transmitted to the brain, but they don’t perceive what happened, or feel pain, until it does.

2. Monism is the idea that brain activity and mental activity are inseparable. They’re the same thing. Our consciousness is biology.

3. Correlation does not equal causation. It’s important not to jump to conclusions, especially in this field.

   
   

There are 4 categories of biological explanations for behavior.

1. Physiological: deals with the machinery of the body, like connecting the brain to other organs. If there’s a physiological explanation for a behavior, it means the behavior is necessary for body function.

2. Ontogenetic: related to the way an organism develops. This isn’t just genes; it’s also nutrition, experiences, and interactions.

3. Evolutionary: what it sounds like. Behaviors can be traced back to similar ones in ancestral species. (Note: the evolutionary explanation deals with where behaviors are inherited from, but not why specific ones develop or are propagated).

4. Functional: this is more about the why of evolution and development. How does this behavior aid the survival of the organism, and more to the point, its genes?

   
   

    A lot of biopsychological research involves studying and experimenting on animals. This is for several reasons, including that certain animal brains and neurons may be simpler or easier to study, that evolutionarily humans are similar to other animals, and that animal biopsychology is in itself interesting and worth studying. 

    However, one last reason is that some studies are unethical to conduct on humans, which brings up the question of whether they are ethical to conduct on other animals, especially as those animals cannot consent to studies (consent or consent of a guardian is usually a prerequisite for studies on humans). Research on animals has improved our understanding of medicine, mostly for humans, though sometimes for animals as well. But it’s important to weigh those discoveries, even lifesaving discoveries, against their cost on the subjects of experiments. In the US, experiments in universities and other institutions require a thorough evaluation by an ethics committee before the experiment begins. However, experimentation on animals is allowed if the damage is perceived to be minimal or the potential value of the discovery in terms of reducing human suffering is believed to be worth it.

Other useful information: The book recommends Scientific American Mind and the Dana Foundation for therapists (and others) who want to keep up with findings in biopsychology without wading through overly technical papers.