Biological Aspects of Psychology: An Overview Essential Question: What processes are occurring in our body that impact the way think and behave?

In a recent article… …A famous computer mogul was talking about how far past the ability of the brain the computer has gone …To support his evidence, he cited the fact that the brain has a processing capacity of 0.1 quadrillion processes per second …He then explained that the world’s fastest computer, the Roadrunner, can process quadrillion processes per second …For those of us slow at math, that means that the Roadrunner is approximately 100 times more powerful at processing than the brain …but…

In a recent article…(continued) …What he failed to understand is that the Roadrunner can only effectively process one thing at once. …Your brain, with its 100 trillion connections throughout the body, is probably processing hundreds of billions of things at once …To put that into perspective, you would need at least 100 billion Roadrunners to equal the processing ability of the brain …to run that many Roadrunners would take more energy than is consumed on the planet in a day …Your brain does all that using less than two calories per minute (you may now eat your 2 calorie goldfish)

I. Biopsychology:  While most people like to believe that all they do is based on choice, there are literally billions of unconscious decisions being made in our body every second  The study of these biological functions and how they effect us on a psychological level is called biopsychology  While most people know that the brain is involved, biopsychology is much, much, much more complicated than that.

Systems involved in Biopsychology

I. The Central Nervous System

A. The Brain: Central Computing Unit  The Central Nervous System is controlled by your brain  This amazing central processing unit had the ability to do billions of functions at once  While many people believe the myth that we only use 10% of our brain, we actually use it all  The main purpose of the brain is to access information, process that information, and then command the correct part of the body to move  Sometimes this is an automatic process

B. The Spinal Cord: The Mother Board  Impulses move from the brain into the spinal cord  The spinal cord is connected directly to the peripheral nervous system that runs throughout the body  If a person suffers a spinal cord injury, they may lose abilities in their peripheral nervous system -A higher injury usually causes quadriplegia -A lower injury usually causes paraplegia

II. The Peripheral Nervous System

A. Systems in the Peripheral:  Your peripheral nervous system has two functions  Your sensory systems control your senses, such as smell, sight, touch, etc…  Your motor system controls all movement within the body  Some bodily functions require both the sensory and motor systems to work together

B. Neurons: The Gr8 Communicators  Both the Central and Peripheral Nervous systems rely on the mighty neuron  This special type of cell is designed specifically to carry electrical impulses throughout the nervous system  An example of this will now be demonstrated in class by Mr. Creech -For those of you missing class, Mr. Creech will now be pelted with tennis balls to test his reflexes -He must hear the command (sensory), turn (motor), see the ball (sensory), and block/dodge (motor)

III. The Endocrine System

A. Glands: Sending Signals to your body  The glands are the major organs involved in regulating the endocrine system  The create the hormones that are sent throughout the system that regulate all sorts of responses within the body  Glands within the male system are different than in the female system -Men have testicles -Women have ovaries

B. Hormones: A Teenager’s best Friend  The glands create hormones which are sent to various other parts of the body  These hormones regulate everything from growth to metabolism to hunger to sex drive  These hormones can trigger activities that are either fun or necessary for survival  Can trigger the fight or flight mechanism in the body

IV. The Immune System

A. Function of the Immune System:  If your autoimmune system is working properly, it will attempt to attack and kill any foreign contaminants that enter the body  If your system gets overactive or underactive, then serious issues can arise in your body  An underactive immune system may not be able to fight off infections  An overactive immune system might actually begin to attack the body itself

B. Health: The Psychological Effect  Having health issues can drastically effect a person’s mood or outlook on life  People with health issues may suffer from lack of sleep which can cause severe mental issues  People who suffer from health issues, for example, are much more likely to suffer from depression