Introduction to Physiological Psychology

There is no doubt that psychology is very interesting to say the least and I’m especially excited about this class and this textbook because of the biological aspect.  After reading the three assigned sections I can tell you that even though EEG, MEG and fMRI parts are a little intimidating and kind of boring, the most interesting part thus far has been brain anatomy and behavior by using the newer methods like CT scans to construct images of the brain. If there are tumors or other abnormalities it may provide a reason for different behavior, emotions or lack thereof.  Sometimes a brain area might be enlarged on people who have special skills.  This is what I find to be absolutely fascinating because the way a person is raised and nurtured may be hard to determine but a picture of their abnormal brain can provide a more concrete and scientific understanding of their behavior.  During the summer I took Life Span and Development with Dr. Leka and we briefly touched on this subject of brain anatomy and behavior.  He told us about Charles Whitman, the man who sniper shot random victims at the University of Texas in 1966 and how an autopsy revealed a tumor near the amygdala, a region in the brain responsible for emotional reactions. 

 

I think it’s pretty evident that his medical condition might have played a huge role his reckless actions.  It doesn’t mean I discredit any other possibilities, I am well aware of the biopsychosocial model but I think it’s important to understand psychology at this level so we can separate judgments.   It makes me see him as a victim of disease rather than just a cold heartless murderer and that’s also very important in psychology.  In conclusion, I’m excited about these types of discoveries in my textbook!  Oh, also the section about animal research is making me stay more on the fence because I agree with both sides.  I would hate to hurt animals and cause them pain but it is very true that medical research is absolutely necessary. I would consider myself a “minimalist”.