THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
The relationship between biological and cognitive psychology
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The relationship between biological and cognitive psychology
Biological Psychology is the investigation of human behavior which results from the
affects of the combination of both internal and external forces. In simpler terms; it is the study of
how individuals act and react in regards to physiological changes in their brains and bodies. The
basic principles of biology are applied when investigating the way humans behave towards
certain events or circumstances. Biological psychology is concerned with the fact that every
action and/or emotion presented by humans has its basis in functions of the brain. For this reason
this field of psychology was previously referred to as “physiological psychology or behavioral
neuroscience” (Rossman, 2007).
The discipline of Psychology is different from the study of biology and the field of
neuroscience for the reason that it is principally interested in the relationships of psychological
processes and their effects on individual behavior. Psychology in general is concerned with the
total processes of an entire organism. The subdivision of biological psychology brings together
the investigation of the neural functions and processes of the human brain with examinations of
the actual effects these processes have on actions and behaviors. Neuroscience attempts to
discover how the chemicals and synaptic activity of neurons actually work, why they function as
they do and how they can be altered through the use of specific medications etc. this research in
turn assists biological psychologists to better understand human behavior. These findings can
additionally be used and transmitted to the field of cognitive psychology which attempts to
investigate how individuals think and the underlying processes related to thought processes.
Cognitive Psychology relates to developments, both past and present, in the investigation
of the memory process, verbal communication, discernment, the ability to solve problems, and
thinking in general. Essentially, cognitive psychology scrutinizes the ways in which individuals
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obtain and put into operation, data or information they have obtained from various sources. The
discipline of cognitive psychology is directly interrelated to cognitive science and is inspired by
fields of study such as environmental science and physics, among others.
Cognitive psychology has historically been established on the suppositions that Human
cognition can be completely disclosed by implementation of the scientific method. Particularized
systems of intellectual processes can be acknowledged and understood by using this method.
Additionally; internal psychological processes can be illustrated by a set of rules which attempt
to explain how information is processed. Cognitive psychology is concerned with the ways in
which individuals process information, how they use that information and the differences in
individual thought processes regarding the information. The many ways in which individuals
perceive, store and use information both in the present and the future can assist researchers to
better understand how the process of solving problems and learning new tasks is applied.
Through observational studies, it becomes possible to determine the underlying principles of
cognition; how these principles are employed, utilized and adjusted/adapted to suit the needs of
the individual.
Donald Olding Hebb is one of the many prominent, psychologists who assisted in the
development and advancement of the field of cognitive psychology. Through extensive research
related to the connections between the brain and behavior, Hebb formulated and published one of
the most renowned pieces of work related to neuroscience and psychological theory in history;
The Organization of Behavior: a Neuropsychological Theory, which posited three theories; the
“Hebb synapse”, the “Hebb cell assembly”, and the “phase sequence”, which he suggested as
simply being a more updated adaptation of the theory of “connectionism.”
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“In [Hebb’s theory], he formulated his “dual trace mechanism,” whereby interconnected
and coactive circuits permanently modify the efficacy of activated pathways. Drawing on data
and concepts from the molecular to systems level, Hebb’s synthesis has come to inspire
investigators working on mechanisms of learning and memory at all levels of brain function’
(Haider, 2008). Presently, the theories proposed by Hebb are the ideas on which the majority of
neurological models of functioning are based upon. His contributions to the fields of both
neuroscience and cognitive psychology are unparalleled and have continued to be extremely
valuable in assisting scientists and those in the field of psychology to better understand the ways
in which the human mind interacts with human behaviors.
Karl Spencer Lashley was a remarkably talented individual who also grew to be one of
the most renowned psychologists in history. From a very young age, Lashley was fascinated with
animals and their behavior and how biological factors affected these behaviors. His interest in
both zoology and behavioral psychology soon led Lashley along an educational journey in which
he was eventually appointed as a professor of research in the field of neuropsychology at
Harvard University. During his tenure at Harvard and before he was appointed to this position,
Lashley performed numerous research studies which involved investigations into the behavior of
rats and the ways in which the destruction of particular cerebral functions affected their ability to
remember and form specific habits.
The culmination of his localization experiments was Brain Mechanisms and
Intelligence: A Quantitative Study of Injuries to the Brain (1929), his longest,
most significant monograph. In it he summarized his concepts of equipotentiality
and mass action and marshaled the experimental evidence to support them. Thus
he accounted for the absence of precise and persistent localization of function in
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the cortex. Lashley's experiments denied the simple similarity and
correspondence, previously assumed, between associationistic connectionism and
the neuronal theory of the brain as a mass of neurons connected by synapses
(Your Dictionary, 2010).
Lashley and Hebb worked together for a number of years. While Lashley placed his focus
of studies on the on the numerous ways individuals learn and solve problems, Hebb continued
his research regarding the difference in temperaments and emotions. In a continuation of their
studies in the field of neuropsychology, the results of their separate studies would ultimately be
tested once again with the use of “brain lesion” research. The major focus of Lashley’s research
was to “prove” that there was not one specific region of the brain which held memories; he
concluded that memories were spread throughout different regions of the brain which is not only
an important theory/discovery in the world of neuroscience, but the discipline of psychology as
well. Hebb’s theory that memories are held in and activated by extremely intricate functions
within the brain which are triggered by internal and external forces, verifies a number of
psychological theories, both biological and cognitive. “That is, memory is a process of neural
activity that is determined both by the functional, neurological components and the significance
or valence of incoming sensory material. Studies involving brain lesions and damage have
indicated that morphological changes result in memory formation. Such evidence is testament for
the functional, neurological component of memory-related processing” (Brennan, 2001).
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References
Brennan, A. (2001). Memory, Learning and Our Virtual Brains: A Hebbian Web. Serendip Home
| Serendip's Exchange. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro /neuro01/web3/Brennan.html
Haider, B. (2008, July 12). Contributions of Yale Neuroscience to Donald O. Hebb’s
Organization of Behavior. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved
January 25, 2011, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2442722/
Rossman, J. (2007, December 3). Biological Psychology: Foundations of Biopsychology Associated Content - associatedcontent.com. Associated Content associatedcontent.com. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/428842/biological_psychology_foundations_of
.html?cat=58
Your Dictionary. (2010.). Karl Spencer Lashley Biography. Biography. Retrieved January 25,
2011, from http://biography.yourdictionary.com/karl-spencer-lashley