Theme notes: Pack # 1
Part One
Course Organization
Part Two: Introduction to Biopsychology Issues
I. Mind Brain Relations
A. Causation
B. History
1. Brain vs. Body
2. Brain Structure vs Soul Container
3. Locus of mind in brain: pinpointing
consciousness
II. The Comparative approach: Brain, Mind, & Behavior
products
A. Schematic Understanding of other minds:
What is it like to be a bat?
as evolutionary
B. Behavior as Trait: Evolutionary Causal Loop
Gene to brain to mind to behavior to consequences
to evolutionary selection to gene to brain...
Reading
Kalat Chapter 1, Coursepack (1 Goodenough et al.)
For next lecture: Coursepack (2 White, 3 Siegel, 4 Coile & Miller)
Introduction
Clearly Mind & Body do interact. But How?? And Where??
At first glance, body and mind seem continuous: you feel your foot IN your foot.
-But can lose hand without losing mind; or even "hand sense"
Brain-mind relationship so much a part of our thought now that seems obvious. And indeed,
many have thought head for long time. But generally for reasons that we find bizarre:
Plato (4th century BC) thought brain: whitish, gelatinous seminal appearance: seed of
mind.
Many thought otherwise. Aristotle (4th century BC) thought analogy based on visual appearance
too shallow. Instead find what shares property; only this can cause: Mental life is
moving, quickened impressions, throbbing emotions and thoughts, changing or "fluid":
heart (throb, hot, fluid, lively).
Notion of shared properties-fluid persisted to within just few hundred years. By middle ages,
"purer" fluid found: clear, shining. (Brain as water balloon) Clear fluid contained in
VENTRICLES & cerebrospinal fluid.
Renaissance & Enlightenment: 16th & 17th century: 2 steps
-1507 Leonardo DaVinci: first neuroscience experiment
1
Ox Brain, Molten Wax injection into ventricles,
1. Two front ventricles (lateral) (->3rd & 4th).
2. Sensory nerves at base not front; therefore, sensation is centered.
Second Step: 1637 (17th century) Rene DESCARTES --Rejected notion of cause by similarity
-Restated concept of M-B interaction in terms that persist today:
1. 2 type of things in universe: mind and matter (Dualism)
2. Fluid is important to life, but is not soul. Only mind can be/have soul, and is separate
from any matter (solid or fluid).
3. Though separate, mind & matter must interact (reasons above): therefore must Touch
at some point.
4. Brain yes but where? PROBLEM: BRAIN IS MIRROR IMAGE.
5. Find unique single point: like tip of nose on face: PINEAL
6. Pineal "seat of soul" touches body via hydraulic ventricles.
RELATION of MIND PARTS to BRAIN PARTS/SYSTEMS a chief topic of this course.
Machine processes information; represents & abstracts. These become causes within
machine; mind/experience is both product and cause for brain; will consider how.
ANIMAL MODELS
Most of our gain in knowledge of human brain since Descartes has not come from our own brain.
At least 80% of available observations on humans were also available to Descartes.
Instead, most has come from other source: studies of animal brains and of brain/behavior
relations of animals. That raises 2 issues:
1.: Is it ethical to study animals?
2. Why does psychology study animals?
a) as models for human processes and pathologies
b) to better understand animals for themselves (e.g., what is it like to be a bat?)
based on 'schematic' understanding of their psychological processes.
c) to understand larger principles of behavioral evolution that influence
psychological processes in both humans and animals, and that shape differences
between species.
VIEW OF BEHAVIOR AS TRAIT
Fortunately we have a useful tool in our search for general principles: Evolutionary theory.
Evolutionary theory concerns development of TRAITs: why creatures are as they are. Usually
we think of physical traits. Why do some birds have large beaks? Why do tigers have
sharp teeth and claws? Why do primates have opposable thumbs?
But behavior has trait features too: some are "simple" (Why do both tigers and antelopes run
faster than we do?) . Others more complex: Why do we and other species perceive
(react, think, etc) as we do?
2
Behavioral Traits Are Selected by a CAUSAL LOOP:
MIND/BEHAVIOR
BRAIN
CONSEQUENCES OF BEHAVIOR
&
Genetic/Env I
Interaction
EVOL SELECTION
on Consequences
3