Psychophysiology

&
Psychopharmacology-I

Shazia Habib
Lecturer Deptt of Applied Psychology
Intro
• Field of psychophysiology emerged from psychology

• Wilhelm Wundt book in late 19th century

• entitled “Principles of Physiological Psychology”
Introduction and role of
psychophysiology
Intro
• Professional of the field are physiological psychologists,
physiologists and neuroscientists

• These professionals provide realization that the ultimate

function of the nervous system is behavior
Intro
Brain Functioning????

• Higher order functioning: Thinking, logical reasoning,

perception, memory, intellect, problem solving, judgment

• Other functions: control of movements, motivation,

Intro
• Modern history of investigating physiology of behavior has
been written by psychologists.

Experimental methods of Psychology

+ Physiology
Latest areas of study
• Now started studying
Perceptual processes
Control of movement
Sleep and waking
Sexual and Reproductive behaviors
Ingestive behaviors (eating and drinking behaviors)
Emotional behaviors (mood)
Learning
Language
Physiology of human pathologies (e.g. addiction and mental
disorders)
Biological roots of Physiological
Psychology
• Emergence from ancient cultures (Egyptians, Indians, and
Chinese) considered heart as seat of emotions and thoughts.

• Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.) not heart but this role is

performed by the brain

• Galen di-sectioning and study the brains of cattle, sheep, pigs,

cats, dogs, weasels, monkeys and apes
Rene Descartes (17th century) French philosopher and mathematician called
the father of modern philosophy

role of mind and brain in controlling behavior.

Brains automatic and involuntary reactions “reflexes”
Role of pineal body (situated beneath the cerebral hemispheres), pineal
body involved in the interaction of mind and brain.
Developed models to understand pineal body function by idealizing moving
statue.
Use technological device as a model for explaining how the nervous system
works
• Luigi Galvani: experiments on frogs muscle contraction.
His experimental findings promoted the study on nerve message
transmission and by means of muscle contractions

• Johannes Muller: utilized experimental techniques of physiology “doctrine

of specific nerve energies”
e.g.
optic nerve messages ________ visual image
auditory nerve ___________ sensation of sound
• Pierre Flourens: experimental ablation (removal of various parts of
animal brains and study their related behaviors.

• Paul Broca (French surgeon )applied principal of experimental

ablation to human brain
observed the stroke patient’s behaviors.
Performed autopsy of a male stroke patient (portion of cerebral
cortex on left side of the brain controls speech function) Broca’s Area
• Helmholtz: invented ophthalmoscope (examination of retina).
Work on theory of color vision, color blindness, audition,
music etc
Measure the speed of conduction through nerve (90 feet per
sec) more than a simple electrical message
• 20th century advancements: in experimental physiology
• Invention of sensitive amplifiers______ weak electrical signal
detection
• Neurochemical techniques ________analyzing chemical
changes within and between nerve cells
• Histological techniques _______to see cells and their
constituents
• Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection:

Random mutations _____ change in individual’s genetic material

_____ production of different proteins ______ alteration of
physical characteristics (mutations in organisms added up and
emerged as different organism”
Reference
• Carlson, N.R. (2004). Physiology of Behavior.
(8th ed.). New York: Pearson.