Learning Objectives

• To identify the Nature and other Functions of

Physiological Psychology
• To determine the Importance of Physiological
Psychology
• To describe the systems of Physiological Psychology
• To know some methods and approaches of
Physiological Psychology
 Physiological Psychology of
Human Behavior
Psychology- is the science of behavior.
it studies how human beings and animals
adjust to or cope with the world around them.
 Physiology

•Is the study of body process- the dynamics of

the body’s tissue and organs system.
•Is an organized reconciliation of these two
sciences. It is the study of the physiological
basis of human and animal behavior.
 Importance of Physiological Psychology
• To understand the relationship between the anatomical functions of
organ systems and behavior
• To investigate the structure of different components, its role in
psychological process and the principles that govern the relationship
between the two.
• It helps us understand the sensory functions and how these aid to
perception.
• It helps us understand motor functions, one of the basic building blocks
of adjustive behavior, by examining neuronal activities
(neurophysiology) connected with the muscular movements and
coordination.
*it explains the relationship between internal states and
emotions and drives.
*it pinpoints the role of cells in learning and memory and,
*it helps us deal scientifically with maladjustment and
behavioral disorders.
Physiological Systems
• Cardiovascular system- heart, blood vessels and lungs
• Respiratory system- lungs, upper respiratory, tract,
larynx
• Central and peripheral nervous system- brain, medulla,
spinal cord, motor sensory and sensory nerves.
• Hematologic system- bone marrow, blood cells, water,
salts.
• Musculoskeletal system- bones, and muscles ( voluntary
and involuntary)
• Endocrine system- ductless gland. Pituitary, thyroid,
adrenal, ovum, testis
• Digestive system- teeth, tongue, pharynx, esophagus,
stomach, intestine.
• Urogenital system- urinary, and reproductive organs.
 Methods and Approaches to Physiological
Psychology
• Philosophical approach- is actually answering one of the
basic questions in philosophy: the mind-body problem.
Mind-body problem us now placed in the realm of science,
it is essential to point out that the scientific method and
modes of thought and deduction have their roots in
philosophy.
• Clinical approach- clinical experience is important
source of knowledge for physiological psychology.
Illnesses sometimes exhibit symptoms that are
psychological in nature. Studying the cases led to two
methods of determining the relationship between
mental activity and the body state.
• The first method concern the study of mental events and the body
disorders they cause. This is the branch of medical specialization
called psychosomatic medicine.

• The second method investigates bodily disorders and how these affect
behavior and mental activity. The relationship is best presented in
injuries to the brain and glandular disorders. The former is this field of
clinical neurologists, while the latter is the domain of specialist in
internal medicine.
• Experimental method- to set up more conditions, physiological
researchers experiment in the laboratory to arrive at a more
definite and valid conclusion than can be produced in a clinical
setting.

• Even if the experiments are done on animals, valid conclusions

concerning human behavior in relation to body disorder can
still be made because certain animal organ systems and
functions are analogues with those in human beings. One
difficulty though that limits the use of this method is that
researchers are bound by moral and ethical factors of induced
injuries in animals to the study physiological disorders.
• Scientific inference- this method requires the formation of
hypotheses and deductions. Deductions arrived at from experiments
are actually the sought-after product, the end for which all research is
but a means. It does not follow thought that all deductions,
predictions, and hypotheses resulting from experiments are right.

• That is why scientist always reproduce experiments to find out

whether is valid for one situation is also valid in another. In this way,
an experiment leads to another experiments, a deduction leads to
another deduction, and so on until the right deductions or conclusion
or hypothesis is made