The James-Lange Theory of Emotion is one of the earliest emotion theories of modern psychology. Developed by William James and Carl Lange in the 19th century, the theory hypothesizes that physiological stimuli (arousal) causes the autonomic nervous system to react which in turn causes individuals to experience emotion. The reactions of the nervous system could include a fast heartbeat, tensed muscles, sweating and more. According to this theory, the physiological response comes before the emotional behavior. Over time, the James-Lange theory has been challenged, as well as expanded upon in other theories, suggesting that emotion is the mix of physiological and psychological response.
Foundations Of Physiological Psychology.pdfl
This theory, developed by Stanley Schachter and Jerome E. Singer, introduces the element of reasoning into the process of emotion. The theory hypothesizes that when we experience an event that causes physiological arousal, we try to find a reason for the arousal. Then, we experience the emotion.
Richard Lazarus pioneered this theory of emotion. According to the Cognitive Appraisal Theory, thinking must occur before experiencing emotion. Thus, a person would first experience a stimulus, think, and then simultaneously experience a physiological response and the emotion.
PSY 25 Physiological Psychology. This course will serve as an introduction to the biological basis of behavior. The course will begin by providing a basic understanding of the function of the nervous system. With this knowledge in hand, the physiological basis of behaviors such as hunger, thirst, sex, aggression, sleep, learning and memory will be explored. Special attention will be paid to recent advances in research in the growing area of biopsychology. This course is not meant for Biology or Bio-Psychology majors or for pre-medical students. Those students should take Psychology 103. (Students cannot receive credit for both PSY 25 and PSY 103). Usually offered once per year.
PSY 103 Brain and Behavior. This course, like its companion course, Psychology 25, explores the physiological bases of behavior. It differs from Psychology 25 in assuming that the student has a biology background and would like to go into the neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and neurochemical mechanisms of behavior in more depth. (Students cannot receive credit for both PSY 25 and PSY 103). Psychology 103 also focuses on current research in the various areas of Biopsychology and future directions for research and its applications. General topic areas include: the nervous system, vision, neurological disorders, sexual behavior, hunger, thirst, sleep, aggression, reward mechanisms and addiction, learning and memory, and psychopathology. Offered every semester.
PSY 104 Advanced Seminar in Physiological Psychology. A seminar on selected topics in the physiological basis of behavior. Students will be expected to write or present papers. Exact topic choices determined by interests of the instructor and students.
PSY 123 Psychopharmacology. This course introduces the systematic study of the processes by which drugs alter behavior, primarily under experimental conditions. The main theme of the course will be to learn how drugs, in concert with environmental events, influence behavior via biochemical mechanisms. The objectives of this course are: (1) to provide background in experimental psychology and pharmacology necessary for an introduction to clinical and pre-clinical psychopharmacology, (2) to provide an overview of major areas of research in behavioral pharmacology in lectures, (sleep, appetite, sex, aggression, memory, sensation and hallucination, drug abuse, anxiety, depression and psychosis), (3) to analyze and critique selected classic and contemporary research articles in various areas of behavioral pharmacology. The course begins with introducing the neuropharmacological and behavioral foundations and then focuses on weekly topics, as listed above.
PSY 133 Psychology & Law. This course will focus on applications of psychology to the study of the legal system. Drawing on theory and research from a range of areas within psychology (cognitive, developmental, clinical, and physiological, with a particular emphasis on social psychology), we will examine a variety of topics, including: criminal behavior; police interrogations and suspect confessions; lie detection; eyewitness performance; children as witnesses; persuasion in the courtroom and jury decision-making; the insanity defense. Class will consist of guest speakers, lectures, and demonstrations, but will rely heavily on student-led discussion of assigned readings.
PSY 140 Mathematical Psychology. Mathematical psychology deals with the use of mathematical methods as a means to understand basic psychological processes. Models for learning, memory, perception, classification, and decision making are just a few examples of mathematical psychology. The course is mainly a seminar, but there will be some lecture to establish the foundations. Students will be encouraged to explore mathematical psychology within the topic of their choice.
PSY 156 Long Term Memory Processes. Focus on the cognitive and biological factors involved in long-term memory processes. In-depth analysis of declarative and non-declarative long-term memory processes from formation to retrieval with a focus on hormonal, genetic, and pathological factors. Laboratory component emphasizing methodologies and procedures relevant to long term memory behavioral and physiological research.
PSY 157 Multisensory Perception. Exploration of behavioral and neuroscientific markers of multisensory integration, the combination of information across the senses. The physiological basis of multisensory perception, its interplay with attention, and computational models describing the mechanisms of multisensory integration.
PSY 231 Core Course in Neuroscience. The goal of this course is to help graduate students integrate neurobiology and its methods with behavioral and motivational issues in psychology. We will cover the essentials of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and neurochemistry and use that information to understand current theories and experiments on the biological bases of sexual behavior and sexual differentiation, hunger and body weight control, and learning and memory. Readings will include texts in neuroscience and original literature in physiological psychology. We will discuss the readings and in these discussions I will take into account the varying levels of familiarity with this literature and the different interests of the students. This heterogeneity can be an asset in a seminar and lead to the uncovering of some interesting alternative perspectives. During the semester each student will pick one topic in physiological psychology to research in depth and write a paper on that subject. In addition, there will be a comprehensive exam at the end of the course.
PSY 257 Multisensory Perception. Exploration of behavioral and neuroscientific markers of multisensory integration, the combination of information across the senses. The physiological basis of multisensory perception, its interplay with attention, and computational models describing the mechanisms of multisensory integration.
Physiological psychology is the study of human behavior through physiological impact. Doctors don't normally do much of this sort of research on humans because the effects on the subject can be unpredictable, even damaging, but nonhuman subjects are subjected to various types of stimuli and biological manipulation, while doctors observe the resulting behavior. This approach lends a highly empirical (observation-based) aspect to behavioral science and springs from the idea that human consciousness is nothing more than the end result of nervous system activity. Scientists of this discipline tend to support the view that you are aware of yourself and your surroundings only because the neural signals racing around in your body and brain are making you aware. They feel that there is no soul or spirit behind the mind; it's merely a physiological phenomenon. Whether you believe that or not, physiological psychology is a very practical approach toward learning about how the brain and nervous system work, and how our immediate environment affects our behavior.
Of course, there's a problem. We don't have a complete understanding of what will do harm. Also, we must sometimes take things apart to find out how they work. Unfortunately, most people don't want you to take their brains apart, nor do they want you poking around in there, trying to figure out how everything works! There are many laws and ethics governing the kinds of research that may be done on people, so it tends to be mice, rats, and other creatures that bear the brunt of our curiosity and desire for scientific advancement in physiological psychology.
Physiological psychology is the study of human behavior through physiological impact. It tends to have the view that your consciousness is based entirely on the electrical impulses that occur within your body. Scientists try to learn how the brain and nervous system work by introducing stimuli or physical changes and watching the result. They use a combination of reductionism, where they look closely at the small biological pieces behind each function, and generalization, where they attempt to make proposed psychological rules (theories) based on those observations. Research is effective in this field because your brain doesn't differentiate between natural signals and artificial signals, so recreating real-world effects is relatively easy. However, research in this field is generally done on animals because it can be dangerous and provides empirical (observation-based) evidence regarding how your mind works. 2ff7e9595c
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