Techniques used in brain study.
Main approaches to study of human psyche.
There are 4 approaches to study of human psyche: behaviourism, psychoanalysis, humanistic approach, Russian school of psychophysiology.
The American psychologist John Watson was the first, who advanced the view, that behaviour is the sole subject-matter of psychology. He believes that man is still basically what his environment makes him.
The basic problem is to find out how man behaves or responds as a result of changes or improvements in the environment or stimuli. This approach is often referred to as stimulus – response or S-R psychology.
Sigmund Freud founded the psychoanalysis. Personality depends on the actions of 3 major forces: the id, the ego and the superego. The ego is often under strain to withstand the pleasure forces from the id. The ego and the superego are the mere tips of the id.
The humanistic school view is that man becomes what he makes of himself by his own actions and thoughts. Humanists believe that man is born basically good and that conscious forces are more important than unconscious forces.
Russian psychology was inseparably linked with the development of research into psycho-physiology in the works of Pavlov, Beckterev and Orbeli.
Russian scientist asserted in psychology the Marxist teaching on activity and its socio-historical foundation, the ideas of Lenin’s theory of reflection.
Organization of the nervous system.
Nervous system can be separated into central nervous system and peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system includes all the nerves in the brain and spinal cord and majority of the body’s neurons.
The peripheral nervous system is subdivided into somatic system and the autonomic system.
The nerves of the somatic system also carry impulses from the central nervous system back to the body parts and make us aware of pain and temperature.
The nerves of the autonomic system run to and from the internal organs regulating such processes as respiration and heart rate. The autonomic nervous system has two divisions – the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.
The sympathetic division tends to act as a unit. The parasympathetic and sympathetic division are often antagonistic in their actions.
Both systems are usually exerting some influence but one temporarily dominates the other.
Psychology as a science.
Once psychology, the science of mind and behavior, was established in the nineteenth century as an area of scientific inquiry, it was shaped by influences of several different perspectives. The many influences in psychology’s past have helped to make psychology a very diverse field to-day.
Psychology is one of the most rapidly developing social sciences. It is touching almost every aspect of our lives.
It has as its principal focus the individual human being.
Psychology is the branch of biological science which studies the phenomena of conscious life and behavior.
The main task of Russian psychology is materialistic investigation of the highest forms of human psychic activity.
Psychology is important, even for those who do not intend to specialize in the field.
Social comparison theory clearly provides one explanation of why subjects who are expecting painful electric shocks would wish to affiliate. Most students can use to test the appropriateness of their reactions. The subjects will tend to refer to the experience of the others.
Once the social comparison process begins to operate, there is a tendency toward persuasion and resultant uniformity of reaction.
Techniques used in brain study.
There are 3 methods, used in the brain study: injury ablation, electrical or chemical stimulation and electrical effects of neural activity.
Noting the kind of symptoms produced when tumors or injuries damage certain parts of the brain may give clues about functions controlled by the area. In experiments with animals it is possible to remove systematically parts of the brain and observe the kind of defect that results.
Sometimes ablation operations are performed on human patients. They are carefully studied to asses the effects of the operation.
Stimulating parts of the brain with mild electrical currents produces effect on behavior. From patient reports of sensations during stimulation, fairly accurate maps of the cortex have been obtained.
Chemical stimulation has also been widely used to affect behavior.
When neural actions occurs, slight electrical currents are produced. The brain as a whole also produces rhythmical electrical discharges.
Results obtained by these methods further our psychological understanding.