Biological basis of Psychology

Everything we think, feel or do has a basis in biological processes and events

Neurons

• Building blocks of nervous system, responsible for receiving, moving and processing information

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» Neurons communicate through 1. Electric impulses 2. Synaptic Transmission

Action Potential

Neurotransmitter

• Chemicals, released by neurons that carry information across synapses

Brain: Where the consciousness is

• Cerebral Cortex- responsible for our ability to plan, remember, imagine.

Brain: Lateralization of functions

• Corpus Callosum connects two hemispheres of our brain

Visual Perception

• Parallel processing

Brain and Human speech

• Borca’s area - region in prefrontal cortex associated with production of speech

• Wernicke’s area –region in temporal lobe, plays role in comprehension of

speech

Brain and higher mental processes

• All the problem solving, planning, analytical skills

• Prefrontal Cortex seems to play key role in reasoning

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