Biological Psychology

Essay by sandraandcjUniversity, Bachelor'sA, May 2010

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Biological Psychology Paper

Sandra Lattin

University of Phoenix

Biological Psychology

Biological psychology, as defined by the New World Encyclopedia, "is the application of the principles of biology to the study of mental processes and behavior". In other words, it is the study of psychology in terms of bodily mechanisms.(New World Encyclopedia). Most processes associated with psychology have some sort of correlation with biological/physiological processes. The field of Biological psychology is based on this assumption or view.

Historical Overview and Key Players in its Early Development

Avicenna (980-1037) is a Persian psychologist and recognized physiological psychology in the treatment of illnesses involving emotions. He recognized the importance of physiological psychology and applied it to treat various illnesses related to emotions. Gradually, he came up with a way where irregularities in the pulse rate could be associated with inner feelings.

It later on paved way to the word association test which is used in the field of psychology even to this day. Apart from this, he also provided psychological explanations for various somatic illnesses. Thus, he was able to link the physical and psychological aspects of various illnesses.

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) proposed models to explain animal and human behavior. He proposed theories linking the mind and body and explanations for motor behavior (reflexes). He was a pioneer in identifying the mind with consciousness and self-awareness. He was also able to differentiate it from the brain.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) described the nature of evolutionary theory. It describes the way in which our bodies and behaviors change across many generations of individuals. He proposed the theory of Natural Selection, the evolutionary principle describing a mechanism by which organisms have developed and changed, based on the principle of "the survival of...