Biological Causes Of Behavior Paper

At the start of the semester we learned that one’s environment influences how they behave. Through the variety of dimensions listed in the multidimensional framework, we learned that “people confront biophysical, psychological and social demands that require effective human responses (Ashford & LeCroy, 2010, p.9)”. Through Erikson’s psychosocial theory we learned that there are several stages during one’s development must be completed in order to move on to the other stage. That is that each individual must master the first stage and all its tasks in order to proceed to the next stage. Failure to master the stage and its tasks determines how they will succeed in the next stage. For example, Raul Salazar, a case study listed in the text, entails a story of a boy in the fourth grade, who due to his chaotic environment is unable to thrive in his environment. An anxiety disorder that could have either been passed down from his mother or created directly from his social environment, has affected his social functioning. Due to his anxious nature Raul, was labeled as having a learning disability.

Social learning theory (SLT), cognitive approach, behaviorist approach, humanistic approach, psychodynamic approach and biological approach.

(AC1) Two perspectives in psychology are the behaviourist approach and the biological (also known as physiological) approach. These perspectives consist of different theories, research methods and treatments in relation to mental illness.

For my reflection paper, I chose to give my opinion on the NBB’s, short for “Neurological-Based Atypical Behaviors”. NBB is defined as a collection of deeds or the behavior of children that happen outside the usual boundaries of self control.

A chimp named Judy was given a box to solve that consisted of a wheel that must be turned to drop the treat, and then a lever to be pushed that would open the door. She figured it out quite quickly, but what was interesting was that other types of apes in nearby cages learned how to do it by watching Judy and her cage mates. Social species also need to be able to cooperate to a certain extent to make themselves and others better off. Apes possess some cooperative skills, but they still come up far short of humans. Several reasons for this limit on cooperation are emotional issues, rivalry, violence, and impulsiveness. In an experiment where two apes were placed together in adjacent cages, one ape had two pieces of rope connected to a board with food on it. To obtain the food, both pieces of rope had to be pulled at the same time, but that required the help of another ape. One chimp realized he needed help and opened the door of the cage to let the other chimp in. Together, they pulled the board to the cage and received their treat. What the experimenters found was that the helper needed to be a friend and that the food must be in separate dishes for this to occur. However, bonobos, being incredibly social apes, were able to pull it together and eat out of one singular dish. This means that somewhere along the phylogeny of hominid evolution, humans were able to continue selection for the

Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behaviour, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective which is someone’s view about human behaviour, there can be many different theories within an approach, however they all piece together the same assumptions. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behaviour. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to achieve through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis of each perspective which consists of the psychodynamic,

Humans are the most unique species on Earth. We have gained the ability to things never accomplished before on Earth. We can control our environment, domesticate other species, and more importantly, form complex connections and societies with one another. However, it is widely debated about how we evolved from simple ape-like foragers to the meat-eating, community-building species we are today. In this paper, we will be looking at three authors: Richard Wrangham, Pat Shipman, and Frans de Wall. Each of which approach this question from different directions.

Edward Wilson described the term “sociobiology” in his literature, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, as the “systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior” (1975). Although that is a mouthful, it is this author’s opinion that the most important part of that description is the word “biological.” It seems to imply that sociobiology is nothing more than biological reactions in a social situation; it’s the “meat and potatoes” of our actions, but is that really all there is to it? Can how we behave in every day life, with our families, with our friends, and even during our moments of (hopefully) deep philosophical contemplation be condensed into biological processes? The same biological processes that enable us to see, hear, and remember to breath? Maybe that is the case, but perhaps there it is something more – therein lies the controversy.

This essay will outline and compare both biological and behavioural perspectives on human behaviour. The history, major discoveries and theories will be discussed along with some of the most influential theorists in each of these two areas of psychology. This essay will also compare the two areas strengths and weaknesses in the field of psychology.

An oxymoron appeared to exist between Darwin’s theory of natural selection (1859) and the definition of altruism (West et al., 2006). Hamilton’s theory of inclusive fitness (1964) appeared to mediate this problem. However, the theory does not explain altruistic acts towards non-kin in line with natural selection. Reciprocal altruism (Trivers, 1971), indirect altruism (Alexander, 1987) and strong reciprocity (Gintis, 2000) have been proposed to resolve this conflict. It is of note that behaviour in all theories has been noted in animals, but will not be discussed further. Instead, the essay will focus on which theories are most relevant when understanding human sociality, with the author explaining why no sole theory is seen to describe the phenomenon. All theories will be discussed in relation to evolutionary stable strategies (ESS), which refers to plans that when adopted by a majority of members in a population that restrict any other action existing, which could yield higher reproductive success (Smith & Price, 1973).

I used the behavioral activation form to track daily activities and myself for several days. My daily behavior included going to class, eating, playing games on my phone, checking Facebook, sleeping, going to the library, studying and hanging out with friends. Some negative behaviors that were low on importance and enjoyment included eating junk food, buying fast foods, and playing games on my phone. Some positive behaviors included hanging out with family and friends. The life area I selected was mind, body, & spirituality, which is physical, emotional, or spiritual health. The value I selected was healthy and fit, which is very important to me. One positive activity that adheres to the chosen value and is relevant to the chosen life area

This ideology served as the foundation of this study as researchers aimed to find conclusive empirical evidence to support this theory in animal behaviour. Specifically looking at capuchin monkeys, experiments were undertaken to test whether the monkeys would be inclined to participate in cooperative activities if the reward or effort required varied amongst individuals. In the experiment the monkeys were found to react adversely to situations where equality was not present. They refused to take part in activities when they were receiving lesser rewards for the same effort. This is an important resource to the topic of cooperation and sharing in primates as it highlights a trait of human cooperation as being prominent amongst capuchin monkeys. Unlike humans these monkeys did not show signs of selflessness or donations, they did however show an established rational train of thought. Monkeys were more likely to involve themselves in cooperative activities if they were receiving something worthy of their efforts, a behaviour very evident in human society. Although this research provided evidence to suggest certain traits of human cooperation in other primates it is not conclusive, as more contemporary research will refute this

To study the evolution of human behavior, we must first understand the evolutionary foundation of modern human behavior. Using the knowledge we have about human behavior while observing for patterns that are consistent with evolutionary models. Taking advantage of natural experiments that produce different combinations of variables that can allows us to obtain new approach on human behavior. This chapter will focus on various aspects of human behavior from an evolutionary viewpoint. These involve the “ecology and demography of traditional human societies, patters of human behavior that have been shaped by sexual selection, the interaction between culture and biology in the expression of language, and the emergence of behavioral disease in an

Nevertheless, one recent study suggests that genetic differences between our ancestors could have resulted in lethal intergroup competition which disfavoured non-altruists [6]. I will attempt to link this theory to what is known as kin selection. Kin selection explains altruism as an act increasing the probability of an individual’s genes being transmitted to the next generation. [3] We share half of our genes our siblings and parents, and a quarter with cousins, nephews and nieces. [1, 2] Therefore, altruistic behaviour towards these individuals would result in our genes passing on due to their higher probability of survival. This is known as increasing one’s inclusive fitness. [7] Since early human societies included members genetically related to one another, [6] kin selection between these individuals resulted in the societies growing in size. Thus, societies genetically predisposed in displaying co-operative, altruistic behaviour towards each other (through acts such as group hunting, mutually defending each other, and sharing food) are more capable of surviving, resulting in the altruistic gene surviving.[1] This, I believe, is the predominant explanation for altruism in humans today. The act of altruism is a genetic inheritance evolving through the basic instinct of survival and continuity of species.

Human behavior has been a mystery to scientists and psychologists for years. What causes humans to act the way they do? Is it learned by experience, or inherited from prior generations? The human brain is a complex machine driven by numerous intangibles that influence our thinking process directly and indirectly.