Biology of Behavior
A Multipolar Neuron
The Limbic System
Behavior is the range of mannerisms and actions that an organism makes, and is seen in conjunction with the environment or themselves. Their environment includes the inanimate items in their physical world, and also the organisms and systems around them. Artificial entities and systems can also exhibit behaviors, as behavior is not strictly the domain of single, individual organisms. There is a strong relationship between behavior in biology, in two ways. There are biological components to the physical world that create expected behaviors in organisms, and there are also genetic and biological components that belong to each specific organism and that are used by those organisms to make sense of their world and to react to it in ways that provide them with what they need and help protect them from harm (Flint, Greenspan, & Kendler, 2010). Behaviors are not always successful in these endeavors, but biology does play a significant part in what drives these organisms toward certain behaviors.
Neural communication is among the most important of the biological points to be noted when it comes to behavior (Peters, Palay, & Webster, 1991). This type of communication takes place between nerve cells, which use electrical impulses and chemical signals to transmit information (Peters, Palay, & Webster, 1991). The neurons move between one another via synapses, and they link up with one another so they can create neural networks. They are among the core components of the nervous system of organisms, and make up the spinal cord and brain in the central nervous system and the ganglia in the peripheral nervous system (Plomin, et al., 2012). Different types of neurons provide different things to the body. Some provide sensory input, others affect muscle contractions, and still others are related to the glands. Neurons strongly influence the organism to which they belong, because they produce sensations and other information the body reacts to.
Figure 1.1 -- A Multipolar Neuron
Those reactions to the neurons and their impulses throughout the body help to make up behavior. The autonomic nervous system and the limbic system also affect the behavior of an organism. In the autonomic nervous system, issues such as breathing and heart rate are controlled (Markowitsch & Staniloiu, 2011). This is the area triggered when a person has anxiety or a panic attack, for example, because the "fight or flight" response comes to the forefront of the organism's conscious and affects that organism's behavior. That organism may run, freeze, or exhibit another type of behavior that is unexpected or not "in character" with what it would normally do. The limbic system is part of the brain, and includes the olfactory bulbs, amygdala, hippocampus and other structures that are used to help determine how an organism reacts to various stimuli (Plomin, et al., 2012). The olfactory bulbs, for example, are affected by smells that are drawn in through the nose. Those smells can evoke feelings and reactions that, in turn, can affect the behavior of the organism which inhaled that scent.
Figure 1.1 -- The Limbic System
The Value of Human Biology on Behavior
Behavior has evolved in many ways, based on various theories, and much of that behavior has come from the function of neurotransmitters that take sensory input from external and internal sources and transmit that to the brain so the organism receiving the information can decide what to do with the information provided to it. Over time, human beings have gone from very rudimentary reactions to stimuli and input to more refined beliefs and opinions (Kandel, Schwartz, & Jessell, 2000). They have also learned things like coping mechanisms, which can be used to retrain them to handle situations where their behavior may have been-based too strongly on the reaction from their autonomic nervous system and not strongly enough on accurate information from both external and internal inputs (Markowitsch & Staniloiu, 2011). In order to more fully understand issues regarding biology and behavior, there are two questions that need to be answered. These are:
Question 1: Why are psychologists concerned with human biology?
Question 2: How do neurotransmitters influence behavior?
Problem Statement
Answering questions about behavior and biology, and making sure those answers are put to good use, is a very important part of understanding why humans behave as they do and how they choose the behaviors in which they engage. The problem with biology and...
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