Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Psychology - Essay usageAccording to Sacks, Does the mind run the disposition or the brain the mind? This poses an interesting heading regarding the schooling of mental abilities, which runs parallel to that of the nature vs. nurture debate. Are cognitive abilities the result of the neurology and brain ontogeny of the person, or does what a person learns influence brain development? The question is similar to that of the chicken and the egg. Thus, the question of whether our abilities are biologically driven or if they are environmentally driven are laid as a foundation to human growth and development. The compendium of human knowledge and consciousness is seated inwardly our skulls as the brain. The brain is the most vital organ in our body in that it controls everything, both volunteer and involuntary. It is a vast collection of neurons, which work together to rely, process, and send out information. It is organized into different lobes that manage different cognitive tasks that develop with age. As a person ages, these parts of the brain become to a greater extent complex and eventually start working together in ensnare to processes and integrate things together. The conscious and the unconscious(p) merge here with the storage of memory and the performance of cognitive tasks. One of the most unique features of the brain is in its adaptability (plasticity). If a part of the brain becomes injured, it will rewire itself by creating overbold pathways in order to bypass the damaged tissue. As a person learns, the brain rewires itself in order to make new connections to make the pathways of thought more efficient and complex. However, the reason that a person is able to learn is out-of-pocket to the fact that these pathways mystify already been created. Even as the brain develops, there is a certain door that is met in which the neurons will eventually lose productivity and die off. Because of this learning is hindered, however recent studies provid e that additional cognitive exercises can keep these neurons alive longer, thus showing how an environmental, or rather immaterial stimulus, can play a part in being able to alter the physiology of a person. The offset basis that psychology looks at is from the biological/physiological standpoint. Innately, humans are born with traits, which are derived from a genetic code. These discrete units, called genes, are passed down from generation to generation. The genetic code, DNA, encodes for proteins and other chemical components in the brain. As a result, some behaviors and physiological functions are affected by errors or mutations in the DNA. These mutations can guide as the result of random probability as well as through interaction of environmental effects. Thus, the behavior of an individual can result from these inherent features, which are determined by biology. For example, in cases of aggression, researchers interpret that amounts of testosterone in an individual can eff ect how aggressive an individual is. Both male and female individuals have testosterone in their body (except in the case of some genetic disorders). However, there are factors in which the levels of testosterone in the body can either be ab traffic patternly high or abnormally low. Thus, we see deviations from the normal patterns of behavior. From this example, it can be shown that biology and genetics does play a role in influencing human behavior. other important basis in biopsychology is the development of the