BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF

BEHAVIOR
AMRITANSHU CHANCHAL
S.L.M.G.N.C
LECTURER
 INTRODUCTION
 Biology of behavior is the study of behavioral function of
the nervous system particularly the brain. Physiological
psychology is that branch of psychology which seeks to
determine how activity in the nervous system is related to
both the behavior and the mind.
 Many aspects of human behavior and mental functioning
cannot be fully understood without some knowledge of
the underling biological processes. Our nervous system,
sense organs, muscles and glands enable us to be aware of
and adjust to our environment. Our perception of events
depends on how our sense organs detect stimuli and how
our brain interprets information originating from the
sense.
BODY MIND RELATIONSHIP
 Psychology studies human behavior involving both
the body and the mind. They are interrelated and
interact upon each other as mental function and
physical states affect each other.
 Body and the mind are two aspects of the living ,
dynamic and adjusting personality. Mind is regarded
as a function of the body and does not exist in
isolation from it. It is the sum total of various
mental processes such as observing, knowing,
thinking, reasoning, feeling, imagining,
remembering, judging etc. Mind also grows just as
the body grows.
 Body is represented by physical states and bodily function.
Nervous system and glands are an important part of our body.
They are also responsible for ways of thinking, feeling and doing.
 All behavior have an anatomical and physiological basis.
Physiological structures, body fluids, chemicals and mechanical
events influence our overt behavior, feelings and experiences.
Our mental functions like strong feelings, emotions, attitudes,
motives, thinking etc. influence our bodily activities and
processes.
 Emotions are a combination of bodily responses and mental
processes. While the body provides energy to fight or cope, mind
contributes to the understanding and offer the explanation for
one’s own actions and that of others. Just as the body produces
epinephrine to fighter danger, the mind helps to decide whether it
is needed or not.
EFFECTS OF BODILY CONDITIONS
ON MENTAL FUNCTIONING
 Increased blood pressure cause mental excitement.
 Severe pain reduces the ability to concentrate.
 Chronic illness cause depression.
 Malfunctioning of the endocrine glands may exert
full influence on one’s personality resulting in
lethargy, nervousness, tension etc.
 Physical fatigue affects our mood and reduces our
motivation, interest and concentration.
 Brain injury affects many psychological functions.
At the same time well developed brain leads to the
development of better intellectual functioning.
 EFFECTS OF MENTAL CONDITIONS
ON BODILY FUNCTIONING
 Mental processes are intimately connected to brain
and cortical processes. For example unpleasant
emotions like fear, anger and worry cause irritability,
insomnia, headache etc. Similarly depression affects
thinking and memory.
 Emotional conflicts are responsible for peptic ulcer,
ulcerative colitis etc.
 Deep thinking and concentration can cause physical
strain.
 Unconscious motivation and conflicts give rise to
many physical complaints and neurotic disorders like
conversion disorders.
 GENETICS AND BEHAVIOR
 Heredity: Heredity is considered as the sum total of
traits potentially present in the fertilized ovum.
According to Douglas & Holland one’s heredity consist
of all structures, physical characteristics, functions or
capacities derived from parents other ancestry or
species.
 All organism follow a life cycle which includes
growth, development, reproduction and decline.
Though there is essential unity in life, the ways in
which each organism exercise its capacities is different.
These individual qualities of organisms and their basic
properties are transmitted by means of heredity.
MECHANISM OF HEREDITY
MECHANISM OF HEREDITY
 ENVIRONMENT
 The child inherits trait and characteristics of his
parents and forefather through genes at the time
of conception. Therefore what he possesses at the
time of conception is all due to heredity.
 After conception how he develops is the outcome
of the interaction between his heredity and
environment.
 Environment covers the social, moral,
economical, political physical and intellectual
factors that influence the development of the
individual from time to time.
 DEFINITION
 Environment is everything that affects the
individual except his genes.
Environment covers all the outside factors that
have acted on the individual since he began life.
INTRACELLULAR: It relates to embryonic
development
INTRAUTERINE: It shelters the baby during
prenatal life
EXTERNAL: It relates to physical, biological
and psychological environment.
 INTERACTION BETWEEN
HEREDITY & ENVIRONMENT
Each individual enters the world with
certain hereditary characteristics
transmitted to him through his parents. He
grows up in a certain environment with its
human, social and material surrounding.
Everything he does as a child or adult
results from environment.
 BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR: NERVOUS
SYSTEM, NEURONS AND SYNAPSE
 The entire behavior is effectively managed and controlled
by the coordination and functioning of the nervous system.
 How we will behave in a particular situation depends upon
the judgement of our brain.
 Sense impression received through sense organs do not
bear any significance unless they are given a meaning by
the nervous system.
 Learning also to a great extent is controlled by the nervous
system.
 Proper growth and development of nerve tissues and
nervous system as a whole helps in the task of proper
intellectual development.
Any defect in the spinal cord or the brain
seriously affects the intellectual growth.
The process of growth and development
is also directly and indirectly controlled
by the functioning of the nervous system.
Through its receptors the nervous system
keeps us in touch with our environment,
both external and internal.
 RECEPTORS
 Behavior in all its form and shapes certainly has a
biological or physiological base. It is based on various
stimuli present both in the external environment and that
lying within our body. Stimuli in the form of various
sensory experience are received by our sensory organs
known as receptors.
 External receptors: These are sensory mechanism that
help us make contact with the outer world. Example:
Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tongue and Skin.
 Internal Receptors: Associated with internal stimuli
present in our body. They are responsible for pain,
hunger and nausea, body balance, posture and
equilibrium.
 EFFECTORS
Smooth Muscles: Digestion, Excretion
and blood circulation.
Cardiac muscles
Skeletal or striped muscles
Glands: Duct Glands: Salivary, Gastric,
Sweat, Lacrimal, Kidneys & Sex glands.
Ductless Glands: Pituitary, Thyroid,
Parathyroid, Adrenal, Gonads, Pancreas
 CONNECTORS
( Sensory & Motor Neuron)
 BASIC CELLS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEURON
 Basic functional cell of nervous system
 Transmits impulses (up to 250 mph) Parts of a Neuron
 Dendrite – receive stimulus and carries it impulses toward the cell body
 Cell Body with nucleus – nucleus & most of cytoplasm
 Axon – fiber which carries impulses away from cell body
 Schwann Cells- cells which produce myelin or fat layer in the Peripheral
Nervous System
 Myelin sheath – dense lipid layer which insulates the axon – makes the
axon look gray
 Node of Ranvier – gaps or nodes in the myelin sheath
 Impulses travel from dendrite to cell body to axon Three types of Neurons
 Sensory neurons – bring messages to CNS
 Motor neurons - carry messages from CNS
 Interneurons – between sensory & motor neurons in the CNS
 NERVE IMPULSES

 A stimulus is a change in the environment with sufficient strength to

initiate a response.
 Excitability is the ability of a neuron to respond to the stimulus and
convert it into a nerve impulse
 All of Nothing Rule – The stimulus is either strong enough to start and
impulse or nothing happens
 Impulses are always the same strength along a given neuron and they are
self-propagation – once it starts it continues to the end of the neuron in
only one direction- from dendrite to cell body to axon
 The nerve impulse causes a movement of ions across the cell membrane
of the nerve cell.
 Synapse - small gap or space between the axon of one neuron and the
dendrite of another - the neurons do not actually tough at the synapse o
 It is junction between neurons which uses neurotransmitters to start the
impulse in the second neuron or an effector (muscle or gland) o
 The synapse insures one-way transmission of impulses
NEUROTRANSMITTERS
LOBES OF BRAIN
HEMISPHERES OF BRAIN
CORTICAL AREAS AND FUNCTION
OF BRAIN
 Spinal cord is a cylindrical structures that runs through the center of spine
from brain stem to lower back. It lies inside from stem to lower back. It
lies inside the spinal column, which is made up of 33 bones called the
vertebrae.
 CSF surrounds the spinal cord, which is shielded by three protective layers.
 This is major conduit and reflex center between the peripheral nerves and
the brain. It transmits motor information from the brain to the muscles,
tissues and organs and sensory information from these areas back to pain.
 It has 31 pairs of spinal nerves and others mixed nerves.
 At the junction it is divided into two roots: the dorsal root and the ventral
root. Dorsal root contains sensory neurons while the ventral root contains
motor neurons.
 It acts as an independent center for reflex movement which are not under
the conscious control of the cortex such as withdrawal of the hand when
something is hot.
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Cranial nerves
12 pair
 Attached to undersurface of brain
Spinal nerves
31 pair
Attached to spinal cord
CRANIAL & SPINAL NERVES
REFLEX ARC
SENSE ORGAN
 KINESTHETIC SENSE
The kinesthetic senses are the senses of
position and movement of the body,
senses we are aware of only on
introspection. A method used to study
kinesthesia is muscle vibration, which
engages afferents of muscle spindles to
trigger illusions of movement and
changed position. Example: Dancing
movement, Exercise etc.
 VESTIBULAR SENSE
The vestibular sense, also known as the
movement, gravity and/or balance
sense, allows us to move smoothly. We
are able to maintain our balance while
engaged in activities because of this
sense. While vestibular helps us with
balance while we walk and run, it also
helps us stay upright when we sit and
stand.