Introduction
Biological Psychology is the biological study of human behavior through various theories. It is said that every behavior, action, emotion and thought originates from the brain. In the past, this study was known as physiological psychology due to the fact that the methods employed to study the brain functions and behavior correlates with the physiology. For instance, stimulation and lesioning are among the methods used. There are three major theories that try to link the biology of humans to their behavior. They include: evolutionary psychology, behavioral genetics and behavioral neuroscience. These three theories hold different backgrounds in regard to the biological explanation of the human behavior (Downes, 2008).
Evolutionary psychology is one of the biological methods used in the study of human behavior. It holds to the fact that, most of the human acts can be explained through the call to internal psychological mechanism. In this theory, adaptation is the major factor that contributes to the behavior of human beings. It is indicated that every behavior is a product of natural selection which enabled people to suit to the environment and survive to the present time. This is what distinguishes it from other cognitive theories of human behavior (Downes, 2008).
Behavioral genetics also seeks to understand the influence of genetics in the behavior of human beings. It extends its study to include the environmental influence on individual variations that is observed in human beings. This study was based on certain assumptions or observations. These assumptions were that the behavior of living things is habitually species specific. This is observed in a number of species such as birds, plants and animals. For example, during mating, birds of the same species tend to behave the same but totally different from the other species. Another observation was that behaviors are always likely to breed through. This means that a behavior can be reproduced through perpetuating a successive generation of living things. Thirdly, the alterations in biological structures results in changes in behaviors. Other factors are observed through the human understanding such persistence of a particular behavior in a specific family tree of human beings (McInerney, 2008).
The studies on behavioral genetics entail the use of people who have a similar background such as twins to monitor their behaviors. The consideration in this case is the environmental influence. It has been found out that genetics has become a vital organ of biological science that helps to establish the cause of some disorders in human beings. The same case is with the human behavior. Hence, it is even easier to use the study of chromosomes or single- gene disorders to establish a behavior than the use studying complex behaviors (McInerney, 2008).
The study of human behavior as it is influenced by the brain is termed as behavioral neuroscience. In this study, the transmissions of neurons and substances across the body organs are investigated. The study of the way neurons affect the behavior of human beings is studied. The objective of such studies is aim at reaching to a solution or an explanation that will help in stopping or eliminating certain abnormal behaviors. The study entails the examination of the receptor cells of the brain to find any damages that may cause neurons not elicit certain responses to stimuli. It is through this study that some of the disorders’ causes have been known. Consequently, some medicines and surgical procedures have been established to deal with these conditions (Behavioral Neuroscience, 2012).
The procedure of these studies is normally conducted with animals that have almost similar conditions like those under study. Some parts of the brain of these animals are damaged intentionally and their behaviors monitored. After this, the physicians try to formulate possible explanations on the causes of such behaviors. It must be noted that it is through the neuroscience study that some pharmaceuticals are manufactured that help in restoration of neurotransmissions so that neurons are able to reach their respective receptor cells. Behavioral neuroscience holds the view that the brain controls every activity and behavior of human beings and all organisms at large (Behavioral Neuroscience, 2012).
Conclusion
In summary, the human behavior is explained using the biological approach, behavioral genetics and the neuroscience mechanism. These three theories have varied explanations as to why human beings as well as other organisms behave the way they do. Their characteristics are associated with particular patterns.
References:
Behavioral Neuroscience. (2012). Behavioral Neuroscience: Our Hope for the Future. Retrieved from http://www.behavioralneuroscience.net/
Downes, S. M. (2008). Evolutionary Psychology. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/evolutionary-psychology/
McInerney, J. (2008). Behavioral Genetics. Retrieved from http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/behavior.shtml
