Interaction Between the Brain and Behaviour

Instructions

Task 2: Written Question and Answer
(750 words ±10%)

Discuss evidence for the interaction between the brain and behaviour.

The response should be evaluative, identifying benefits as well as issues of the evidence. Research studies should also be included.

Your essay should include in-text citations to acknowledge the source of your information and attach a full and accurate bibliography.

Sample Paper Solution

Evidence for the interaction between the brain and behavior

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Date

Evidence for the interaction between the brain and behavior

          The interaction between the brain and the people behavior is determined by the part of the brain in use. Therefore, the behavior of the individuals relies on whether the brain is fully functioning or not. The part of the brain that helps in the reasoning process can function better if it is used to align with the visual part of the brain. 

          People who normally rely on the navigation and the spatial awareness in their day to day operations may behave differently. However, this is determined by how well they have been able to use their brain in that process. Therefore, nature of work and the responsibilities of the individual may trigger a situation where different parts of the brain are utilized. This is evident with the use of the split brain as well as the use of the spatial awareness which is linked with the functioning of the brain.  For instance, the brain of taxi drivers may require them to have the knowledge of different areas including the historic building, parts, cemetery, school, worship, diplomatic building, court, police station, railways station as well as the government buildings among others and this requires the use of navigation and the spatial awareness. Therefore the navigation and the spatial awareness are instrumental since they help a person in gaining the knowledge needed to execute the day to day activities. As a result individual responsibilities and nature of work that a person engages in may determine the part of the brain that has been utilized.  The significance increase in the grey matter in the taxi drivers brain in The Maguire at al, 2000 shows the part of the brain that is highly relied upon.

          The use of hippocampus differs with the type of responsibilities that a person engages in. therefore, the hippocampus in people may change depending with the nature of their responsibilities. Therefore the use of the spatial memory may lead to change in hippocampus which shows the reasons behind the changes in people behavior. Different part of the brain function differently and can be utilized in different situations. As a result those people who often have brain damage may still function depending with the part of the brain that has been affected. The grey and the white mater in the brain have different functions such as facilitating the functioning of the blood and he nerve cells. The role of the hippocampi is to help in providing the spatial awareness and the memory of the individual which models the people behavior.  In the use of the split, a person may be able to identify an object visually but may be unable to name it depending with whether all parts of the brain are working in the right manner. This is instrumental in monitoring people behavior considering that a person with a complete functioning brain is able to both identify and name certain object.

          The functions of the brain enables a person to explain the occurrence of events once they have observed them and in the process provide the right explanations in the process (Sperry, 170).  Split brain experiment by Roger Sperry found out that verbal along with the visual stimuli are often processed independently by the two hemispheres. Therefore, people may behave differently depending with the part of the brain that is relied upon. In this case, people impulses, concepts and the perceptions may be interpreted differently depending with the part of the brain being utilized. Therefore, different parts of the brain work differently which modify the people behavior (Sperry, 1964).  The Maguire at al, 2000 study revolves around the role of the spatial memory and the role of the hippocampus (Maguire at al , 4399).  This study focuses on the plasticity of the brain which is evaluating where them brain has the capacity to adjust itself depending with how it has been implemented.

Work Cited

Maguire, Eleanor A., et al. "Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97.8 (2000): 4398-4403.

Sperry, Roger W. "Mental phenomena as causal determinants in brain function." Consciousness and the brain. Springer, Boston, MA, 1976. 163-177.

Sperry, Roger Wolcott. Problems outstanding in the evolution of brain function. New York: American Museum of natural history, 1964.