psychobiology
Brain and behavior
Psychobiology is the study of how biological processes—brain chemistry, genetics, hormones, neural pathways—influence behavior, thought, and emotion.
The field bridges psychology and biology, examining questions like how stress hormones affect memory or how neurotransmitter imbalances contribute to depression.
Also called biological psychology or behavioral neuroscience.
State of sentient awareness
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- attentionFocused mental awareness
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
thought · emotion · sensation · awareness · cognition · learning · judgment · mental
Learned behavioral adaptation
- reinforcementAdding support or encouragement
- stimulusWhat prompts a reaction
- responseAnswer to stimulus
- operantProducing an effect
classical · extinction · reward · motivation · instinct · learning · habituation · aversive
Impulse-conducting cell
- synapseNerve signal crossing point
- neurotransmitterSynaptic chemical messenger
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
- hippocampusMemory formation region
amygdala · axon · dendrite · glia · cerebellum · brainstem · cerebrum · myelin
Pressure, mental or vocal
- psychosomaticMind-induced bodily illness
- cortisolAdrenal steroid regulating stress
- immunologyScience of bodily defenses
- wellnessOverall state of health
sleep · hormones · endocrine · homeostasis · disease · rehabilitation · therapy
Hereditary code molecule
- genesUnits of heredity
- heredityGenetic trait transmission
- genotypeOrganism's complete allele set
- phenotypeObservable characteristics of organism
alleles · chromosomes · mutation · genomics · heritability · epigenetics · polymorphism
Testing new methods
- empiricalBased on observation, not theory
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- psychometricsPsychological measurement science
- neuroimagingVisualizing nervous system structure
psychopharmacology · biofeedback · longitudinal · correlational · replication
Fitting to new conditions
- fitnessGood physical shape
- sociobiologyStudy of inherited social behaviors
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
consciousness
State of sentient awareness
- perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- attentionFocused mental awareness
reasoning · thought · emotion · sensation · awareness · cognition · learning · judgment · mental
conditioning
Learned behavioral adaptation
- reinforcementAdding support or encouragement
- stimulusWhat prompts a reaction
- responseAnswer to stimulus
operant · classical · extinction · reward · motivation · instinct · learning · habituation · aversive · ethology
neuron
Impulse-conducting cell
- synapseNerve signal crossing point
- neurotransmitterSynaptic chemical messenger
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
hippocampus · amygdala · axon · dendrite · glia · cerebellum · brainstem · cerebrum · myelin · frontal
stress
Pressure, mental or vocal
- psychosomaticMind-induced bodily illness
- cortisolAdrenal steroid regulating stress
- immunologyScience of bodily defenses
wellness · sleep · hormones · endocrine · homeostasis · disease · rehabilitation · therapy
DNA
Hereditary code molecule
phenotype · alleles · chromosomes · mutation · genomics · heritability · epigenetics · polymorphism
experimental
Testing new methods
- empiricalBased on observation, not theory
- researchSystematic fact-finding effort
- psychometricsPsychological measurement science
neuroimaging · psychopharmacology · biofeedback · longitudinal · correlational · replication
adaptation
Fitting to new conditions
- fitnessGood physical shape
- sociobiologyStudy of inherited social behaviors
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- psychologypsychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, neuropsychology, psychotherapy
psychobiologybehaviorism
Psychology studying observable conduct
folk psychology · social psychology · psychoanalysis · cognitive psychology · mentalism
psychobiologydualism
Philosophy of opposed pairs
idealism · mentalism · immaterialism · spiritualism · vitalism
biology, biography, psyche, psychology, biopsy, psychological, behavioral psychology