Comparison of the Blind Watchmaker to Biological Psychology (Essay Sample)

Comparison of the Blind Watchmaker to Biological Psychology
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Introduction
Biological psychology, also known as biopsychology, can be defined as a study that examines the mechanisms of development in behavior, evolution and other mechanisms that relate to human behavior and experience (Kalat, 2013). This emphasizes on the relationship between psychology and the biological processes taking place in the human body. It is based on the belief that the behavior of organisms is as a result of the brain functioning which can also be referred to the ancient times when animals with those characteristics underwent a series of natural selection. There are three biological perspectives under which psychology can been studied. These include the comparative method where animals of different species and origins are identified. They are then compared to give an explanation of the differences that occur between them (McLeod, 2014). The second biological perspective in psychology is where the human hormones as well as the nervous system are studied. The changes are examined and their effect on the human behavior noted. The third aspect here is the concept of heredity and how it affects human behavior (McLeod, 2014). Kalat’s book, “Biological Psychology”, gives an insight of the relationship between biology and psychology while relating to the ancient times where the organisms originated. He focuses more of the mind and the brain relationship when arguing about the biological processes with regard to behavior. Dawkins is another author who wrote a book about evolution. He supports Darwin’s theory. His arguments have been of interest to the field of psychology and can be compared in a way. This essay will focus on Kalat’s text in Biological Psychology and how Dawkins arguments in “The Blind Watchmaker” can be related.
Kalat’s text on Biological Psychology
Kalat’s book links the human behaviors to biology. It tries to explain the relationship between the two. He illustrates how research has been used to come up with the evidence on the relationship between biology and psychology. In his text, he tries to find out why brain activities and consciousness are related and how the genes interact with one another and the environment to influence the human behavior.
How is behavior accounted for in biology?
Behaviors which refer to common sense are meant to mean the intention for which one is doing something (Kalat, 2013). However, intentions cannot be assumed. When a cock crows, it has no idea why is does so and even when one yawns, we cannot explain why. Biology explains behavior by use of four concepts. These are:
Physiological explanation
This deals with mechanisms that are involved in the functioning of the body (Kalat, 2013). It explains how the chemical reactions in the body relate with the hormones and the brain and also the way the influence one another. It also involves the route that brain impulses follow to control activities in other organs.
Given a case of a songbird, its brain develops the under influence of the hormone testosterone. This is greater in the male songbird as compared to the female and it is what enables the male to sing when mature (Kalat, 2013).
Ontogenic explanation
This word was derived from a Greek work to mean “the origin” or “genesis”. In this case, it is used to give an explanation of the development of behavior or a structure as influenced by factors such as genetics, interaction with one another and nutrition. For instance, inhibition of impulses develops over time from the period one is young up to maturity period (Kalat, 2013).
For instance, the birds are able to sing by listening to the adult birds. It is through this that certain genes recognize the voice and record it as they heard it. When they grow up, they will be able to sing the song as they heard it in their early stages of life (Kalat, 2013).
Evolutionary explanation
This gives an account of historical events that took place during evolution of human beings to the current status. The characteristic features the current species are said to be similar to those of the ancient organisms (Kalat, 2013). For instance, animals such as monkeys that are closely related to humans use simple tools. This can be used to illustrate the fact that human beings evolved from using simple tools to the current status where they use complex tools and machinery. This is because the two species are closely related. Research also indicates that the species have a common ancestor.
An example of the bird species can also be used to illustrate this point. Some birds have closely related features such as songs and other physical characteristics (Kalat, 2013). This shows that they have a common origin.
Functional explanation
This explains the reasons behind the process of evolution of structure and behavior. An example is when an organism has a dominant advantageous trait. If the organism has many offsprings and transfer the trait to them, then the trait will be manifested in the population. This gene may be spread accidentally, a process referred to as genetic drift. This gives rise to a better generation (Kalat, 2013).
For instance, in the bird species, the male birds are the most noted in singing. This is, however, done to attract the female birds or also scare away the males (Kalat, 2013).
Relationship between Genetics and behavior
According to Kalat (2013), genetics can affect the behavior of an organism. Research conducted by comparing people who were born blind with their sighted relatives shows similarity. However, this is arguable when it comes to other factors including the surroundings of the organism, sex and lifestyle. Given, for instance, the issue of homosexuality and heterosexuality, some often argue that it is genetically inherited while others say is a personal choice and can be corrected by adopting means such as psychotherapy.
The way genes are arranged in the human body can be used to examine the arguments in the humans. Genes control human behavior by controlling certain processes in the body organs such as the brain. Some genes affect the human behavior indirectly (Kalat, 2013) For instance, one may feel attractive and on meeting people, they smile back. This encourages and affects the personality of the person by boosting his/her self-esteem.
Evolution of behavior
The change in the variation of genes in an organism over a long period of time is referred to as evolution (Futuyma, 2005). Organisms undergo genetic changes despite the fact that the change eventually benefits or causes harm to the organism itself. Evolution is described by comparing the current organisms with fossils. Humans, for instance have been closely related to chimpanzees and they are traced to a common ancestral origin. Plant species with similar physical characteristics and behavior have also been traced to a common origin (Kalat, 2013). However, not all organisms with similar physical characters have a common ancestral origin (Futuyma, 2005).
The explanation in this case is the reproduction process. All organisms give rise to offsprings that resemble them. However, genes undergo such processes as recombination, duplication and mutations leading to new variations in the organisms (Kalat, 2013). These changes may cause harm to the organism or benefit it. Organisms with genes that encourage high reproductive success can pass the genes to their offsprings making them become dominant in the future generations.
Research carried out by plant and animal breeders indicate that the traits can be transferred from one generation to the other (Kalat, 2013). This has been proven through artificial selection.
Misconceptions about evolution
Lamarckian came up with the theory of use and disuse (Kalat, 2013). This theory stated that if you do not use a given structure of the body or a behavior, then it (the structure) will decrease with time. This has been found by scientists, according to Kalat, to have no evidence and research shows that it is not true. For instance, we can take a case of a man who goes to the gym every day. The muscles will build up. This trait has been found to remain with the person and it is not passed to the offspring. According to scientists, body structures such as toes may reduce with generations only if there are people who possess the genes for smaller toes and continue to reproduce (Kalat, 2013).
Another misconception is that human beings have stopped evolving. However, evolution is closely related to reproduction. The rate of evolution may have slowed down but not stopped. People with a certain type of genes will have their genes transferred to their offspring and if the number of offsprings is high, then it implies that a large number of people in the population will contain the genes (Kalat, 2013). Also, evolution does not occur for the benefit of any individual. It only occurs to benefit the genes.
The evolution of behavior
This relates to the change of behavior over time as a result of evolution. In the process of evolution, genes associated with certain behaviors may have been favored. Kalat (2013) believes that behaviors associated with organisms underwent the process of natural selection. For example, some animals such as the bears eat as much food as they find when others such as the birds eat for satisfaction. The relationship other animals have with regard to the natural selection can be debated.
An example of this is the fact that a man can engage in sex and have children with many women whereas a woman cannot have many children by engaging in sex with many men (Kalat, 2013).
The use of animals in research
Animals have been used mostly in research that relates to human organs and behavior. The commonly used a...