The scope of experimental approaches. A scientist may try to understand behavior by monitoring molecules, nerve cells, brain regions, or social environments, or some combination of these levels of analysis.

1. Social level
2. Organ level
3. Neural systems level
4. Brain region level
5. Circuit level
6. Cellular level
7. Synaptic level
8. Molecular level

Levels of Analysis

The scientific strategy of breaking a system down into increasingly smaller parts in order to understand it.

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New York University

There are three common approaches used to study the relationship between the brain and behavior.

- Somatic Intervention
- Behavioral Intervention
- Correlation

Approaches Relating the Brain and Behavior

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

The most common approach is somatic intervention. In this approach scientists will alter the structure or function of a brain region, and then observe the resulting behavior. 

Somatic Intervention

Behavioral Intervention is the opposite of somatic intervention. In this approach the behavior of an organism is intervened, and the resulting changes in structure or function are recorded. 

Behavioral Interventions may include...
- Presenting the organism with a visual stimulus
- Providing the organism with training for a particular task
- Placing two human adults of the opposite sex in a room together

Behavioral Intervention

Reductionism

The circle diagram is a visual that displays how somatic intervention, behavioral intervention, and correlation all relate and work together. It is important to note that the circle diagram emphasizes how each approach has a reciprocal relationship with the other approaches. In other words, there is an ongoing cycle of relations that move in both directions.


Circle Diagram

Correlation is a statistical association observed between two variables. When high values of one variable tend to occur with high values of another, the variables are positively correlated. Conversely, when high values of one variable are associated with low values of another, there is a negative correlation. It is crucial to note that correlation does not imply causation; a statistical link between two variables does not necessarily mean that one causes the other.

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