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Learning Objective 2
Biological Basis of Behavior
Chapter 2 Assignments
(AP Psychology Scoring Criteria 3)
Lesson One: Pages 46-51
August 30
Biology, Behavior and Mind &Neural Communication
Vocabulary: neuron, dendrites, axon, myelin sheath, action potential, threshold
Reading Questions:
2-1: Why are psychologists concerned with human biology?
2-2: What are neurons, and how do they transmit information?
Lesson Two: Pages 52-59
September 1
Neural Communication, Neurotransmitters, & the Nervous System
Vocabulary: synapse, neurotransmitter, reuptake, endorphins, nervous system, central nervous
system (CNS), peripheral nervous system (PNS), nerves, sensory neurons, motor neurons,
interneurons, somatic nervous system, autonomic nervous system, sympathetic nervous system,
parasympathetic nervous system, reflex
Reading Questions:
2-3: How do nerve cells communicate with other nerve cells?
2-4: How do neurotransmitters influence behavior, and how do drugs and other chemicals affect
neurotransmission?
2-5: What are the functions of the nervous system’s main divisions, and what are the three types
of neurons?
Lesson Three: Pages 59-63 September 2
The Endocrine System & the Brain
Vocabulary: endocrine system, hormones, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, lesion,
eletroencephalogram, positron, emission tomography (PET) scan, magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Reading Questions:
2-6: How does the endocrine system transmit information and interact with the nervous system?
2-7: How do neuroscientists study the brain’s connections to behavior and mind?
Lesson Four: Pages 64-68
September 6
Chapter 2 Reading Quiz 1
Older Brain Structures & The Limbic System
Vocabulary: brainstem, medulla, thalamus, reticular formation, cerebellum, limbic system,
amygdala, hypothalamus
Reading Questions:
2-8: What structures make up the brainstem, and what are the functions of the brainstem, thalamus
and cerebellum?
2-9: What are the limbic system’s structures and functions?
Lesson Five: Pages 69-76
September 7
The Cerebral Cortex
Vocabulary: cerebral cortex, glial cells, frontal lobes, parietal lobes, occipital lobes, temporal
lobes, motor cortex, sensory cortex, association areas, plasticity, neurogenesis
Reading Questions:
2-10: What are the functions of the various cerebral cortex regions?
2-11: To what extent can a damaged brain reorganize itself, and what is neurogenesis?
Lesson Six: Pages 76-80
September 8
Our Divided Brain
Vocabulary: corpus callosum, split brain.
Reading Questions:
2-12: What do split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres?
Ch. 2
Learning Objective 2 Assessments
Notebook Check (Sept. 9) Chapter 2 Reading Quiz 2
Chapter 2 Exam (September 12)
What should I know from Chapter 2?
a. Identify basic processes and systems in the biological bases of behavior,
including parts of the neuron and the process of transmission of a signal
between neurons.
b. Discuss the influence of drugs on neurotransmitters (e.g., reuptake
mechanisms, agonists, antagonists).
c. Discuss the effect of the endocrine system on behavior.
d. Describe the nervous system and its subdivisions and functions:
— central and peripheral nervous systems;
— major brain regions, lobes, and cortical areas;
— brain lateralization and hemispheric specialization.
e. Discuss the role of neuroplasticity in traumatic brain injury.
f. Recount historic and contemporary research strategies and technologies that
support research (e.g., case studies, split-brain research, imaging techniques).
g. Discuss psychology’s abiding interest in how heredity, environment, and
evolution work together to shape behavior.
h. Predict how traits and behavior can be selected for their adaptive value.
i. Identify key contributors (e.g., Paul Broca, Charles Darwin, Michael Gazzaniga,
Roger Sperry, Carl Wernicke).
(CollegeBoard, 2014)