Download Chapter 2 – Biology of the Mind

Biological Bases of Behavior
Chapter 3A – Neural Processing & the Endocrine System
biological psychology
neuron
sensory neurons
motor neurons
interneurons
dendrite
axon
myelin sheath
action potential
threshold
synapse
neurotransmitters
reuptake
endorphins
nervous system
central nervous system (CNS)
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
nerves
somatic nervous system
autonomic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system
parasympathetic nervous system
reflex
endocrine system
hormones
adrenal glands
pituitary gland
Questions to ponder
1. What are neurons, and how do they transmit information?
2. How do nerve cells communicate with other nerve cells?
3. How do neurotransmitters influence behavior, and how do drugs and other chemicals
affect neurotransmission?
4. What are the functions of the nervous system’s main divisions?
5. How does the endocrine system—the body’s slower information system—transmit its
messages?
Biological Bases of Behavior
Chapter 3B – The Brain
lesion
electroencephalogram (EEG)
PET (positron emission tomography) scan
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
brainstem
medulla
reticular formation
thalamus
cerebellum
limbic system
amygdala
hypothalamus
cerebral
glial cells (glia)
frontal lobes
parietal lobes
occipital lobes
temporal lobes
motor cortex
sensory cortex
association areas
aphasia
Broca’s area
Wernicke’s area
plasticity
neurogenesis
corpus callosum
split brain
Consciousness
Cognitive neuroscience
Questions to ponder
1.
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6.
7.
How do neuroscientists study the brain’s connections to behavior and mind?
What are the functions of important lower-level brain structures?
What functions are served by the various cerebral cortex regions?
What brain areas are involved in language processing?
To what extent can a damaged brain reorganize itself?
What do split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres?
What is the “dual processing” being revealed by today’s cognitive neuroscience?
Biological Bases of Behavior
Chapter 3C – Genetics, Evolutionary Psychology, & Behavior
Behavior genetics
Environment
Chromosomes
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
Genes
Genome
Identical twins
Fraternal twins
Heritability
Interaction
Molecular genetics
Evolutionary psychology
Natural selection
Mutation
Questions to ponder
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4.
What are genes, and how do behavior geneticists explain our individual differences?
What is heritability, and how does it relate to individuals and groups?
What is the promise of molecular genetics research?
How do evolutionary psychologists use natural selection to explain behavior
tendencies?
5. How might an evolutionary psychologist explain gender differences in sexuality and
mating preferences?
6. What are the key criticisms of evolutionary psychology?
7. How does handedness relate to brain organization?
III. Biological Bases of Behavior (8–10%)
An effective introduction to the relationship between physiological processes and
behavior—including the infl uence of neural function, the nervous system and the
brain, and genetic contributions to behavior—is an important element in the AP
course.
AP students in psychology should be able to do the following:
• 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.
• Discuss the infl uence of drugs on neurotransmitters (e.g., reuptake
mechanisms).
• Discuss the effect of the endocrine system on behavior.
• 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.
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• Recount historic and contemporary research strategies and technologies that
support research (e.g., case studies, split-brain research, imaging techniques).
• Discuss psychology’s abiding interest in how heredity, environment, and
evolution work together to shape behavior.
• Predict how traits and behavior can be selected for their adaptive value.
• Identify key contributors (e.g., Paul Broca, Charles Darwin, Michael Gazzaniga,
Roger Sperry, Carl Wernicke).