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Oct 11, 2021 · AP Psychology: Biological Bases of Behavior Notes. Key Takeaways: Biological Bases for Behavior. All human (and animal) behavior is a product of biological structures and processes, highly organized on multiple interconnected levels.
Get an overview of what is covered in Unit 2 of AP Psychology along with some of the key terms and phrases that are important to know for the exam. These AP Psychology study notes should be used to supplement what you’re learning in your AP Psych class.
AP Psych Unit 2 Biological Psychology. chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons; when released by the sending neuron, they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
- Issues and Debates
- Investigation of Inheritance
- Methods of Studying The Brain
- Timeline
Free will vs. determinism
It is strongly determinist as it views behavior as caused entirely by biological factors over which individuals have no control.
Nature vs. nurture
The biological approach is firmly on the nature side of the debate; however, it does recognize that our brain is a plastic organthat changes with experience in our social world, so it does not entirely deny the influence of nurture. Cross-cultural researchinvolves studying a particular behavior (e.g., gender, facial expressions) across different cultures. If the behavior is found to be similar across cultures, psychologists conclude that differences in behavior are biologically (i.e., nature)...
Holism vs. reductionism
The biological approach is reductionist as it aims to explain all behavior by the action of genetic or biochemical processes. It neglects the influence of factors such as early childhood experiences, conditioning, or cognitive processes.
Twin studies provide geneticists with a kind of natural experiment in which the behavioral likeness of identical twins (whose genetic relatedness is 1.0) can be compared with the resemblance of dizygotic twins (whose genetic relatedness is 0.5). In other words, if heredity (i.e., genetics) affects a given trait or behavior, then identical twins sho...
It is important to appreciate that the human brainis a highly complicated piece of biological machinery. Scientists have only just “scratched the surface” of understanding the many functions of the workings of the human brain. The brain can influence many types of behavior. In addition to studying brain-damaged patients, we can find out about the w...
The Voyage of the Beagle(1805 – 1836) – Darwin formulated his theory of natural selection by observing animals while traveling the world. Harlow (1848): Phineas Gage brain injury case studyprovides neuroscience with significant information regarding the working of the brain. Darwin (1859) publishes On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selec...
The biological basis refers to the underlying physical, genetic, and neurological factors that contribute to a specific condition, behavior, or trait. It involves understanding how biology influences our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
[1] Objectives and Skills. Topics may include: [2] The interaction of inherited traits, environment, and evolution in shaping behavior. Structures and functions of biological systems, including the endocrine system and nervous system. Brain function, neural firing, and the influence of medication.
biological psychology. a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior. neuron. a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. dendrite. the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body. axon.
