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Topics and Learning Objectives

III. Biological Bases of Behavior

An effective introduction to the relationship between physiological processes and behavior--including the influence of neural function, the nervous system and the brain, and genetic contributions to behavior--is an important element of 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 within and between neurons.

Discuss the influence of drugs on neurotransmitters (e.g., agonists & antagonists, and 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.

Recount historic and contemporary research strategies and technologies that support research (e.g., case studies, split-brain research, imaging techniques).

Discuss the role of neuroplasticity in traumatic brain injury.

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).