AP Psychology: Biological Bases of Behavior

Introduction to AP Psychology

• AP Psychology is a college-level course that examines the scientific study of the human mind and behavior.
• It emphasizes critical thinking, analysis, and application of psychological principles to real-world situations.
• Students learn various perspectives and approaches to understanding human experience.

Biological Bases of Behavior

• Neurons: Specialized cells in the nervous system that transmit information through electrical and chemical signals.
  • Structure: Dendrites, cell body, axon, myelin sheath, terminal buttons.
  • Function: Communication between neurons and muscles.
• Neurotransmitters: Chemical messengers that transmit signals across synapses.
  • Examples: Dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, norepinephrine.
  • Impact on behavior: Mood, learning, memory, motivation.
• The Endocrine System: A network of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream to regulate bodily functions.
  • Examples: Pituitary gland, thyroid gland, adrenal glands.
  • Impact on behavior: Stress response, growth, reproduction.
• The Brain: Composed of various structures with specialized functions.
  • Cerebrum (cortex, lobes): Higher-order functions, sensory and motor processing.
  • Cerebellum: Coordination of movement and balance.
  • Brainstem: Basic life functions (breathing, heartbeat).
  • Hemispheric Specialization: Left and right hemispheres often process information differently.

Sensation and Perception

• Sensation: The process of receiving and detecting stimuli from the environment.
  • Sensory receptors: Specialized cells that detect different types of stimuli.
  • Transduction: Converting physical energy into neural signals.
• Perception: The process of organizing and interpreting sensory information.
  • Gestalt principles: How the brain organizes visual information into meaningful patterns.
  • Depth perception: How we perceive distance and three-dimensional space.
  • Perceptual constancies: Our ability to perceive objects as stable despite changes in sensory input.

States of Consciousness

• Consciousness: Our awareness of ourselves and our environment.
  • Sleep: Stages of sleep (NREM, REM) and their importance for physical and cognitive restoration.
  • Dreams: Theories about the purpose and meaning of dreams.
  • Altered states of consciousness: Drug use, meditation, hypnosis.

Learning

• Classical Conditioning: Learning through association between two stimuli.
  • Unconditioned stimulus (UCS), unconditioned response (UCR), conditioned stimulus (CS), conditioned response (CR).
  • Acquisition, extinction, spontaneous recovery, generalization, discrimination.
• Operant Conditioning: Learning through consequences.
  • Reinforcement (positive, negative), punishment.
  • Schedules of reinforcement.
• Observational Learning: Learning by observing and imitating others.
  • Modeling, vicarious reinforcement.

Cognition

• Memory: Encoding, storage, retrieval of information.
  • Types of memory (sensory, short-term, long-term).
  • Amnesia.
• Thinking: Problem-solving, decision-making, creativity.
• Intelligence: Defining and measuring intelligence, theories of intelligence (e.g., Spearman's g factor).

Motivation and Emotion

• Motivation: Factors that energize, direct, and sustain behavior.
  • Biological drives, psychological needs, social motivations.
• Emotion: Feelings that involve physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.
  • Theories of emotion (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter-Singer).
  • Emotional regulation.

Development Across the Lifespan

• Prenatal Development: Stages of development from conception to birth.
• Childhood Development: Physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes from infancy to adolescence.
  • Cognitive development (Piaget's stages).
  • Moral development (Kohlberg's stages).
• Adolescence: Physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes during puberty.
• Adulthood: Physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes throughout adulthood.

Social Psychology

• Social cognition: How we think about ourselves and others in social situations.
• Attitudes and Behaviors: Formation, change, and influence.
• Social influence: Conformity, obedience, group behavior.
• Interpersonal attraction and relationships: Factors influencing attraction, relationship maintenance.
• Aggression and prosocial behavior: Factors contributing to aggression, altruism, bystander effect.

Abnormal Psychology

• Psychological disorders: Defining and diagnosing mental illnesses.
  • Diagnostic criteria.
  • Classifications (DSM-5).
• Causes of psychological disorders: Biological, psychological, and social factors.
• Treatment for psychological disorders: Therapy modalities; medication.

Applied Psychology

• Health Psychology: Interplay between psychological factors and physical health.
  • Stress management, coping mechanisms, health behaviors.
• Industrial-Organizational Psychology: Application of psychological principles to the workplace.
  • Job satisfaction, motivation, leadership.
• Sports Psychology: Application of psychological principles to athletic performance.
  • Motivation, confidence, mental strategies.

Explore the fundamental concepts of neurons, neurotransmitters, and the endocrine system in this AP Psychology quiz. Understand how these biological elements influence human behavior and experience through a scientific lens. Perfect for students preparing for their AP exam.