ap psych agenda 9.28.10. the biological basis of behavior mike/bob scenario first assignment:...
TRANSCRIPT
AP Psych Agenda9.28.10
The Biological Basis of BehaviorMike/Bob scenarioFirst assignment: working with a partner (or
alone if you’d prefer), create a lesson plan geared to an 8th grade class that teaches the students the important concepts behind neurons.Make a list of concepts that must be coveredMake a drawing of a synapse that includes:
1. One complete neuron (axon, dendrite, soma)2. A post synaptic dendrite
Prepare an explanation of a synapse that a 13 yr-old would understand
Build-a-Brain project due next Friday, October 8th. (directions given today)
Chapter 3: The Biological Bases of Behavior
Communication in the Nervous System
Hardware:Glia – structural support and insulationNeurons – communicationSoma – cell bodyDendrites – receiveAxon – transmit away
Windows Mac OS X
Neuron and Neural Impulse
Figure 3.1 Structure of the neuron
Neural Communication:Insulation and Information Transfer
Myelin sheath – speeds up transmissionTerminal Button – end of axon; secretes
neurotransmittersNeurotransmitters – chemical messengersSynapse – point at which neurons
interconnect
The Neural Impulse:Electrochemical Beginnings
Hodgkin & Huxley (1952) - giant squidFluids inside and outside neuron Electrically charged particles (ions)Neuron at rest – negative charge on inside
compared to outside-70 millivolts – resting potential
The Neural Impulse: The Action PotentialStimulation causes cell membrane to open
brieflyPositively charged sodium ions flow inShift in electrical charge travels along
neuronThe Action Potential All – or – none law
Figure 3.2 The neural impulse
The Synapse: Chemicals as Signal CouriersSynaptic cleftPresynaptic neuron
Synaptic vesiclesNeurotransmitters
Postsynaptic neuronReceptor sites
Windows Mac OS X
Synaptic Transmission
Figure 3.3 The synapse
When a Neurotransmitter Binds:The Postsynaptic Potential
Voltage change at receptor site – postsynaptic potential (PSP)Not all-or-noneChanges the probability of the postsynaptic
neuron firingPositive voltage shift – excitatory PSPNegative voltage shift – inhibitory PSP
Figure 3.4 Overview of synaptic transmission
Signals: From Postsynaptic Potentialsto Neural Networks
One neuron, signals from thousands of other neurons
Requires integration of signalsPSPs add up, balance outBalance between IPSPs and EPSPs
Neural networksPatterns of neural activityInterconnected neurons that fire together or
sequentially
Signals: From Postsynaptic Potentialsto Neural Networks
Synaptic connectionsElimination and creationSynaptic pruning
Figure 3.5 Synaptic pruning
Neurotransmitters Specific neurotransmitters work at specific
synapsesLock and key mechanism
Agonist – mimics neurotransmitter actionAntagonist – opposes action of a
neurotransmitter15 – 20 neurotransmitters known at presentInteractions between neurotransmitter
circuits
Table 3.1 Common Neurotransmitters and Some of their Functions
Organization of the Nervous SystemCentral nervous system (CNS)
Afferent = toward the CNSEfferent = away from the CNS
Peripheral nervous systemSomatic nervous systemAutonomic nervous system (ANS)
Sympathetic Parasympathetic
Figure 3.6 Organization of the human nervous system
Figure 3.7 The central and peripheral nervous systems
Figure 3.8 The autonomic nervous system (ANS)
Studying the Brain: Research MethodsElectroencephalography (EEG) Damage studies/lesioning Electrical stimulation (ESB)Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)Brain imaging –
computerized tomography positron emission tomography magnetic resonance imaging
Brain Regions and FunctionsHindbrain – vital functions – medulla, pons,
and cerebellumMidbrain – sensory functions –
dopaminergic projections, reticular activating system
Forebrain – emotion, complex thought – thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, cerebrum, cerebral cortex
The Cerebrum:Two Hemispheres, Four Lobes
Cerebral Hemispheres – two specialized halves connected by the corpus collosumLeft hemisphere – verbal processing:
language, speech, reading, writingRight hemisphere – nonverbal processing:
spatial, musical, visual recognition
The Cerebrum:Two Hemispheres, Four Lobes
Four Lobes:Occipital – visionParietal - somatosensoryTemporal - auditoryFrontal – movement, executive control
systems
Windows Mac OS X
Right Brain/Left Brain
Figure 3.16 Structures and areas in the human brain
Figure 3.18 The cerebral hemispheres and the corpus callosum
Figure 3.19 The cerebral cortex in humans
Figure 3.20 The primary motor cortex
Figure 3.21 Language processing in the brain
The Endocrine System:Glands and HormonesHormones – chemical messengers in the
bloodstreamPulsatile release by endocrine glandsNegative feedback system
Endocrine glandsPituitary – “master gland,” growth hormoneThyroid – metabolic rateAdrenal – salt and carbohydrate metabolismPancreas – sugar metabolismGonads – sex hormones
Genes and Behavior:The Field of Behavioral Genetics
Behavioral genetics = the study of the influence of genetic factors on behavioral traits
Chromosomes – strands of DNA carrying genetic informationHuman cells contain 46 chromosomes in
pairs (sex-cells – 23 single)Each chromosome – thousands of genes,
also in pairsDominant, recessiveHomozygous, heterozygousGenotype/Phenotype and Polygenic
Inheritance
Figure 3.25 Genetic material
Research Methods in Behavioral GeneticsFamily studies – does it run in the family?Twin studies – compare resemblance of
identical (monozygotic) and fraternal (dizygotic) twins on a trait
Adoption studies – examine resemblance between adopted children and their biological and adoptive parents
Figure 3.27 Genetic relatedness
Figure 3.28 Family studies of risk for schizophrenic disorders
Figure 3.30 Twin studies of intelligence and personality
Modern Approaches to theNature vs. Nurture DebateMolecular Genetics = the study of the
biochemical bases of genetic inheritanceGenetic mapping – locating specific genes -
The Human Genome ProjectBehavioral Genetics
The interactionist modelRichard Rose (1995) – “We inherit dispositions,
not destinies.”
Evolutionary Psychology:Behavior in Terms of Adaptive Significance
Based on Darwin’s ideas of natural selectionReproductive success key
Adaptations – behavioral as well as physicalFight-or-flight responseTaste preferencesParental investment and mating