PSY 101 Exam review

🧠 PSY 101 — EXAM 2 MASTER STUDY GUIDE

CHAPTER 3 — The Biological Bases of Behavior

Weiten divides this chapter into:

1. Communication in the nervous system

2. Organization of the nervous system

3. The brain and behavior

4. Right brain/left brain specialization

5. The endocrine system

6. Heredity and behavior

7. Evolutionary bases of behavior

1. Neurons

Neuron = specialized cell that communicates information throughout the nervous system.

Know these parts:

• Dendrites → receive messages

• Cell body (soma) → maintains the cell

• Axon → carries the neural impulse away from the cell body

• Myelin sheath → insulating covering around some axons; helps impulses travel faster

• Terminal buttons → release neurotransmitters

Easy memory trick:

Dendrites = Detect
Axon = Away

2. Neural communication

Action potential = brief electrical impulse that travels down the axon.

Neurotransmitters = chemicals released by neurons that affect other neurons.

Think:

Electrical → neuron → chemical → next neuron

A neurotransmitter can have different effects depending on the receptor it binds to.

3. Nervous system

Central Nervous System — CNS

Brain + spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System — PNS

Everything outside the brain and spinal cord.

The PNS includes:

Somatic nervous system

• Voluntary movement

• Skeletal muscles

Autonomic nervous system

• Involuntary functions

The autonomic system includes:

Sympathetic
→ prepares the body for action

Parasympathetic
→ calms the body and returns it toward normal functioning

🚨 Remember this:

Sympathetic = GO

Parasympathetic = REST

🧠 BRAIN

Know the major brain areas and what they do.

Brainstem

Controls basic functions necessary for survival, such as breathing and heart rate.

Cerebellum

Important for:

• Balance

• Coordination

• Fine motor control

Thalamus

Acts as an important relay station for sensory information.

Hypothalamus

Helps regulate:

• Hunger

• Thirst

• Body temperature

• Other motivated behaviors

Amygdala

Important in emotional processing, especially fear and other emotional responses.

Hippocampus

Important for forming and consolidating new memories.

🧠 Cerebral cortex

Four major lobes:

Easy memory:

F-P-T-O

Front → Parietal → Temporal → Occipital

🧠 Endocrine System

The endocrine system communicates using hormones.

Hormones are chemical messengers released into the bloodstream by endocrine glands.

Important glands include:

• Pituitary

• Thyroid

• Adrenal glands

• Pancreas

• Ovaries/testes

Hormones vs. neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters
→ released by neurons
→ communicate across synapses

Hormones
→ released by endocrine glands
→ travel through bloodstream

🧬 Heredity

Genes = units of heredity.

Chromosomes = structures containing DNA.

DNA = molecule carrying genetic information.

Genotype

Your genetic makeup.

Phenotype

Your observable characteristics.

IMPORTANT:

Genotype = genes

Phenotype = physical/observable expression

🌎 Nature + Nurture

Psychology doesn’t generally treat behavior as simply:

“It’s all genetics.”

or

“It’s all environment.”

Behavior usually reflects an interaction between heredity and environment.

Think:

Nature + Nurture → Behavior

👶 CHAPTER 10 — HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN

The chapter covers prenatal development, childhood development, adolescence, and adulthood.

1. Prenatal Development

Three major periods:

Germinal period

Earliest stage after conception.

Embryonic period

Major organs and body structures begin developing.

Fetal period

Growth and maturation continue.

🚨 Memorize:

Germinal → Embryonic → Fetal

Think:

G-E-F = Get Everything Formed

👶 Childhood Development

Three major areas:

Physical development

Growth and motor skills.

Cognitive development

Thinking, reasoning, language, memory.

Social development

Relationships, emotions, social behavior.

🧠 PIAGET

This is VERY likely to be something you need to know.

Jean Piaget proposed stages of cognitive development.

Easy memory:

S → P → C → F

See → Pretend → Concrete → Formal

👶 Object Permanence

Object permanence = understanding that an object continues to exist even when you can’t see it.

This develops during the sensorimotor period.

Example:

You hide a toy under a blanket.

A very young infant may behave as though it disappeared.

Later, the child understands:

“I can’t see it, but it’s still there.”

🧠 Vygotsky

Vygotsky emphasized the importance of social and cultural influences on cognitive development.

A major idea:

Zone of proximal development

The range between:

What a child can do alone

and

What the child can accomplish with assistance.

❤ ATTACHMENT

Attachment = emotional bond between a child and caregiver.

Know:

Secure attachment

Child generally feels comfortable exploring while using the caregiver as a source of security.

Insecure attachment

Includes patterns such as anxious/resistant or avoidant behavior.

👩‍🦱 ADOLESCENCE

Adolescence involves major:

• Physical changes

• Cognitive changes

• Social changes

• Identity development

Puberty

Biological changes associated with sexual maturation.

Don’t confuse:

Puberty = biological maturation

Adolescence = broader developmental period

🧠 FORMAL OPERATIONAL THINKING

According to Piaget, adolescents become increasingly capable of:

• Abstract thinking

• Hypothetical reasoning

• Thinking about possibilities

• Systematic problem solving

Example:

Instead of only asking:

“What happened?”

A person can increasingly ask:

“What could happen if I changed this variable?”

👩 ADULTHOOD

Development doesn’t simply stop when someone becomes an adult.

People continue to experience changes in:

• Physical abilities

• Cognitive abilities

• Relationships

• Personality

• Social roles

🔥 THE TERMS I WOULD MEMORIZE FIRST

If you’re short on time, start with these:

Biology

Neuron
Dendrite
Axon
Myelin sheath
Neurotransmitter
Action potential
CNS
PNS
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Cerebellum
Frontal lobe
Parietal lobe
Temporal lobe
Occipital lobe
Hormones
Genes
Genotype
Phenotype
Nature-nurture interaction

Development

Germinal period
Embryonic period
Fetal period
Piaget
Sensorimotor
Preoperational
Concrete operational
Formal operational
Object permanence
Vygotsky
Zone of proximal development
Attachment
Secure attachment
Puberty
Adolescence