Ap Psychology Unit 1 Study Guide

Unit 1 - Biological Bases of Behavior Study Guide

1.1 Interaction of Heredity and Environment

What is the difference between nature and nurture?

Nature - genes/hereditary factors, physical appearance, personality characteristics

Nurture - environmental variables, childhood experiences, social relationships, surrounding

culture

Name two psychological perspectives that lean towards the nature side of the debate.

Biological, Evolutionary

What is eugenics?

The controversial idea of improving human populations by selective breeding.

What is epigenetics?

How our environment can influence gene expression without changing the DNA itself

Ex. stress turning certain genes on/off

1.2 Overview of the Nervous System

Explain the difference between the central and peripheral nervous system.

Central Nervous System - made of the brain and spinal cord, acts as the command center,

processes info and sends instructions to the rest of the body.

Peripheral Nervous System - made up of all the nerves outside the brain/spinal cord,

connects CNS to the rest of the body.

Explain the difference between the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

Somatic Nervous System - controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles. Ex.

movements like walking, dancing.

Autonomic Nervous System - controls involuntary actions like heartbeat, digestion,

breathing

Identify the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system.

Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

What are the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions?

Sympathetic - flight or fight, prepares your body for stressful situations, when startled

heart races, palms sweat.

1.3 The Neuron and Neural Firing

What are neurons? What are the functions of a neuron?

Neurons are specialized cells that transmit electrical signals. Neurons carry out most pf the

brain’s communication.

What is a glial cell?

The brain’s “support staff”

, protects, nourishes, and cleans up after neurons.

Describe the reflex arc.

An automatic, rapid response to a stimulus

What is an action potential?

A brief electrical charge that travels down the axon, triggered when neuron reaches a

threshold

What is a neurotransmitter?

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across the synapse

Describe the synaptic gap.

A message must cross the synapse - the tiny gap between neurons

Identify the difference between excitatory and inhibitory neurons.

Excitatory - Encourage neurons to fire Ex. Dopamine

Inhibitory - Prevent neurons from firing Ex. Gaba, Serotonin

Briefly describe the role of each neurotransmitter:

Acetylcholine (Ach) -

Substance P - Transmits pain signals to brain

Dopamine - Involved in reward and motivation

Serotonin - Regulates mood and sleep

Endorphins - Natural painkillers

Norepinephrine - Arouses alertness and energy

Glutamate - The most common excitatory neurotransmitter, linked to learning and memory

GABA - Calms the nervous system

Describe the difference between agonists and antagonist drugs.

Agonists - drugs that mimic neurotransmitters or enhance their action. Ex. opioids

Antagonists - drugs that block neurotransmitter activity

What impact do stimulants have on the body? Depressants? Hallucingens?

Stimulants - speed up body functions and enhance energy Ex. Caffeine, Cocaine

Depressants - slow down body functions and neural activity Ex. Alcohol

Hallucinogens - alter perception, can cause visual or auditory hallucinations Ex. Marijuana

Label the parts of the neuron.

a. Dendrites

b. Nucleus

c. Cell body

d. Myelin Sheath

e. Axon

f. Axon Terminal

1.4 The Brain

Parts of the Brain Brain Stem Medula Cerebellum Cerebrum

Corpus Callosum Frontal Lobe Motor Cortex Broca

’

s Area Parietal Lobe Description/Function

Body’s command center, at center of brain, controls most basic

life-sustaining functions

Manages vital functions like breathing and heart rate

Part of brain that lets you ride a bike without thinking about every

movement, coordination and learning

Connects the left and right hemisphere

Located behind the forehead, responsible for thinking/decision-making

Located at the back of the frontal lobes, controls muscle movement

Responsible for speech production, damage here makes it difficult to

speak

Located near the back crown of your head, responsible for processing

sensory information like touch

T emporal Lobe Located on the sides of the brain, these lobes process auditory

information and handle language comprehension

Hippocampus Plays a major role in forming new memories

Amygdala Processes emotions, especially fear and aggression.

Wenicke

’

s Area Responsible for speech comprehension, damage here can cause aphasia

Occipital Lobe At the rear of your head, they specialize in visual processing everything

Thalamus The brain’s relay station it sends sensory information to the right areas

of the brain for processing

Hypothalamus Regulates basic drives like hunger, thirst, and body temperature-

keeping you in balance (homeostasis)

Pituitary Gland The brain’s master gland, it releases hormones that regulate growth and

other essential processes

1.5 Sleep

Define consciousness.

The awareness of our environment and ourselves

What is the circadian rhythm?

A 24hr biological clock that regulates sleep, wakefulness, and other bodily functions

Briefly describe what happens in each stage of sleep

NREM 1 - (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) Light sleep, marked by alpha waves amd hypnagogic

sensations (hallucinations/falling sensations) 5-10 mins

NREM 2 - (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) Body temperature drops, and heart rate slows,

brains begins to produce sleep spindles, lasts 20 min aprox, EEG patterns showing more

synchronized brain activity

What brain waves are present?

NREM 3 - (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) Deep sleep with slow delta waves, hardest stage to

wake from, crucial for physical restoration, blood pressure and breathing rate drop, muscles

relax

What brain waves are present? Slow Delta Waves

REM - Rapid Eye Movement, brain is active but body is paralyzed. (Paradoxical sleep) ,

associated with vivid dreams, plays key role in memory consolidation, especially for skills

and information learned during the day.

What is insomnia?

Difficulty falling or staying asleep, leading to fatigue or impaired functioning during the

day.

What is somnambulism?

Occurs during deep NREM sleep, individuals walk or perform tasks while still asleep

What occurs when an individual has REM Sleep Behavior Disorder?

They will act out their dreams due to lack of muscle paralysis during REM sleep, mostly

older men.