5 Steps to a 5 AP Psychology, 2014-2015 Edition

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Biological Bases of Behavior

IN THIS CHAPTER

Summary:As you read this page, lots of things are going through your mind.

Your mind is what your brain does, according to many psychologists. The

relationships of behavior, the mind, and the nervous system, especially the

brain, have become increasingly clear as improvements in technology have

enabled scientists to make better observations. In all areas of anatomy and

physiology, structure is related to function. Specialized structures throughout

your body enable regulatory function at all levels of organization from your

neurotransmitter molecules to your nervous and endocrine systems.

Neuropsychologists explore the relationships between brain/nervous

systems and behavior. Neuropsychologists are also called biological psycholo-

gists or biopsychologists, behavioral geneticists, physiological psychologists,

and behavioral neuroscientists.

This chapter focuses on what we know about our nervous system and all of

its parts at different levels of organization, and the tools that have enabled us

to learn about them.

Key Ideas

Techniques to learn about structure and function

Nervous system organization

Brain structure and function

Neuron structure and functions

Endocrine system structure and function

Evolution and behavior

Genetics and behavior

KEY IDEA

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