When preparing to teach a new unit, I find it's helpful to have important information in one easy-to-access location. So here you'll find the standards for teaching the biological bases of behavior unit of a psychology course, the key terms and definitions that should be covered throughout the unit, as well as some teaching resources and suggested activities for students to complete.
Standards
Biological Bases of Behavior
CONTENT STANDARD 1: Structure and function of the nervous system in human and non-human animals
1.1 Identify the major divisions and subdivisions of the human nervous system and their functions
1.2 Identify the parts of the neuron and describe the basic process of neural transmission
1.3 Describe the structures and functions of the various parts of the central nervous system
1.4 Explain the importance of plasticity of the nervous system
1.5 Describe the function of the endocrine glands and their interaction with the nervous system
1.6 Identify methods and tools used to study the nervous system
CONTENT STANDARD 2: The interaction between biological factors and experience
2.1 Describe concepts in behavioral genetics and epigenetics
2.2 Describe the interactive effects of heredity and environment
2.3 Explain general principles of evolutionary psychology
Key Terms
nervous system | a complex network of cells that carry information to and from all parts of the body |
central nervous system | the brain and spinal cord |
peripheral nervous system | transmits information to and from the CNS |
brain | interprets and stores information and sends orders to muscles, glands, and organs |
spinal cord | pathway connecting the brain and the peripheral nervous system |
somatic nervous system | carries sensory information and controls movement of the skeletal muscles |
sensory system | carries messages from senses to CNS |
motor system | carries messages from CNS to muscles and glands |
autonomic nervous system | automatically regulates glands, internal organs and blood vessels, pupil dilation, digestion, and blood pressure |
parasympathetic division | maintains body functions under ordinary conditions; saves energy |
sympathetic division | prepares the body to react and expend energy in times of stress |
neuron | the basic cell that makes up the nervous system and which receives and sends messages within that system |
dendrites | branch-like structures that receive messages from other neurons |
axon | tube-like structure that carries the neural messages to other cells |
myelin | fatty substances that coat the axons |
axon terminals | shorter fibers that communicate with other nerve cells by releasing neurotransmitters |
soma | cell body of the neuron |
action potential | the release of the neural impulse consisting of a reversal of the electrical charge within the axon |
vesicle | fluid-filled sac |
neurotransmitter | chemical found in the synaptic vesicles that, when released, has an effect on the next cell |
synaptic gap | microscopic fluid-filled space |
receptor site | area on the surface of the neuron that receives and reacts to particular neurotransmitters |
acetylcholine | neurotransmitter involved in arousal, attention, memory, and controls muscle contractions |
norepinephrine | neurotransmitter involved in arousal and mood |
dopamine | neurotransmitter involved in control of movement and sensations of pleasure |
serotonin | neurotransmitter involved in sleep, mood, anxiety, and appetite |
endorphins | neurotransmitter involved in pain relief |
cerebral cortex | responsible for higher thought processes and interpretation of sensory input |
cerebral hemispheres | the two sections of the cortex on the left and right sides of the brain |
lateralization | the tendency for some neural functions or cognitive processes to be specialized to one side of the brain or the other |
frontal lobe | lobe responsible for higher mental processes and decision making, as well as the production of fluent speech |
Broca’s area | association area responsible for producing fluent, understandable speech |
temporal lobe | lobe containing the neurons responsible for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech |
Wernicke’s area | association area responsible for the understanding of language |
motor cortex | responsible for sending motor commands to the muscles of the somatic nervous system |
sensory cortex | responsible for processing information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch, temperature, body position, and possibly taste |
parietal lobe | lobe containing the centers for touch, taste, and temperature sensations |
occipital lobe | lobe containing the vision centers of the brain |
limbic system | a group of several brain structures located under the cortex and involved in learning, emotion, memory, and motivation |
thalamus | processes and relays sensory information to the proper areas of the cortex |
hypothalamus | responsible for motivational behavior such as sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex |
amygdala | responsible for fear responses and memory of fear |
hippocampus | responsible for the formation of long-term memories and the storage of memory for location of objects |
corpus callosum | thick band of neurons that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres |
cerebellum | controls and coordinates involuntary, rapid, fine motor movement |
pons | influences sleep, dreaming, left-right body coordination, and arousal |
medulla | responsible for life-sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing, and heart rate |
reticular formation | an area of neurons that control arousal, alertness, and sleep |
neuroplasticity | the brain’s ability to constantly change the structure and function of many cells in response to experience or trauma |
endocrine system | collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate the body |
hormones | chemicals released into the bloodstream, influencing the activity of the muscles and organs |
pituitary gland | influences all other hormone-secreting glands; secretes growth hormone; controls the levels of salt and water in our system; controls the onset of labor and lactation |
pineal gland | involved in several biological rhythms; secretes melatonin, which regulates our sleep-wake cycle in response to changes in light |
thyroid gland | regulates metabolism (the burning of energy) by secreting thyroxin; regulates growth |
adrenal glands | secrete over 30 different hormones to deal with stress, regulate salt intake, and provide a secondary source of sex hormones affecting the sexual changes that occur during adolescence; control our stress reaction through the adrenal medulla’s secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine |
pancreas | controls the level of sugar in the blood by secreting insulin, which breaks down sugar |
gonads | sex glands (ovaries and testes), secrete hormones that regulate sexual development and behavior as well as reproduction |
lesioning | insertion of a thin, insulated electrode into the brain through which an electrical current is sent, destroying the brain cells at the tip of the wire |
Computed Tomography (CT) | brain imaging method using computer-controlled X-rays of the brain, which show brain structure |
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) | brain imaging method using radio waves and magnetic fields of the body to produce detailed images |
Electroencephalogram (EEG) | machine designed to record the electrical activity of the cortex below the skull |
Positron emission tomography (PET) | brain imaging method in which a harmless radioactive sugar is injected into the bloodstream and a computer compiles a color-coded image of the brain activity |
Functional MRI (fMRI) | a specialized MRI scan that tracks changes in oxygen levels of the blood to show which areas of the brain are active during various mental tasks |
behavioral genetics | the study of how genetic variation affects psychological traits |
epigenetics | study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence, which in turn affects how cells read the genes |
nature | refers to heredity, the influence of inherited characteristics on personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions |
nurture | refers to the influence of the environment, including parenting styles, physical surroundings, economic factors, and anything that does not come from within a person |
evolution | a process of gradual change over time |
natural selection | principle stating that inherited characteristics that give a survival advantage are more likely to be passed on to future generations |
Teaching Resources
This unit is dense! And it's often an intimidating one for first-time psychology teachers for good reason, but I promise it can actually be REALLY fun. I find the best way to teach this unit is with as many visuals and hands-on activities as possible! Here's some options:
Check out Biological Bases of Behavior resources to make teaching this unit fun and engaging for you AND your students. Resources include teacher presentation slides to streamline the content, guided notes to keep students engaged in the content delivery, a brain model project to give them hands-on experience, a mirror neurons activity to help students really understand this type of neuron, a TED Talk viewing guide to explore the specifics of the teen brain, as well as a bunch more activities, viewing guides, and review.
What activities are your favorites for teaching about the brain? Share in the comments!
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