2: Biological Basis of Behavior
- Page ID
- 90431
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- 2.1: The Brain
- The human brain is responsible for all behaviors, thoughts, and experiences described in this textbook. This module provides an introductory overview of the brain, including some basic neuroanatomy, and brief descriptions of the neuroscience methods used to study it.
- 2.2: The Nervous System
- The mammalian nervous system is a complex biological organ, which enables many animals including humans to function in a coordinated fashion. The original design of this system is preserved across many animals through evolution; thus, adaptive physiological and behavioral functions are similar across many animal species.
- 2.3: Evolutionary Theories in Psychology
- Evolution or change over time occurs through the processes of natural and sexual selection. In response to problems in our environment, we adapt both physically and psychologically to ensure our survival and reproduction.
- 2.4: Hormones and Behavior
- The goal of this module is to introduce you to the topic of hormones and behavior. This field of study is also called behavioral endocrinology, which is the scientific study of the interaction between hormones and behavior.
- 2.5: Biochemistry of Love
- Love is deeply biological. The evolutionary principles and ancient hormonal and neural systems that support the beneficial and healing effects of loving relationships are described here.
- 2.6: Epigenetics in Psychology
- Early life experiences exert a profound and long-lasting influence on physical and mental health throughout life. In this module, we survey recent developments revealing epigenetic aspects of mental health and review some of the challenges of epigenetic approaches in psychology to help explain how nurture shapes nature.
- 2.7: The Nature-Nurture Question
- People have a deep intuition about what has been called the “nature–nurture question.” Some aspects of our behavior feel as though they originate in our genetic makeup, while others feel like the result of our upbringing or our own hard work. Genes and environments always combine to produce behavior, and the real science is in the discovery of how they combine for a given behavior.