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Biological Bases of Behavior

nce upon a time, on a planet in our neighborhood of the universe, MOD U L E S
there came to be people. Soon thereafter, these creatures became 1.1 / nteraction of Heredity and
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Not for redistribution.
I
O intensely interested in themselves and in one another: “Who are we? Environment
What produces our thoughts? Our feelings? Our actions? And how are we to 1.2 / Overview of the Nervous System
understand and manage those around us?” Psychological science seeks to answer 1.3a / The Neuron and Neural Firing:
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such questions about how and why we think, feel, and act as we do. Neural Communication and the
Unit 0 introduced us to psychology — the science of behavior and mental processes. Endocrine System
Let’s unpack this definition. Behavior is anything an organism does — any action 1.3b / The Neuron and Neural Firing:
we can observe and record. Yelling, smiling, blinking, sweating, talking, tweeting, Substance Use Disorders and
and questionnaire marking are all observable behaviors. Mental processes are our Psychoactive Drugs
internal, subjective experiences — our sensations, perceptions, dreams, thoughts, 1.4a / The Brain: Neuroplasticity and
beliefs, and feelings. You have seen in Unit 0 that scientific inquiry requires curiosity, Tools of Discovery
skepticism, and humility — attitudes that can also help us discern truth amid a sea of 1.4b / The Brain: Brain Regions and
misinformation. You have begun to understand the appropriate use of surveys (using Structures
random sampling), of correlational studies (that reveal associations without indicating 1.4c / The Brain: Damage Response
causation), and of experiments (which randomly assign participants to different and Brain Hemispheres
conditions). You have appreciated the ethical constraints that guide researchers. 1.5a / Sleep: Consciousness
This scientific attitude — curiosity + skepticism + humility — helps us to think 1.5b / Sleep: Sleep Stages and
®
harder and smarter. To do well in this course, on the AP Psychology exam, and in Theories
your college courses and life beyond, you will want to thoroughly internalize this 1.5c / Sleep: Sleep Loss, Sleep
scientific way of thinking. And throughout this text, you will be actively applying Disorders, and Dreams
®
these concepts to the content in each unit with our “AP Science Practice” features. 1.6a / Sensation: Basic Concepts
Perhaps you didn’t expect this scientific focus in psychology. And maybe you’re 1.6b / Sensation: Vision
wondering why a “biological” unit is the first thing you’re encountering in this
psychology course. No principle is more central to today’s psychology, or to this 1.6c / Sensation: Hearing
book, than this: Everything psychological is simultaneously biological. Your every idea, 1.6d / Sensation: Skin, Chemical,
every mood, every urge is a biological happening. You love, laugh, and cry with and Body Senses and Sensory
Interaction
your body. Without your body — your genes, your nervous system, your hormones,
your appearance — you truly would be nobody. Moreover, your body and your
brain both influence and are influenced by your experiences. UNIT 1
Consider a daring medical venture proposed by two transplant surgeons Overview
Video
and their international team — a head transplant (Kean, 2016; Ren & Canavero,
2017; Ren et al., 2019). Wang Huanming, who is paralyzed from the neck down,
volunteered to have his fully functioning head transferred to a brain-dead
person’s still-functioning body.
kali9/E+/Getty Images have called “reckless and ghastly” and part of the scientists’ “ghoulish fantasies” psychology the science of
Ignore for the moment the ethical issues of such an experiment, which some
behavior and mental processes.

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