Biological Bases of Behavior

Key Ideas

1. Everything psychological is simultaneously biological.


2. We are organized into systems, subsystems, sub-sub systems.


3. The human brain is considered the most complex entity in the known universe. This complexity is built from simplicity as the whole exceeds the sum of the individual parts.


4. The mind is what the brain does.


5. Our brain excels as it employs parallel processing of information.


6. The Information Systems Model is often used to conceptualize cognitive processes, i.e. information is organized then interpreted then stored and retrieved for use.


7. We excel at categorization, of finding meaning.


8. A great deal of our mental processing is below the level of our consciousness.


9. The brain has given us tremendous advantages. We are able to adapt the environment to our needs.


10. The brain consumes 1/5 of our energy intake. Vision employs ¼ or our brain working capacity.


11. We have three brains that reflect our evolutionary development: the reptile's brain, the mammal’s brain and the human brain.


12. Our brain’s development was spurred by human society with its complexity of language and emotions.


13. Humans have the most sophisticated sense of consciousness i.e. an awareness of ourselves.


14. Research continues to show that genes have a huge impact on behavior. The Genome Project, however, suggests that the gene may not be the best level of analysis because genes work in complex combinations.

Free Response

Design an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new aspirin product.

The hypothesis of the experiment is that the group who receives the new aspirin product will report a greater lessening of pain than the group who receives who do not receive the new aspirin product.
The IV is the administration of the drug. The experimental group would receive new aspirin product drug while the control group would receive a placebo. The DV is the subject’s self-reports concerning the relief of pain. They would make their judgments on a 5-point scale.
A population of people suffering from pain would be identified and then a random sample selected. Random sampling would remove any confounding variable such as race, age, sex and so on. Generalizations can then be made to the entire population.
Participants would then be randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. This also controls any possible confounding variables.
Participants would be fully informed of the nature of the experiment and their consent given. They would be debriefed after the experiment.
To control for experimenter bias and demands characteristics the experimental design would be a double blind one. Neither the administrator of the drugs nor the participants would know whether they are receiving the new aspirin product or a placebo.
200 words

Data would be analysed using inferential statistics. The average scores of the two groups would be compared. If the results showed a significant difference, i.e. the difference was not just a chance occurrence, then the hypothesis would be accepted.

PowerPoint Presentation and Friday's Test

PowerPoint Presentations and Test Readiness

Most of you commented favorably on the student PowerPoint Presentations. There were some valid reservations and I would not overdo them. I am the teacher after all.
Most of you are a little unsure about the test on Friday, but you will have today and tomorrow to prepare yourself and I will not introduce any new work until after the test on Friday. Your helping hand experiment is not due until Friday 2 September.

Unit One Assessment

1. Your first chapter test is on Wednesday 17 August. As it only covers 9 pages of the text you should aim for 100%.
2. The other item of assessment can be found on the Unit 1 blog 6(c). You will submit this on paper as well as a weblog entry. This is due on Friday 19 August.

Intellectual Journal

Intellectual Journal in Psychology

To improve your learning throughout the course you will be required to write an Intellectual Journal on your Weblog. Writing in this way will help you clarify your ideas and prepare you for the writing you are required to do in your exams. Using a weblog will allow you to invite other learners to respond to your thoughts and reflections by adding comments.

Types of entries you will make:
1. Responses to articles, textbooks and classroom discussions.
2. Responses that review material covered in class: what did I learn, what questions do I still have, what ideas and concepts do I need to clarify.
3. Personal responses where you apply psychological concepts and theories to your own experiences.
4. Reflective responses when you review what you have learnt over the unit.


This is NOT a journal where you keep your daily activities log, or write about your personal and emotional life, except as it is affecting what and how you are learning. The focus is your intellectual growth.