Unit 2: Biology and Behavior Chapter 3
Name_______________________________________________________________________________________
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Unit 2 Enduring Understandings
Biology , genetics and environment all contribute to who we are as individuals
Neurons are the basic building blocks of our nervous system
Mental illnesses and neurological disorders can result from a variety of problems with the nervous system, not limited to
chemical imbalances
Perception varies from individual to individual
Unit 2 Psych Lingo
You are responsible for the vocabulary listed at the beginning of each chapter. There will be a VOCAB section in every Unit test. If
you complete the packet, take supplemental notes, pay attention, ask questions AND STUDY you have nothing be worried about!
Chapter 3 - The Nervous System
_____________________________________ communicate with each other to send and receive messages from other parts of the
body, and we have _____________________________ billion of them, mostly in the brain.
Neurotransmitters are_________________________________________________________________________, and there are three
types
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________________
The Central Nervous System Consists of _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Peripheral Nervous System is responsible for _______________________________________________________ between the
CNS and all parts of the body.
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Sympathetic system prepares the body for________________________________________________________;
o AKA the __________________________ or flight response
Parasympathetic system ____________________________________ the body AFTER action
o AKA ____________________________ and digest
The Brain
Three parts of the brain and their functions
Hind Brain: Three areas and their functions:
Midbrain: Main area and function
Forebrain: Four areas and functions
Why are the functions of the cerebrum and cerebral cortex so important?
Video: Phineas Gage. What happened to him and how did it effect his behavior? WHY?!?!?!?
Language abilities – remember Genie?
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For most people language functions are in the ____________________ hemisphere
What do Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s Area do?
Aphasia is
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Left vs Right Brain Hemispheres
While it is not necessarily true that people are “left or right brained”, often people do possess certain qualities or
abilities associated with each hemisphere. RESEARCH: What qualities/abilities do people have that are Left/Right brain
dominant?
LEFT HEMISPHERE
RIGHT HEMISPHERE
Before taking the L/R brain indicator, which do you believe YOU are? What L/R qualities do you possess?
After taking the test, was it accurate? Explain
VIDEOS:
“The Truth of Addiction”: According to the video, what is the “truth” about addiction? What are your thoughts about
this idea? OREOS?!
Brain Happiness Debate: According to the “debate”, what happens in the brain when we are happy?
Heredity
Heredity is the _____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Heredity is vital to the transmission of __________________________________________________ traits and
also to some ______________________________________________________________ traits, such as
o ______________________________________________________
o ______________________________________________________
o ______________________________________________________
Also some psychological disorders may be related to heredity, like:
o ______________________________________________________
o ______________________________________________________
o ______________________________________________________
What are some traits that you share with other members of your family?
Physical Traits
Psychological Traits
Nature vs Nurture
Nature vs Nurture is the debated role of _______________________________________ in determining who we are as
people.
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The “Nature” side of the debate argues that ______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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The “Nurture” side of the debate argues that _____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
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The most common way to sort out the roles that heredity and environment play in determining a trait is to do a
____________________________________________________________ study
These studies focus on __________________________________________________________________ members
Explain the Twin Studies, Adoptee Studies, and Twins Reared Apart Studies. Do you think these are VAILD studies and
address the question of Nature vs Nurture?
RESEARCH: Complete the chart below by doing YOUR OWN study of Nature vs Nurture. Use valid and reputable sources
to create the argument for each side. CITE YOUR SOURCES!
Nature
Nurture