Biological Bases of Behavior
the oldest and most primitive part of the brain, responsible for basic life-sustaining functions such as breathing, heart rate, and sleep-wake cycles.
brainstem
unconscious encoding of information about space, time, frequency, and well-learned tasks.
automatic processing
A child learns how to throw a ball by watching their older sibling do it and copying them. What type of learning is this?
Observational learning
A student blames their low test score on a “bad test” but credits a good score to how hard they studied. What kind of thinking is this?
Self-serving bias
A therapist helps a client replace irrational, negative thoughts with more positive and logical ones. What type of therapy is this?
Cognitive therapy
the belief in improving the genetic quality of a human population by controlling reproduction to increase desirable traits and decrease undesirable ones. (it is bad)
eugenics
An elderly man can easily recognize old movie stars but struggles to remember a new neighbor’s name. What concept explains this?
Recognition vs. recall
A teenager starts doing their chores more often after receiving praise from their parents. What learning principle is at work here?
Positive reinforcement
A usually calm person becomes loud and aggressive during a rowdy sports crowd. What social psychological process might explain this change?
Deindividuation
Someone experiences sudden, intense fear with chest pain and dizziness, even when nothing is threatening them. What disorder does this describe?
Panic disorder
A woman suffers a stroke and loses the ability to speak but can still understand language. Which brain area is likely damaged?
Broca’s area
A witness remembers a criminal's shirt as red after hearing another person say it was red, even though it wasn’t. What memory error is this?
The misinformation effect
A baby searches for a toy after it’s been hidden under a blanket. What developmental milestone does this show?
Object permanence
A person doesn’t help someone in need because lots of other people are around. What phenomenon explains their inaction?
The bystander effect
three-stage response to stress that includes alarm, resistance, and exhaustion, describing how the body reacts and adapts to stress over time.
GAS
A person’s heart rate and breathing slow after a stressful event. This recovery is due to activation of the
Parasympathetic nervous system
A child calls every four-legged animal a “dog” until they learn to distinguish between dogs and cats. What kind of cognitive adjustment is this?
Accommodation
A teacher rewards only the steps that come closer to the desired behavior, helping a student learn a new skill. What learning method is this?
Shaping
The influence to conform to the positive expectations of others, driven by the desire to be liked or accepted by the group.
Normative Social Influence
self-regulation and control over excesses and impulses, promoting balance and moderation in personal behavior and relationships
temperance
the "support cells" of the nervous system, provide structural support, insulation, and nourishment to neurons.
glial cells
long-lasting increase in signal transmission between neurons that results from their simultaneous activation.
long-term potentiation
automatic response in newborns where they turn their head toward a touch on the cheek, helping them locate and latch onto the mother's breast for feeding.
Rooting Reflex
Explains how people decide whether someone’s behavior is caused by their personality or their situation.
Attribution Theory
global standard for reporting and categorizing diseases, including mental and behavioral disorders, used by healthcare professionals to diagnose conditions and track health trends worldwide.
International Classification of Mental Disorders (ICD) (11th edition)