Study Guide for PSB2000 Exam 1 It is always advisable to know the key terms introduced in each section However the study hints listed here by chapter will also help you focus on other important concepts for the exam Any material from Chapters 1 3 may be evaluated on the exam Chapter 1 Study Hints 1 Understand and be able to answer conceptual or factual questions about the biological explanations of behavior Physiological Ontogenetic Evolutionary Functional Physiological relates a behavior to the activity of the brain and other organs it deals with the machinery of the body Ex the chemical reactions that enable hormones to influence brain activity and the routes by which brain activity controls muscle contractions Ex a particular area of a songbird brain grows under the influence of testosterone hence it is larger in breeding males than in female or immature birds That brain area enables a mature male to sing Ontogenetic describes how a structure or behavior develops including influences of genes nutrition experiences and their interactions Ex the ability to inhibit impulses develops gradually from infancy through the teenage years reflecting gradual maturation of the frontal parts of the brain Ex in many species a young male bird learns its song by listening to adult males Development of the song requires a certain set of genes and the opportunity to hear the appropriate song during a sensitive period early in life Evolutionary reconstructs the evolutionary history of a structure or behavior Ex frightened people get goose bumps erections of the hairs They are useless to humans now but this makes a frightened animal look bigger Ex certain pairs of species have similar songs Dunlins and baird s sandpipers two shorebird species give their calls in distinct pulses unlike other shorebirds The similarity suggests that the two evolved from a single ancestor Functional describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did Within a small isolated population a gene can spread by accident through a process called genetic drift Ex camouflage Ex in most bird species only the male sings He sings only during the reproductive season and only in his territory The functions of the song are to attract females and warn away other males As a rule a bird can only sing loudly enough to be heard in the territory he can defend In short birds have evolved tendencies to sign in ways that improves their chances for mating 2 The mind brain mind body problem is defined as trying to determine the relationship between the mental mind and the physical brain Know the difference between dualism Descartes and most non scientists and monism most neuroscientists For monism understand what is meant by identity position Dualism the belief that mind and body are different kinds of substance that exist independently Monism the belief that the universe consists of only one kind of substance Identity position the view that mental processes and certain kinds of brain processes are the same thing This definition does not say that the mind is the brain mind is brain activity Just as a fire is not a thing but what happens to something mental activity is what happens to the brain 3 Know the difference between DNA and RNA and the difference between chromosomes and genes and know the difference between heterozygous different and homozygous same and what that means for dominant vs recessive genes Genes units of heredity that maintain their structural identity from one generation to another They come in pairs because they are aligned along chromosomes Chromosomes strands of genes which also come in a pairs which is composed of DNA a gene has been defined as a portion of a chromosome which is composed of the double stranded RNA a single stranded molecule on type of RNA serves as a template for the synthesis of protein molecule DNA molecules DNA s strand of DNA serves as a template for the synthesis of RNA Dominant shows a strong effect in either the homozygous or heterozygous condition Recessive shows its effects only in the homozygous condition 4 Sex linked vs sex limited A sex linked gene is on a sex chromosome usually the X chromosome because the Y chromosome is SO MUCH SHORTER A sex limited gene could be on any chromosome chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes are autosomal chromosomes but it is activated by sex hormones and therefore shows its effects only in one sex or the other 5 What are some possible complications in estimating hereditary influences in behavior Consider possible consequences of prenatal influences and the multiplier effect o Multiplier effect if genetic or prenatal influences produce even a small increase in some activity the early tendency will change the environment in a way that magnifies that tendency with a chain of effects Heritable does not mean unmodifiable Phenylketonuria is an example of this How o PKU is a genetic inability to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine If PKU is not treated it accumulates to toxic levels impairing brain development and leaving children mentally retaded restless and irritable However the environment can modify it if the levels in a baby are too high they just put them on a lower phenylalanine diet 6 What is the definition of evolution Realize that this is not the discussing the origin of life but the origin of species which are changed over generations due to artificial and natural selection reproduction of the fittest Evolution is a change over generations in the frequencies of various genes in a population By this definition evolution includes any change in gene frequencies regardless of whether it helps or harms the species in the long run 7 While there may be much disagreement on this topic according to the author what are some reasons to use animals in research and how do most biological scientists feel about it The underlying mechanisms of behavior are similar across species and sometimes easier to study in a nonhuman species We are interest in animals for their own sake What we learn about animals sheds light on human evolution Certain experiments cannot use humans because of legal or ethical restrictions Abolitionists vs Minimalists Abolitionists take a more extreme opposition and see no room for compromise Minimalists tolerate animal research under certain conditions Chapter 2 Study Hints 8 Know the basic structures functions of an animal cell membrane nucleus mitochondrion ribosomes endoplasmic reticulum Membrane the surface of a cell also called the
View Full Document
Unlocking...