receptors detect physical energy
🧠AP PSYCHOLOGY STUDY GUIDE
Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior
Review neural signaling, brain systems, sensation, sleep, genetics, and research methods for AP Psychology Unit 1.
8 key ideas8 flashcards5 practice questions
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Follow a signal from stimulus to response.
networks interpret and route signals
muscles or glands receive the command
Key ideas to know
Start with the relationships between ideas. Then close the notes and explain each one from memory.
- 01
Neurons communicate electrically within a cell and chemically across a synapse.
- 02
Neurotransmitters bind to receptors and can excite or inhibit the receiving cell.
- 03
The central nervous system contains the brain and spinal cord.
- 04
The autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary activity through sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.
- 05
The endocrine system sends hormones through the bloodstream.
- 06
Brain regions work in networks rather than as isolated control centers.
- 07
Sensation detects physical energy, while perception organizes and interprets sensory input.
- 08
Genes and experience jointly influence behavior.
PART OF THE AP PSYCHOLOGY GUIDE
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Open the full AP Psychology guide →Two ideas worth correcting now
NOT QUITE
→People use only ten percent of the brain
USE THIS INSTEAD
Brain imaging shows activity across many regions, with different networks active during different tasks.
NOT QUITE
→One neurotransmitter always causes one behavior
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Effects depend on receptor type, brain region, dose, and interactions with other signals.
Flashcards
Answer before opening each card. The effort to retrieve is part of the learning.
1What occurs during depolarization?Show answer ＋
Sodium ions enter the neuron through voltage-gated channels.
2What does an agonist do?Show answer ＋
It increases a neurotransmitter's action by mimicking it or increasing its availability.
3Which brain region helps form new explicit memories?Show answer ＋
The hippocampus.
4What does the sympathetic branch do?Show answer ＋
It increases arousal and prepares the body for action.
5What is transduction in sensation?Show answer ＋
Conversion of physical stimulus energy into neural signals.
6What does the thalamus do?Show answer ＋
It routes most incoming sensory information to the cortex.
7Which sleep stage contains most memorable dreaming?Show answer ＋
REM sleep.
8What does heritability describe?Show answer ＋
The proportion of observed variation in a population linked to genetic differences under current conditions.
Explain it in your own words
Use the answer as a check after you have written or spoken your response.
01How does a neural signal cross a chemical synapse?
The sending neuron releases neurotransmitters, which cross the synaptic gap and bind to receptors on the receiving cell.
02Why can damage to the same brain region produce different outcomes across people?
The location and extent of damage, prior abilities, age, and neural reorganization can differ.
03How do sensation and perception differ when someone hears a melody?
Hair cells convert sound vibrations into neural signals, while the brain organizes those signals into a recognized melody.
04Why does correlation between a gene variant and behavior not prove a fixed genetic cause?
Gene expression and behavior can depend on many genes plus experience and context.
05How can sleep loss affect cognition?
It can reduce attention, working memory, judgment, and later memory consolidation.
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