A Strong Partner for Sustainable Development

Module
in
ADGE101

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
 
 
 
 

 
College of Arts and Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Social Work
-General Education-
 
 Module No. __

BIOLOGICAL BASIS
OF BAHAVIOR

First Semester, AY 2020-2021

MA. CRISALVE J. FUERTES

Position

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Content Page Number

Title Page ………………………….. i
Table of Contents ………………………….. ii
Instruction to the User ………………………….. iii
Introduction ………………………….. iv
Chapter 3 ………………………….. 1
Biological basis of behavior …………………………..
Overview …………………………..
Learning Outcomes …………………………..
Pre-test
Lesson 1. The Neuron, Nerve Impulse
Transmission; The Human Nervous System
A. Learning Outcomes …………………………..
B. Time allotment …………………………..
C. Discussion …………………………..
D. Activities/ Exercises …………………………..
E. Evaluation/ Post-test …………………………..
Lesson 2. Common Neurotransmitters
Substance and their Function; The Endocrine
System
A. Learning Outcomes …………………………..
B. Time allotment …………………………..
C. Discussion …………………………..
D. Activities/ Exercises …………………………..
E. Evaluation/ Post-test …………………………..
Lesson 3. The different Sense of
Modalities
A. Learning Outcomes …………………………..
B. Time allotment …………………………..
C. Discussion …………………………..
D. Activities/ Exercises …………………………..
E. Evaluation/ Post-test …………………………..
References …………………………..

INSTRUCTION TO THE USER

This module would provide you an educational experience while

independently accomplishing the task at your own pace or time. It aims as
well to ensure that learning is unhampered by health and other challenges. It
covers the topic about ____________________________________.

Reminders in using this module:

1. Keep this material neat and intact.

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 2. Answer the pretest first to measure what you know and what to be
learned about the topic discussed in this module.
3. Accomplish the activities and exercises as aids and reinforcement for
better understanding of the lessons.
4. Answer the post-test to evaluate your learning.
5. Do not take pictures in any parts of this module nor post it to social
media platforms.
6. Value this module for your own learning by heartily and honestly
answering and doing the exercises and activities. Time and effort were
spent in the preparation in order that learning will still continue
amidst this Covid-19 pandemic.
7. Observe health protocols: wear mask, sanitize and maintain physical
distancing.

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Welcome to Western Philippines University!

Shape your dreams with quality learning experience.

STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY!

Chapter 3. Biological Basis of Behavior

Chapter Introduction

In this module students will explore the biological side of psychology by paying
particular attention to the brain and to the nervous system. Understanding the nervous
system is vital to understanding psychology in general. It’s through the nervous system that
we experience pleasure and pain, feel emotions, learn and use language, and plan goals, just
to name a few examples. In the pages that follow we will begin by examining how the human
nervous system develops and then students will learn about the parts of the brain and how

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they function. They will conclude with a section on how modern psychologists study the
brain.

It is worth mentioning at the start, that an introduction to the biological aspects of

psychology can be both the most interesting and most frustrating of all topics for new
students of psychology. This is, in large part, due to the fact that there is so much new
information to learn and new vocabulary associated with all the various parts of the brain
and nervous system.

Overview

As a species, humans have evolved a complex nervous system and brain over millions
of years. Comparisons of our nervous systems with those of other animals, such as
chimpanzees, show some similarities. Researchers can also use fossils to study the
relationship between brain Measuring “just noticeable differences.” The Brain and Nervous
System 40 volume and human behavior over the course of evolutionary history. Homo hails,
for instance, a human ancestor living about 2 million years ago shows a larger brain volume
than its own ancestors but far less than modern homo sapiens. The main difference between
humans and other animals in terms of brain development is that humans have a much more
developed frontal cortex.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the chapter, you can:

1. Gain knowledge of the underlying biological processes of human behavior and mental
functioning.

2. Describe the basic units of the nervous system, its organization, and functions.

3. Identify the hierarchical structure of the brain, its division, and functions of these
structures.

4. Realize the influence of the endocrine system on behavior.

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 Time Allotment

3 hours

Pre-test: What do you know about?

General Direction: Please answer the pre-test to test your prior knowledge about the
neurons. This test will be ungraded and there is no time limit. This will also serve as a
review. Try your best to answer the items below.

Multiple Choices

Each item is a multiple-choice question with four answer choices. Read each question and
encircle the letter that represents your best answer.

1. According to ________________ Self is the sum of individual action,

thoughts and feelings.

A. Friedrich Nietzche C. George Herbert Mead

B. Clifford Geertz D. Sigmund Freud

2. What are the components of Self based in Mead’s Theory of Self?

A. You and Me C. Myself and I

B. I and Me D. None of the above

3. The view of self which states that “Self is not discovered; rather it is

develop through the socialization process”.

A. Self as Necessary Fiction

B. Self creation and the struggle for cultural recognition

C. Post-modern view of the self

D. Self Creation and Collective Identity for cultural recognition

4. In this particular stage, the children play ‘pretend’ as the significant other.

A. game B. language C. play D. preparatory

5. This occurs when individual begin to adopt others’ labels explicitly into

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their self-concept.

A. internalized prejudice C. social comparison

B. self labeling D. labeling bias

DISCUSSION
LESSON 1
Neurons and Neuronal Communication:
The Structure of a Neuron

Phrenology
(developed by Franz Gall in the early 1800’s):
the study of bumps on the skull and their relationship to mental abilities and
character traits
 Phrenology yielded one big idea--that the brain might have different areas
that do different things (localization of function).

 Biological psychology includes neuroscience, behavior genetics,

neuropsychology, and evolutionary psychology.
 All of these subspecialties explore different aspects of: how the nature of mind
and behavior is rooted in our biological heritage.
 Our study of the biology of the mind begins with the “atoms” of the mind:
neurons.

Neurons and Neuronal Communication:

The Structure of a Neuron

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 There are billions of neurons
(nerve cells) throughout the body.

Action potential:
a neural impulse that travels down an axon like a wave
Just as “the wave” can flow to the right in a
stadium even though the people only move
up and down, a wave moves down an axon
although it is only made up of ion exchanges
moving in and out.

When does the cell send the action potential?... when it reaches a
threshold. How neurons communicate (with each other):

The threshold is reached when excitatory (“Fire!”) signals outweigh the

inhibitory (“Don’t fire!”) signals by a certain amount.

Neural Communication (Seeing all the Steps Together)

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 B. The Human Nervous System

The Nervous System

“The right half of the brain controls the

left half of the body. This means that only
left handed people are in their right mind.”

The Inner and Outer Parts of the Nervous System

The central nervous The peripheral nervous
system [CNS] consists of system [PNS] consists of
the brain and spinal ‘the rest’ of the nervous
cord. system.

The CNS makes The PNS gathers and sends

decisions for the body. information to and from
the rest of the body.

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More Parts of the Nervous System

Areas of the brain and their functions

The limbic
The brainstem The cortex (the
(border) system:
and cerebellum: outer covering):
coordinates the manages integrates
body emotions, and information
connects
thought toStructures
Brain body

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 The Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex: Preview

 Frontal Lobes - involved in speaking and muscle movements and in

making plans and judgments

 Parietal Lobes- include the sensory cortex

 Occipital Lobes- include the visual areas; they receive visual

information from the opposite visual field

 Temporal Lobes- include the auditory processing areas

Functions of the Brain:

The Motor and Sensory Strips

Whole-brain association activity involves complex activities which require

communication among association areas across the brain such as:
 memory
 language
 attention
 meditation and spirituality
 consciousness

Plasticity: The Brain is Flexible

If the brain is damaged, especially in the general association areas of the cortex: the brain
does not repair damaged neurons, BUT it can restore some functions, it can form new
connections, reassign existing networks, and insert new neurons, some grown from stem
cells

Our Two Hemispheres

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 Lateralization (“going to one side”)
The two hemispheres serve some different functions.
How do we know about these differences?
 Brain damage studies revealed many functions of the
left hemisphere.
 Brain scans and split brain studies show more about
the functions of the two hemispheres, and how they
coordinate with each other.

Activity-1
Processing Question
This is a graded activity.

Direction: The following questions are designed to assess your comprehension of the topic presented
above and for you to ponder about these facts in reflection to your current circumstances in life. Answer
clearly and be as concise as possible. Point/s for each item is specified after each question.

WPU-QSF-ACAD-82A Rev. 00 (09.15.20)

 1. As a person, how do you protect your brain. Share some habits that shows how you keep the
brain healthy? (5 points)

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is more important, your heart or brain, and why? (5 points)

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Activity-2 What’s in my Mind?

Direction: The brain is most significant part of the body. In the image below, write things that always
occupy your mind as an adolescent. Write it on the blank portion of the brain.

LESSON 2

A. Common Neurotransmitters Substance and their Function

Roles of Different Neurotransmitters

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 ‐

Hearing the message: How Neurotransmitters Activate Receptors

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 B.The Endocrine System

-The endocrine system is a chemical messenger system

comprising feedback loops of the hormones released by the
internal glands of an organism directly into the circulatory
system, regulating distant target organs. In humans, the major
endocrine glands are the thyroid gland and adrenal glands.

ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
 It is a system of INTERNAL SECRETING GLANDS.
 Their secretions are called HORMONES.
 Hormones are biologically active substances,
responsible for function of different organs
 CENTRAL
GLANDS
 Hypothalamus
 Pituitary gland
 Pineal gland
 PERIPHERAL
GLANDS
 Thyroid
 Parathyroid
 Adrenal
 Gonads
 Pancreas

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  Thymus

 HYPOTHALAMUS-Located in the brain just below the thalamus

Functions as part of both the nervous system and the endocrine system.
 PITUITARY GLAND -Located in the brain at the end of the stalk from the
hypothalamus.
 POSTERIOR PITUTARY -The posterior pituitary gland secretes two
hormones that are produced in the hypothalamus.
-Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)
-Oxytocin
 PINEAL GLAND-Located between the two lobes of the thalamus
 THYROID GLAND -An irregularly shaped gland that has two lobes
connected by a thin bridge in between (the isthmus). Located in the neck on
either side of the trachea and across its anterior surface

 PARATHYROID GLANDS -Four

tiny glands. Located on the

posterior surface of

the thyroid gland,

two on each lobe

 THYMUS

GLAND-A pink

gland with two lobes located in the

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 thoracic cavity posterior to the sternum. Large during childhood and puberty

but shrinks during adulthood

 PANCREAS- Located

posterior to the

stomach

 ADRENAL

GLANDS-Paired,

triangular glands over the superior

end of each kidney. Each gland has an outer layer

(cortex) and an inner layer (medulla). Each layer functions independently of

the other and secretes its own hormones.

 OVARIES-Small, egg-shaped glands located in the pelvic cavity. Function as

part of both the female reproductive system and the endocrine system

 TESTES-Male genital glands, located outside the body in the scrotum

Activity-1
Processing Question
This is a graded activity.

Direction: The following questions are designed to assess your comprehension of the topic presented
above and for you to ponder about these facts in reflection to your current circumstances in life. Answer
clearly and be as concise as possible. Point/s for each item is specified after each question.
WPU-QSF-ACAD-82A Rev. 00 (09.15.20)
 1. As a person, how do you protect your brain. Share some habits that shows how you keep the
brain healthy? (5 points)

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is more important, your heart or brain, and why? (5 points)

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Activity-2 What’s in my Mind?

Direction: The brain is most significant part of the body. In the image below, write things that always
occupy your mind as an adolescent. Write it on the blank portion of the brain.

LESSON 3

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 Student’s Information

Name:
Program:
Year and Section:
Contact No.:
E-mail address:
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Facebook Account:
Messenger Account:
 Vision 2020
WPU: the leading knowledgeWPU-QSF-ACAD-82A
center for sustainable
Rev. 00 (09.15.20)

development of West Philippines and beyond.

WPU-QSF-ACAD-82A Rev. 00 (09.15.20)

Mission