Biological Foundations

Biology and psychology are intertwined at the most basic level – psychology is the study of thoughts and behaviors, and neither would be possible without the biology foundations of it all. It is important to understand how this all works, from a single cell all the way up to your brain. If you pursue psychology as a major at Maryland you'll also need to take a course on the Principles of Biology (BSCI 105) so that you have a general understanding of the physical processes that support our psychological experiences. For more information, visit BSCI 105 for PSYC majors.

05-A: Neurons and Action Potentials 

• What does each of the following structures do to support the function of a neuron?  Be sure that you are prepared to draw a neuron, label its structures and describe their purpose. 

  • Axon 

  • Axon Hillock 

  • Dendrites 

  • Schwann Cells 

  • Soma

  • Synapse 

  • Terminal 

  • Terminal Buttons 

05-B: Action Potentials 

• What is the electrical charge of a resting potential? How do ions create this charge?

• What does it mean when a neuron reaches its threshold?

• What is an action potential? How does an electric signal travel through a neuron? Describe generally how ions entering and exiting the cell change the electrical charge of the cell and cause an electrical current. 

• How do the different ion channels make this current?

05-C: Synapse

• What is the synapse?

• How does a signal get from one neuron to the next?

• What are the different kinds of signals a presynaptic neuron can send to a postsynaptic neuron?

• What are vesicles and what do they contain?

• How do neurotransmitters excite or inhibit a postsynaptic neuron? 

  • How are ions involved in this process? 

  • How can a neuron be excited and inhibited simultaneously? 

  •  How does this simultaneous excitation and inhibition affect threshold?

• What is reuptake?

READ: The Synapse 

05-D: Nervous Systems

• How are groups of nerves organized into systems and what does each system do? Be prepared to draw a diagram that represents the hierarchical organization of the systems.

  • Central Nervous System (CNS)

    • Brain

    • Spinal Cord

  • Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

    • Afferent (a.k.a. Sensory) Division

    • Efferent Division

      • Somatic

      • Autonomic

        • Sympathetic

        • Parasympathetic

• What is a reflex arc and how does it allow the body to respond to important sensory input without the delay of having the brain process it and coordinate a response?

05-E: The Brain

• What does it mean to say that function is localized?

• What happened to Phineas Gage and why was his case important in the discovery that function is localized?

• How is the brain organized in three general layers?  Within those layers, what is the location and function of the following structures? Be prepared to label the following in a blank diagram:

  • Hindbrain

    • Brain stem

    • Thalamus

    • Cerebellum

  • Midbrain (contains the limbic system)

    • Hypothalamus

    • Amygdala

    • Hippocampus

  • Forebrain (referred to in the video as the cerebrum)

    • Corpus callosum

    • Somatosensory cortex

  • Lobes of the Cerebrum

    • Frontal lobes

    • Parietal lobes

    • Temporal lobes

    • Occipital lobes

VISIT: Parts of the Brain

05-F: Brain Imaging Techniques

• What is fMRI? How does it create an image of the brain? How are researchers using it to study the brain?

READ: Scanning the Brain 

VISIT: Maryland Neuroimaging Center and click on the About Us tab to learn more about the research that is being done at the University of Maryland. Or

VISIT: The University of Colorado Boulder's Intermountain Imaging Consortium to learn about research being done at CU Boulder.

05-G: Behavioral Genetics

• How can psychologists study the influence that genetics have on thought and behavior?  Consider various methods, including:

  • Identical and non-identical twin studies

  • Adoption studies

READ: Genetics and Developmental Psychology