BIO 150 Lecture Notes

Introduction Scenario

• Case Study: 40-year-old man with sudden aggressive behavior and deviant acts
  • Three possible explanations:
    1. Deep-seated behavioral issues
    2. Extreme midlife crisis
    3. Mutation in a single gene causing neurological disorder
  • This profile matches a specific neurological disease

Interactive Questions with Students

• Genetic influence on various aspects of human behavior and beliefs:
  • Sexual orientation
  • Political opinions
  • Religious beliefs
  • Belief in God, souls, evil, and free will
• Gender differences in aggression and intelligence

Key Concept: Hormonal Influences on Behavior

• Commonality among four scenarios: Menstrual cycle, brain tumor, junk food, anabolic steroids
  • All have been used in court to explain violent behavior
• Two main points of the course:
  1. Bodily processes influence brain functions
  2. Brain functions affect bodily processes

Course Focus

• Interconnections between physiology and behavior: Emotions, thoughts, and memories
• Challenges in studying human behavior: Complexity of human social behavior and abnormal behaviors
• Strategies for studying behavior: Avoid categorical thinking
  • Example of categorical thinking in daily life
  • Problems with categorical thinking: Over-simplification, underestimation, and missing the big picture

Course Outline

• First Half: Overview of various categories (evolution, genetics, brain, endocrinology, etc.)
• Second Half: Specific behaviors (sexual behavior, aggression, parenting, mental disorders) and integration of categories

Course Logistics

• No prerequisites: Designed for all students regardless of background
• Weekly sections: Regular and advanced sections, catch-up sections for students without background
• Materials: Two books (one by the instructor, another by James Gleick - Chaos)
• Assignments: Online readings, no reader if not necessary
• Exams: Midterm and final
• Lecture Notes: Available online
• Office Hours and TA Support: Accessible for additional help and review

Important Dates

• Midterm: May 3rd
• Final Exam: June 4th

Additional Information

• Course Units: 5 units
• Lecture Recordings: Available online for review
• Class Structure: Includes breaks and flexible section times

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Use this outline to review key points from the lecture and prepare for upcoming assignments and exams. Focus on understanding the interactions between physiology and behavior, and avoid categorical thinking.