BIO 150 Lecture 1 - Introduction and Course Overview

Scenario and Three Possibilities

• 40-year-old man with sudden drastic behavioral changes:
  • Punches someone at work
  • Has an affair with a 16-year-old
  • Embezzles money
• Three interpretations:
  1. Deeply flawed personality
  2. Immature midlife crisis
  3. Mutation in one gene - neurological disorder

Genetic and Biological Influences on Behavior

• Genetic influence on sexual orientation?
• Prenatal influences on political beliefs?
• Biological basis for religious beliefs?
• Nature vs. nurture interaction?

Four Circumstances with Surprising Commonality

• Menstruation, brain tumor, eating junk food, and anabolic steroids:
  • All related to hormones
  • Used in courts to explain murder behavior
• Key Points:
  1. Physiological events affect brain and behavior
  2. Mind influences physiological states

Course Themes

• Interconnections between physiology and behavior
• Study of human social behavior using biology
• Complexity of human behavior
• Avoiding categorical thinking

Categorical Thinking

• Breaking continuous data into categories for simplicity
• Examples:
  • Estimating length using rulers
  • Speed thresholds in running
  • Categorizing colors
• Problems with categorical thinking:
  • Underestimating differences within the same category
  • Overestimating differences across boundaries
  • Missing the big picture

Course Strategy

• Understand behaviors by avoiding categorical thinking
• Examine behaviors at multiple levels:
  • Neurons and brain circuits
  • Hormonal influences
  • Development and genetics
  • Evolutionary pressures
• No fixed buckets, only interconnected influences

Challenges in Behavioral Biology

1. Recognizing human similarities with other animals
2. Recognizing unique uses of common physiological responses
3. Understanding uniquely human behaviors

Course Structure

• First half: Overview of different biological approaches
  • Evolution, molecular genetics, behavioral genetics, ethology, brain anatomy, endocrinology
• Second half: Specific behaviors
  • Sexual behavior, aggression, parenting, psychological disorders
• Weekly sections, including catch-up sessions for students without a background

Reading Material

• Two assigned books:
  1. Behave by Robert Sapolsky
  2. Chaos by James Gleick
• Lecture notes and additional readings posted online

Course Logistics

• No prerequisites
• Weekly sections with extra catch-up sessions
• Midterm and final exams
• Handouts and lectures available online
• Use of coursework platform for materials and announcements

Key Points

• Behavior can be understood through multiple biological levels
• Importance of avoiding oversimplified thinking
• Application of behavioral biology in real-world decisions and empathy