ArgosyUniversity

AmericanSchool of Professional Psychology – Chicago Campus

PP 7051: Biological Basis of Behavior

12:30pm – 3:15pm Monday & Tuesday (3 Credit Hours)

Summer I 2008

Faculty:E. Amy Janke, Ph.D.

Campus:Chicago

Phone:708-202-2838

E-Mail:

Office Hours:By appointment

Course description:This course will provide an introduction to the anatomical structures and physiological processes that determine behavior. We will examine the biological events (genetic, neural, endocrine, and the like) underneath our thoughts, feelings, and actions. We will focus our study around the brain, since the brain is the master organ involved in determining behavior. But, we will also consider physiological processes throughout the body, such as digestion and the neuroendocrine system. We will begin with a necessary and important foundation in basic nervous system anatomy/functioning. Then, we will explore what is currently known about topics such as sensory perception, language, memory, consciousness, sexual and digestive behaviors, addiction, mental illness, and severe neurological disorders.These subjects will be covered via reading assignments, lectures, and group work. Students will complete in-class and out-of-class assignments, exams, and a clinical integration project.

Course Pre-requisites: None

Required Textbook:

Pinel, J.P.J. (2006). Biopsychology. 6th edition. Allyn & Bacon. ISBN-10: 0205426514;

ISBN-13: 9780205426515.

Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

Course length: 15 WeeksContact Hours: 45 Hours

Program Outcomes: The Doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University Chicago Campus is an APA accredited program. This program is designed to educate and train students so that they may eventually be able to function effectively as clinical psychologists.To ensure students are prepared adequately, the curriculum provides for the meaningful integration of theory, training and practice. The Clinical Psychology program at Argosy University Chicago Campus emphasizes the development of attitudes, knowledge, and skills essential in the formation of professional psychologists who are committed to the ethical provision of quality services.Specific program goals include:

  • Goal 1: Prepare professional psychologists to accurately, effectively, and ethically select, administer, score, interpret, and communicate findings of appropriate assessment methods informed by accepted psychometric standards and sensitive to the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.
  • Goal 2: Prepare professional psychologists to select, implement, and evaluate psychological interventions consistent with current ethical, evidence-based, and professional standards, within a theoretical framework, and with sensitivity to the interpersonal processes of the therapeutic relationship and the diverse characteristics and needs of clients.
  • Goal 3: Prepare professional psychologists to analyze the complexity and multidimensionality of human diversity, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to understand diverse worldviews and the potential meaning of social, cultural, and individual differences for professional psychological services.
  • Goal 4: Prepare professional psychologists to examine the historical context and the current body of knowledge of biological, cognitive, affective, developmental, and social bases of human functioning.
  • Goal 5: Prepare professional psychologists to critically evaluate the current and evolving body of scholarly literature in psychology to inform professional practice.

Course Objectives:

  • NOTE: each of the following objectives is designed to meet specific program outcomes listed above, in particular Goal 4 and Goal 5 (primary) and Goal 3 (secondary)
  • Identify systems and structures of the nervous system, describe and explain their functions
  • Identify and describe sensory and motor systems
  • Describe neurodevelopment, neuroplasticity, and neurosystem damage
  • Describe the endocrine system and its impact on behavior
  • Describe the role of the brain in learning, memory, and language
  • Describe the fundamental characteristics (from a biopsychology perspective) of hunger and eating, sexual behavior, sleep, and drug use
  • Describe the role of the nervous system in health and disease
  • Describe and apply the principles of biopsychology to better understand behavior, and behavioral and physiological problems

Assignments & Evaluation: You will be graded according to the following separate assignments/criteria.

1)Clinical Integration Project (100 points): This project will require you to takeone of the ideas presented in this class and discuss its relevance to a chosen clinical issue. You will need to demonstrate a general mastery of the topic chosen, and appropriate application of this topic to clinical psychology. Detailed guidelines and grading criteria will be provided on the first day of class.

Grading Criteria
Total possible points = 400
A / 375 and above
A- / 374 to 362
B+ / 361 to 349
B / 348 to 336
B- / 335 to 323
C+ / 322 to 310
C / 309 to 297
C- / 296 to 284
D+ / 283 to 271
D / 270 to 258
D- / 257 to 245
F / 244 and lower

2)Class Participation (100 points): You will be expected to be an active participant in classroom discussions. ►You should expect five mini-quizzes during the semester. Each quiz will count for 25 points. Only the highest four quiz scores will count to your grade (aka…you can drop your lowest quiz grade). Make-up quizzes will not be given for any reason.

3)Midterm Exam (100 points): The midterm will cover all course material presented up to the semester mid-point. Exam items will be drawn from both lectures and the textbook.

4)Final Exam (100 points): The final exam will be cumulative and drawn from material presented during lecture and in the textbook. This exam will be graded upon your demonstration of a comprehensive understanding and integration of material covered in the course.

Course Policies:

  • It is both necessary and expected that you regularly attend class and participate in classroom activities. We cover a lot of material in a relatively short period of time. Therefore, attendance is extremely important. Please let me know should you need to miss class for any reason.
  • You are expected to come to class fully prepared. It is your responsibility to have assignments (reading, written work, etc.) completed PRIOR to attending each class.
  • An absence at any time does not relieve you of your responsibility for material covered in class, assignments, or adhering to announced deadlines.
  • Students will take exams and hand in assignments at the required times.
  • Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated and could result in failure of this course and/or academic suspension. See academic policies listed below.
  • As with many classes, as we progress through the semester certain alterations in the syllabus may become necessary. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course outline as deemed necessary.
  • All written assignments must follow APA format.
  • Please feel free to contact me with your concerns or questions regarding the class. Either ask to speak with me after/before class, or e-mail me about making an appointment.

Readings & Assignment Table

Topics / Readings / Assignments
Class1 / Introduction / Chapters 1 & 2 (skim)
Chapter 3 / Hint: Skim Chapter 1 & 2 for main points. Focus your time and energy onChapter 3
Class2 / The Nervous System / Chapters 3 & 4 / Don’t miss the helpful diagrams in the appendices
Class 3 / Vision & Hearing / Chapter 6 & 7
Class 4 / Vision & Hearing Cont.
Sensorimotor Function / Chapters 6 & 7
Chapter 8
Class 5 / Brain Development, Damage, & Neuroplasticity / Chapter 9 & 10
Class 6 / Learning & Memory / Chapter 11
Class 7 / Mid-Term
Class 8 / Food & Sex / Chapters 12 13
Class 9 / Sleep & Drugs / Chapters 14 & 15 / Deadline for approval of clinical integration paper topics!
Class 10 / Wrap-up Food, Sex, Sleep, Drugs / Chapters 12 - 15
Class 11 / Language & the Brain / Chapter 16
Class 12 / Stress & Health / Chapter 17
Class 13 / Psychiatric Disorders / Chapter 18 / Integration papers
due today!
Class 14 / Catch-up & Review
Class 15 / Final Exam

Library

All resources in ArgosyUniversity’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: ArgosyUniversity’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at

In addition to online resources, ArgosyUniversity’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: ArgosyUniversity’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, ArgosyUniversity requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). WashingtonDC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the ArgosyUniversity catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Scholarly writing: The faculty at ArgosyUniversity is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” ( an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy: It is the policy of ArgosyUniversity to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The ArgosyUniversity Statement Regarding Diversity

ArgosyUniversity prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

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