Section · 25% of MCAT

Psych / Soc

Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

Tests psychology, sociology, and biological bases of behavior. Heavy on research methodology, theories of behavior, and statistical reasoning.

Many questions describe a research study and ask you to interpret results, identify variables, or apply theories. Memorizing definitions is the foundation but isn't enough.

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Study guides

Structured notes for every Psych / Soc topic — coming soon

Topics covered

Learning & cognition

·Classical & operant conditioning
·Memory (encoding, storage, retrieval)
·Cognitive development (Piaget, Vygotsky)
·Problem solving & heuristics

Sensation & perception

·Signal detection theory
·Vision & hearing pathways
·Attention
·Gestalt principles

Emotion & motivation

·Emotion theories (James-Lange, etc.)
·Drive reduction & Maslow
·Stress & coping

Personality & disorders

·Big Five personality
·Freudian theory
·DSM categories
·Major psychological disorders

Social psychology

·Attribution theory
·Cognitive dissonance
·Conformity & obedience
·Group dynamics

Sociology foundations

·Demographic structures
·Stratification & class
·Socialization
·Cultural transmission

Research methods

·Experimental design
·Validity & reliability
·Bias & confounding variables
·Ethics in research

Statistics

·Mean, median, mode, SD
·Correlation vs causation
·p-values & statistical significance
·Type I vs Type II errors

Biological bases of behavior

·Neurotransmitters
·Brain regions & function
·Sleep stages & circadian rhythms
·Hormones & behavior

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