Neurons: The Basic Elements of Behavior
Introduction to Psychology 101
Elements 2
The Basic Elements of Behavior The human body is a tremendous creation that is quite capable of performing a multitude of multifaceted movements and thoughts. In addition to its’ ability to move and think, the human body also allows numerous senses to become involved throughout ones daily routine. A person’s ability to think, remember, and experience emotion are all results of the body’s basic elements of behavior. Although the basic elements of behavior are indeed a very complicated system, one must identify the different elements and discuss how they unite to form a very distinctive and efficient system. The body’s nervous system and brain are the producers of the basic elements of behavior. The human body is a tremendous and intrinsic machine with many parts all functioning in unison. Robert S. Feldman (2009) states, “The nervous system is the pathway for the instructions that permit our bodies to carry out such precise activities” (p.61). In order to understand how the nervous system, including the brain, functions and receive internal information, one has to review the structure and function of neurons. As stated in the text, “many of the body’s neurons receive signals from the environment or relay the messages to muscles and other target cells…vast majority communicate only with other neurons in the elaborate information system that regulates behavior” (Feldman, R. S., 2009, p.61). The exchange of communication takes place from one neuron to another, and in order to gain an understanding of how this takes place, they must review the structure of neurons. The human body contains a staggering number of neurons, “perhaps as many as one trillion neurons throughout the body are involved in the control of behavior (Boahen, 2005). The glue that keeps the neuron in place is called the glial cells. These cells provide nourishment