PSYC 2000 Chapter : Chapter 1
Document Summary
1. 1: there are 8 unifying themes of biology, new properties emerge at each level of the biological hierarchy. Biosphere > ecosystems > communities > populations > organisms > organs and organ systems > tissues > cells > organelles > molecules. Emergent properties: properties that aren"t present at the previous level; this happens because of the arrangement and interactions of parts. Example: if someone gets hit badly in the head, that part of the brain may stop working even though all of the parts are still there; therefore, thoughts and memories are emergent properties. Emergent properties aren"t just with living things; think like a box of bicycle parts (can"t ride the bike anywhere with just parts) Reductionism: the process of reducing complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study. Example: it"s hard to study the whole body without studying smaller parts (organs, cells, etc. )
