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Why Do We Behave the Way we Shouldn't?: The Biological and Psychological Background of Human Behavior

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2025-2026

Course director

Number of hours/semester

lectures: 0 hours

practices: 0 hours

seminars: 12 hours

total of: 12 hours

Subject data

  • Code of subject: OAF-MBP-T
  • 1 kredit
  • General Medicine
  • Optional modul
  • autumn
Prerequisites:

-

Course headcount limitations

min. 5 – max. 20

Available as Campus course for . Campus-karok: ÁOK BTK GYTK KTK MK TTK

Topic

Understanding the biology (and psychology) of human behaviors is obviously important. But unfortunately it is hellishly complicated. Now, if you were interested in the biology of, say, how migrating birds navigate, or in the mating reflex that occurs in female hamsters when they’re ovulating, this would be an easier task. But that’s not what we’re interested in. Instead, it’s human behavior, human social behavior, and in many cases abnormal human social behavior. And it is indeed a mess, a subject involving brain chemistry and functions, hormones, sensory cues, prenatal environment, early experiences, genes, both biological and cultural evolution, and (of course) mental functions such as cognition-emotions-intelligence. How can we make sense of all these factors in thinking about behavior? Well, we can not, but at least we can try…

Lectures

Practices

Seminars

  • 1.

    Introduction: what is this about?

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 2.

    Defining human behaviour

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 3.

    Neuroscientific background I.

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 4.

    Neuroscientific background II.

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 5.

    Behavioural genetics I.

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 6.

    Behavioural genetics II.

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 7.

    Endocrine background

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 8.

    Psychological mechanisms I.

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 9.

    Psychological mechanisms II.

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 10.

    Moral, political and religious beliefs

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 11.

    Sex - aggression - hierarchy

    - Darnai Gergely
  • 12.

    Justice system - free will - chaos

    - Darnai Gergely

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Notes

Recommended literature

Robert M. Sapolsky: Behave The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst (Penguin Publishing Group, 2018)

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

-

Mid-term exams

There are no mid-term exams.

Making up for missed classes

Absences may be compensated by a 2-page essay after consultation with the instructor.

Exam topics/questions

The test will be in written form. The exam will consist of test questions (true/false, single and multiple choice) and short essay questions (a few words/sentences to explain the answer).

Examiners

  • Darnai Gergely

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

  • Darnai Gergely
Rólunk