{"id":13303,"date":"2020-09-06T16:59:38","date_gmt":"2020-09-06T07:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/?p=13303"},"modified":"2020-09-06T17:03:25","modified_gmt":"2020-09-06T08:03:25","slug":"example-saq-how-agonists-affect-behaviour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2020\/09\/06\/example-saq-how-agonists-affect-behaviour\/","title":{"rendered":"Example SAQ – How agonists affect behaviour"},"content":{"rendered":"

The “additional terms” that have been added to Paper 1 SAQs in IB Psychology can be a nuisance. However, there are ways to address the potential questions without adding too much content to your course. This post shows you an example SAQ that uses Passamonti et al.’s study<\/a> on neurotransmission for a potential answer on agonists and behaviour.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Get more exam tips, example SAQs and study resources for the “additional terms” with this downloadable PDF.<\/p><\/div>\n

An agonist is a chemical messenger that binds to the receptor sites of neurons and activates them to create a response. Some drugs act as agonists of specific neurotransmitter sites. For example, pramipexole is an agonist of dopamine receptor sites. It binds to dopamine and mimics the effects. This could be an effective treatment for people with depression (as low dopamine levels could be one etiology of depression). Read more here<\/a>….<\/p>\n

However, agonists don’t necessarily have to be introduced into the brain from external sources like drugs. Neurotransmitters themselves, like serotonin, are endogenous agonists.<\/strong> This means they occur naturally in the brain. If you’re asked to explain agonists and their potential effect on behaviour, you can write about drugs like pramipexole\u00a0or <\/em>endogenous agonists like serotonin.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n