Term
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Definition
| the specialty in psychology that studies the interaction of biology, behavior, nad mental processes |
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Term
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Definition
| a realtively new interdisciplinary field that focuses on the brain and its role in psychological processes |
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Definition
| the gradual process of biological change that occurs in a species as it adapts to its environment |
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| How has evolution shaped psychological processes? |
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Definition
| it favors variations that produce adaptive behaviors |
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| What is natural selection? |
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Definition
| the driving force behind evolution by which the environment selects the fittest organisms |
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Definition
| an organim's genetic makeup |
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Definition
| an organim's observable physical characteristics |
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| a segment of a chromosome that encodes the directions for the inherited physical and mental characteristics of an organism. Genes are the functional units of a chromosome |
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Definition
| tightly coiled threadlike sturcture along which the genes are organized like beads on a necklace. consist primarily of DNA |
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| How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have? |
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Definition
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| What is a sex chromosome? |
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Definition
| the X and Y chromosomes that determine our physical sex characteristics |
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| What are the 2 communication systems? |
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Definition
| the nervous system and the endocrine system |
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| What coordinates the 2 communication systems? |
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Definition
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| How do the communications systems communicate with targets throughout the body? |
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Definition
| through chemical processes |
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Term
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Definition
| cell specialized to receive and transmit information to other cells in the body; also called a nerve cell; bundles of many neurons are called nerves |
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| What is a sensory neuron? |
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Definition
| nerve cell that caries messages from sense receptors toward the central nervous system |
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| What is another name for a sensory neuron? |
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Definition
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Definition
| nerve cell that carries messages away from the central nervous system toward the muscles and glands |
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| What is another name for the motor neuron? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| a nerve cell that relays messages between nerve cells, especailly in the brain and spinal cord |
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Term
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Definition
| a branched fiber that extends outward from the main cell body and carries information into the neuron |
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Term
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Definition
| the part of a cell containing the nucleus, which includes the chromosomes; also called the cell body |
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Term
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Definition
| in a verve cell, an extended fiber that conducts information from the soma to the terminal buttons. |
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Term
| HOw does information travel through the axon? |
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Definition
| by electric charges called the action potential |
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| What is resting potential? |
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Definition
| the electrical charge of the axon in its inactive state, when the neuron is ready to "fire" |
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| What is the action potential? |
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Definition
| the nerve impulse caused by a change in the electrical charge across the cell membrane of the axon. |
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Term
| what causes neurotransmitters to be released by the terminal buttons when the neuron "fires"? |
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Definition
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| What is the All-or-none principle? |
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Definition
| refers to the fact that the action potential in the axon occurs either full-blown or not at all |
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Term
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Definition
| the microscopic gap that serves as a communications link between neurons and also occurs between neurons and the muscles/glands that they serve |
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Term
| What are terminal buttons? |
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Definition
| tiny bulblike structures at the end of an axon that acontain neurotransmitters that carry the neuron's mesage into the synapse |
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Term
| What is Synaptic transmission? |
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Definition
| the relaying of information across the synapse by means of chemical neurotransmitters |
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Term
| What is the synaptic vesicle? |
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Definition
| a small conatiner holding neurotransmitter molecules that then connects to the presynaptic membrane, releasing the neurotransmitters into the syapse |
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Term
| What are neurotransmitters? |
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Definition
| chemical messengers that relay messages across the synapse. Many are hormones |
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Term
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Definition
| the nervous system's ability to adapt or change as a result of experience; may also help the nervous system to adapt to physical damage |
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Term
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Definition
| cells that bind the neurons together; provide an insulating covering of the axon for some neurons which facilitates electrical impulse |
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| What is the nervous system? |
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Definition
| the entire network of neurons in the body, including the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and their subdivisionss |
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| What is the central nervous system? |
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Definition
| the brain and the spinal cord |
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Definition
| a simple, unlearned response triggered by stimuli |
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| What is the peripheral nervous system? |
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Definition
| all parts of the nervous system lying outside the central nervous system, includes the autonomic and somatic nervous systems |
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Term
| What is the somatic nervous system? |
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Definition
| a division of the peripheral nervous system that acrries sensory information to the central nervous system and also sends voluntary messages to the body's skeletal muscles |
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| What is the autonomic nervous system? |
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Definition
| the portion of the peripheral nervous system that sends communication between the central nervous system and the internal organs and glands |
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Term
| What is the sympathetic division? |
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Definition
| the aprt of the automatic nervous system that sends messages to internal organs and glands that help us respond to stressful and emergency situations |
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| What is the parasympathetic division? |
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Definition
| the part of the nervous system that monitors the routine operations of the internal organs and returns the body to calmer functioning after arousal by the sympathetic division |
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Term
| What is the somatic division of the peripheral nervous system? |
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Definition
| the brain's communication link with the outside world |
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| What is the endocrine system? |
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Definition
| the hormone system; the body's chemical messenger system |
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Term
| What are the main endocrine glands? |
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Definition
| pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries, and testes |
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Term
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Definition
| a chemical messenger used by the endocrine system, many are also neurotransmitters |
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Term
| What is the pituitary gland? |
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Definition
| the master gland that produces the hormones influencing the secretions of all other endocrine glands, as well as a hormine that influences growth |
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| Where is the pituitary gland? |
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Definition
| it is attached to the brain's hypothalamus from which it takes orders |
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Term
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Definition
| drug or other chemical that enhances or mimics the effects of neurotransmitters |
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Term
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Definition
| durg or other chemical that inhibits the effects of neurotransmitters |
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| What is the neural pathway? |
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Definition
| bundle of nerve cells that follow the same route and employ the same neurotransmitter |
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Term
| What is the brain made up of? |
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Definition
| many specialized modules that work together to create mind and behavior |
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Term
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Definition
| an electroencephalograph; a device for recording the brain waves, typically by electrodes palced on the scalp. the record produced is known as an electroencphalogram |
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Term
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Definition
| computerized tomography; a computerized imaging technique that uses X-rays passed through the brain at various angles and then combined into an imagee |
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| What is PET scanning or Positron emission tomography? |
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Definition
| an imaging technique that relies on the detection of radioactive sugar consumed by the active brain cells |
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Term
| What is MRI or magnetic resonance imaging? |
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Definition
| an imaging technique that relies on cells' responses in a high-intensity magnetic field |
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Term
| What is fMRI or functional magnetic resonance imaging? |
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Definition
| a type of MRI that reveals which parts of the brain are most activer during various mental activities |
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Term
| What method gives biopsychologists a total picture? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the three layes of the brain? |
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Definition
brain stem
limbic system
cerebral cortex |
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Term
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Definition
| the most primitive of the brain's three layes; it includes the medulla, pons, and reticular formation |
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| What is the function of the spinal cord? |
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Definition
| pathway for neural fibers traveling to and from the brain |
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Term
| What is the function of the cerebellum? |
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Definition
| regulates coordinated movement |
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Term
| What is the function of the pons? |
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Definition
| involved in regulation of sleep; and dreaming |
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Term
| What is the function of the reticular formation? |
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Definition
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| What is the function of the hippocampus? |
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Definition
| involved in long established memory |
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| What is the function of the limbic system? |
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Definition
| regulates emotions and motivated behavior and memory |
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Term
| What is the function of the cerebral cortx? |
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Definition
| involved in complex mental processes |
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Term
| What is the function of the thalamus? |
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Definition
| relays sensory information |
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Term
| What is the function of the hypothalamus? |
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Definition
| manages the body's internal state and is constantly checking the blood to determine the condition of the body |
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Term
| What is the function of the optic tract? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the function of the amygdala? |
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Definition
| involved in emotion and memory, particularly fear and agression |
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Term
| What is the function of the pituitary glands? |
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Definition
| regulates glands all of the body |
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Term
| What is the function of the brain stem? |
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Definition
| sets brain's general alertness level and warning systems |
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Term
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Definition
| controls breathing and heart rate; the sensory and motor pathways connecting the brain to the body are across the medulla |
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| What Latin word is the name pons derived from? |
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Definition
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Term
| In What part of the brain do nearly all of the messages go through? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is in the limbic system? |
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Definition
| hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and other structures |
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Term
| What is the brain stem made up of? |
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Definition
| medulla, pons, reticular formation, thalamus, and cerebellum |
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Term
| What is the cerebral cortex? |
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Definition
| the thin gray-matter covering the cerbral hemispheres; carries on the major portion of our "higher" mental rocessing including thinking and perceiving |
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Term
| What are the 4 parts of the cerebral cortex? |
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Definition
frontal lobe
parietal lobe
occipital lobe
tempporal lobe |
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Term
| What is the frontal lobe? |
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Definition
| cortical region at the front of the brain tha is especailly involved in movement and in thinking |
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Term
| What is the motor cortex? |
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Definition
| a narrow vertical strip of cortex in the frontal lobes, lying just in front of the central fissure |
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Term
| What does the motor cortex do? |
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Definition
| controls voluntary movement |
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Term
| What is the parietal lobe? |
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Definition
| area lying toward the back and top of the brain |
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Term
| What does the parietal lobe do? |
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Definition
| involved in touch sensation and in perceiving spatial relationships(the relationships of objects in space) |
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Term
| What is the somatosensory cortex? |
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Definition
| a strip of the parietal lobe lying just behind the central fissure |
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Term
| What does the somatosensory cortex do? |
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Definition
| invoved with sensations of touch |
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Term
| What is the occipital lobe? |
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Definition
| region at the back of the brain, housing the visual cortex |
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Term
| What is the visual cortex? |
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Definition
| visual processing areas of cortex in the occipital and temporal lobes |
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Term
| What is the temporal lobe? |
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Definition
| lobe that processes sounds, including speech; is probably involved in storing long term memories |
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Term
| What is the association cortex? |
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Definition
| regions throughout the brain tha combine information from various other parts of the brain |
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Term
| What connects the 2 hemisphers of the brain? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is cerebral dominance? |
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Definition
| the tendency of each brain hemisphere to exert control over different functions such as language or perception of spatial relationships |
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Term
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Definition
| he won the Nobel Prize in 1981 for his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of hte cerebral hemispheres |
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Term
| What side of the brain controls the right side of the body? |
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Definition
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Term
| What side of the brain controls the left side of the body? |
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Definition
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Term
| What side of the brain is responsible for negative emotions, memory for shape, and recognition of faces? |
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Definition
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Term
| What side of the brain is responsible for positive emotion, speech, sequence of movements, writing, words and numbers |
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Definition
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Term
| Is it true that Darwin believed that we evolved from monkeys? |
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Definition
| no, he believed that we shared a common ancestor with monkeys and we were just more developed that monkeys |
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Term
| What contains the instructions that control the expression of our phenotypic traits? |
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Definition
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| What does localization of function mean? |
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Definition
| it means that different fucntions are controlled by different regions of the brain |
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Term
| Does DNA affect psychology? |
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Definition
| yes because if your parents were alcoholics, you are predisposed to be an alcoholic if you drink alcohol |
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Term
| Explain the passage of messages. |
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Definition
| messages travel through the dendrites to the axon through the mycelin sheath to the synapses |
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