AP PSYCH UNIT 3 BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR Flashcards
what part of the nerve cell is implicated in the disease MS
Myelin sheath
what are nerves
A bundle of axons outside the central nervous system. enclosed in a sheath of connective tissue to form a cordlike structure
What is the term for the cell’s resting state
Resting potential
What is threshold
The lowest point at which a particular stimulus will cause a response in a organism
Explain action potential in general terms
A rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across the membrane (rises and falls)
How is neural transmission an all or none response
This depends on if the stimulus input is strong enough to reach the threshold (the strength of a threshold won’t respond if thresholds are not met)
Explain how nerve cells transmit information between cells
Electrical signals are converted into chemical signals conveyed by small messenger molecules call neurotransmitters
What is the synapse
The junction between two neurons (gap) between
What is the role of neurotransmitters
They have an important role in boosting and balancing signals in the brain (keeps the brain functioning)
What happens to neurotransmitters after they are finished doing their job
They have two fates. destruction or reuptake.
Acetylcholine
Critical to motor movement (muscle contractions in the heart) learning and memory
Deficits - Alzheimer’s
Endorphins
Pain control. stress reduction. feelings of pleasure, natural opiates
Deficits- addiction
Ephinephrine
Metabolism, attention, focus, panic. and excitement
Deficits- Anxiety. hypoglycemia
Serotonin
Mood regulation. hunger. sleep. arousal. pain sensitivity
Deficits- Depression and OCD
Dopamine
Stimulates hypothalamus. motor Movement, Alertness. attention. Rewards
Deficits- Parkinson’s. schizophrenia
How do drugs affect neurotransmissions? What parts of the brain contribute to our craving for drugs?
Drugs interfere with the way neurons send, receive, and process signals. The part of the brain that causes addiction is dopamine
Motor neurons (efferent neurons)
Neurons carry impulse’s away from the Cns effectors such as muscles or glands
[away from the central point] {Efferent Exits}
Sensory neurons (afferent neurons)
Carries nerve impulses From receptors or sense organs toward the nervous system
[Towards the central point] {Afferent Arrives}
Interneurons
Relay connector association or local circuits neuron (sends back to your muscles) forms a connection between other neurons
What are the two major divisions of the nervous systems
The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
In the peripheral nervous system. what is the somatic NS responsible for? What is the autonomic NS responsible for?
-Somatic NS—- Voluntary movement ( moving muscles throughout the body)
-Autonomic NS—- Involuntary responses (your breathing heart. the widening or narrowing of the blood vessels
what phycological changes occur in the body during a stress response
Behavior changes, depression, insomnia, anti-socialness, and a hard time controlling emotions
Explain the function of the sympathetic and parasympathetic NS and explain how they are complimentary
The sympathetic system controls the “Flight or flight” response
The parasympathetic controls the “rest and digest” response
Complements each other by being opposites , work together to balance the body
What are reflexes and where are they located
Reflexes- Involuntary activity arising from an afferent input and a subsequent efferent response. located in the spinal chord
What are neural networks and how do they form
Groups of interconnected neurons, As we learn, the networks form and strengthens
What are hormones
Chemical messengers released from endocrine glands, that effect the behavior of the individual
What is the master gland and what does it do?
The pituitary gland - produces growth hormones, sex hormones, oxytocin, and prolactin
What is the role of the adrenal gland
Creates cortical steroids for muscle development, and to help with stress control, produces adrenaline and noradrenaline for stress response
What is a brain lesion
Any damage to an area of the brain tissue caused by injury, disease, tumor, etc…
Who was Phineas Gage and how did his accident affect him?
Was a 25-year-old railroad worker, Experienced a traumatic injury when an iron rod was driven into his frontal lobe destroying it. Went from being friendly and respected to being unfriendly and unlikeable. Became an entirely different person
Different imaging techniques for studying the brain
CT, PET, MRI, Functional MRI
In what order did the brain develop
The brain stem, then the cerebellum, then the limbic system, then the cerebral cortex
Cerebellum
The part of the brain that is responsible for coordinating voluntary movements.
Located in the brainstem and midbrain.
Medulla
Helps control vital processes like the heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure
division brainstem and midbrain
Reticular Formation
A network of nerves, important for arousal
Division the brainstem and midbrain
Reticular Formation
A network of nerves, important for arousal
Division the brainstem and midbrain
Thalamus
The body’s information relay station
Division brainstem and mid brain
Limbic system
Emotional center of the brain associated with fear aggression and sex drive (forebrain)
Hippocampus
Associated with memory and learning (remember that hippo on campus?)(forebrain)
Hypothalamus
Located below the Thalamus, associated with hunger, thirst, and temperature regulation. Controls the pituitary gland. controls rewards ( hypo-the-lamas)(forebrain)
Amygdala
Two lima bean-shaped clusters are associated with aggression and fear. (AHHmygdala)(forebrain)
Association Areas
Parts of the cerebral cortex that receive in parts from multiple areas (cerebral cortex)
Motor cortex
Controls the voluntary muscles (cerebral cortex)
Somatosensory cortex
The bodies touch and movement sensations (cerebral cortex)
Broca’s area (Speaking)
The frontal lobe usually in the left hemisphere, controls muscles that control speech.
Broca’s area (Speaking)
The frontal lobe usually in the left hemisphere, controls muscles that control speech.
Wernicke’s area (understanding)
Left temporal lobe included in language comprehension
what are the 4 lobes of the brain and what information is processed in each
Frontal lobe- voluntary movement expressive language Temporal lobe: creating/ preserving conscious and long-term memory Parietal lobe: processing The body’s touch and movement sense. Occipital lobe: responsible for vision including colors and info.
What connects the two hemishephers of the brain
They are connected by a thick band of nerve fiber called the corpus callosum ( Lets it communicate with each other)
What effects does a split-brain procedure have on a person’s ability to process information? what conditions does this procedure treat?
The split brain procedure is used to treat patients with uncontrollable epilepsy. - patients experience temperament changes, and rare cases of alien hand syndrome.
What characteristic of the brain allows for brain-damaged individuals to recover some of their functions
Functional plasticity lets individuals recover some of the function
Genes
Genes are the segments of DNA molecules that contain the code for particular peptides or proteins which then determine who we are.
DNA
DNA- The molecule that carries the genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism
Chromosomes
A strand or filament composed of nucleic acid, and proteins that carries the genetic or hereditary traits of one.
What is the difference between evolutionary psychologists and behavior geneticists? What does each study?
Behavior -conducts research on the genetics of human differences
Evolution- speculates about the genetic basis of traits that are common to all human beings.
What is heritability
A measure of how well differences in people’s genes account for differences in their traits
what are twin studies and how do they allow us to examine the role of genetics in things like personality traits and beliefs?
-Twin studies- comparing identical and fraternal twins.
They allow us to examine the importance of environmental and genetic influences on traits
What are some of the key findings of twin studies like The Minnesota Twin Study?
identical twins who were raised apart had the same chance of being similar to twins who were raised together.
Are all similarities between twins due to genetic factors? Why or why not?
they have the same genome. So any differences between twins are due to their environments, not genetics.
What are nature-nurture interactions
They are the factors such as nature (Genes, hereditary, physical apearances) and nurture (environmental varies)
How do women and men differ in regard to what they find attractive in a potential mate?
Male- Stronger sex drive, more likely to think casual sex is okay, more visual, potential friendly interest–> a come on
Female- Affection is important, less likely to engage in casual sex, attracted to heathy, strong affluent men, that can survive and protect.
To what do evolutionary psychologists attribute fears or phobias?
What our ancestors though to be fearful of to increase their survival rates
What is the basic principles of natural selection
An evolutionary process that which adoptive traits are passed on because it helps the organism survive
What are mutations and how do they contribute to natural selection?
A random error in genes replication–> causes change
changes can help an organism survive and reproduce
LEFT HEM
DOMINANT The right half of the body, speaking, reading, writing, mathematics, and analytics
RIGHT HEM
controls the left half of the body, Emotional intelligence,
reasoning, figurative thinking( ex negative emotion)
