AP Psych Unit 3 - biology 64-118 Flashcards
Cerebral cortex
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells, covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body ultimate control and information
-processing center
-dived into 4 lobes
Frontal lobe
involved in speaking, judgment, personality, and decision making
-If damaged the ability to make plans will be impaired
Parietal lobes
Receives and processes sensory input for touch and body position
-if damaged the ability to feel connection to certain parts of the body may occur
Temporal Lobes
each lobe receives auditory information primarily from opp. ear
Occipital Lobe
Each lobe receives visual information, primarily from opp visual fields
Motor cortex
Controls voluntary movements
Somatosensory cortex
registers information from the skin senses and body movement
Auditory cortex
in the temporal lobe, it receives information from the ears
Visual Cortex
in the occipital lobe, it receives info from the eyes
Association Areas
Most of the brains cortex which integrates info
-involved in learning, remembering, thinking, and other higher-level functions
-attention is shifted, planning occurs
-not specifically devoted to motor or sensory cortex functions
Phineas Gage
a once even tempered person who had a tamping iron accident that damaged his neural tracks in his frontal lobe resulting in his inability to filter emotional reactions from the limbic system
-this changed his personality to become more violent and uncontrollable
Brocas Area
a view of where the language is centered in the brain
Broca views that the language area is located in the left frontal lobe and this is involved in expressive language
-production of speech
Wernickes area
language center located in the left temporal lobe
-involved in receptive language
-understanding of speech
Plasticity
The Brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood by re-organizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
- parts of the brain compensate and put other areas to work
-reorganizes existing tissue
Neurogenesis
- The brain produces new neurons to attempt to repair itself
Corpus callosum
- A wide band of axon fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain
- eyesight is wired to the brain in this way the left visual field goes to the right hemispheres and vice versa
Split brain
occurs when the fibers of the corpus callosum are severed isolating each hemisphere from the other
- associated with epileptic seizures
Visual Field
Along the retina of the eye, sense receptors pick up stimuli that are about two inches apart - the right sides of both retinas gather information from the left side of what you are looking at and vice versa
Intact brain vs. split brain
-In an intact brain, information is readily transferred across the corpus callosum from both hemispheres of the brain
-In an individual with a “split brain” this cross-transference does not occur.
Researchers are able to send information to one hemisphere and test patients.
Left Hemispheres
in most people: speaking and language, math calculation, making literal interpretations, and controlling the right side of the body
-also contain Broca and Wernicke area
Right Hemisphere
In most people: perceptual tasks, making inferences, modulating speech, visual perception, recognition of emotion, and
controlling the left side of the body
Consciousness
our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment
-helps us cope with novelty and act in our best interests
Cognitive neuroscientist
-Combines the study of brain activity with how we learn, think, remember and perceive.
-Researchers are exploring and mapping the conscious functions of the cortex.
-how our brain connects to behavior
Dual processing
- The principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks. The two-track mind.
- Perception, memory, thinking, language, and attitudes all operate on two levels—a conscious, deliberate
“high road” and an unconscious, automatic “low road.”
The high road is reflective, the low road intuitive. - two systems one is calculated and intentional and one is quick and unconscious
Blindsight
A condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.
Parallel processing
-unconscious processing of
Many aspects of a problem
simultaneously;
generally used to
process well-learned information
or to solve easy problems
Sequential Processing
conscious processing or one aspect of a
problem at a time;
generally used
to process new information or to
solve difficult problems
Heredity
The genetic transfer of characteristics from parent to offspring
(nature)
Environment
Every non-genetic
influence, from prenatal nutrition
to the people and things around us.
(nurture)
Behavior geneticist
Behavior geneticists study
the relative power and limits of heredity and environmental
influences on behavior.
-The nurture of nature.
What comes built-in, and what is nurtured—and how?
Chromosomes
Threadlike
structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.
Each person has 46 chromosomes
Genes
The biochemical units
of heredity that make up the chromosomes;
segments of DNA
capable of synthesizing proteins.
DNA
DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid)
is a complex molecule containing the
genetic information that makes up
the chromosomes.
Human genome
The complete instructions for making a human organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that human’s chromosomes.
Researchers have discovered a common sequence within human DNA.
This shared genetic profile is what makes us humans, rather than tulips, bananas, or chimpanzees.
Identical monozygotic twins
a single
fertilized egg that splits in two,
creating two genetically identical
organisms
Fraternal Dizygotic twins
separate fertilized eggs that share a maternal prenatal environment… no more alike than siblings
Nature - Nurture twin studies
Twin studies are used to understand the influence of gene’s environment
Thomas Brouchard
Thomas Bouchard and his colleagues located and
studied 74 pairs of identical twins raised apart. They found similarities of tastes and physical attributes, personality, abilities, attitudes, interests, and even fears.
- found that genetic plays a role in twins not environment
Adoption studies and nature vs. nurture
Two adopted children raised in the same home are no more likely to share personality traits with each other than with the child down the block.
The environment shared by a family’s children has virtually no discernible impact on their personalities
Heritability
The proportion of
variation among individuals in
a group that we can attribute to
genes.
The heritability of a trait
may vary, depending on the range
of populations and environments
studied.
- Genetic influence explains
about 66% of the observed variation among people. not that ur intelligence is 66% genetics
-a measure of how well differences in people’s genes account for differences in their traits
environment and heritability
- In similar environments
- heritability would increase because of differences due to the environment decreases
- so any difference noticed would be due to genes
Molecular genetics
the study of the
molecular structure and function of genes
Molecular Behavior Genetics
the further study of how
the structure and
function of genes
interact with our
environment to influence behavior
Epigenetics
-The study of environmental influences
on gene expression that occurs
without a DNA change.
- (epi) genetics studies how an individual’s lifestyle, environment, choices, etc. can directly interact with the genome.
-Life experiences lay down
epigenetic marks—that can affect the expression of any gene in the DNA segment
they affect.
ex: effects of stress on the body mentally
Natural selection
the principle that inherited traits that better
enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition
with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
Mutation
a random error in the gene
replication that leads to a change
Belyaev
Researchers Belyaev and Trut selectively bred the tamest foxes and after 30 generations (40 years) were able to produce “docile, eager to please, domesticated” animals.
So psychological traits can be selected as well as physical traits.
Evoultionary psychologist beliefs abt male/females sexuality differences
Males- May be more likely to initiate sexual activity.
May perceive women’s friendliness for sexual interest.
Females- Tendency toward tall men with slim waists and broad shoulders.
May prefer men who are mature, dominant and bold.
Social Scripts
a culturally modeled guide for how to act in
various situations
For instance, we have social scripts that tell us how to go out to eat in a restaurant (enter, take a seat, read a menu, order, eat, pay the bill, leave)
and social scripts that give indications of how men and women, elderly and young, etc., might act in a society.
Criticism of evolutionary perspective on sexuality
-Start with the effect and work backward to explain what happened.
-Try to explain today’s behavior with decisions made thousands of years ago.
-There are social consequences to accepting evolutionary explanations
- it is difficult to collect evidence about evolutionary explanations of human sexuality, that aspects of human sexuality are socially constructed or cultural instead of genetic
response to criticism (men and woman psychology)
- Much of who we are is NOT hardwired…genes are NOT destiny
- Men and women are far more alike than different
- Some traits and behaviors are hard to explain in terms of natural selection
Biopsychosocial
Genes, environment and our culture all combine to influence our development
