Behavioral Neuroscience Ch.1 Flashcards
Affective neuroscience
A branch of behavioral neuroscience in which researchers focus on the neurobiological processes that underlie emotions.
Aphasia
The loss of an individual’s ability to speak.
Behavioral genetics
The field of study that seeks to understand how the variation of a trait in a population is related to the variation of genes within that population.
Behavioral neuroscience
The scientific study of how brain activity influences behavior.
Broca’s area
The area of the third convolution of the left frontal lobe, associated with speech production.
Cellular level of analysis
The study of the morphology and physiological properties of cells within the nervous system.
Cerebral dominance
The idea that the left hemisphere is dominant in the control of speech function.
Cognitive level of analysis
The study of the neurobiological basis of higher mental processes.
Cognitive neuroscience
A branch of behavioral neuroscience that focuses on the processes within the brain that are associated with cognitive functions such as reasoning, problem solving, memory, and attention.
Computed tomography (CT scan)
A method in which X-ray images are taken from many angles and processed by a computer to produce virtual cross-sections, permitting the examination of structures deep within the brain.
Corpus callosum
The thick bundle of fibers that connect the two hemispheres, permitting them to communicate with each other.
Cortex
The outermost layer of the brain.
Covert behavior
Behavior that cannot readily be observed, such as thinking, remembering, paying attention, experiencing emotions, and a range of others.
Decision neuroscience
A branch of behavioral neuroscience that focuses on the neurobiological basis of choice behavior; sometimes known as neuroeconomics.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
Inferring the functions of a particular brain area through the administration of a low-voltage electrical current to that area.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
A molecule composed of sequences of smaller molecules called nucleotides, bound together by molecules of sugar and phosphate.
Descent with modification
The idea that current forms of life evolved from preexisting forms.
Dualism
The philosophical position that mind and body are distinct and that they could exist independently of each other.
Edwin Smith Papyrus
A medical papyrus that seems to have been written around 1600 B.C.E., during the third dynasty of pharaohs.
Electroencephalography (EEG)
A method in which brain function is inferred by detecting differences in the electrical energy emitted from different brain areas.
Epigenetics
The study of changes in gene expression with no changes in DNA sequences, which can occur naturally or through the influence of environmental factors.
Event-related potentials (ERP)
Small voltage changes, called waveforms, in brain areas responsive to specific events or stimuli.