Behavioral Science Flashcards
Sensory Neurons
AKA afferent neurons
transmit sensory information to the brain
Motor Neurons
AKA efferent neurons
transmit motor information from the brain to the muscles and glands
Interneurons
most numerous
located predominantly in the brain and spinal cord
linked to reflexive behaviors (reflex arcs)
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Brain and Spinal Cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
Somatic Nervous System (PNS)
afferent (sensory) and efferent (motor) neurons
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
part of the PNS
Neurotransmitter responsible for parasympathetic responses in the body?
Acetylcholine
Limbic System
group of neural structures associated with emotion and memory
forebrain
Medulla Oblongata function
regulates vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion
hindbrain // brainstem
Pons function
lies above the medulla
contains sensory and motor pathways between the cortex and the medulla
hindbrain // brainstem
Cerebellum function
maintains posture and balance and coordinated body movements (inhibited by alcohol)
hindbrain // brainstem
Midbrain function
receives sensory and motor information
associated with involuntary reflex responses
Thalamus function
important relay station for sensory information (NOT SMELL)
FOREBRAIN
Hypothalamus function
HOMEOSTATIC AND EMOTIONS
The 4 F’s:
Feeding
Fighting
Flighting
(Sexual) Functioning
Lateral Hypothalmus
“Lacks Hunger”
hunger center
Ventromedial Hypothalamus (VMH)
“Very Much Hungry”
satiety center
Anterior Hypothalamus
sexual behavior
Posterior Pituitary
site of release for antidiuretic hormone (ADH AKA vasopressin) and oxytocin
Pineal Gland
releases melatonin
the rhythm gland (circadian)
Basal Ganglia function
coordinates muscle movement and relay information to the brain
destroyed/damaged in Parkinson’s disease
Amygdala
LIMBIC SYSTEM
defensive and aggressive behaviors
Amygdala
LIMBIC SYSTEM
defensive and aggressive behaviors
Hippocampus
LIMBIC SYSTEM
learning and memory
helps consolidate information to form long-term memories
communicates with other portions of the limbic system via the FORNIX
Brain lobes and function
Frontal – executive function
Parietal – touch, temp, and pain
Temporal – hearing
Occipital – vision
Broca’s area
FRONTAL LOBE
vitally important for speech production
Wernicke’s area
TEMPORAL LOBE
associated with language reception and comprehension
Neurotransmitter
chemical used by neurons to send signals to other neurons
Catecholamines
Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, and Dopamine
Neurotransmitter responsible for sympathetic responses?
Norepinephrine
Neurulation
ECTODERM overlying the notochord begins to furrow, forming a NEURAL GROOVE surrounded by two neural folds (3-4 weeks gestation)
Neural Crest
cells at the leading edge of the neural fold in neurulation
MIGRATE to other sites in the body to become different tissues
Neural Tube
neural furrow that eventually forms the CNS
BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD
Family Study
looks at relative frequency of a trait in a family compared to population
assumption that genetically related individuals are more similar genotypically than unrelated
study the inheritability of a trait
LIMITATION: cannot distinguish environmental factors from genetic ones (all family in same environment)
Photoreceptors
respond to electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum (sight)
Mechanoreceptors
respond to pressure or movement
Nociceptors
respond to painful or noxious stimuli
Thermoreceptors
respond to changes in temperature
Osmoreceptors
respond to osmolarity of the blood
Olfactory receptors
respond to volatile compounds (smell)
Taste receptors
respond to dissolved compounds (taste)
Threshold (physiologic element of perception)
the minimum amount of stimulus that renders a difference in perception (i.e. sends an action potential)
Absolute Threshold
minimum of stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system
Difference Threshold
“just-noticeable difference”
minimum change in magnitude to perceive that two different stimuli are, in fact, different
Weber’s Law of Perception
observation that difference thresholds are proportional and must be computed as percentages
i.e. a 1-100 Hz change is noticeable but a 1000-1010 isn’t (instead a 100% increase is…NOT a 100 Hz increase)
Parallel Processing
brain’s ability to analyze information regarding color, form, motion, and depth simultaneously
Two-point threshold of somatosensory perception
the minimum distance necessary between two points stimulation on the skin such that the points will be perceived as two distinct stimuli
Gate theory of pain
special “gating” mechanism can turn pain signals on or off
why rubbing an injury seems to reduce the pain
Bottom-Up Processing
data-driven processing
object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection
individual sensory stimuli combined to make cohesive image
Top-Down Processing
conceptually driven processing
driven by memories and expectations that allow the brain to recognize the whole object and then recognize components based on these expectations
Gestalt Principles
set of general rules that account for the fact that the brain tends to view incomplete stimuli in organized, patterned ways
Law of Proximity (Gestalt)
elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit
Law of Similarity (Gestalt)
objects that are similar tend to be grouped together
Law of Good Continuation (Gestalt)
elements that appear to follow in the same pathway tend to be grouped together
Subjective Contours (Gestalt)
perceiving contours and, therefore, shapes that are not actually present in the stimulus
Law of Closure (Gestalt)
when a space is enclosed by a contour, the space tends to be perceived as a complete figure
Pinna
technical term for the outer ear
funnels the sound to the inner ear
Malleus
AKA the hammer
part of the middle ear
one end attached to the ear drum and the other the anvil
Cochlea
contains the receptors for hearing
The _________ is responsible for balance and motor coordination.
HINDBRAIN
Experiments of Pierre Fluorens
Removed (ablated) certain parts of the brain to show that specific parts of the brain served different purposes.
Remove a lobe and observe the animals behavior. Determine the function of the part removed.
Function of the right hemisphere (nondominant hemisphere) of the brain?
creativity (art and imagination) and spatial awareness in 3D space (sense of direction)
Result of low levels of endorphins?
Higher pain
Results of varying levels of serotonin?
Mood swings and mood instability
Result of high levels of dopamine?
Hallucinations
Result of low levels of acetylcholine?
Muscle weakness and paralysis
Studies of William James
foundation of FUNCTIONALISM
studied how the mind adapts to the environment
Babinski Reflex
primitive reflex found in INFANTS by fanning of the toes when rub bottom of foot
disappears with age
Wernicke’s Aphasia
involves impaired comprehension but fluent production of speech
region of brain where somatosensory cortex of parietal lobe overlaps with auditory cortex of the temporal lobe
Which study design has a HIGH degree of internal validity?
Randomized Control Trial
internal validity (cause –> effect)
– effects not explained by other factors
assign participants randomly to treatment or control
Stage 2 Sleep
NREM
THETA WAVES that induce sleep spindles and K complexes
Stage 3-4 Sleep
NREM
slow brain waves called DELTA WAVES
environmental stimuli no longer produce reactions
REM Sleep
EEG resembles waking brain activity, including BETA WAVES (similar to alpha waves)
Reaction Formation
psychological defense mechanism in which a person goes beyond denial and behaves in the OPPOSITE way to which they think and feel
i.e. you hate an employee, but treat them with excessive kindness
Dominant culture, subculture, and counter-culture definition.
Dominant - learned values, beliefs, and behaviors held by the majority
Subculture - values and norms do NOT oppose the dominant culture, but group is characteristically different
Counter-culture - values and norms OPPOSE the dominant culture
Symbolic Interactionism
meaning and value attached to symbols
individual interactions based on these symbols
MICRO-SOCIOLOGY
COOLEY and MEAD
Secularization
reduced power of religion as religious involvement declines
Religiosity
the EXTENT to which a religion is internalized and incorporated into an individuals life
Power vs authority?
Power = ability to control and influence others
Authority = whether others believe power to be legitimate
Reliability vs validity in a study?
Reliability - produces similar results when repeated (REPEATABILITY)
Validity - the overall ACCURACY of the study (TRUE RESULTS)
Role strain vs role conflict?
Role Strain - competing expectations within a SINGLE ROLE
Role Conflict - competing expectations for TWO or MORE ROLES
Cognitive-behavioral therapy vs psychoanalytical therapy vs humanistic therapy?
CBT - change negative thoughts and maladaptive behaviors
Psychoanalytical - uncover how unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood shape behaviors
Humanistic Therapy - attempts to empower individuals to move toward self-actualization
