Behavioral Sciences 1-5 Flashcards
List the main contributions of Franz Gall.
Phrenology; associated development of a trait with growth of its relevant part of the brain
List the main contributions of Pierre Flourens.
Extirpation/ablation; concluded that different brain regions have specific functions.
List the main contributions of William James
“founder of American psychology”; pushed for importance of studying adaptations of the individual to the environment.
List the main contributions of John Dewey
landmark article on functionalism; argued for studying the entire organism as a whole.
List the main contributions of Paul Broca
correlated pathology with specific brain regions, such as speech production from Broca’s area.
List the main contributions of Hermann von Helmholtz
measured speed of a nerve impulse.
List the main contributions of Sir Charles Sherrington
inferred the existence of synapses.
What parts of the nervous system are in the CNS?
CNS includes the brain and the spinal cord.
What parts of the nervous system are in the PNS?
PNS includes most of the cranial and spinal nerves and sensors.
What do afferent neurons do?
Afferent (sensory) neurons brin signals from a sensor to the CNS
What do efferent neurons do?
Efferent (motor) neurons bring signals from the CNS to an effector.
What functions are accomplished by the somatic nervous system?
The somatic system is responsible for voluntary actions such as moving muscles.
What functions are accomplished by the autonomic nervous system?
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for involuntary actions such as heart rate, bronchial dilation, dilation of the eyes, exocrine gland function, and peristalsis.
What are the effects of the sympathetic nervous system?
Sympathetic nervous system promotes fight or flight response. Involves increased heart rate, bronchial dilation, redistribution of blood to locomotor muscles, diation of the eyes, and slowing digestive and urinary functions.
What are the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system?
The parasympathetic nervons system promotes rest and digest functions such as slowing down heart rate, constricting the bronchi, redistributing blood to the gut, promoting exocrine secretions, constricting the pupils, and promoting peristalsis and urinary functions.
What are the functions of each brain region?
1. Basal Ganglia
2. Cerebellum
- Basal Ganglia - smooth movement.
- Cerebellum - Coordinated movement.
What are the functions of each brain region?
3. Cerebral Cortex
4. Hypothalamus
- Cerebral Cortex - Complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes.
- Hypothalamus - hunger and thirst; emotion.
What are the functions of each brain region?
5. Inferior and Superior colliculi
6. Limbic system
- Inferior and superior colliculi - sensorimotor reflexes.
- Limbic system - emotion and memory.
What are the functions of each brain region?
7. Medulla Oblongata
8. Reticular Formation
9. Thalamus
- Medulla Oblongata - Vital function (Breathing, digestion)
- Reticular formation - Arousal and Alertness.
- Thalamus - Sensory relay station.
What are the main functions of the hindbrain?
Balance, motor coordination, breathing, digestion, general arousal processes (sleeping and waking); “vital functioning”
What are the main functions of the midbrain?
Receives sensory and motor information from the rest of the body; reflexes to auditory and visual stimuli .
What are the main functions of the forebrain?
Complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes; emotion and memory.
What are some of the methods used for mapping the brain?
Studying humans with brain lesions, extirpation, stimulation or recording with electrodes (cortical mapping, singe-cell electrode recordings, electroencephalogram) and regional central blood flow.
What structures surround and protect the brain?
Most deep to most superficial: meninges, bone, periosteum, skin.
What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex and it’s functions?
Frontal Lobe: Executive function, impulse control, long term planning (prefrontal cortex), motor function (primary cortex), speech production (Broca’s area)
Parietal: sensation of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain (somatosensory cortex); spatial processing, orientation, and manipulation.
Occipital: visual processing
Temporal: sound processing (auditory cortex), speech perception (Wernicke’s area), memory, and emotion (limbic system).
What is the difference between ipsilateral and contralateral communication between the brain and the body?
Ipsilateral communication occurs when cerebral hemispheres communicate with the same side of the body.
Contralateral communication occurs when cerebral hemispheres communicate with the opposite side of the body.
How is the dominant hemisphere typically defined?
Typically defined as the one that is more heavily stimulated during language reception and production.
What is the function of each neurotransmitter?
1. Acetylcholine
2. Dopamine
- Voluntary muscle control.
- Smooth movements and steady posture.
What is the function of each neurotransmitter?
3. Endorphins
4. Epinephrine/ norepinephrine
- Natural painkiller
- Wakeful and alertness, fight or flight responses.
What is the function of each neurotransmitter?
5. GABA/glycine
6. Glutamate
7. Serotonin
- Brain “stabilizer”
- Brain excitation
- Mood, sleep, eating, dreaming.
Which endocrine organs influence behavior? What hormones do they use, and what do they accomplish?
The hypothalamus controls release of pituitary hormones; pituitary is the “master gland” that triggers hormone secretion in many other endocrine glands.
The adrenal medulla produces adrenaline (epinephrine), which causes sympathetic nervous system effects throughout the body.
The adrenal cortex produces cortisol, a stress hormone. The adrenal cortex and testes produce testosterone, which is associated with libido.
Discuss the influence of nature vs. nurture on behavior.
Nature is defined as heredity, or the influence of inherited characteristics on behavior. Nurture refers to the influence of environment and physical surroundings on behavior.
It has been long debated whether nature or nurture has the larger influence; it is a complicated situation, but for most traits, both exert some influence.
What is the sample group and control group of:
1. Family Study
2. Twin Study
3. Adoption Study
Family study: Sample group is a family of genetically related individuals. Control group is unrelated individuals (generally population)
Twin Study: Sample group is monozygotic, identical twins. Control group is dizygotic, fraternal twins.
Adoption Study: Sample group is an adoptive family (relative to the child who was adopted). Control group is a biological family (relative to child who was adopted).
Describe the process of neurulation
Neurulation occurs when a furrow is produced from ectoderm overlying the notochord and consists of the neural groove and two neural folds. As the neural fold grows, the cells at their leading edge are called neural crest cells. When the neural folds fuse, this creates the neural tube, which will form the CNS.
Describe the behavior of these primitive reflexes:
1. Rooting
2. Moro
3. Babinski
4. Grasping
Rooting - turning head towards direction of any object touching the cheek.
Moro - in response to sudden head movement, arms extend and slowly retract; baby usually cries.
Babinski - extension of big toe and fanning of other toes in response to brushing the sole of the foot.
Grasping - Holding onto any object placed in the hand.
What are two main themes that dictate the stages of motor development in early childhood?
Gross motor development proceeds from head to toe, and from the core to the periphery.
What is the pathway for a stimulus to reach conscious perception.
sensory receptor > afferent neuron > sensory ganglion > spinal cord > brain (projection areas)
Match each sensory receptor to its function:
1. Hair cell
2. Nociceptor
- Sense motion of fluid in the inner ear.
- Sense painful or bothersome physical stimuli.
Match each sensory receptor to its function:
3. Olfactory receptor
4. Osmoreceptor
- Sense of volatile chemicals.
- Sense changes in blood concentration.
Match each sensory receptor to its function:
5. Photoreceptor
6. Taste receptor
7. Thermoreceptor
- Sense electromagnetic radiation in the visible range.
- Sense dissolved chemicals.
- Sense changes in temperature.
Describe absolute threshold.
Absolute threshold is the minimum stimulus that can evoke an action potential in a sensory receptor.
Describe threshold of conscious perception.
Threshold of conscious perception is the minimum stimulus that can evoke enough action potentials for a long enough time that the brain perceives the stimulus.
Describe difference threshold.
The difference threshold (just-noticeable difference) is the minimum difference between two stimuli that can be detected by the brain.
What aspects of thresholds do Weber’s law and signal detection theory focus on?
Weber’s law explains that just-noticeable difference are best expressed as a ratio, which is constant over most of the range of sensory stimuli.
Signal detection theory concerns the threshold to sense a stimulus, given obscuring internal and external stimuli.
How does sensory adaptation affect a difference threshold.
Adaptation generally raises the difference threshold for a sensory response; as one becomes used to small fluctuations int he stimulus, the difference in stimulus required to evoke a response must be larger.
List the functions of the cornea.
The cornea gathers and focuses the incoming light.
List the functions of the pupil
Allows passage of light from the anterior to posterior chamber.
List the functions of the iris.
controls the size of the pupil.
List the functions of the ciliary body.
Produces aqueous humor; accommodation of the lens.
List the functions of the canal of Schlemm.
drains aqueous humor.
List the functions of the lens.
Refracts the incoming light to focus it on the retina.
List the functions of the retina.
Detects images.