Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Bad Girl's MCAT Club > Behavioral Sciences 1: Biology and Behavior > Flashcards

Behavioral Sciences 1: Biology and Behavior Flashcards

1
Q

neuropsychology

A

the study of the connection between the nervous system and behavior

often focuses on the functions of various brain regions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Franz Gall

A

early psychologist

theorized that behavior, intellect, personality may be linked to brain anatomy - phrenology

false thought that development –> brain growth –> physical bulge

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Pierre Flourens

A

studied the functions of the major sections of the brain through extirpation/ablation on rabbits and pigeons (removing parts and watching what happens)

learned that specific parts of the brain had specific functions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

William James

A

father of American psychology

studied how the mind functioned in adapting to environment

helped form functionalism - how mental processes help individuals adapt to environments

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

John Dewey

A

helped form functionalism - how mental processes help individuals adapt to environments

studied the organism as a whole and not with discrete parts as it reacts to environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Paul Broca

A

demonstrated that specific functional impairments can be linked to specific brain lesions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Hermann von Helmholtz

A

first person to measure the speed of a nerve impulse

transitioned psych into a natural science

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Sir Charles Sherrington

A

first inferred the existence of synapses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

organization of nervous system

A
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

parasympathetic nervous system effects

A
  • acetylcholine
  • constricts pupil
  • stimulates saliva
  • slow heartbeat
  • stimulates peristalsis
  • stimulates bile release
  • contracts bladder
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

sympathetic nervous system effects

A
  • adrenaline/noradrenaline
  • dilates pupil
  • inhibits saliva
  • relaxes bronchi
  • accelerates heartbeat
  • inhibits peristalsis
  • stimulates glucose production and release
  • inhibits bladder contraction
  • stimulates orgasm
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

three subdivisions of the brain

A

hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

hindbrain

A

consists of the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular formation

more primitive structure, has vital functions for survival

also called rhombencephalon divides during development to form myelencephalon (medulla) and metencephalon (pons and cerebellum)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

medulla oblongata

A

lower brain structure

breathing

heart rate

blood pressure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

pons

A

lies above the medulla

sensory/motor pathways between cortex and medulla

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

cerebellum

A

above pons

maintain posture and balance

coordinates body movements

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

reticular formation

A

the portion that passes through medulla and pons and stops near midbrain

functions in arousal, alertness, attention

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

brainstem

A

consists of the midbrain and hindbrain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

midbrain

A

mesencephalon

region of brain that receives sensory/motor information from the rest of the body

associated with involuntary sensorimotor reflex responses

have prominent nuclei

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

superior colliculus

A

nuclei in the midbrain that receives visual sensory input

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

inferior colliculus

A

nuclei in the midbrain that receives auditory input

has a role in reflexive reactions to loud noises

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

forebrain

A

proencephalon

divides to form telencephalon (cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic) and diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary, pineal glands)

associated with complex perpetual, cognitive, behavioral processes

greatest influence over human behavior, not needed for survival

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

number of pain receptors in the brain

A

none!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

thalamus

A

relay center for all sensory input for smell, transmits to cerebral cortex

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

hypothalamus

A

serves homeostatic functions

key in emotion during high arousal, aggression, sex

helps control autonomic and endocrine functions through hypophyseal portal system to anterior pituitary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

lateral hypothalamus (LH)

A

hunger center; detects when body needs more food or fluids – start eating

when destroyed, one lacks hunger

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)

A

satiety center – stop eating

when destroyed, one is very much hungry

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

anterior hypothalamus

A

sex center

when destroyed, one is asexual

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

posterior pituitary

A

comprised of axonal projections from hypothalamus

responds to hormones released by the hypothalamus

releases vasopressin and ADH

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

pineal gland

A

keeps biological rhythms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

basal ganglia

A

coordinate muscle movement

receive info from cortex and relay info to brain and spinal cord

damage causes jerky movements and tremors (Parkinson’s)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

extrapyramidal system

A

system in which the basal ganglia gathers info about the body position and carries the info to CNS

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

limbic system

A

interconnected structures looping around the central portion of the brain

primarily associated with emotion and memory

septal nuclei

amygdala

hippocampus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

septal nuclei

A

contain a primary pleasure center

association between these neurons and addiction

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

amygdala

A

region that controls fear and aggression

36
Q

hippocampus

A

consolidates memories and communications with other parts of limbic system through fornix extension

37
Q

anterograde amnesia

A

amnesia in which a person cannot establish new longterm memory

38
Q

retrograde amnesia

A

amnesia in which a person cannot remember events that happened before injury

39
Q

cerebral cortex

A

heavily folded (many gyri/sulci) to increase surface area

two hemispheres

frontal lobe

parietal lobe

occipital lobe

temporal lobe

40
Q

frontal lobe

A

made up of prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, and Broca’s area (on left hemisphere only)

executive function, impulse control, long-term planning, motor function, speech production

acts as an association area (receives input from diverse areas of brain)

41
Q

central sulcus

A

landmark which separates the parietal and frontal lobes

42
Q

parietal lobe

A

contains somatosensory cortex

receives sensory signals for touch, pressure, temp, pain

also involved in spatial orientation and manipulation

43
Q

occipital lobe

A

contains visual cortex for visual processing

44
Q

temporal lobe

A

contains auditory cortex for sound processing

contains Wernicke’s area for language reception and comprehension

45
Q

what does it mean for the brain to be contralateral?

A

the hemispheres of the brain control movement in opposite sides of the body

46
Q

what does it mean for the brain to be ipsilateral?

A

the hemispheres of the brain process hearing on the same side of the input

47
Q

dominant hemisphere

A

usually the left

primary in analytic functions, details

language, logic, math

letters/words, complex voluntary movement

48
Q

nondominant hemisphere

A

usually the right

intuition, creativity, music recognition, spatial processing

faces, emotions, sense of direction

49
Q

acetylcholine

A

neurotransmitter…

PNS - used by somatic to move muscles; parasympathetic, sympathetic sweat glands

CNS - alertness and arousal

linked to Alzhimers - loss of cholinergic neurons connecting hippocampus = memory loss

50
Q

dopamine

A

neurotransmitter that maintains smooth movements and posture

heightened levels found in basal ganglia

51
Q

endorphins/enkephalins

A

neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers

52
Q

epinephrine

A

neurotransmitter that controls alertness/wakefulness

primarily in sympathetic

can act as hormone when secreted by adrenal medulla

53
Q

norepinephrine

A

local neurotransmitter that controls alertness/wakefulness

primarily in sympathetic

low levels = depression

high levels = anxiety and mania

54
Q

gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine

A

neurotransmitter that produces IPSPs - hyperpolarization

stabilizes neural activity in brain

55
Q

glutamate

A

neurotransmitter that produces EPSPs

56
Q

serotonin

A

neurotransmitter that modulates mood, eating, sleeping, dreaming

imbalances can lead to depression and mania

57
Q

neuropeptides

A

neurotransmitters that create a longer chain of events than most others

  • > slower effect –> longer lasting
    ex. endorphins and enkephalins
58
Q

adrenal glands

A

located at the top of the kidneys, divided into the adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex

59
Q

adrenal medulla

A

part of the adrenal gland that releases epinephrine and norepinephrine as part of the sympathetic nervous system

60
Q

adrenal cortex

A

part of the adrenal gland that produces corticosteroids and sex hormones

61
Q

cortisol

A

a stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex

62
Q

sex hormones

A

hormones that increase libido, contribute to mating behavior and sexual function

made in both the adrenal cortex and the gonads

63
Q

innate behavior

A

behavior that is genetically programmed as a result of evolution and is seen in all individuals regardless of environment or experience

64
Q

learned behavior

A

behavior that is not based on heredity but instead on experience and environment

65
Q

adaptive value

A

the extent to which a trait or behavior positively benefits a species by influencing the evolutionary fitness of the species

leads to adaptation through natural selection

66
Q

family studies

A

genetic studies that look at the frequency of a trait within a family compared to the general population

limited because members of a family share environment and genes, so its hard to distinguish between genetic factors and environmental factors

67
Q

twin studies

A

genetic studies that compare concordance rates between monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins

since both MZ and DZ twins share environment, differences between them must be genetic

sometimes look at MZ raised apart

68
Q

adoption studies

A

genetic study that compares similarities between adopted children and their adoptive parents, relative to similarities with their biological parents

69
Q

neurulation

A

ectoderm overlying the notochord begins to furrow, forming a neural groove surrounded by two neural folds

70
Q

neural crest

A

cells at the leading edge of the neural fold

eventually spread out throughout the body and differentiate into many different tissues

71
Q

neural tube

A

becomes the CNS of the organism

has an alar plate - sensory neurons

basal plate - motor neurons

72
Q

umbilical cord

A

attaches the fetus to the uterine wall and placenta

73
Q

placenta

A

organ in the uterus that transmits food, oxygen, and water to the fetus while returning water and waste to the mother

74
Q

primitive reflexes

A

reflexes that exist in infants and should disappear with age

often protective

can occur in adults as a result of demyelination

75
Q

rooting reflex

A

reflex in which the infant turns his/her head toward anything that brushes the cheek

76
Q

Moro reflex

A

reflex in which the infant extends the arms and slowly retracts them and cries in response to a sensation of falling

77
Q

Babinski reflex

A

reflex in which an infant’s big toe is extended and the other toes fan in response to the brushing of the sole of the big foor

78
Q

grasping reflex

A

reflex in which the infant grabs anything put into his/her hand

79
Q

gross motor skills

A

motor skills that incorporate movement from large muscle groups and whole body motion

ex. sitting, crawling, walking

often develop from head to toe

80
Q

fine motor skills

A

motor skills that involve the smaller muscles of the fingers, toes, and eyes, providing more specific and delicate movement

ex. tracking motion, drawing, catching, waving

often develop in the core before the extremities

81
Q

stranger anxiety

A

a fear and apprehension of unfamiliar individuals

develops at 7 months

82
Q

separation anxiety

A

a fear of being separated from the parental figure

develops at one year

83
Q

development of playtime

A

solitary -> onlooker -> parallel play

84
Q

parallel play

A

a playstyle in which children play alongside each other without influencing each other’s behavior

85
Q

what developmental roles occur at age three?

A

child gains awareness of gender identity

engages in gender-specific play

knows full name

86
Q

what developmental roles occur at age five?

A

conformity to peers and romantic feelings begin to develop

87
Q
A

Bad Girl's MCAT Club (39 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions