Behavioral Sciences Flashcards
Briefly describe the main contributions of Paul Broca to neuropsychology
correlated pathology with specific brain regions, such as speech production from Broca’s area
What parts of the nervous system are in the central nervous system (CNS)?
brain and spinal cord
What parts of the nervous system are in the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
most of the cranial and spinal nerves and sensors
What do afferent neurons do?
afferent (sensory) neurons bring signals from a sensor to the central nervous system
What do efferent neurons do?
efferent (motor) neurons bring signals from the central nervous system to an effector
What functions are accomplished by the somatic nervous system?
responsible for voluntary actions; most notably, moving muscles
What functions are accomplished by the autonomic nervous system?
responsible for involuntary actions, like heart rate, bronchial dilation, dilation of the eyes, exocrine gland function, and peristalsis
What are the effects of the sympathetic nervous system?
promotes a fight-or-flight response, with increased heart rate and bronchial dilation, redistribution of blood to locomotor muscles, dilation of the eyes, and slowing of digestive and urinary functions
What are the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system?
promotes rest-and-digest functions, slowing heart rate and constricting the bronchi, redistributing blood to the gut, promoting exocrine secretions, constricting the pupils, and promoting peristalsis and urinary function
What are the main functions of the hindbrain?
balance, motor coordination, breathing, digestion, general arousal processes (sleeping and walking); “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 structures surround and protect the brain?
from most deep to most superficial, the structures surrounding the brain are the meninges, bone, periosteum, and skin
What is the basic function of the basal ganglia?
smooth movement
What is the basic function of the cerebellum?
coordinated movement
What is the basic function of the cerebral cortex?
complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes
What is the basic function of the hypothalamus?
hunger and thirst; emotion
What is the basic function of the inferior and superior colliculi?
sensorimotor reflexes
What is the basic function of the limbic system?
emotion and memory
What is the basic function of the medulla oblongata?
vital function (breathing, digestion)
What is the basic function of the reticular formation?
arousal and alertness
What is the basic function of the thalamus?
sensory relay station
What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?
frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal
What is the basic function of the frontal lobe?
executive function, impulse control, long-term planning (prefrontal cortex), motor function (primary motor cortex), speech production (Broca’s area)
What is the basic function of the parietal lobe?
sensation of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain (somatosensory cortex); spatial processing, orientation, and manipulation
What is the basic function of the occipital lobe?
visual processing
What is the basic function of the temporal lobe?
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 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?
the dominant hemisphere is typically defined as the one that is more heavily stimulated during language reception and production
What is the basic function of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine?
voluntary muscle control
What is the basic function of the neurotransmitter dopamine?
smooth movements and steady posture
What is the basic function of the neurotransmitter endorphins?
natural painkillers
What is the basic function of the neurotransmitter epinephrine/norepinephrine?
wakefulness and alertness, fight-or-flight responses
What is the basic function of the neurotransmitter GABA/glycine?
brain “stabilizer”
What is the basic function of the neurotransmitter glutamate?
brain excitation
What is the basic function of the neurotransmitter serotonin?
mood, sleep, eating, dreaming
Which endocrine organs influence behavior? What hormones do the use, and what do they accomplish?
The hypothalamus controls release of pituitary hormones; the pituitary is the “master gland” that triggers hormone secretion in many other endocrine glands.
The adrenal medulla produces 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.
Briefly 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.
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 folds grow, 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.
Briefly describe the observed behavior of rooting.
turns head toward direction of any object touching the cheek
Briefly describe the observed behavior of moro.
in response to sudden head movement, arms extend and slowly retract; baby usually cries
Briefly describe the observed behavior of babinski.
extension of big toe and fanning of other toes in response to brushing the sole of the foot
Briefly describe the observed behavior of grasping.
holding onto any object placed in the hand
What do photoreceptors respond to?
electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum (sight)
What do mechanoreceptors respond to?
pressure or movement. Hair cells, for example, respond to movement of fluid in the inner ear structures (movement, vibration, hearing, rotational and linear acceleration)
What do nociceptors respond to?
painful or noxious stimuli (somatosensation)
What do thermoreceptors respond to?
changes in temperature (thermosensation)
What do osmoreceptors respond to?
osmolarity of the blood (water homeostasis)
What do olfactory receptors respond to?
volatile compounds (smell)
What do taste receptors respond to?
dissolved compounds (taste)
What is the absolute threshold?
the minimum of stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system
What is the threshold of conscious perception?
the level of intensity that a stimulus must pass in order to be consciously perceived by the brain
What is the difference threshold?
the minimum change in magnitude required for an observer to perceive that two different stimuli are, in fact, different
What is Weber’s law?
the idea that difference thresholds are proportional and must be computed as percentages
3 Hz/440 Hz = 0.0068 = 0.68%
What is the pathway for a stimulus to reach conscious perception?
sensory receptor –> afferent neuron –> sensory ganglion –> spinal cord –> brain (projection areas)
What is the function of the cornea?
gathers and focuses the incoming light
What is the function of the pupil?
allows passage of light from the anterior to posterior chamber
What is the function of the iris?
controls the size of the pupil
What is the function of the ciliary body?
produces aqueous humor; accommodation of the lens
What is the function of the canal of schlemm?
drains aqueous humor
What is the function of the lens?
refracts the incoming light to focus it on the retina
What is the function of the retina?
detects images
What is the function of the sclera?
provides structural support
List the structures in the visible pathway, from where light enters the cornea to the visual projection areas in the brain
cornea –> pupil –> lens –> vitreous –> retina (rods and cones) –> bipolar cells –> ganglion cells –> optic nerve –> optic chasm –> optic tract –> lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of thalamus –> radiations through parietal and temporal lobes –> visual cortex (occipital lobe)
What is parallel processing?
the ability to simultaneously analyze color, shape, and motion of an object and to integrate this information to create a cohesive image of the world. Parallel processing also calls on memory systems to compare a visual stimulus to past experiences to help determine the object’s identity
In feature detection, what type of cells are responsible for color?
cones
In feature detection, what type of cells are responsible for form?
parvocellular cells
In feature detection, what type of cells are responsible for motion?
magnocellular cells
In feature detection, what type of cells are responsible for depth?
binocular neurons
What structures are used to detect linear acceleration?
linear acceleration is detected by the utricle and saccule
What structures are used to detect rotational acceleration?
rotational acceleration is detected by the semicircular canals
List the structures of the auditory pathway, from where sound enters the pinna to the auditory projection areas in the brain
pinna –> external auditory canal –> tympanic membrane –> malleus –> incus –> stapes –> oval window –> perilymph in cochlea –> basilar membrane –> hair cells –> vestibulocochlear nerve –> brainstem –> medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) of thalamus –> auditory cortex (temporal lobe)
How does the organization of the cochlea indicate the pitch of an incoming sound?
the basilar membrane is tonotopically organized; high-pitched sounds cause vibrations at the base of the cochlea, whereas low-pitched sounds cause vibrations at the apex of the cochlea
List the structures in the olfactory pathway, from where odor molecules enter the nose to where olfactory signals project in the brain.
nostril –> nasal cavity –> olfactory chemoreceptors (olfactory nerves) on olfactory epithelium –> olfactory bulb –> olfactory tract –> higher-order brain regions, including limbic system
Both smell and taste are sensitive to chemicals. What is different about the types of chemicals each one can sense?
smell is sensitive to volatile or aerosolized compounds
taste is sensitive to dissolved compounds
What are the four main modalities of somatosensation?
pressure, vibration, pain, temperature
How is sensory information integrated in bottom-up processing?
bottom-up processing requires each component of an object to be interpreted through parallel processing and then integrated into one cohesive whole
How is sensory information integrated in top-down processing?
top-down processing starts with the whole object and, through memory, creates expectations for the components of the object
Briefly describe the Gestalt principle of proximity
components close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit
Briefly describe the Gestalt principle of similarity
components that are similar (in color, shape, size) tend to be grouped together
Briefly describe the Gestalt principle of good continuation
components that appear to follow in the same pathway tend to be grouped together; abrupt changes in form are less likely that continuation of the same pattern
Briefly describe the Gestalt principle of subjective contours
edges or shapes that are not actually present can be implied by the surrounding objects (especially if good continuation is present)
Briefly describe the Gestalt principle of closure
a space enclosed by a contour tends to be perceived as a complete figure; such figures tend to be perceived as more complete (or closed) than the really are
Briefly describe the Gestalt principle of prägnanz
perceptual organization will always be as regular, simple, and symmetric as possible
What is associative learning?
the creation of a pairing, or association, either between two stimuli or between a behavior and a response
two types of associative learning: classical and operant conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
a type of associative learning that takes advantage of biological, instinctual responses to create associations between two unrelated stimuli (Pavlov’s dogs)
What is operant conditioning?
it examines the ways in which consequences of voluntary behaviors change the frequency of those behaviors
What are positive reinforcers?
they increase the frequency of a behavior by adding a positive consequence or incentive following the desired behavior
What are negative reinforcers?
they increase the frequency of a behavior, but they do so by removing something unpleasant (taking an aspirin to reduce a headache)
can be subdivided into escape learning and avoidance learning
What is escape learning?
describes a situation where the animal experiences the unpleasant stimulus and, in response, displays the desired behavior in order to trigger the removal of the stimulus
What is avoidance learning?
occurs when the animal displays the desired behavior in anticipation of the unpleasant stimulus, thereby avoiding the unpleasant stimulus
What is observational learning?
the process of learning a new behavior or gaining information by watching others
What is encoding?
the process of putting new information into memory
What are the different types of encoding?
visual encoding: visualize information
acoustic encoding: store the way it sounds
elaborative encoding: link it to knowledge that is already in memory
semantic encoding: put it into meaningful context
(semantic encoding is the strongest and visual encoding is the weakest)
What is sensory memory?
the most fleeting kind of memory storage, which preserves information in its original sensory form (auditory, visual, etc) with high accuracy and lasts only a very short time, generally less than one second
What are the two types of long-term memory?
implicit memory: consists of our skills, habits, and conditioned responses, none of which need to be consciously recalled
explicit memory: consists of those memories that require conscious recall
In what ways is maintenance rehearsal different from elaborative rehearsal?
maintenance rehearsal is the repetition of information to keep it within short-term memory for near-immediate use. Elaborative rehearsal is the association of information to other stored knowledge and is a more effective way to move information from short-term to long-term memory.
What is neuroplasticity and how does it change during life?
neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to form new connections rapidly. The brain is most plastic in young children, and plasticity quickly drops off after childhood
What is the term for removing weak neural connections?
pruning
What is the term for strengthening memory connections through increased neurotransmitter release and receptor density?
long-term potentiation