Behavioral Sciences Chapter 1: Biology and Behavior

Question 1

Define neuropsychology

Answer 1

neuropsychology is the study of the connection between the nervous system and behavior. It most often focuses on the functions of various brain regions.

Question 2

What are the three types of neurons in the nervous system?

Answer 2

sensory (afferent), motor (efferent), and interneurons

Question 3

Define reflex arcs

Answer 3

Use the ability of the interneurons in the spinal cord to relay information to the source of stimuli while simultaneously routing it to the brain.

Question 4

What are the two parts of the nervous system?

Answer 4

Central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)

& peripheral nervous system (cranial and spinal nerves)

Question 5

What are the branches of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 5

Somatic (voluntary)

Autonomic (automatic)

Question 6

What are the branches of the autonomic system?

Answer 6

Parasympathetic (rest-and-digest)

Sympathetic (fight-or-flight)

Question 7

What are the three subdivisions of the brain?

Answer 7

Hindbrain (cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular formation)
Midbrain (inferior and superior colliculi)
Forebrain (thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system and cerebral cortex)

Question 8

What does the thalamus do?

Answer 8

relay station for sensory information

Question 9

What does the hypothalamus do?

Answer 9

The hypothalamus maintains homeostasis and integrates with the endocrine system through the hypophyseal portal system that connects it to the anterior pituitary.

Question 10

What does the basal ganglia do?

Answer 10

It smoothens movements and helps maintain postural stability.

Question 11

What does the limbic system contain? control?

Answer 11

It contains the septal nuclei, amygdala, and hippocampus. It controls emotion and memory.

Question 12

What do the septal nuclei do?

Answer 12

They are involved with feelings of pleasure, pleasure-seeking behavior and addiction

Question 13

What does the amygdala control?

Answer 13

fear and aggression

Question 14

What does the hippocampus do?

Answer 14

consolidates memories and communicates with other parts of the limbic system through an extension called the fornix

Question 15

What are the 4 lobes that the cerebral cortex is divided into?

Answer 15

frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital and temporal

Question 16

What does the frontal lobe control?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What does the parietal lobe control?

Answer 17

sensations of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain, spacial processing, orientation & manipulation.

Question 18

What does the occipital lobe control?

Answer 18

Visual processing

Question 19

What does the temporal lobe control?

Answer 19

sound processing, speech perception, memory and emotion

Question 20

What are neurotransmitters?

Answer 20

They are released by neurons to carry a signal to another neuron or effector.

Question 21

What is acetylcholine?

Answer 21

NEUROTRANSMITTER - used by the somatic nervous system (to move muscles), the parasympathetic nervous system, and the central nervous system (for alertness)

Question 22

What is dopamine?

Answer 22

NEUROTRANSMITTERS - maintains smooth movements and steady posture

Question 23

What are endorphins and enkephalins?

Answer 23

NEUROTRANSMITTERS - They act as natural painkillers.

Question 24

What are epinephrine and norepinephrine?

Answer 24

NEUROTRANSMITTERS - maintain wakefulness and alertness and mediate fight-or-flight responses. Epinephrine tends to act as a hormone and norepinephrine tends to act as a neurotransmitter.

Question 25

What is Y-aminobutyric acid?

Answer 25

NEUROTRANSMITTERS - Acts as a brain stabilizer

Question 26

What is serotonin?

Answer 26

NEUROTRANSMITTERS - Modulates mood, sleep patters, eating patterns, and dreaming

Question 27

What is cortisol?

Answer 27

HORMONE - stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex

Question 28

What are testosterone and estrogen?

Answer 28

HORMONE - mediate libido, testosterone also increases aggressive behavior. Both are released by the adrenal cortex. In males the testes also produce testosterone and the ovaries also produce estrogen.

Question 29

What are epinephrine and norepinephrine?

Answer 29

HORMONES - released by the adrenal medulla and cause physiological changes associated with the sympathetic nervous system

Question 30

What is neurulation?

Answer 30

Notochord stimulates overlying ectoderm to fold over creating a neural tube topped with neural crest cells

Question 31

What does the neural tube develop into?

Answer 31

The central nervous system

Question 32

What does the neural crest develop into?

Answer 32

Spread throughout the body, differentiating into many different tissues

Question 33

What are all the primitive reflexes?

Answer 33

rooting reflex, moro reflex, babinski reflex, grasping reflex

Question 34

What is the rooting reflex?

Answer 34

the infant turns his or her head toward anything that brushes the cheek

Question 35

What is the Moro reflex?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

What is the Babinski reflex?

Answer 36

the big toe is extended and the other toes fan in response to the brushing of the sole of the foot.

Question 37

What is the grasping reflex?

Answer 37

The infant grabs anything put into his or her hand

Question 38

How do gross and fine motor skills progress?

Answer 38

head to toe and core to periphery

Question 39

How do social skills progress?

Answer 39

From parent-oriented to self-oriented to other-oriented

Question 40

How do language skills progress?

Answer 40

become increasingly complex

Question 41

Motor neurons transmit information

Answer 41

From the brain to the body

Question 42

Sensory neurons transmit information

Answer 42

From the receptors to the brain