biological

Question 1

Artifacts

Answer 1

something observed in a scientific investigation or experiment that is not naturally present but occurs as a result of the investigative procedure.

Question 2

Bidirectional ambiguity

Answer 2

A problem with correlational research. We cannot be sure whether variable A causes a change in variable B or vice versa. It could also be that there is no cause-and-effect relationship in either direction, but that it is interactive or caused by another, underdetermined “third variable.”

Question 3

Cross-sectional design

Answer 3

Comparing two or more groups on a particular variable at a specific time. The opposite is a longitudinal design where the researcher measures a change in an individual over time.

Question 4

Domino causality

Answer 4

cause and effect relationships where the effects become causes and there is a sequential unfolding of effects over time.

Question 5

Double-blind testing

Answer 5

an experimental procedure in which neither the researcher doing the study nor the participants know the specific type of treatment each participant receives until after the experiment is over; a double-blind procedure is used to guard against both experimenter bias and placebo effects.

Question 6

fMRI

Answer 6

functional magnetic resonance imaging

shows brain activity

participants perform tasking when undergoing the scan
sees at how chemical messengers affect brain activity

Question 7

Longitudinal study

Answer 7

research over a period of time using observations, interviews or psychometric testing. (Similar to a repeated measures design in an experiment).

Question 8

Meta-analysis

Answer 8

Pooling data from multiple studies of the same research question to arrive at one combined answer.

Question 9

MRI

Answer 9

Magnetic Resonance Imaging: shows brain structures, by measuring hydrogen nuclei in the scanned area
can show -
size
grey matter volume
brain damage
tumor

may be loud and distressing, inexpensive and less invasive

Question 10

Placebo effect

Answer 10

a beneficial effect produced by a placebo drug or treatment, which cannot be attributed to the properties of the placebo itself, and must, therefore, be due to the patient’s belief in that treatment.

feel improvements after treatment without real effect-belief of effician

Question 11

Prospective research

Answer 11

A study that attempts to find a correlation between two variables by collecting data early in the life of participants and then continuing to test them over a period of time to measure change and development.

Question 12

Reductionist approach

Answer 12

analyzes a complex behavior by studying the simplest, most basic mechanisms that are believed to be responsible for the behavior.

Question 13

Retrospective research

Answer 13

A study of an individual after an important change or development. For example, the study of a person after a stroke. This requires the research to “reconstruct” the life of the individual prior to the event.

Question 14

Single-blind testing

Answer 14

an experiment in which the researchers know which participants are receiving treatment and which are not; however, the participants do not know which condition they are in.

Question 15

Triangulation

Answer 15

Using multiple data sources, multiple researchers, or multiple research methods in an investigation to reach a richer understanding of a behavior or cognitive process.

Question 16

Acetylcholine

Answer 16

The most common neurotransmitter. Acetylcholine receptor sites are found in the hippocampus. It appears that acetylcholine plays a key role in memory consolidation from STM to LTM.

Question 17

Adrenaline

Answer 17

Also called epinephrine, adrenaline is secreted by the adrenal glands and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, and prepares the body for fight or flight.

Question 18

Agonist

Answer 18

a chemical or a drug that binds to receptors in the brain and causes a reaction. Agonists can occur naturally in the body as neurotransmitters (endogenous agonists) or come from exterior sources like drugs and toxins (exogenous agonists).

Question 19

Amygdala

Answer 19

Part of the limbic system, this part of the brain is believed to play a key role in emotion and memory. In addition, there is evidence that it plays a role in aggression, sexual orientation, trust, and alcoholism.

Question 20

Antagonist

Answer 20

A chemical or drug that binds to receptors in the brain and prevents a neurotransmitter from having an effect on behavior. For example, scopolamine is an antagonist for acetylcholine.

Question 21

Concordance rate

Answer 21

the probability that the same trait will be present in both members of a pair of twins.

Question 22

Dizygotic twins

Answer 22

The clinical term for fraternal twins; this occurs when two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterus wall at the same time. When two eggs are independently fertilized by two different sperm cells, fraternal twins result. The genetic similarity is the same as any other siblings.

Question 23

Dopamine

Answer 23

A neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine also helps regulate emotional responses. Dopamine deficiency results in Parkinson’s Disease and people with a lower number of dopamine receptor sites may be more prone to addiction.

Question 24

Epigenetics

Answer 24

A branch of genetics that focuses on “gene expression” - that is, how environmental factors may “activate” genes.

Question 25

Equal environment fallacy

Answer 25

the assumption that environments for identical twins are not more similar than the environments of fraternal twins

environment similarity with twins does not have impact on similar traits

Question 26

Excitatory function

Answer 26

When a neurotransmitter increases the likelihood that the neuron will fire an action potential. This depends on the receptor site. Many neurotransmitters are excitatory when they act on some receptor sites, and inhibitory when they act on others.

Question 27

Family studies

Answer 27

Researchers trace a phenotype over several generations in a family tree to determine the likelihood that a behavior is inherited

observephenotype over generations, to determine likelihood of inherience

Question 28

Fight or flight response

Answer 28

a physiological reaction that occurs in response to perceived harm or threat to survival. It is triggered by the sympathetic nervous system activation that innervates the adrenal medulla, producing a hormonal cascade that results in the secretion of glucocorticoids. The animal is then reading for fighting or fleeing. This response is recognized as the first stage of Seyle’s General Adaptation Syndrome.

Question 29

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)

Answer 29

an examination of a genome-wide set of genetic variants in a large sample of individuals to see if any variant is associated with a trait.

Question 30

Hippocampus

Answer 30

Part of the limbic system, this part of the brain appears to play a key role in the consolidation of memory from short-term to long-term, as well as play a role in spatial navigation. There are several acetylcholine receptor sites in the hippocampus. Hippocampal cell loss plays a role in dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease.

Question 31

Hormone

Answer 31

A chemical released by a gland directly into the bloodstream which has an effect on behavior.

Question 32

HPA axis

Answer 32

a complex set of interactions between two parts of the brain-the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands-and the adrenal glands that are located at the top of each kidney. This is the basis of the human stress response.

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

Question 33

Human Genome Project

Answer 33

the international, collaborative research program whose goal was the complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings. All our genes together are known as our “genome.”

Question 34

Inhibitory function

Answer 34

When a neurotransmitter decreases the likelihood that the neuron will fire an action potential. This depends on the receptor site. Many neurotransmitters are inhibitory when they act on some receptor sites, and excitatory when they act on others. For example, serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter when it is involved in emotion and mood, but excitatory in sleep and wakefulness.

Question 35

Linkage analysis

Answer 35

examine the inheritance pattern of DNA markers within families to determine if there is a relationship between a particular region of the genome and a phenotype of interest

Matching genetic variations (polymorphisms) with the frequency of a behavior

Question 36

Monozygotic twins

Answer 36

The clinical term for identical twins; they share 100% of their DNA.

Question 37

Natural selection

Answer 37

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring

Question 38

Neural network

Answer 38

Usually called a neural circuit, a group of neurons interconnected by synapses to carry out a specific function when activated.

Question 39

Neural pruning

Answer 39

Usually referred to as synaptic pruning refers to the process by which extra neurons and synaptic connections are eliminated in order to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmissions.

Question 40

Neuroplasticity

Answer 40

the brain’s ability to alter its own structure following changes within the body or in the external environment.

Question 41

Neurotransmitter

Answer 41

A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that carries signals between neurons. Neurotransmitters are released from the terminal buttons at the end of an axon after the action potential has sent an electrical charge down the neuron. The neurotransmitter then crosses the synaptic gap to reach the receptor site on another neuron.

Question 42

Nucleus Accumbens

Answer 42

A section of the basal forebrain, the nucleus accumbens plays a key role in addiction, pleasure, reinforcement learning, aggression, impulsivity, and the placebo effect. The nucleus accumbens has a significant number of dopamine receptors.

Question 43

Permissive effect

Answer 43

When the mere presence of the hormone allows for a behavior, rather than the amount of the hormone. In the case of testosterone, Sapolsky argues that it is not how much testosterone an animal has that determines whether it is aggressive, it is whether they have testosterone.

Question 44

Pheromone

Answer 44

a chemical substance produced and released into the environment by an animal affecting the behavior or physiology of others of its own species.

Question 45

Polymorphism

Answer 45

a genetic variation (mutation) resulting in the occurrence of several different forms or types of individuals among the members of a single species

multiple behavioral or physical types

Question 46

Reuptake

Answer 46

The reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by the terminal buttons of the pre-synaptic neuron after it has performed its function of transmitting a neural impulse. This prevents further activity of the neurotransmitter. Prozac is an SSRI - that is, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, allowing more serotonin to remain in the synaptic gap.

Question 47

Selective placement

Answer 47

a limitation of adoption studies in which children are placed with families that are very similar to the original family.

Question 48

Sexual selection

Answer 48

natural selection arising through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the other sex

Question 49

Testosterone

Answer 49

The male sex hormone. Secreted by the testes in males and the ovaries in females.

Question 50

Transgenic mice

Answer 50

a mouse that has had a single gene changed or removed

Question 51

Diathesis-stress model

theory

Answer 51

attempts to explain a disorder as the result of an interaction between stress lifevents and a vulnerability

Question 52

Genetic vulnerability

theory

Answer 52

An underlying inherited susceptibility - that is, the theory that you may have genes that may make you more likely to have certain traits if those genes are exposed to the appropriate environmental stressors.

Question 53

Localization of function

theory

Answer 53

The theory that specific behaviors may have their origin in specific parts of the brain.