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Biological Bases of Behavior Flashcards

1
Q

Neuropsychologists

A

Explore the relationships between brain/nervous systems and behavior.

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2
Q

Lesions

A

Destruction of brain tissue, causes loss of function from surgical removal, cutting of neural connections, and destruction by chemical applications.

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3
Q

CAT scan

A

Creates images using X-rays passed through the brain to show structures of lesions.

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4
Q

MRI scan

A

Creates images using a magnetic field and pulses of radio waves that cause emission of signals that depend on the density of tissue.

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5
Q

EEG scan

A

Tracing of brain activity produced by electrodes, positioned over the scalp, transmitting signals to an electroencephalograph machine.

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6
Q

Evoked potentials

A

EEGs resulting from a response to a specific stimulus.

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7
Q

PET scan

A

Shows brain activity when radioactivity tagged glucose rushes to active neutrons and emit positrons.

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8
Q

fMRI scan

A

Shows brain activity when oxygen concentration near active neurons change magnetic qualities.

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9
Q

Central nervous system

A

Brain and spinal cord.

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10
Q

Peripheral nervous system

A

Portion of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord, control sensory and motor neurons and subdivisions of nervous systems.

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11
Q

Autonomic nervous system

A

Includes motor nerves that prepares the body for fight or flight mode.

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12
Q

Sympathetic nervous system

A

Helps your body deal with stressful events.

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13
Q

Parasympathetic nervous system

A

Calms your body following sympathetic stimulation by restoring normal body processes.

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14
Q

Somatic nervous system

A

Includes motor nerves that stimulate voluntary muscles.

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15
Q

Spinal cord

A

Portion of the central nervous system below the medulla.

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16
Q

Brain

A

Portion of the central nervous system above the spinal cord.

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17
Q

Convolutions

A

Folds in and out of the cerebral cortex that increases surface area of the brain.

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18
Q

Contralaterality

A

Controls one side of your body by the other side of your brain.

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19
Q

Medulla oblongata

A

Regulates heart rhythm, blood flow, breathing rate, digestion, and vomiting.

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20
Q

Pons

A

Portions of reticular activating system or reticular formation, critical for arousal and wakefulness. Sends information to the medulla, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex.

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21
Q

Cerebellum

A

Controls posture, equilibrium, and movement.

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22
Q

Basal ganglia

A

Initiates movement, balance, eye movement, posture, and functions in processing of implicit memories.

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23
Q

Thalamus

A

Relays visual, auditory, taste, and somatosensory information to/from the cerebral cortex.

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24
Q

Hypothalamus

A

Controls feeding, drinking, body temperature, sexual behavior, rage, activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, and secretion of hormones.

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25
Amygdala
Influences aggression, fear, and self-protection.
26
Hippocampus
Enables formation of long-term memories.
27
Association areas
Areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in thinking, planning, and communicating.
28
Cerebral cortex
Center for higher-order processes such as thinking, planning, judgement, receiving sensory information, and directing movement.
29
Occipital lobes
Processes visual information.
30
Parietal lobes
Processes sensory information including touch, temperature, and pain.
31
Frontal lobes
Interprets/controls emotional behaviors, makes decisions, carries out plans, initiates movement, and produces speech.
32
Temporal lobes
Hearing, understanding language/music, processing smell.
33
Aphasia
Impairment of understanding/using language.
34
Glial cells
Guides the growth of developing neurons, helps provide nutrition for and gets rid of wastes of neurons, forms insulating sheath around neurons that speeds conduction.
35
Neuron
Basic unit and structure and function of your nervous system.
36
Cell body
Directs synthesis of neurotransmitters.
37
Dendrites
Receives information from receptor sites.
38
Axon
Transmits action potentials.
39
Myelin sheath
Speeds up conduction of action potentials.
40
Terminal buttons
Secretes neurotransmitters when stimulated by an action potential.
41
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers released by the terminal buttons of presynaptic neurons into the synapse.
42
Acetylcholine
Causes contraction of skeletal muscles, helps regulate heart muscles, memory, and messages between the brain and spinal cord. Lack of it causes Alzheimer's.
43
Dopamine
Synthesizes hormones, alertness, attention, and movement. Lack of it causes Parkinson's and too much of it causes schizophrenia.
44
Glutamate
Stimulates brain cells, memory formation, and information processing.
45
Serotonin
Associated with arousal, sleep, appetite, moods, and emotions. Lack of it causes depression.
46
Endorphin
Relieves pain and controls pleasure.
47
GABA
Inhibits firing of postsynaptic neurons. Malfunctions cause Huntington's disease and seizures.
48
Action potential
Firing of a neuron that rapidly changes potential when stimulation reaches threshold.
49
All-or-none principle
The neuron either generates an action potential when the stimulation reaches threshold or doesn't fire when below threshold.
50
Nodes of Ranvier
Spaces between segments of myelin on the axons of neutrons.
51
Saltatory conduction
Rapid conduction of impulses when the axon is myelinated.
52
Synapse
Region of communication between the transmitting presynaptic neuron and receiving postsynaptic neuron, muscle, gland, etc.
53
Excitatory neurotransmitter
Chemical that causes action potentials.
54
Inhibitory neurotransmitter
Chemical that reduces/prevents neural impulses in postsynaptic dendrites.
55
Reflex
Simplest form of behavior.
56
Reflex arc
Path over which reflexes travel.
57
Sensory receptor
Initiates action potentials.
58
Afferent neuron
Transmits impulses from receptors to the brain/spinal cord.
59
Interneuron
Transmits impulses between sensory and motor neurons.
60
Efferent neuron
Transmits impulses from sensory/interneurons to muscle cells.
61
Effector
Muscle cell that contracts.
62
Endocrine system
Secrete hormones directly into the blood, regulating body and behavioral processes.
63
Hormone
Travels through the blood to receptor sites.
64
Pineal gland
Produces melatonin that regulates circadian rhythms.
65
Hypothalamus
Portion of brain that produces hormones.
66
Pituitary gland
Produces stimulating hormones.
67
Thyroid gland
Produces thyroxine, which stimulates and maintains metabolic activities.
68
Parathyroids
Produces parathyroid hormones, which maintain calcium ion levels in blood for neuron functioning.
69
Adrenal glands
Produces steroid hormones.
70
Pancreas
Secretes insulin and glucagon, which regulates blood sugar.
71
Ovaries and testes
Produces hormones for reproduction and sex development.
72
Evolutionary psychologists
Studies how natural selection favors behaviors that contribute to survival and reproduction.
73
Behavioral geneticists
Studies how genes and environment affect mental ability, emotional stability, temperament, etc.
74
Zygote
Fertilized egg
75
Identical twins
Develop from the same zygote.
76
Fraternal twins
Develop from two different zygotes.
77
Heritability
Proportion of variation among individuals.
78
Gene
DNA segments of chromosomes that determine traits.
79
Chromosome
Structure in the nucleus of cells that contain genes of DNA sequences.
80
Turner syndrome
Females with only one X sex chromosome; short, often sterile, struggle with calculations.
81
Klinefelter's syndrome
Males with XXY sex chromosomes.
82
Down syndrome
Three copies of chromosome 21; intellectual disability, round head, flat nasal bridge.
83
Genotype
Genetic makeup of someone.
84
Phenotype
Expression of genes.
85
Homozygous
When both genes for a trait are the same.
86
Heterozygous
When genes for a trait are different.
87
Dominant gene
The gene expressed when the genes for a trait are different.
88
Recessive gene
The gene hidden when the genes for a trait are different.
89
Tay-Sachs syndrome
Recessive trait that produces progressive loss of nervous function and death in a baby.
90
Albinism
Recessive trait that produces lack of pigment, quivering eyes, and inability to perceive depth.
91
Phenylketonuria
Recessive trait that produces severe, irreversible brain damage unless the baby is fed a special diet.
92
Huntington's disease
Dominant gene that degrades the nervous system through tremors, jerky motions, blindness, and death.
93
Sex-linked traits
Recessive X chromosome genes with no corresponding Y chromosome genes resulting in expression of recessive traits.
94
Color blindness
An individual can't see certain colors.
95
Consciousness
Awareness of the outside world and ourselves.
96
Attention
State of focused awareness.
97
Preconscious
Feelings and memories that can easily be brought to conscious awareness.
98
Unconscious
Unacceptable feelings, wishes, and thoughts not directly available to conscious awareness.
99
Nonconscious
Processes completely inaccessible to conscious awareness.
100
Dual processing
Processing information on conscious and unconscious levels at the same time.
101
Hypothalamus
Controls your biological clock, regulates changes in blood pressure, body temperature, pulse, etc.
102
Circadian rhythm
Daily patterns of change.
103
Reticular formation
Neural network in the medulla and pons essential to sleep, wakefulness, arousal, and attention.
104
Sleep
Combination of states of consciousness.
105
NREM-1 sleep
Gradual loss of responsiveness to outside, drifting thoughts and images; shows theta waves.
106
NREM-2 sleep
50% of sleeping; shows high-frequency sleep spindles and K-complexes.
107
NREM-3 sleep
Beginning of deep sleep, muscles relax, heart rate slows, lowered temperature; shows delta waves.
108
REM sleep
Eyes dart around, 80% dreaming.
109
NREM sleep
Sleep stages 1 through 3 without rapid eye movement.
110
Insomnia
Inability to fall asleep.
111
Narcolepsy
Sudden and uncontrollable lapse into sleep.
112
Sleep apnea
Temporary cessations of breathing during sleep.
113
Night terrors
Screams and intense fear in children during NREM-3 sleep.
114
Sleepwalking
Children walking during NREM-3 sleep.
115
Manifest content
Remembered storyline of a dream.
116
Latent content
Underlying meaning of a dream.
117
Activation-synthesis theory
During REM sleep, the brainstem stimulates the forebrain with random neural activity interpreted as a dream.
118
Cognitive information processing theory
Dreams are interplays of brain waves and psychological functioning of interpretive parts of the mind.
119
Daydreaming
State with focus on inner, private realities.
120
Hypnosis
State with deep relaxation and heightened suggestibility.
121
Meditation
Set of techniques used to focus concentration away from thoughts and feelings to grow calm.
122
Psychoactive drug
A chemical that passes through the blood-brain barrier to alter perception, thinking, behavior, and mood.
123
Depressants
Reduces activity of central nervous system and induces sleep.
124
Narcotics
Depresses the central nervous system, relieves pain, and induces feelings of euphoria.
125
Stimulants
Activates motivational centers, reduces activity in inhibitory centers of sensory input.
126
Hallucinogens
Distorts perceptions and evokes sensory images without imput.
127
Psychological dependence
Intense desire to achieve a drugged state.
128
Physiological dependence
Blood chemistry changes from taking a drug to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
129
Withdrawal symptoms
Intense craving for drug and effects opposite to what the drugs usually induce.

AP Psychology (8 decks)

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