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AP Psychology > Biological Bases of Behavior > Flashcards

Biological Bases of Behavior Flashcards

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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
Q

Amygdala

A

Influences aggression, fear, and self-protection.

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26
Q

Hippocampus

A

Enables formation of long-term memories.

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27
Q

Association areas

A

Areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in thinking, planning, and communicating.

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28
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

Center for higher-order processes such as thinking, planning, judgement, receiving sensory information, and directing movement.

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29
Q

Occipital lobes

A

Processes visual information.

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30
Q

Parietal lobes

A

Processes sensory information including touch, temperature, and pain.

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31
Q

Frontal lobes

A

Interprets/controls emotional behaviors, makes decisions, carries out plans, initiates movement, and produces speech.

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32
Q

Temporal lobes

A

Hearing, understanding language/music, processing smell.

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33
Q

Aphasia

A

Impairment of understanding/using language.

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34
Q

Glial cells

A

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.

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35
Q

Neuron

A

Basic unit and structure and function of your nervous system.

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36
Q

Cell body

A

Directs synthesis of neurotransmitters.

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37
Q

Dendrites

A

Receives information from receptor sites.

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38
Q

Axon

A

Transmits action potentials.

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39
Q

Myelin sheath

A

Speeds up conduction of action potentials.

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40
Q

Terminal buttons

A

Secretes neurotransmitters when stimulated by an action potential.

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41
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

Chemical messengers released by the terminal buttons of presynaptic neurons into the synapse.

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42
Q

Acetylcholine

A

Causes contraction of skeletal muscles, helps regulate heart muscles, memory, and messages between the brain and spinal cord. Lack of it causes Alzheimer’s.

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43
Q

Dopamine

A

Synthesizes hormones, alertness, attention, and movement. Lack of it causes Parkinson’s and too much of it causes schizophrenia.

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44
Q

Glutamate

A

Stimulates brain cells, memory formation, and information processing.

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45
Q

Serotonin

A

Associated with arousal, sleep, appetite, moods, and emotions. Lack of it causes depression.

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46
Q

Endorphin

A

Relieves pain and controls pleasure.

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47
Q

GABA

A

Inhibits firing of postsynaptic neurons. Malfunctions cause Huntington’s disease and seizures.

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48
Q

Action potential

A

Firing of a neuron that rapidly changes potential when stimulation reaches threshold.

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49
Q

All-or-none principle

A

The neuron either generates an action potential when the stimulation reaches threshold or doesn’t fire when below threshold.

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50
Q

Nodes of Ranvier

A

Spaces between segments of myelin on the axons of neutrons.

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51
Q

Saltatory conduction

A

Rapid conduction of impulses when the axon is myelinated.

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52
Q

Synapse

A

Region of communication between the transmitting presynaptic neuron and receiving postsynaptic neuron, muscle, gland, etc.

53
Q

Excitatory neurotransmitter

A

Chemical that causes action potentials.

54
Q

Inhibitory neurotransmitter

A

Chemical that reduces/prevents neural impulses in postsynaptic dendrites.

55
Q

Reflex

A

Simplest form of behavior.

56
Q

Reflex arc

A

Path over which reflexes travel.

57
Q

Sensory receptor

A

Initiates action potentials.

58
Q

Afferent neuron

A

Transmits impulses from receptors to the brain/spinal cord.

59
Q

Interneuron

A

Transmits impulses between sensory and motor neurons.

60
Q

Efferent neuron

A

Transmits impulses from sensory/interneurons to muscle cells.

61
Q

Effector

A

Muscle cell that contracts.

62
Q

Endocrine system

A

Secrete hormones directly into the blood, regulating body and behavioral processes.

63
Q

Hormone

A

Travels through the blood to receptor sites.

64
Q

Pineal gland

A

Produces melatonin that regulates circadian rhythms.

65
Q

Hypothalamus

A

Portion of brain that produces hormones.

66
Q

Pituitary gland

A

Produces stimulating hormones.

67
Q

Thyroid gland

A

Produces thyroxine, which stimulates and maintains metabolic activities.

68
Q

Parathyroids

A

Produces parathyroid hormones, which maintain calcium ion levels in blood for neuron functioning.

69
Q

Adrenal glands

A

Produces steroid hormones.

70
Q

Pancreas

A

Secretes insulin and glucagon, which regulates blood sugar.

71
Q

Ovaries and testes

A

Produces hormones for reproduction and sex development.

72
Q

Evolutionary psychologists

A

Studies how natural selection favors behaviors that contribute to survival and reproduction.

73
Q

Behavioral geneticists

A

Studies how genes and environment affect mental ability, emotional stability, temperament, etc.

74
Q

Zygote

A

Fertilized egg

75
Q

Identical twins

A

Develop from the same zygote.

76
Q

Fraternal twins

A

Develop from two different zygotes.

77
Q

Heritability

A

Proportion of variation among individuals.

78
Q

Gene

A

DNA segments of chromosomes that determine traits.

79
Q

Chromosome

A

Structure in the nucleus of cells that contain genes of DNA sequences.

80
Q

Turner syndrome

A

Females with only one X sex chromosome; short, often sterile, struggle with calculations.

81
Q

Klinefelter’s syndrome

A

Males with XXY sex chromosomes.

82
Q

Down syndrome

A

Three copies of chromosome 21; intellectual disability, round head, flat nasal bridge.

83
Q

Genotype

A

Genetic makeup of someone.

84
Q

Phenotype

A

Expression of genes.

85
Q

Homozygous

A

When both genes for a trait are the same.

86
Q

Heterozygous

A

When genes for a trait are different.

87
Q

Dominant gene

A

The gene expressed when the genes for a trait are different.

88
Q

Recessive gene

A

The gene hidden when the genes for a trait are different.

89
Q

Tay-Sachs syndrome

A

Recessive trait that produces progressive loss of nervous function and death in a baby.

90
Q

Albinism

A

Recessive trait that produces lack of pigment, quivering eyes, and inability to perceive depth.

91
Q

Phenylketonuria

A

Recessive trait that produces severe, irreversible brain damage unless the baby is fed a special diet.

92
Q

Huntington’s disease

A

Dominant gene that degrades the nervous system through tremors, jerky motions, blindness, and death.

93
Q

Sex-linked traits

A

Recessive X chromosome genes with no corresponding Y chromosome genes resulting in expression of recessive traits.

94
Q

Color blindness

A

An individual can’t see certain colors.

95
Q

Consciousness

A

Awareness of the outside world and ourselves.

96
Q

Attention

A

State of focused awareness.

97
Q

Preconscious

A

Feelings and memories that can easily be brought to conscious awareness.

98
Q

Unconscious

A

Unacceptable feelings, wishes, and thoughts not directly available to conscious awareness.

99
Q

Nonconscious

A

Processes completely inaccessible to conscious awareness.

100
Q

Dual processing

A

Processing information on conscious and unconscious levels at the same time.

101
Q

Hypothalamus

A

Controls your biological clock, regulates changes in blood pressure, body temperature, pulse, etc.

102
Q

Circadian rhythm

A

Daily patterns of change.

103
Q

Reticular formation

A

Neural network in the medulla and pons essential to sleep, wakefulness, arousal, and attention.

104
Q

Sleep

A

Combination of states of consciousness.

105
Q

NREM-1 sleep

A

Gradual loss of responsiveness to outside, drifting thoughts and images; shows theta waves.

106
Q

NREM-2 sleep

A

50% of sleeping; shows high-frequency sleep spindles and K-complexes.

107
Q

NREM-3 sleep

A

Beginning of deep sleep, muscles relax, heart rate slows, lowered temperature; shows delta waves.

108
Q

REM sleep

A

Eyes dart around, 80% dreaming.

109
Q

NREM sleep

A

Sleep stages 1 through 3 without rapid eye movement.

110
Q

Insomnia

A

Inability to fall asleep.

111
Q

Narcolepsy

A

Sudden and uncontrollable lapse into sleep.

112
Q

Sleep apnea

A

Temporary cessations of breathing during sleep.

113
Q

Night terrors

A

Screams and intense fear in children during NREM-3 sleep.

114
Q

Sleepwalking

A

Children walking during NREM-3 sleep.

115
Q

Manifest content

A

Remembered storyline of a dream.

116
Q

Latent content

A

Underlying meaning of a dream.

117
Q

Activation-synthesis theory

A

During REM sleep, the brainstem stimulates the forebrain with random neural activity interpreted as a dream.

118
Q

Cognitive information processing theory

A

Dreams are interplays of brain waves and psychological functioning of interpretive parts of the mind.

119
Q

Daydreaming

A

State with focus on inner, private realities.

120
Q

Hypnosis

A

State with deep relaxation and heightened suggestibility.

121
Q

Meditation

A

Set of techniques used to focus concentration away from thoughts and feelings to grow calm.

122
Q

Psychoactive drug

A

A chemical that passes through the blood-brain barrier to alter perception, thinking, behavior, and mood.

123
Q

Depressants

A

Reduces activity of central nervous system and induces sleep.

124
Q

Narcotics

A

Depresses the central nervous system, relieves pain, and induces feelings of euphoria.

125
Q

Stimulants

A

Activates motivational centers, reduces activity in inhibitory centers of sensory input.

126
Q

Hallucinogens

A

Distorts perceptions and evokes sensory images without imput.

127
Q

Psychological dependence

A

Intense desire to achieve a drugged state.

128
Q

Physiological dependence

A

Blood chemistry changes from taking a drug to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

129
Q

Withdrawal symptoms

A

Intense craving for drug and effects opposite to what the drugs usually induce.

AP Psychology (8 decks)

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