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Biological Correlates of Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

Temperament ( & what part of the brain is it regulated by?)

A
  • a trait that is highly heritable
  • more complex than emotions
  • is regulated by the pre-frontal cortex
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2
Q

Regulatory genes

A

Changing the expression of other genes based on eventual stimuli
- ultimately influences a person’s behaviour

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3
Q

Sensation

A

Physical stimuli -> electrical signals

a physical process

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4
Q

Perception

A

Using sensory info and pre-existing knowledge to create a functional representation of the world
(a physiological and mental process)

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5
Q

Absolute Threshold

A

Lowest intensity that can be detected

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6
Q

Difference Threshold

A

Smallest difference that can be detected

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7
Q

Weber’s Law

A

The change required to meet the difference threshold is a certain (fraction (Weber fraction ) of the originally presented stimulus
- increase in sensitivity = decrease in Weber fraction

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8
Q

Signal Detection Theory

A

How an organism differentiates important or meaningful stimuli (signals) from those that are not of interest (noise)

High sensitivity: high hit rate to false alarm rate RATIO
Low sensitivity: low hit rate to false alarm rate RATIO

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9
Q

Selective Attention

A

Focusing on 1 stimulus at a time

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10
Q

Divided Attention

A

Splitting attention among multiple resources at a time

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11
Q

Bottom-up and top-down processing

A

Bottom up processing: assembling individual pieces of sensory info to construct an idea

Top down processing: using existing framework to decide which sensory input are useful (make perception more efficient)

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12
Q

Gestalt Principles

A

How we use top-down processing to differentiate FORMS (objects) from ground (background)
- also how we determine which objects belong in a group

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13
Q

Visual Processing (2 Types)

A

a) Parallel processing (highway): info all work their way to brain in parallel
b) Feature detection (border booths): specialized cells work serially to process specialized visual info

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14
Q

Alertness & what type of brain waves are emitted when you’re awake?

A
  • the extreme side of wakefulness
  • the “default” state of consciousness
  • alertness does NOT equal to wakefulness
  • brain waves: Beta waves
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15
Q

Circardian Rhythm

A
  • maintains the balance btwn sleep and wakefulness

- regulates body’s function on a PREDICTABLE schedule

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16
Q

Biological Clock

A
  • controlled by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the HYPOTHALAMUS
  • inhibits the release of melatonin by the pineal gland so you can stay awake
  • as the day progresses, the SCN firing decreases so you will feel more tired and want to sleep
  • COOL FACT: LIGHT influences the SCN to fire
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17
Q

Stages of Sleep: Stage 1

A
  • light sleep, alpha waves
  • state of wakefulness but more relaxed than fully awake state
  • this stage if favoured later on in the night
  • includes REM sleep: high brain activity. does NOT occur in the first sleep cycle but occurs in later sleep cycles; a time where you relive massive amount of stimuli that day and store memories and discard useless ones
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18
Q

Stages of Sleep: Stage 2

A
  • burst of brain wave activity that indicate a full transition into sleep
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19
Q

Stages of Sleep: Stage 3

A
  • delta waves are first seen, much longer than alpha waves

- transition into deep sleep

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20
Q

Stages of Sleep: Stage 4

A
  • deepest sleep
  • almost entirely delta waves (longest wavelength)
  • allows healing, growth, and recovery from fatigue of the day
  • this stage is favoured in the beginning of the night
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21
Q

Epigenetics

A

genetic changes that can be passed down to offspring W/O changing base pairs (eg. DNA methylation)

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22
Q

Perceiving Depth

A
  • use the difference between right and left eye
  • analyzing overlap
  • regulated by TOP-DOWN PROCESSING
  • image close to face: 2 images are far apart
  • image far away from face: 2 images are closer together
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23
Q

Constancy

A
  • when we walk towards an object, our brain knows that it is the same size despite our sensory inputs
  • regulated by top-down processing
24
Q

Insomnia

A

Problem falling or staying asleep

25
Sleep Terror
Like a nightmare but occurs in non-REM sleep (deep stages of sleep) - legs move, screaming, body moves *nightmares occur in stage 1 sleep and your body is rigid when you sleep
26
Narcolepsy
Body is unable to regulate sleep cycles | - fall into sleep while walking
27
Hyposis
Altered level of consciousness (more relaxed) | - relaxed, focused, relinquish control (follow instructions of hypnotist)
28
Meditation
Altered state of consciousness | - shift focus from day-to-day concerns
29
Agonist
- causes effect | - reuptake inhibitors: make neurotransmitters stay in the synapse, which enhances the effect on neural functioning
30
Antagonists
- prevents effect | - enzyme inhibitors: prevents breakdown of neurotransmitters that have been taken up by the presynaptic neutron
31
Stimulants
- raise level of activity in central nervous system - increase amount of neurotransmitters in synapse: eg. epinephrine, dopamine - causes you to feel more alert and energetic
32
Depressants
- decrease of activity in central nervous system | - causes you to feel relaxed and less alert
33
Hallucinogens
- NOT stimulants or depressants - alters sensory and perceptual experience - mimic body's natural neurotransmitters
34
Reward Pathway
- associated w/ increase in dopamine levels
35
Encoding happens at which stages in the memory pathway?
All of them! Incoming info -> sensory mem -> STM -> LTM
36
Short Term Memory
- involves conscious awareness
37
Long Term Memory
- storage w/o conscious awareness | - unlimited storage
38
Sensory Memory
- encoding via physical transduction | - unlimited storage
39
Working Memory
- encoding via rehearsal | - limited storage: 7 +/- 2
40
Neural Plasticity
Ability of the brain's networks of neutrons and their synapses to change - allows brain to reorganize in response to a traumatic brain injury or stroke
41
Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)
- the likelihood that presynaptic input will trigger an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron - strengthening of synaptic connections allows for long term retention of information (memory consolidation) - underlies learning and memory - allows hippocampus (which retains declarative memories) to push information into the pre frontal cortex where it can be stored as long term memory
42
Retrieval
Grabbing info from long term memory and put it into working memory for problem solving
43
Semantic Networks
Organize info in networks of meaningfully related memories
44
Spreading Activation
Activation of one memory triggers activation of related memories
45
Recall
Fill in the blanks test
46
Recognition
Multiple choice test
47
Memory Decay
- when information does not get into long term storage - weakening of the connections in the neural network that holds the memory - affects SENSORY and WORKING memory
48
Primacy and recency effects
- recall is best when you try to remember items at the beginning and end of a list
49
Retroactive Interference
Newly learned material prevents successful retrieval of related older memories
50
Proactive Interference
Old memories interfere with newly learned material
51
Memory Construction
The updating of memories via new information and experiences
52
Source Monitoring
A person attributing a memory to a particular source | - based on CREDIBILITY of source, we determine whether we think the memory is "real" or not
53
Alzheimer's Disease
- neurodegenerative disease - deposition of AMYLOID PLAQUES on extracellular proteins and formation of NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES - affects hippocampus - loss of old memory - inability to form new memories
54
Korsakoff's Syndrome
- nutrient deficiency (vit B) - damages thalamus and frontal cortex - starts w/ problematic memory formation
55
Parkinson's Disease
- neurodegenerative disease - deterioration in SUBSTANTIA NIGRA (midbrain) - impairment of motor abilities - deficiency in dopamine -

Psych (5 decks)

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