Biological Psychology

Question 1

Whose arguments is evolutionary psychology based off of and who created the theory of evolution?

Answer 1

Charles Darwin

Question 2

What is natural selection?

Answer 2

Small, inherited variations that all organisms arise and develop through to increase their capability to survive

Question 3

What is fitness in an organism?

Answer 3

The attribute concerned with better reproductive success that depends on an organism’s ability to compete, survive, and reproduce.

Question 4

What two developments in human evolution are roles of natural selection?

Answer 4

1. Encephalization - increase in brain size
2. Bipedalism - the ability to walk upright on two feet

Question 5

What is the study of genetics?

Answer 5

The study of heredity and genes

Question 6

Each of our cells contains enduring messages from our biological genetic code. Where are these messages found?

Answer 6

Chromosomes

Question 7

What material in an organism is heredity determined by?

Answer 7

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Question 8

What are the “recipes” for protein synthesis?

Answer 8

Genes

Question 9

What is the total set of genetic material called?

Answer 9

Genome

Question 10

What is the term used for the study of heritable changes in gene function that happen without the DNA sequence changing?

Answer 10

Epigenetics

Question 11

How many chromosomes do humans have?

Answer 11

23 pairs (excluding sex cells)

Question 12

What is our genotype and what is our phenotype?

Answer 12

Genotype - the set of genes we have
Phenotype - the observable traits we have

Question 13

Scientists use three types of designs to estimate the heritability of traits. What are they?

Answer 13

1. Family studies
2. Twin studies
3. Adoption studies

Question 14

About how many neurons are in the brain, and how many connections are between them?

Answer 14

About 100 billion neurons, with 160 billion connections between them

Question 15

What are neurons?

Answer 15

Nerve cells specialized in communication with each other

Question 16

What are neurotransmitters?

Answer 16

Chemical messengers that allow neurons to communicate with each other

Question 17

What is resting potential and what is action potential?

Answer 17

Resting potential: When there aren’t neurotransmitters acting on a neuron
Action potential: Occurs when there’s enough of change in the neuron (threshold)

Question 18

How do neurons respond to neurotransmitters?

Answer 18

They generate electrical activity

Question 19

What is action potential?

Answer 19

Abrupt waves of electric discharge triggered by a change in the axon, the “firing” of the neuron

Question 20

About how many times per second do neurons fire during action potential?

Answer 20

100 to 1000 times

Question 21

What type of communication is INSIDE neurons and what type of communication is BETWEEN neurons?

Answer 21

Electrical communication IN neurons, chemical communication BETWEEN neurons

Question 22

What are the 2 most common types of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system and what are they associated with?

Answer 22

Glutamate and GABA - associated with learning and memory

Question 23

What type of neuropeptide, a type of neurotransmitter, affects pain reduction?

Answer 23

Endorphins

Question 24

What do anandamides (a type of neurotransmitter) influence?

Answer 24

Eating, motivation, memory, sleep

Question 25

Which neurotransmitter is associated with brain arousal, hunger, and sleep?

Answer 25

Norepinephrine

Question 26

What type of neurotransmitter is responsible for motor function and reward?

Answer 26

Dopamine

Question 27

What neurotransmitter is responsible for mood, temperature regulation, aggression, and sleep cycles?

Answer 27

Serotonin

Question 28

How many amino acids do monoamines have?

Answer 28

One

Question 29

What are psychoactive drugs?

Answer 29

Drugs that interact with neurotransmitters

Question 30

What are the two different types of psychoactive drugs and what is the difference between them?

Answer 30

Agonists - enhance receptor site activity Antagonists - decrease receptor activity

Question 31

What is the ability of our nervous system to change called?

Answer 31

Neural plasticity

Question 32

Neurons change in four ways during development. What are they?

Answer 32

1. Growth of dendrites and axons 2. Synaptogenesis 3. Pruning 4. Myelination

Question 33

What are the names of the nervous systems in the human body?

Answer 33

Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Question 34

The CNS is made of what two body parts?

Answer 34

1. Brain 2. Spinal cord

Question 35

The PNS contains two systems. What are they?

Answer 35

1. Somatic 2. Autonomic

Question 36

What is the purpose of the somatic system in the PNS?

Answer 36

Conveys information to the CNS for bodily movement

Question 37

What is the purpose of the autonomic system in the PNS?

Answer 37

Controls internal and involuntary organs and actions

Question 38

What are the two parts to the autonomic system in the PNS and what do they do?

Answer 38

1.Sympathetic - active during emotional arousal, meant to mobilize energy 2. Parasympathetic - controls rest after emotional arousal

Question 39

The Central Nervous System is protected by 3 layers of what?

Answer 39

Meninges

Question 40

The cerebral cortex contains 4 lobes. What are they?

Answer 40

1. Frontal lobes 2. Parietal lobe 3. Temporal lobe 4. Occipital lobe

Question 41

What is the cerebral cortex also known as?

Answer 41

The forebrain or the cerebrum

Question 42

Where is the most developed area of the human brain?

Answer 42

Cerebral cortex

Question 43

The cerebral cortex consists of two cerebral hemispheres that can communicate. What part of this area allows that?

Answer 43

Corpus callosum

Question 44

The location of Broca's area exists here, and this area of the cerebral cortex assists in motor function, language, and memory. Where is this?

Answer 44

Frontal lobes

Question 45

What is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?

Answer 45

Thinking, planning, and language

Question 46

Which lobes contain the somatosensory cortex, which is sensitive to pressure, pain and temperature?

Answer 46

Parietal lobes

Question 47

Located in the lower part of the cerebral cortex, which lobes play a role in hearing and understanding language?

Answer 47

Temporal lobes

Question 48

Located in the temporal lobes, what is the Wernicke's area responsible for?

Answer 48

Speech comprehension

Question 49

Located at the back of the brain, which lobes are specialized for vision?

Answer 49

Occipital lobes

Question 50

Where is the emotional centre of the brain?

Answer 50

Limbic system

Question 51

What are 4 major parts of the limbic system and what do they do?

Answer 51

1. Hypothalamus - regulates and controls internal bodily states 2. Thalamus - relays information from the sense organs to the primary sensory cortex 3. Amygdala - plays a key role in fear, excitement, and arousal 4. Hippocampus - plays a role in spacial memory

Question 52

Which part of the CNS connects the cerebral cortex and spinal cord and serves as a relay system between them and the rest of the nervous system?

Answer 52

Brain stem

Question 53

The oldest part of the brain controls our most basic functions. What is this called?

Answer 53

Hindbrain

Question 54

What is the difference between sensory nerves and motor nerves?

Answer 54

Sensory nerves - carry information from the body to the brain Motor nerves - carry information from the brain to the body

Question 55

What is the endocrine system?

Answer 55

A system of glands that release hormones into the bloodstream

Question 56

What are hormones?

Answer 56

Chemical messengers that travel in the bloodstream to influence particular organs

Question 57

AKA the master gland, what is the purpose of the pituitary gland?

Answer 57

It controls the other glands in the body

Question 58

By which part of the brain is the pituitary gland controlled by?

Answer 58

Hypothalamus

Question 59

AKA the love molecule, what is oxytocin responsible for?

Answer 59

Reproductive functions, maternal and romantic love

Question 60

What are the 2 sexual reproduction glands?

Answer 60

Testes in males, ovaries in females

Question 61

What two hormones are released in the adrenal glands during states of emotional arousal and what are their purposes?

Answer 61

1. Adrenaline - boosts energy production in muscle cells and restricts it in others 2. Cortisol - regulates blood pressure and cardiovascular function

Question 62

What kind of techniques can be used to see brain structure and/or function when mapping the brain?

Answer 62

Neuroimaging techniques

Question 63

What kind of machine can measure electrical activity in the brain by the use of placing electrodes on the skull?

Answer 63

An EEG (electroencephalograph)