(BLOA) Theories Flashcards
brain study techniques
post mortem analysis
magnetic resonance imaging
functional magnetic resonance imaging
positron emission tomography
post mortem analysis
examine brain in slices to determine cause of behaviors or dysfunction when patient was alive
post mortem analysis pros and cons
pros: non invasive technique
cons: not possible to compare post mortem to living brain
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
non invasive test using a powerful magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and computers to create a scan of brain
MRI pros and cons
pros: can pinpoint exact damaged brain structure to understand behavior
cons: prone to disturbance caused by niose and human error and calibration, not always reliable
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
measures oxygenated blood flow in the brain to understand brain activity
fMRI pros and cons
pros: measures oxygenated blood in specific brain regions to connect regions and cognitive processes
cons: slow, delay leads to missing information
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
uses a radioactive tracer to measure glucose metabolism of specifc regions in the brain
PET pros and cons
pros: more sensitive than other methods, can highlight high abnormalities successfully
cons: uses radioactive tracer causing posible harm
difference between MRI & fMRI
MRI measures brain structure and fMRI measures brain function
localization of functions theory
specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific behaviors or cognitive processes
hippocampus function
in charge of transfering short term memories to long term memories
key areas of the brain
brain stem
cerebellum
crebral cortex
limbic system
brain stem function
regulating life functions such as blood pressure, breathign and heart rate
cerebellum function
key role in balance and motor functions such as speech production and learning
crebral cotext function
associated with higher brain functions such as thought and action
cerebral cortex lobes
frontal lobe
temporal lobe
parietal lobe
occipital lobe
frontal lobe function
executive functions - planning, decision making and speech
temporal lobe function
auditory processing and memory
parietal lobe function
perception of stimuli
occipital lobe function
visual processing
limbic system function (emotional brain)
major role in memory and emotion
components of limbic system
amygdala
basal ganglia
hippocampus
hypothalamus
nucleus accumbens
amygdala
emotional memory and fear responses
hypothalamus
involved in hemeostasis, emotion, thirst, hunger and control of autonomic nervous system
episodic memories
memories of autobiographical events that can be explicitly stated
semantic memories
long term memories that process ideas and concepts not from personal experience
procedural memories
long term emmeories in charge of knowing how to do things
neruplasticity
the brains ability to alter its won structure following changes within the body or exeternal environment
dentric connection
dendrites of the neruons grow in number and connect with other neurons creating new traces
synaptic plasticity
ability of neurons to modify the strenght of their connections (use it or lose it)
long term potentiation (LTP)
synapses become stronger through repeated usage
synaptic pruning
when a synapse is no longer used or is under stimulated, a way for the brain to remove synapses no longer needed
neurons
nerve cells
neuron function
send electrochemical messages to the brain to respond to stimuli
neurotransmission
process by which neurons send messages to the brain
action potential
electrical impulse that travels along the body
explain process of neurotransmission
when an action ptential travels down the axon of the neuron, it releases neurotransmitters stored in the neuron’s terminal buttons that are then released into the synapses
neurotransmitters
body’s natural chemical messages that transmit information
type of neurotransmitters
acetylcholine
dopamine
norepinephine
seretonin
acetycholine function
consslidation of memory in the hippocampus
dopamine function
conrtols the brain’s reward and pleasure systems, low levels are linked to addictive behavior
norepinephrine
arousal and alertness
seretonin
sleep, arousal elevels and emotion
inhibitory neurotransmitters
decrease the likelyhood of a neurone firing by hyperpolarizing the neuron
extatory neurotransmitters
increase the likelyhood of a neruon firing by depolarizing the neuron
hormones
class of chemicals that affect behavior, secreted by glands in the endocrine system released directly into the bloodstream
types of hormones
adrenaline
cortisol
melatonin
neuropeptide Y
oxytocin
testosterone
adrenaline
secreted by adrenal glands, responsible for fight or flight response plays a role in memory formation
cortisol
secreted by adrenal glands, helps control nlood sugar levels, regualte metabolism, reduce inflammation, assist with memory formation
melatonin
secreted by pineal glands, signals relaxation, lower body temperature
neuropeptide Y
produced by hypothalamus (acts as a neruotransmitter) stimulates food intake, reduces anxiety, stress, and pain perception
oxytocin
produced by hpypothalamus (acts as a neurotransmitter), secreted by pituitary gland, plays a role in social bonding
testosterone
secreted by testes, plays a facilitative role in aggressive behavior
hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA)
central nervous system and the endocrine system adjusting the balance of hormones in response to stress in the hypothalamus by stimulating the pituitary glands to release hormones to further cause adrenal glands to release cortisol which dumps glucose into the bloodstream to provide energy and adrenaline increases heart rate, plood pressure and respiration
pheromones
chemical substance produced and released into the environemtn by an animal affecting the behavior or physiology of ther animals in the same species
primer pheromones
cause slow long term physiological changes
signaling pheromones
produce rapid behavioral effects such as mating
potential human pheromones
androstradienone (AND)
estratetraenol (EST)
hexadecanal
androstadienone
found in male semen and sweat
estratetraenol
found in female urine
hexadecanal
emitted from newborn’s head to provoke protective instincts in caregiver
behavioral genetics
understanding how genetics and the environment contribute to indicidual variations in human behavior
diathesis - stress model
behavior is a predesposition to genetic vulnerability expressed as a result of stress from life experiences
(behavior has a genetic and biological origin)
concordance rate
probability that the same trait will be present in both memebrs of pairs of tiwnsm
monozygotic twins MZ
twins from the same fertilized egg that split into 2 embryos
dizygotic twins DZ
twins from 2 different fertilized eggs
adoption studies
investigatign similarites between the adoptee and adoptive parents, similarities with the biological parents = potential genetic inheritance, similarities with adoptive parents = environmental factors
association studies
attempting to match a candidate gene with a specific behvaior
family studies (pedigree studies)
researchers trace a phenotype over several generations in a family tree to determine the likelyhood this behavior is genetic
genome wick association studies
an examination of a genome wide set of genetic varients in a large sample to see if any variation are associated with a trait
twin studies
comparing behvaioral traits of MZ and DZ to evaluate the degree fo genetic and environemntal influence of a specifc trait
epigenetics
interaction of genetic inheritance and environmental stimuli
epigenetic theory
for a behavior to occur, genes must be ‘expressed’, genetic expression is a complex chemical reaction to environmental or psychological changes that aloow a gene to do its job
population validity
type of external validity that describes how well the sample can begeneralized to a population
natural selection theory
those who adapt best to the environment will have a greater chance of surviving, having children and passing their genes to their offsping
evolutionary psychology
as genes mutate, those that are adventageous are passed down through a process of natural selection
social competition theory
belief that media influence, social status, and other terms of competitiveness can affect our sense of self esteem and mood
