Ch. 1 - Introduction

Question 1

Cerebrum (forebrain)

Answer 1

Major structure of the forebrain that consists of two virtually identical hemispheres (left and right) and is responsible for the most conscious behavior.

Question 2

Hemisphere

Answer 2

Literally, half a sphere, referring to one side of the cerebrum.

Question 3

Brainstem

Answer 3

Central structure of the brain responsible for unconscious behaviour.

Question 4

Cerebellum

Answer 4

Major structure of the brainstem specialized for coordinating and learning skilled movements. In large-brained animals, the cerebellum may also have a role in coordinating other mental processes.

Question 5

Neuron

Answer 5

Specialized nerve cell engaged in information processing

Question 6

Spinal Cord

Answer 6

Part of the central nervous system encased within the vertebrae (spinal column) that provides most of the connections between the brain and the rest of the body

Question 7

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Answer 7

The brain and spinal cord that together mediate behaviour.

Question 8

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 8

All the neurons in the body located outside the brain and spinal cord; provides sensory and motor connections to and from the central nervous system.

Question 9

Embodied Language

Answer 9

Hypothesis that the movements we make and the movement we perceive in others are central to communication with others

Question 10

Psyche

Answer 10

Synonym of mind, an entity once proposed to be the source of human behaviour.

Question 11

Mind

Answer 11

Proposed nonmaterial entity responsible for intelligence, attention, awareness, and consciousness.

Question 12

Mentalism

Answer 12

Explanation of behavior as a function of the nonmaterial mind

Question 13

Dualism

Answer 13

Philosophical position that holds both a nonmaterial mind and a material body contribute to behavior.

Question 14

Mind-Body Problem

Answer 14

Quandary of explaining how a nonmaterial mind and a material body interact

Question 15

Materialism

Answer 15

Philosophical position that hold that behaviour can be explained as a function of the brain and the rest of the nervous system without explanatory recourse to the mind

Question 16

Natural Selection

Answer 16

Darwin’s theory for explaining how new species evolve and how existing species change over time. Differential success in the reproduction of different characteristics (phenotype) results from the interaction of organisms with their environment

Question 17

Species

Answer 17

Group of organisms that can interbreed.

Question 18

Phenotype

Answer 18

Individual characteristics that can be seen or measured.

Question 19

Genotype

Answer 19

Particular genetic makeup of an individual.

Question 20

Epigenetic

Answer 20

Differences in gene expression related to environment and experience

Question 21

Minimally Conscious State (MCS)

Answer 21

Condition in which a person can display some rudimentary behaviors, such as smiling or uttering a few words, but is otherwise not conscious.

Question 22

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Answer 22

Wound to the brain that results from a blow to the head.

Question 23

Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)

Answer 23

Condition in which a person is alive but unable to communicate or to function independently at even the most basic level.

Question 24

Clinical Trial

Answer 24

Consensual experiment directed toward developing treatment.

Question 25

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

Answer 25

Neurosurgery in which electrodes implanted in the brain stimulate a targeted area with a low-voltage electrical current to facilitate behavior.

Question 26

Common Ancestor

Answer 26

Forebearer from which two or more lineages or family groups arise and so is ancestral to both groups

Question 27

Nerve Net

Answer 27

Simple nervous system that has no brain or spinal cord but consists of neurons that receive sensory information and connect directly to other neurons that move muscles.

Question 28

Bilateral Symmetry

Answer 28

Body plan in which organs or parts present on both sides of the body are mirror images in appearance. For example, the hands are bilaterally symmetrical, whereas the heart is not

Question 29

Segmentation

Answer 29

Division into a number of parts that are similar; refers to the idea that many animals, including vertebrates, are composed of similarly organized body segments

Question 30

Ganglia

Answer 30

Collection of nerve cells that function somewhat like a brain

Question 31

Chordate

Answer 31

Animal that has both a brain and a spinal cord

Question 32

Cladogram

Answer 32

Phylogenetic tree that branches repeatedly, suggesting a taxonomy of organisms based on the time sequence in which evolutionary branches arise

Question 33

Hominid

Answer 33

General term referring to primates that walk upright, including all forms of humans, living and extinct

Question 34

Encephalization Quotient

Answer 34

Jerison’s quantitative measure od brain size obtained from the ratio of actual brain size to expected brain size, according to the principle of proper mass, for an animal of a particular body size.

Question 35

Radiator Hypothesis

Answer 35

Idea that selection for improved brain cooling through increased blood circulation in the brain of early hominid enabled the brain to grow larger

Question 36

Neoteny

Answer 36

Process in which maturation is delayed and so an adult retains infant characteristics; idea derived from the observation that newly evolved species resemble the young of their common ancestors

Question 37

Species-Typical Behaviour

Answer 37

Behavior that is characteristic of all members of a species.

Question 38

Culture

Answer 38

Learned behaviours that are passed on from one generation to the next through teaching and experience