Ch. 2- Biological Basis of Behavior Flashcards
what is the idea of the biological approach to behavior?
the idea that genes, hormones, and neurotransmitters shape a mechanical response to stimuli
what are Ekman’s universal emotions? (7)
happy, sad, contempt, surprise, fear, disgust, anger
what is the psychological approach to behavior?
looking at behavior types and patterns, via observations and controlled experiments
what is the sociological approach to behavior?
focusing on behavior, organization, and feelings of groups.
what shapes instinctual (hard-wired) behavior?
genetics
adaptive traits contribute to what aspect of an organism?
fitness, or mean lifetime reproduction
what does a heritability of 1 mean?
that ALL of the variation in that trait is purely explained by genetics
what does a heritability of 0 mean?
that ALL the variation of that trait is explained by the environment or chance
what heritability range do psychological traits tend to have
between 0.3-0.6 (there can be instances such as schizophrenia that are closer to 0.8)
A study suggests that a mutation in a serotonin transport gene promoter, 5-HTT, makes people more susceptible to depression. what idea of behavior does this align with?
gene expression influencing behavior
methylation of DNA can alter gene expression. what’s the more general term for this?
epigenetics
what is the palmar grasp reflex?
A newborn’s reflex to grab something
what is the rooting reflex?
a newborn’s reflex to search for an object that brushes against its mouth or cheek
what is the sucking reflex?
a newborn’s reflex to make sucking motions when something grazes the top of its mouth
what is the Moro reflex?
the newborn startle reflex: the baby extends its arms and legs, pulls them back in, and cries
what is the Babinski reflex?
when you stroke the bottom of a baby’s foot, the big toe bends up and the other toes fan out. this is not the same as adults, where the toes all curl downward.
when do babies start to show stranger anxiety?
at age 7-8 months
babies develop complex motor behavior, egocentricism, and identity formation at what age range?
1-2 years
what is the critical period?
a timeframe where experiences can imprint on children for life
what is adolescence?
the transition period between childhood and adulthood
what are the main points of puberty?
onset of secondary sex characteristics d/t sex hormones (testosterone and estradiol), etc.
aging happens in what stage of life?
Adulthood
aging is associated with what biological process on the level of DNA?
the shortening of telomeres (hard cap on how many times a cell can divide before dying)
how does the endocrine system influence or regulate both behavior and physiology?
by secreting hormones into the bloodstream
what are hormones that cause target cells to make a direct change in a physiological function?
direct hormones
what are hormones that cause other hormones to be released?
tropic hormones
hormones secreted towards the top of the body tend to be what kind of hormones?
regulatory (tropic) hormones
hormones secreted further down in the body tend to be what kind of hormones?
direct hormones
what endocrine organ is often called the “bridge between the endocrine and the nervous systems”?
the hypothalamus
what main hormones does the hypothalamus release?
gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which all act on the anterior pituitary gland
what is another name for the anterior pituitary gland?
adenohypophysis
what hormones are released by the anterior pituitary gland?
FLAT PEG:
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
Leutinizing hormone (LH)
Adenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
Prolactin
Endorphins
Growth hormone (GH)
what hormones are released by the posterior pituitary gland?
antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and oxytocin
what is another name for the posterior pituitary gland?
neurohypophysis
where are the thyroid and parathyroid glands located?
in the neck/throat
what hormones does the thyroid release?
thyroid hormone (has to do with metabolism) and calcitonin
what does the pancreas mediate in the body?
blood sugar levels (insulin)
where are the adrenal glands located?
above the kidneys
what segments can the adrenal glands be subdivided into?
the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla
what hormones does the adrenal cortex secrete?
steroid hormones, such as glucocorticoids and cortisol
what hormones does the adrenal medulla secrete?
epinephrine and norepinephrine
what hormones do the ovaries release?
estrogen (and progesterone)
what hormones do the testes release?
testosterone
how might testosterone and estrogen play a role in behavior?
both influence libido, secondary sex characteristics and puberty
testosterone is associated with behavior
how might oxytocin play a role in behavior?
oxytocin is a positive feedback loop hormone for uterine contraction, promotes bonding, empathy, trust. antidepressant properties
how might prolactin play a role in behavior?
induces lactation for breastfeeding, modulates stress reponse, anxiety, and depression
how might melatonin play a role in behavior?
melatonin controls the sleep/wake cycle, aka circadian rhythm.
what three hormones regulate feelings of hunger?
leptin, ghrelin, and neuropeptide Y.
what hormones mediate the flight-or-fight response?
epinephrine and norepinephrine
what hormone controls the chronic stress response?
cortisol
what are some common symptoms of hypothyroidism?
slow metabolism, low energy
what are some common symptoms of hyperthyroidism?
fast metabolism, people with it tend to be skinny.
what are reflexes?
completely automatic responses of the body
what is the normal resting membrane potential in a neuron?
-70mV
at what threshold does the membrane of a neuron depolarize enough to start a signal cascade?
-55mV
what is a signal cascade in a neuron also known as?
an action potential
what are reflex arcs?
simple neural pathways that control reflexes
are sensory neurons afferent or efferent?
afferent- they carry the signal to the central nervous system.
are motor neurons afferent or efferent?
efferent- they carry the body’s response to a stimulus to the body part.
what is an excitatory neurotransmitter?
a neurotransmitter that makes it easier for another hormone to trigger the action potential (slightly depolarizes it)
what is an inhibitory neurotransmitter?
a neurotransmitter that makes it nore difficult for another hormone to trigger the action potential (further polarizes it)
what is the role of acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter?
activating muscle contraction, involuntary movement, parasympathetic nervous system
how are glutamate and GABA related?
glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, while GABA is an inhibitory neutotransmitter.
what is the role of dopamine as a neurotransmitter?
dopamine has to do with the reward pathway, is involved in addiction, and is implicated in Parkinson’s disease.
what is the role of serotonin as a neurotransmitter?
serotonin helps regulate mood, appetite, sleep, GI tract movement, and implicated in depressive disorders.
what is the role of endorphins as neurotransmitters?
suppress pain, euphoria, etc.
what is the difference between agonists and antagonists?
agonist = binds to a neurotransmitter receptor to cause a response (may not be the actual molecule designed for that receptor)
antagonist = binds to a neurotransmitter receptor to block anything from reaching it, but does NOT cause a response
what is the central nervous system?
the brain and spinal cord
what is the peripheral nervous system?
the nervous system that doesn’t include the brain and spinal cord
what two subsections can the peripheral nervous system be split into?
the somatic nervous system and the automatic nervous system
what does the somatic nervous system do?
voluntary movement and sensory neurons
what does the autonomic nervous system do?
involuntary movement
what two subsections can the autonomic nervous system be subdivided into?
sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system
what is the sympathetic nervous system?
the fight-or-flight response
what is the parasympathetic nervous system?
the rest-and-digest response
what is the enteric nervous system?
the branch of the nervous system that is involved in regulation of the GI tract
what three larger sections can the brain be divided into?
hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain
what are the sections of the hindbrain?
the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and pons
what does the cerebellum do?
coordinated movement, balance, walking
what does the medulla oblongata do?
(autonomic functions) breathing, heartrate, blood pressure
what does the pons do?
relays signals from the medulla and cerebellum to the rest of the brain, also sleep, respiration, swallowing, taste, bladder control, balance
what processes is the midbrain involved in?
motor control, sleep and wake, temperature regulation
what substructures are in the midbrain?
inferior and superior colliculi, substantia nigra
what do the inferior and superior colliculi do?
processing auditory and visual input
what does the substantia nigra do?
dopamine-coordinated voluntary movements (implicated in Parkinson’s)
what is the brainstem made of?
the hindbrain (cerebellum, pons, medulla oblongata) and the midbrain (inferior and superior colliculi and substantia nigra) as well as the reticular activating system
what does the reticular activating system do?
modulates alertness and arousal
what two subsections is the forebrain divided into?
the diencephalon and the telencephalon
what is the diencephalon?
includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal gland, and posterior pituitary gland.
what is the telencephalon?
includes the cerebrum
what does the thalamus do?
regulates sensory and motor signals and sleep/alertness
what does the hypothalamus do?
the “bridge” between nervous and endocrine systems
what are the subsections that the cerebrum can be divided into?
the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures
cerebral cortex =?
the outer layer of the brain divided into hemispheres
subcortical structures =?
hippocampus and basal ganglia
hippocampus =?
short-term memory -> long-term memory
basal ganglia =?
misc. functions including eye + involuntary movements, procedural + habitual learning
what does the limbic system include? (4+)
hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and more
amygdala =?
episodic memory, attention, emotion
nucleus accumbens =?
reward, motivation, learning (implicated in addiction)
frontal lobe function?
voluntary movement, memory processing, planning, motivation, and attention
parietal lobe function?
sensory processing (except vision)
occipital lobe function?
processing vision
temporal lobe function?
visual memories, attaching meaning to information, and language
what is the potential 5th lobe of the brain?
the insula
Wernicke’s area =?
temporal lobe spot involved in language comprehension
Broca’s area =?
frontal lobe spot involved in language production
what is lateralization?
the brain’s separate hemispheres specializing in different functions
most people are what handedness and this corresponds to what side of the brain?
right handed = left side of the brain dominant
spinal cord contains ?
sensory and motor neurons, cerebrospinal fluid (protects)
where are the sensory and motor neurons located in the spinal cord?
SAME DAVE-
sensory afferent
motor efferent
dorsal afferent
ventral efferent
where is your cervical spine?
neck (C1-C7)
where is your thoracic spine?
upper back (T1-T12)
where is your lumbar spine?
lower back (L1-L5)
where is your sacrum?
after lower back (S1-S5) (fused in adults)
where is your coccyx?
tailbone- at the end of the spine.
what are EEG’s for?
looking at brainwaves/electrical activity in the brain
CT scan = ?
computed tomography, X-rays in 360 degrees and putting them together into a 3D view
MRI = ?
magnetic resonance imaging, spinning water molecules in the body to get an image of the inside of the body
PET scan = ?
positron emission tomography, radioactive label on glucose to make it emit positrons, positrons are detected where glucose is being used the most
fMRI =?
functional magnetic resonance imaging, tells difference between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood,
