CH1: What is Behavioral Neuroscience Flashcards
The human brain has evolved and grown to about (blank) pounds
three
The human brain has (blank) neuron making 100 trillion connections
80
Human brain is involved in most (blank)
bodily processes
1990s is deemed as the (blank)
decade of the brain
- Period of intense research and awareness
- New understanding of neurological diseases, emotional disorders, and addictions
What is behavioral neuroscience?
A study of the relationships between behavior and the body, specifically the brain
What is behavior?
Both overt (external) and covert (internal) events
What does overt mean?
making a sound, move a particular way
What does covert mean?
learning, thinking, and emotion
What is dualism?
The idea that the mind and brain are seaparate
What is monism?
The idea that the mind and body consist of the same substance
What is materialistic monism?
The view that the body and mind and everything else are physical
What is a model?
A proposed mechanism for how something works
What is empiricism?
Gathering information through observation
What does localization refer to?
Specific areas of the brain carry out specific functions
What is phrenology?
35 different faculties of emotion, intellect found in precise areas of the brain
What is equipotentiality?
The brain can function as an undifferentiated whole
What does nature versus nurture refer to?
An ongoing debate about how important heredity is relative to environmental influences in shaping behavior
What is gene?
The biological unit that directs cellular processes and transmits inherited characteristics
What is DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid. Double-stranded double helix chain of chemical molecules
What is a zygote?
A fertilized egg which undergoes rapid cell division and development on its way to becoming a functioning organism
Each parent contributes (blank) amount of chromosomes
23
What is an embryo?
New organism as it develops over first 8 weeks
What is a fetus?
Organism at developmental stage between 8 weeks and birth
What is alleles?
Different versions of a gene
What is a dominant allele?
Produces effect regardless of which allele it is paired with
What is a recessive allele?
Has influence only when paired with the same allele
What does heterozygous mean?
Two alleles are different
What does homozygous mean?
two identical alleles
What is a phenotype?
An observable characteristic
What is a genotype?
A combinations of alleles
What is X-linked?
A characteristic produced by an unpaired gene on the X-chromosome
What is polygenic?
Characteristics determined by several genes
What is a genome?
All the genes in our chromosomes
What is the human genome project?
A project with the goal to map the location of all the genes on the human chromosomes
What is gene expression?
Translation of encoded information into production of proteins
What is natural selection?
Those whose genes endow them with more adaptive traits are more likely to survive and reproduce
What is heritability?
Percentage of the variation in a characteristic attributed to genetic factors
What is vulnerability?
Genes contribute to predisposition for a disorder
