Chapter 1 Flashcards
david chalmers
easy and hard problem of consciousness
where does perception occur
in the brain
mental activity and brain activity are inseparable (t/f)
true
monism
belief that universe consists of only one kind of substance or being
dualism
belief that mind and brain are different substances and exist independently
who advocated for dualism
rene descartes
neural diversity
everyone varies in receptors in the brain and how they respond to stimuli
physiological explanation of behavior
relates behavior to activity of brain and other organs
physiological behavior example
male birds can sing because the brain area that allows singing is larger in males than females
ontogenetic explanation of behavior
how a structure or behavior develops due to influence of genes, nutrition, experiences, and interactions
ontogenetic behavior example
young male birds learn to sing from other male birds
evolutionary explanation of behavior
characteristic features are modifications of something found in ancestral species
evolutionary behavior example
similar species of birds have similar songs, evolved from single ancestor
functional explanation of behavior
describes why a behavior or structure evolved
functional behavior example
only the male bird sings to attract mates and ward off males
absolute refractory period
a time when the membrane is unable to produce an action potential
action potential
all-or-none message sent by axon
all-or-none law
amplitude and velocity of an action potential are independent of the stimulus that initiated it
concentration gradient
difference in distribution of ions across the neuron’s membrane
depolarize
to reduce polarization toward zero across a membrane
electrical gradient
difference in electrical charges between the inside and outside of the cell
graded potentials
a membrane potential that varies in magnitude in proportion to the intensity of the stimulus
hyperpolarization
increased polarization across a membrane (more negative, farther from zero)
in a myelinated axon, how would the action potential be affected if the nodes were much closer together? how might it be affected if the nodes were much farther apart?
if the nodes were closer, the action potential would travel more slowly. if they were much farther apart, the current might not be able to stimulate the next node enough to reach its threshold.
during the rise of the action potential, do sodium ions move into the cell or out of it? why?
during the action potential, sodium ions move into the cell. the voltage-dependent sodium gates have opened, letting sodium move freely. sodium is attracted to the inside of the cell by both an electrical and a concentration gradient.
as the membrane reaches the peak of the action potential, what brings the membrane down to the original resting potential?
after the peak of the action potential, potassium ions exit the cell, driving the membrane back to the resting potential. the sodium–potassium pump is too slow for this purpose.
does the all-or-none law apply to dendrites? why or why not?
the all-or-none law does not apply to dendrites, because they do not have action potentials
what happens if the depolarization does or does not reach the threshold?
if the depolarization reaches or passes the threshold, the cell produces an action potential. if it is less than threshold, no action potential arises.
when the membrane is at rest, are the sodium ions more concentrated inside the cell or outside? where are the potassium ions more concentrated?
sodium ions are more concentrated outside the cell, and potassium is more concentrated inside
when the membrane is at rest, what tends to drive the potassium ions out of the cell? what tends to draw them into the cell?
when the membrane is at rest, the concentration gradient tends to drive potassium ions out of the cell, and the electrical gradient draws them into the cell. the sodium–potassium pump also draws them into the cell.
