chapter 1 Flashcards
behaviorism
the school of psychology founded by Thorndike and popularized by Skinner, which places emphasis on the acquisition of behavior through learning and reinforcement.
Clinical neuropsychology
a branch of clinical psychology that specializes in the assessment of patients with focal brain injury or neurocognitive deficits.
Cognitive neuropsychology
A branch of neuropsychology that studies how brain structure and function relate to specific psychological processes.
In vivo imaging techniques
a range of imaging techniques that explore structure and/or function in living subjects.
Paralysis
loss of movement in a body region (such as a limb).
Sensory nerves
Nerves carrying action potentials from sensory receptors towards the CNS (e.g., the optic nerve).
Descartes
French philosopher famous for his ideas about the separate identities of mind and body.
Mind-body problem
Explaining what relationship, if any, exists between mental processes and bodily states.
Localization of function
The concept that different parts of the brain carry out different function, and conversely, that not all parts of the brain do the same thing.
Cerebral Cortex
The outer surface of the brain which has, in higher mammals, a creased and bumpy appearance.
Gyrl
Elongated bumps (convexities) in the cortex (singular: gyrus).
Sulci
the smaller folds or indents on the surface of the cortex (singular: sulcus). Larger ones are called fissures.
Neuron cell bodies
The central part of neurons (nerve cells) that contain the nucleus.
Axon
Long, thin projection from a neuron that carries electrical impulses from the cell body.
Aphasia
Deficit in the production and/or comprehension of language.
Open head injuries
Head injuries involving damage to the cranium so that the brain is exposed or visible. Often compared with “closed head injury” in which brain damage has occurred although the cranium has not been penetrated for example, dementia, pugilistica (brain damage associated with boxing)
Lesion
A cut in (or severing of) brain tissue. This may occur as the result of an accident or may be part of a surgical procedure.
Abiation
The surgical removal of brain tissue.
Stroke
A catch- all term for disturbances of the blood supply to the brain. Most commonly, strokes are caused by obstruction to, or rupture of, blood vessels in the brain.
Fluent aphasia
Another name for Wernicke’s aphasia. Language is fluent but nonsensical.
Conduction aphasia
Aphasia in which the principle deficit is an inability to repeat spoken language.
Temporal lobe
The region of the cortex (on both sides of the brain) running forward horizontally above and in front of the ear, known to be involved in language, memory, and visual processing.
Disconnection
The general term for a group of disorders thought to be caused by damage to a pathway between two undamaged regions (e.g., split-brain syndrome).
Angular gyrus
A region of cortex on the temporal/ parietal border roughly equivalent to Broadman’s area 39. The left side is probably involved in reading (sentences).
Alexia
inability to read.
Mass action
the principle (alongside equipotiallity) that cortical regions of the brain are inherently non-specialized and have the capacity to engage in any psychological function.
Equipotentiality
The term associated with Lashley, broadly meaning that any region of cortex can assume responsibility for a given function (memory being the function of interest for Lashley).
Reinforcement
Typically, some form of reward (positive reinforcement) or punishment (negative reinforcement) that affects the likelihood of a response being repeated.
Psychoanalysis
The school of psychology initiated by Freud that emphasizes the role(s) of unresolved subconscious conflicts in psychological disorder.
Synapses
The tiny fluid-filled gap between neurons where synaptic transmission may occur. Typically, 20-30 nanometers (millionths of a millimeter) wide.
Agnosia
Loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes, or smells in spite of intact sensory functions.
Apraxia
the inability to carry out certain motor acts on instruction without evident loss of muscle tone (acts may be performed spontaneously, for example).
Module
A core unit in an integral modular system.
Parallel information processing
The idea that the brain processes two sources of information simultaneously.
Brodmann Area
A region of the cortex defined on the basis of cytoarchitecture.
Thalamus
A multifunctional subcortical brain region.
Striatum
A collective name for the caudate and putamen: key input regions in the basal ganglia.
Brainstem
The lower part of the brain, adjoining and structurally continuous with the spinal cord
