Chapter 1 Flashcards
bilateral symmetry
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.
traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Wound to the brain that results from a blow to the head.
spinal cord
Part of the central nervous system encased within the vertebrae (spinal column); provides most of the connections between the brain and the rest of the body.
central nervous system (CNS)
The brain and spinal cord, which together mediate behavior.
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
All of the neurons in the body outside the brain and spinal cord; provides sensory and motor connections to and from the central nervous system.
neuron
Specialized nerve cell engaged in information processing.
cerebrum (forebrain)
Major structure of the forebrain that consists of two mirror-image hemispheres (left and right) and is responsible for most conscious behavior.
hemisphere
Literally, half a sphere, referring to one side of the cerebrum.
brainstem
Central structure of the brain; responsible for most unconscious behavior.
cerebellum
Major brainstem structure specialized for learning and coordinating movements; assists the cerebrum in generating many behaviors.
embodied behavior
Theory that the movements we make and the movements we perceive in others are central to communication with others.
locked-in syndrome
Condition in which a patient is aware and awake but cannot move or communicate verbally because of complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles except the eyes.
psyche
Synonym for mind, an entity once proposed to be the source of human behavior.
mind
Proposed nonmaterial entity responsible for intelligence, attention, awareness, and consciousness.
mentalism
Explanation of behavior as a function of the nonmaterial mind.
dualism
Philosophical position that both a nonmaterial mind and a material body contribute to behavior.
mind–body problem
Difficulty of explaining how a nonmaterial mind and a material body interact.
materialism
Philosophical position that behavior can be explained as a function of the nervous system without recourse to the mind.
natural selection
Darwin’s theory for explaining how new species evolve and how existing species change over time. Differential success in the reproduction of different characteristics (phenotypes) results from the interaction of organisms with their environment.
species
Group of organisms that can interbreed.
phenotype
Set of individual characteristics that can be seen or measured.
genotype
Particular genetic makeup of an individual.
epigenetics
Differences in gene expression related to environment and experience.
cell assembly
Hypothetical group of neurons that become functionally connected via common sensory inputs; proposed by Hebb as the basis of perception, memory, and thought.
minimally conscious state (MCS)
Condition in which a person can display some rudimentary behaviors, such as smiling or uttering a few words, but is otherwise not conscious.
persistent vegetative state (PVS)
Condition in which a person is alive but unaware, unable to communicate or to function independently at even the most basic level.
clinical trial
Consensual experiment directed toward developing a treatment.
deep brain stimulation (DBS)
Neurosurgery in which electrodes implanted in the brain stimulate a targeted area with a low-voltage electrical current to facilitate behavior.
common ancestor
Forebear of two or more lineages or family groups; ancestral to both groups.
nerve net
Simple nervous system that has no center but consists of neurons that receive sensory information and connect directly to other neurons that move muscles.
segmentation
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.
ganglia
Collection of nerve cells that function somewhat like a brain.
chordate
Animal that has both a brain and a spinal cord.
hominid
General term referring to primates that walk upright, including all forms of humans, living and extinct.
encephalization quotient (EQ)
Jerison’s quantitative measure of 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.
neoteny
Process in which juvenile stages of predecessors become adult features of descendants; idea derived from the observation that more recently evolved species resemble the young of their common ancestors.
plasticity
The nervous system’s potential for physical or chemical change; enhances its adaptability to environmental change and its ability to compensate for injury. (Also called neuroplasticity.)
species-typical behavior
Behavior that is characteristic of all members of a species, such as walking in amphibians.
culture
Learned behaviors that are passed on from one generation to the next through teaching and imitation.
meme
An idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.
cladogram
Phylogenetic tree that branches repeatedly, suggesting a taxonomy of organisms based on the time sequence in which evolutionary branches arise.
