Chapter 1: Biology and Behavior Flashcards
What is Franz Gall known for? What doctrine, specifically?
Linking behavior, intellect, and personality to brain anatomy and developing phrenology, a doctrine that says that if a particular trait was well-developed, then that part of the brain responsible for that trait would expand
Could use bumps on brain to measure psychological attributes
What is Pierre Flourens known for? What technique, specifically?
First to study functions of sections of the brain.
Used extirpation, aka ablation, to surgically remove parts of the brain and observe the behavioral consequences
What is William James known for? What system of thought, specifically?
Father of American psychology, studying how mind adapts to environment.
His views formed the foundation for functionalism, which studies how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments
What is John Dewey known for?
Starting functionalism, criticized the reflex arc, which breaks the process of reacting to a stimulus into discrete parts
Believed that psych should study an organism as a whole as it functioned to adapt to the environment
What is Paul Broca known for?
Examined behavioral deficits of people with brain damage.
First to link specific functional impairments with specific brain lesions
What part of the brain is Paul Broca known for? What is it responsible for?
Broca’s area = speech production
Who is Hermann von Helmholtz and what is he known for?
Measuring the speed of a nerve impulse and relating it to reaction time, etc.
Made psych a quantifiable science
Linked behavior and underlying nervous system activity
What is Sir Charles Sherrington known for?
Inferred the existence of synapses.
What are the 3 kinds of nerve cells in the nervous system? What are alternate names?
- Sensory neurons (afferent)
- Motor neurons (efferent)
- Interneurons
What do sensory neurons do and what is another name for them?
Transmit sensory information from receptors to the spinal cord and brain
Also known as afferent neurons
What do motor neurons do and what is another name for them?
Transmit motor information from the brain to spinal cord to muscles and glands
Also known as efferent neurons
Where are interneurons found?
They are found between other neurons and are predominantly located in the brain and spinal cord
Which nerve cell type is the most numerous?
Interneurons
What type of behavior are interneurons linked with?
Reflexive behavior
What type of neural circuit controls reflexive behavior?
Reflex arc
How do interneurons aid in the reflex arcs? Give example.
If someone steps on a nail, sensory neurons transmit pain signals up to the brain via interneurons. Instead of waiting for the brain to send a response signal back, interneurons in the spinal cord send signals to the muscles of both legs directly, causing the individual to reflexively withdraw the foot in pain.
What are the two primary components of the nervous system?
- The central nervous system (CNS)
- The peripheral nervous system (PNS)
What comprises the CNS?
Brain and spinal cord
What comprises the PNS?
The nerve tissue and fibers outside the brain and spinal cord
What are the 2 sets of nerves that comprise the PNS?
Spinal nerves and cranial nerves, which emanate from the spinal cord and brain, respectively
How many spinal nerves are there?
31 pairs
How many cranial nerves are there?
12 pairs
What does the PNS connect the CNS to?
To the rest of the body
What 2 main groups is the PNS subdivided into?
- Somatic nervous system
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS)