Chapter 1: Introduction Flashcards
Basic working unit of the brain; where the adult brain form connections between.
Neurons
A biological process through which new neurons are formed; said to occur in the lateral subventricular zone (SVZ) & the DG of the hippocampus.
Neurogenesis
A region in a brain that is important in speech production.
Broca’s area
First psychology textbook written by Wilhelm Wundt.
Principles of Physiological Psychology
What topics are included in the research in neuroscience?
Perceptual processes
Control of movement
Sleep & waking
Reproductive behaviors
Ingestive behaviors
Emotional behaviors
Learning
Language
2 forms of scientific explanation.
Generalization
Reduction
Refers to explanations as examples of general laws, which are revealed through experiments.
Generalization
Refers to explanations of complex phenomena in terms of simpler ones.
Reduction
Can tell us something about psychological processes such as language, memory, or mood.
Psychological mechanisms
A system that receives information from the sensory organs and controls the movements of the muscles.
Nervous System
A belief in the dual nature of reality; mind and body are separate, the body is made of ordinary matter but the mind isn’t.
Dualism
A belief that everything in the universe consists of matter and energy; mind is a phenomenon caused by the workings of the nervous system.
Monism
Observation of Müller that although all nerves carry the same basic message—an electrical impulse—we perceive the messages of different
nerves in different ways.
Doctrine of specific nerve energies
A method where you could infer the
function of the missing portion of the brain by seeing what the animal could no longer do.
Experimental ablation
Where the nerve cells there communicate directly with those that cause muscular contractions.
Primary motor cortex
A belief that characteristics of living organisms perform useful functions.
Functionalism
The natural environment shaped the process of evolution of species.
Natural selection
Controlled by animal breeders to produce many varieties of species.
Artificial selection
Accidental changes in the chromosomes of sperm or eggs that join together and develop
into new organisms.
Mutation
The animal is more likely than other members of its species to live long enough to reproduce and hence to pass on its chromosomes to its own offspring.
Selective advantage
A gradual change in the structure and physiology of plant and animal species as a result of natural selection.
Evolution
Humanlike apes
Hominids
Species scattered across Europe & Asia; name means “upright man”.
Homo erectus
Homo erectus appears to have been the ancestor of whom?
Homo neanderthalis
Species that evolved in East Africa around 100,000 years ago.
Homo Sapiens
Institution that reviews all proposals for research involving animals, with the intent of ensuring humane and ethical treatment of all animals
involved.
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Functions similarly to the IACUC to ensure ethical treatment of volunteers in research.
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Describes the process in which researchers must inform any potential participant about the nature of the study, how any data will be collected and stored, and what the anticipated benefits and costs of participating will be.
Informed consent
Emerging interdisciplinary field devoted to better understanding implications of and developing best practices in ethics for neuroscience research with human participants
Neuroethics
Study all behavioral phenomena that can be observed in humans and animals.
Behavioral neuroscientists
Study of (or speculations about) the physiology of behavior has its roots in antiquity.
A papyrus scroll from approximately 1700 b.c.e. contains surgical records of head injuries and the oldest surviving descriptions
of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid, meninges, and skull (Feld
man and Goodrich, 1999).
Ancient World
believed that
the mind controlled the movements of the body, while the
body, through its sense organs, supplied the mind with
information about what was happening in the environment.
René Decartes
Twentieth-century devel-
opments in experimental physiology included many impor-
tant inventions, such as sensitive amplifiers to detect weak
electrical signals, neurochemical techniques to analyze
chemical changes within and between cells, and histologi-
cal techniques to visualize cells and their constituents.
Contemporary Research
gradual change in the structure and physiology of plant and animal species as a result of natural selection.
Evolution
Students interested in neuroscience may take courses
in biology, chemistry, psychology, or other sciences in
high school.
Highschool
Students interested in neuroscience may study biology,
chemistry, psychology, neuroscience, or other related
areas. Some students work as research assistants
in laboratories and develop mentored relationships
with researchers.
College
Students can pursue advanced graduate training for
one or more years after college. Graduate training
typically involves advanced course work and more
independent research. Graduate students are expected
to conduct research (with the guidance of a research
mentor) and disseminate the results of their work. After
completing a graduate program, individuals may teach
in a secondary or postsecondary institution, conduct
research, or work in industry.
Graduate Training
Postgraduate positions are more independent and
often involve additional training in specialized research
areas or with specialized research techniques. After
completing postgraduate training, individuals may
teach in a secondary or postsecondary institution,
conduct research, or work in industry.
Postgraduate Training
Describe effective learning strategies for studying behavioral neuroscience.
- Take notes that organize information into meaningful
groups. - Teach yourself by teaching someone else.
- Study in the environment you will be tested in.
- Study with the absolute minimum of distractions.
- Spread out your study sessions.
- Study the most challenging topic first or last.
- Use mnemonics.
