chapter 1: introduction

Question 1

Neuroscience

Answer 1

The scientific study of the nervous system

Question 2

Biological psychology

Answer 2

The study of the biological bases of psychological processes and behavior

Also called behavior neuroscience, brain and behavior, and physiological psychology

Question 3

Dualism

Answer 3

The notion, promoted by René Descartes, that the mind has an immaterial aspect that is distinct from the material body and brain

Question 4

Phrenology

Answer 4

The belief that bumps on the skull reflect enlargements of brain regions responsible for certain behavior faculties

Question 5

Localization of function

Answer 5

The concept that different brain regions specialize in specific behaviors

Question 6

Theoretical perspectives of biological psychologists

Answer 6

1) Systematic description of behavior
2) The evolution of brain and behavior
3) Life-span development of the brain and behavior
4) The biological mechanisms of behavior

Question 7

Ontogeny

Answer 7

The process by which an individual changes in the course of its lifetime - that is, grows up and grows old

Question 8

Neuron

Answer 8

The basic unit of the nervous system; also called nerve cell

Question 9

Neural plasticity

Answer 9

The ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or the environment

Also called neuro plasticity

Question 10

Adult neurogenesis

Answer 10

The creation of new neurons in the brain of an adult

Question 11

Social neuroscience

Answer 11

A field of study that uses the tools of neuroscience to discover the biological bases of social behavior, and the effects of social circumstances on brain activity

Question 12

Evolutionary psychology

Answer 12

A field of study devoted to asking how natural selection has shaped behavior in humans and other animals

Question 13

Epigenetics

Answer 13

The study of factors that affect gene expression without making any changes in the nucleotide sequence of genes themselves

Question 14

Gene expression

Answer 14

The turning on or off of specific genes

Question 15

Neuroeconomics

Answer 15

The study of brain mechanisms at work during economic decision making

Question 16

Consciousness

Answer 16

The state of awareness of one’s own experience, thoughts, emotions, and experiences

Question 17

Somatic intervention

Answer 17

An approach to find in relations between body variables and behavioral variables that involves manipulating body structure or function and looking for resultant changes in behavior

Question 18

Behavior intervention

Answer 18

An approach to finding relations between body variables and behavioral variables that involves intervening in the behavior of an organism and looking for resultant changes in body structure or function

Question 19

Correlation

Answer 19

The covariation of two variables; says nothing about causality

Negative correlation: one goes up, the other goes down (not correlated)

Positive correlation: both increase or decrease together

Question 20

Reductionism

Answer 20

The scientific strategy of breaking a system down into increasingly smaller parts in order to understand it

Question 21

Levels of analysis

Answer 21

The scope of experimental approaches

Understand behavior by monitoring molecules, nerve cells, brain regions, or social environments, or using some combination of these levels of analysis