Chapter 1 Terms Flashcards
biological psychology
the study of the biological basis of mind and behaviour
correlation
a measure of the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables
cumulative selection
the occurrence of natural selection over many successive generations
dualism
the belief that the mind and brain exist as seperate entities
emergent property position
a materialist position that claims that the mind arises from the functioning brain
evolution
the underlying organizing principle for the health sciences that proposes that complex organisms arose from simpler ancestors
evolutionary explanation
an explanation for behaviour that identifies how it has enhanced the reproductive success of ancestral members of the species
functional explanation
an explanation for behaviour that identifies the immediate purpose of the behaviour
mind-body problem
a philosophical problem concerning the nature of the mind and brain and how each influences the other
monism
the belief that only one entity, either the mind or the brain, exists physically. Most biological psychologists believe that the brain the physical basis of the mind
natural selection
the idea that those individuals within a species that are best able to exploit the current environmental conditions will be disproportionately successful in reproducing
neoteny
the tendency to retain juvenile characteristics into adult hood
neuron
the basic cell type in the nervous system
neuroscience
an integrated approach to the study of the brain and mind involving many sciences and other related disciplines
neurotransmitter
a molecule released from one neuron that crosses the synapse to influence the next neuron
ontogenetic explanation
an explanation for behaviour that identities how the body has developed to the point that the behaviour can now occur
physiological explanation
an explanation for behaviour that identified the brain structure and pathways that explanation
reductionist explanation
an attempt to explain complex behaviour in terms of simpler underlying processes
somatic variable
a variable that concerns some internal body function or process
speciation
a central evolutionary concept in which new species arise from existing species
species
organisms that share the ability to reproduce with each other
synapse
the location at which one neuron influences the next neuron in the circuit
taxonomy
the science of classifying and naming organisms.
