Chapter 1 - What is Biopsychology? Flashcards

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1
Q

Neurons

A

Cells of the nervous system that are specialized for the reception, conduction, and transmission of electrochemical signals

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2
Q

Neuroscience

A

The scientific sutdy of the nervous system

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3
Q

Thinking creatively

A

Thinking in productive, unconventional ways

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4
Q

Clinical

A

Pertaining to illness or treatment

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5
Q

Evolutionary perspective

A

The approach that focuses on the environmental pressures that likely led to the evolution of the characteristics (e.g. of brain and behavior) of current species

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6
Q

Neuroplasticity

A

The notion that the brain is a “plastic” (changeable) organ that continuously grows and changes in response to an individual’s environment and experiences

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7
Q

Epigenetics

A

The study of all mechanisms of inheritance other than the genetic code and its expression

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8
Q

Consciousness

A

The perception or awareness of some aspect of one’s self or the world

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9
Q

Biopsychology

A

The scientific study of the biology of behavior; a biological approach to the study of psychology

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10
Q

Neuroanatomy

A

The study of the structure of the nervous system

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11
Q

Neurochemistry

A

The study of the chemical bases of neural activity

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12
Q

Neuroendocrinology

A

The study of the interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system

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13
Q

Neuropathology

A

The study of the nervous system disroders

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14
Q

Neuropharmacology

A

The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity

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15
Q

Neurophysiology

A

The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system

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16
Q

Comparative approach

A

The study of biological processes by comparing different species - usually from the evolutionary perspective

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17
Q

Between-subjects design

A

An experimental design in which a different group of subjects is tested under each condition

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18
Q

Within-subjects design

A

An experimental design in which the same subjects are tested under each condition

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19
Q

Independent variable

A

The difference between experimental conditions that is arranged by the experimenter; the thing you intentionally change or control

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20
Q

Dependent variable

A

The variable measured by the experiementer to asses the effect of the independent variable; the thing you measure

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21
Q

Confounded variable

A

An unintended difference between the conditions of an experiment that could have affected the dependent variable

22
Q

Coolidge effect

A

The fact that a copulating (sexually active) male who becomes incapable of continuing to copulate with one sex partner can often recommence copulating with a new sex partner

23
Q

Lordosis

A

The arched-back, rump-up, tail-to-the-side posture of female rodent sexual receptivity

24
Q

Quasiexperimental studies

A

Studies of groups of subjects who have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world; such studies have the appearance of experiments but are not true experiments because potential confounded variables have not been controlled for

25
Q

Case studies

A

Studies that focus on a single case, or subject

26
Q

Generalizability

A

The degree to which the results of a study can be applied to other individuals or situations

27
Q

Pure research

A

Research motivated primarily by the curiosity of the researcher and done solely for the purpose of acquiring knowledge

28
Q

Applied research

A

Research that is intended to bring about some direct benefit to humankind

29
Q

Translational research

A

Research designed to translate basic scientific discoveries into effective applications (e.g. into clinical treatments)

30
Q

Physiological pyschology

A

The division of biopsychology that studies the neural mechanisms of behavior through direct manipulation of the brains of nonhuman animal subjects in controlled experiments

31
Q

Pyschopharmacology

A

The division of biopsychology that studies the effects of drugs on the brain and behavior

32
Q

Neuropsychology

A

The division of biopsychology that studies the psychological effects of brain damage in humane patients

33
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

The layer of neural tissue covering the cerebral hemispheres of humans and other mammals

34
Q

Pyschophysiology

A

The division of biopsychology that studies the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects by noninvasive methods

35
Q

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

A

A measure of the gross electrical activity of the brain, commonly recorded through scalp electrodes

36
Q

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

A

The part of the peripheral nervous system that participates in the regulation of the body’s internal environment

37
Q

Cognitive neuroscience

A

A division of biopsychology that focuses on the use of functional brain imaging to study the neural mechanisms of human cognition

38
Q

Cognition

A

Higher intellectual processes such as thought, memory, attention, and complex perceptual processes

39
Q

Comparative psychology

A

The division of biopsychology that studies the evolution, genetics, and adaptiveness of behavior, often by using the comparative approach

40
Q

Ethological research

A

The study of animal behavior in its natural environment

41
Q

Converging operations

A

The use of several research approaches to solve a single problem

42
Q

Korsakoff’s syndrome

A

A neuropsychological disorder that is common in alcoholics and whose primary symptoms include memory loss, sensory and motor dysfunctions, and, in its advanced stages, severe dementia

43
Q

Scientific inference

A

The logical process by which observable events are used to infer the properties of unobservable events

44
Q

Critical thinking

A

The process of recognizing the weakness of existing ideas and the evidence on which they are based

45
Q

Morgan’s Canon

A

The rule that the simplest possible interpretation for a behavioral observation should be given precedence

46
Q

Prefrontal lobotomy

A

A surgical procedure in which the connections between the prefrontal lobes and the rest of the brain are cut, as a treatment for mental illness

47
Q

Prefrontal lobes

A

Areas of cortex, left and right, that are located at the very front of the brain - in the frontal lobes

48
Q

Leucotome

A

A surgical device used in psychosurgery to cut out a core of brain tissue

49
Q

Transorbital lobotomy

A

A prefrontal lobotomy performed with an instrument inserted through the eye socket

50
Q

Psychosurgery

A

Any brain surgery performed for the treatment of a psychological problem (e.g. prefrontal lobotomy)