Chapter 1 - What is Biopsychology? Flashcards
Neurons
Cells of the nervous system that are specialized for the reception, conduction, and transmission of electrochemical signals
Neuroscience
The scientific sutdy of the nervous system
Thinking creatively
Thinking in productive, unconventional ways
Clinical
Pertaining to illness or treatment
Evolutionary perspective
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
Neuroplasticity
The notion that the brain is a “plastic” (changeable) organ that continuously grows and changes in response to an individual’s environment and experiences
Epigenetics
The study of all mechanisms of inheritance other than the genetic code and its expression
Consciousness
The perception or awareness of some aspect of one’s self or the world
Biopsychology
The scientific study of the biology of behavior; a biological approach to the study of psychology
Neuroanatomy
The study of the structure of the nervous system
Neurochemistry
The study of the chemical bases of neural activity
Neuroendocrinology
The study of the interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system
Neuropathology
The study of the nervous system disroders
Neuropharmacology
The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity
Neurophysiology
The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system
Comparative approach
The study of biological processes by comparing different species - usually from the evolutionary perspective
Between-subjects design
An experimental design in which a different group of subjects is tested under each condition
Within-subjects design
An experimental design in which the same subjects are tested under each condition
Independent variable
The difference between experimental conditions that is arranged by the experimenter; the thing you intentionally change or control
Dependent variable
The variable measured by the experiementer to asses the effect of the independent variable; the thing you measure