Chapter 2 Flashcards
The three components of a neuron
Dendrites, soma and the axon
What are the three types of neurons
Sensory (recieve information IN about the world), motor (initiate instructions OUT, like movement and behavior) and interneurons (process the information between the sesory input and motor output)
A _____ allows an ion to pass through the cell membrane of a neuron
Ion channel
Three categories of neurons, by structure
Unipolar (one axon,no dendtrites), bipolar (one axon, one dendtrite), and multipolar (one axon, multiple dendtrites)
What are ions
Electrically charged molecules
What is a positively charged ion and a negatively charged one
Cations is positive
Anions is negative
What is the axon
The part of the neuron that carries action potential and it the main source of output
What two scientists won the Nobel prize in medicine in 1906
Ramon y Cajal and Golgi
What is excitatory postsynapic potential (EPSP)and inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)?
EPSP- A depolarizing current which causes the membrane potential to become more positive
IPSP- A hyperpolarizing current which cause the membrane potential to become more negative
What is the soma
Cell body of the neuron that contains the nucleus and genetic information and directs protein synthesis
What is the synapse
Junction between the presynaptic terminal button of one neuron and the dendtrite, axon, of another.
Types of neuroimaging techniques and there uses
PET (detects amount of radioactive substances, recording metabolic activity)
FMRI (measures changes in oxygen levels, relies on blood flow)
EEG (measures electrical brain activity, offer better temporal resolution than PET and FMRI)
DOI (offers high temporal and spatial resolution, shines infrared light into the brain)
What is the corpus callosum
The thick bundle of neurons that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain
What are the three basic parts of the brain
the brainstem, the cerebellum and the cerebrum
What is included in the brainstem and its function?
The medulla (controls heartbeat and breathing), pons, and reticular formation
What is the cerebellum?
Aids in judgment of time, sound emotional control. Coordinates voluntary movement and helps store and process information outside of awareness.(motor development)
What is the limbic system
The limbic system is associated with emotions and drives and sits between the cereal cortex and brainstem
What is included in the limbic system?
Thalamus (relays messages between lover brain centers and cerebral cortex)
Hypothalamus (directs several Maintenace activates)
Hippocampus (linked to memory)
Amygdala (two lima-bean-sized neural clusters, linked to emotion)
What is thecerebral cortex
the outer grey “bank” structure on top of the cerebrum that is wrinkled in order to create more surface for billions of neurons.
What are the four lobes of the brain?
Parietal lobe (sensory cortex/taste and touch)
Frontal lobe (motor behaviors)
occipital lobe (sight)
temporal lobe (sound and smells)
what is the difference between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
sympathetic arouses and expends energy and parasympathetic calms and conserves energy.
Sexual selection occurs through what processes
-intrasexual competition: when members of one sex compete against eachother
-intersexual selection: certain qualities, that members of a sex are attracted to, get passed down in greater numbers
Gene selection theory
The modern theory of evolution by selection by which genes that are better able to encourage mating, have an advantage over genes less able to
What is an adaption
Evolved solutions to problem that historically contributed to reproductive success
What are the two types of adaptions
Survival adaptions: mechanisms that helped out ancestors handle the “hostile forces of nature”
Reproductions adaptions: mechanisms that help our ancestors compete for mates
What are psychological and physiological adaptions
Psychological adaptions: mechanisms of the mind that have evolved to solve specific problems of survival or reproduction (sexual jealousy)
Physiological adaptions: adaptions that occur in the body as a consequence of one’s environment (how to skin makes calluses)
What is the sexual strategies theory
Proposes that humans have an evolved list of different mating strategies, both short and long term, that vary depending on culture, social context ect.
What is error management theory
How we think and judge cost asymmetries when presented with uncertain situations in order to minimize costly errors
What are cost asymmetries
Decisions where on option has low cost but great reward and the other low reward but high cost
What is the engine of natural selection
Reproductive success
What is behavioral genetics
the study of how genes and environment work together to influence behavior
what is an adoption study and what is a twin study
adoption study- a research method that compares adopted children to their adoptive and biological parents
Twin study- a research method thar compares the similarity of identical and fraternal twins
What is quantitative genetics
scientific and mathematical methods for inferring genetic and environmental processes based on the degree of genetic and environmental similarity among organisms.
What is heritability coefficient
How strongly differences among indivual are related to differences among their genes
what is gene-environment interaction (GxE)
genetic differences affect behavior under some environmental conditions but not others
What is epigenetics
A process in which the DNA itself is modified by environmental events and those genetic changes transmitted to children.
Who and when was the structure of DNA discovered
by Clark and Crick in the 1950s
What is the cerebrum
The cerebrum consists of two hemispheres, the outer layer called the cortex (gray matter) and the inner layer (white matter). The cortex consists of four lobes
