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PSYCH 101 > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What are neurons and the three types of neurons?

A

Neurons are specialized cells that conduct impulses through the nervous system
1. Afferent neurons
2. Efferent neurons
3. Interneurons

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2
Q

Afferent Neurons

A

Relay information from the senses to the brain and spinal cord

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3
Q

Efferent Neurons

A

Send information from the central nervous system to the glands and muscles

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4
Q

Interneurons

A

Carry information between neurons

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5
Q

Four main parts of the Neuron

A

Cell Body
Dendrites
Axon
Synapse

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6
Q

Cell Body

A

Carries out life-sustaining functions

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7
Q

Dendrites

A

Receive signals from other neurons

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8
Q

Axon

A

Sends signals to other neurons, muscles, and glands

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9
Q

Synapse

A

Junction between neurons

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10
Q

How messages are transmitted through the nervous system (4)

A

Resting potential
Action Potential
“All or None” Law
Refractory Period

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11
Q

Resting Potential

A

Slight negative electrical potential of the axon membrane of a neuron at rest

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12
Q

Action Potential

A

Sudden reversal of a resting potential, which initiates the firing of a neuron

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13
Q

All or None Law

A

A neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all

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14
Q

Refractory Period

A

Short resting period after firing during which a neuron cannot fire again

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15
Q

Speed of an Action Potential

A

Influenced by the Myelin Sheath
Nodes of Ranvier

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16
Q

Myelin Sheath

A

White, Fatty coating on some axons
Makes action potential travel up to 100 times faster

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17
Q

Nodes of Ranvier

A

Gaps in the Myelin Sheath

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18
Q

What are Neurotransmitters?

A

Chemical substances that transmit messages between neurons
- released into synapse by axon terminals of sending neurons
-bind to receptor sites on dendrites of receiving neuron
- taken back into axon terminals by the process of reuptake

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19
Q

Eight major neurotransmitters (two main ones)

A

Acetylcholine —
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Epinephrine
Serotonin—
Glutamate
GABA
Endorphins

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20
Q

Acetylcholine

A

Affects movement, learning, memory, REM Sleep

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21
Q

Dopamine

A

Affects movement, attention, learning, reinforcement, pleasure

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22
Q

Norepinephrine

A

Affects eating, alertness, wakefulness

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23
Q

Epinephrine

A

our bodies natural pain killer
Affects metabolism of glucose, energy release during exercise

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24
Q

Serotonin

A

affects mood, sleep, appetite, impulsivity, agreession

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25
Q

Glutamate

A

Active in areas of the brain involved in learning, thought, and emotion

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26
Q

GABA

A

Facilitates neural inhibition in the central nervous system

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27
Q

Endorphins

A

Provide relief from pain and produce feelings of pleasure and wellbeing

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28
Q

Central nervous system

A

the brain and spinal cord

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29
Q

Peripheral nervous system

A

the nerves connecting the central nervous system to the rest of the body

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30
Q

Four Structures found in the brain

A

Medulla
Reticular Formation
Pons
Cerebellum

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31
Q

Medulla

A

Controls heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing, coughing, swallowing

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32
Q

Reticular formation

A

Plays a crucial role in arousal and attention
screens sensory messages entering the brain

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33
Q

Pons (3)

A

plays a role in body movement
influences sleep and dreaming
found in the hindbrain

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34
Q

Cerebellum (5)

A

Helps the body execute smooth, skilled movements
Regulates muscle tone and posture.
found in the hindbrain.
the largest structure in the human brain.
its functions include language, planning, and logic.

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35
Q

Midbrain

A

Links the physiological functions of the hindbrain to the cognitive functions of the forebrain

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36
Q

Substantial Nigra

A

controls unconscious motor movements

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37
Q

Thalamus

A

a relay station for information flowing into or out the brain
found in the forebrain

38
Q

Hypothalamus

A

regulates hunger, thirst, sexual behavior. body temperature, and a wide variety of emotional behaviors
found in the forebrain

39
Q

Amygdala

A

structure in the limbic system that plays an important role in emotion
found in the forebrain

40
Q

Hippocampus

A

structure in the limbic system that plays a central role in storing new memories, responses to new or unexpected to new or unexpected stimuli, and navigational ability

41
Q

what are the two subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system?

A

somatic nervous system
autonomic nervous system

42
Q

somatic nervous system

A

consists of all sensory nerves and motor nerves

43
Q

autonomic nervous system

A

transmits messages between the central nervous system and the glands, the cardiac muscle, and the smooth muscles . two parts: sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system

44
Q

Sympathetic nervous system

A

mobilizes the body’s resources during stress and emergencies

45
Q

Parasympathetic nervous system

A

brings the heightened bodily responses back to normal following an emergency

46
Q

Electroencephalogram(EEG)

A

a record of brain-wave activity made by a machine called an electroencephalograph. Electrical activity in the brain is detected by electrodes placed on the scalp

47
Q

CT scan

A

computerized axial tomography . uses x-rays to produce cross-sectional images of the brain

48
Q

MRI

A

magnetic resonance imaging . produces high-resolution images of the structures of the brain

49
Q

PET scan

A

positron emission tomography. reveals activity n various parts of the brain based on blood flow, oxygen use, and glucose consumption

50
Q

Functional MRI (FMRI)

A

provides images of both brain structure and function. can identify location of brain activity more precisely and rapidly than PET scan

51
Q

what are the components of the cerebrum?

A

cerebral hemispheres, corpus callosum, cerebral cortex

52
Q

cerebral hemispheres

A

the left and right halves of the cerebrum

53
Q

corpus callosum

A

connects the two hemispheres

54
Q

cerebral cortex

A

thin outer covering of cerebrum. responsible for higher mental processes of language, memory, and thinking

55
Q

the left hemisphere of the cerebrum

A

controls the right side of the body, handles most language functions, is specialized for mathematics and logic

56
Q

the right hemisphere of the cerebrum

A

controls the left side of the body. processes music , interprets emotional messages conveyed by the tone of the voice and gestures. is specialized for visual-spatial relations

57
Q

psychological functions associated with the frontal lobes

A

motor cortex, broca’s area, association areas

58
Q

Motor cortex

A

area that controls voluntary body movement

59
Q

Broca’s area

A

area in the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that controls the production of the speech

60
Q

Association areas

A

areas involved i thinking, planning for the future, impulse control

61
Q

Somatosensory cortex

A

found in the parietal lobes. strip of tissue at the front of the parietal lobes where touch, pressure, temperature, and pain register in the cortex

62
Q

Occipital lobes

A

involved in the reception and interpretation and interpretation of visual information

63
Q

primary visual cortex

A

area at the rear of the occipital lobes where vision registers in the cortex

64
Q

primary auditory cortex

A

area in each temporal lobes where vision where hearing registers in the cortex

65
Q

wernicke’s area

A

language area in the left temporal lobe involved in comprehending spoken language and formulating coherent speech and written language

66
Q

what are the major processes at work in the developing brain?

A

synaptogenesis, pruning, myelination, plasticity

67
Q

Synaptogenesis

A

development of synapses as a result of growth of dendrites and axons

68
Q

Pruning

A

the process by which the developing brain eliminates unnecessary or redundant synapses

69
Q

Myelination

A

development of myelin sheaths around axons

70
Q

Myelination

A

development of myelin sheaths around axons

71
Q

Plasticity

A

ability o the brain too reorganize itself in response to internal and external input and to compensate for damage

72
Q

How do the brains of men differ from women brains(3)

A

women’s brains have equal portions of gray and white matter in the left and right hemispheres while men’s brains have a lower portion of white matter in the left hemisphere than the right. 2-women have more gray matter in the area of the brain that controls emotions. 3- navigational information is processed in different parts of the brain in men and women, women use right parietal cortex and right frontal cortex, men use left hippocampus

73
Q

how do differences in men and women’s brain effect their actions? (2)

A

men have superior ability in spatial tasks. women have superior ability to perceive emotions

74
Q

endocrine system

A

a system of ductless glands that manufacture hormones and secrete them into the bloodstream

75
Q

major glands in the endocrine system (7)

A

pituitary glands, pineal gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, thymus land, adrenal glands, gonads

76
Q

Pituitary gland

A

the “master gland”. located in the brain, releases hormones that activate other endocrine glands

77
Q

Pineal gland

A

locoated deep in the brain. secretes the hormones melatonin which controls sleep/wakefulness cycles

78
Q

Thyroid gland

A

located below the voice box, produces thyroxine, which regulated rate at which food is metabolized

79
Q

parathyroid glands

A

attached to the thyroid, produce parathyroid hormone which helps the body absorb minerals from the diet

80
Q

thymus gland

A

produces hormones that are essential to immune system functioning

81
Q

adrenal glands

A

release hormones that prepare the body for emergencies and stressful situations

82
Q

Gonads

A

the ovaries in females ad testes in males. produces sex hormones

83
Q

Genes

A

segments of DNA located on chromosomes that transmit all heredity traits

84
Q

Chromosomes

A

rod shaped structures in the nuclei of cells that contain all genes and carry emetic information to make a human being

85
Q

Behavior genetics

A

a field of research that uses twin and adoption studies to investigate the relative effects of heredity and environment on behavior

86
Q

Patterns of inheritance evident in the transmission of genetic traits

A

dominant-recessive pattern
multifactorial inheritance
sex-linked inheritance

87
Q

Dominant-recessive pattern

A

a set of inheritance rules in which one dominant gene causes a trait to be expressed, but two recessive genes are required for expression of a recessive trait

88
Q

multifactorial inheritance

A

a pattern of inheritance in which a train is influenced by both genes and enviornment

89
Q

sex linked inheritance

A

involved genes on the X and Y chromosomes
(ex: red-green color blindness)

90
Q

Twin studies

A

examine identical(monozygotic) and fraternal(dizygotic) twins
if identical twins are more alike on a trait, the trait is assumed to be more influenced by heredity
if identical and fraternal twin pairs do not differ on a trait, the trait is assumed to be more influenced by the enviornment

91
Q

Adoption studies

A

compare adopted children’s abilities and traits to those of adoptive parents and biological parents

PSYCH 101 (3 decks)

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