Chapter 2

Question 0

Biological Psychology

Answer 0

a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior, also known as behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists etc

Question 1

Phrenology

Answer 1

theory that claimed bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and or character traits

Question 2

neuron

Answer 2

a nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system

Question 3

dendrite

Answer 3

the bushy branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Question 4

axon

Answer 4

the extension of a neuron ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Question 5

myelin

Answer 5

a layer or fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons, enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next

Question 6

action potential

Answer 6

a neural impulse, a brief electrical charges that travels down an axon, the action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axons membranes

Question 7

threshold

Answer 7

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Question 8

synapse

Answer 8

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron, is called the synaptic gap or cleft

Question 9

neurotransmitters

Answer 9

chemical messengers that travers the synaptic gaps between neurons, when released by the sending neuron they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

Question 10

acetylcholine

Answer 10

a neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also trigger muscle contractions

Question 11

Endorphins

Answer 11

morphine within, natural opiate like neurotransmitter, linked to pain control and pleasure

Question 12

nervous system

Answer 12

the body’s speedy electrochemical communication network consisting of all the nerve sells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Question 13

central nervous system

Answer 13

the brain and spinal cord

Question 14

peripheral nervous system

Answer 14

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body

Question 15

nerves

Answer 15

neural cables containing many axons, these bundled axons which are part of the PNS connect the central nervous system with muscles glands and sense organs

Question 16

sensory neurons

Answer 16

neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system

Question 17

motor neurons

Answer 17

neurons that carry outgoing info from the CNS to the muscles and glands

Question 18

internerons

Answer 18

CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Question 19

somatic nervous system

Answer 19

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles, also called the skeletal nervous system

Question 20

autonomic nervous system

Answer 20

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organ

Question 21

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 21

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

Question 22

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 22

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body and conserves its energy

Question 23

reflex

Answer 23

a simple automatic inborn response to a sensory stimulus

Question 24

lesion

Answer 24

tissue destruction, a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of the brain tissue

Question 25

neural networks

Answer 25

interconnected neural cells. with experience networks can learn as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results. can be seen by computer simulations

Question 26

dopamine

Answer 26

influences movement, learning, attention and emotion, excess can lead to schizophrenia, lack can produce parkinsons

Question 27

serotonin

Answer 27

affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal, lack can lead to depression, prozac can raise serotonin levels

Question 28

endocrine system

Answer 28

the body’s slow chemical communication system, a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

Question 29

hormones

Answer 29

chemical messengers mostly those manufactured by the endocrine gands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another

Question 30

adrenal glands

Answer 30

a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys. They secrete the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine (adreniline) which help to around the body in times of stress

Question 31

pituitary glands

Answer 31

the endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls the other endocrine glands

Question 32

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 32

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brains surface. These waves are measure by electrodes place on the scalp

Question 33

Positron Emission Tomography PET

Answer 33

scan a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive from of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

Question 34

Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI

Answer 34

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue, allows us to see structures within the brain

Question 35

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging FMRI

Answer 35

a technique for revealing blood flow and therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. MRI scans show brain anatomy fMRI scans show brain function