Chapter 2 Flashcards
Biological Psychology
Branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior.
Phrenology
Theory that claimed bumps on he skull could reveal our mental abilities and our character traits; Franz Gall introduced theory
neuron
nerve cell; basic building block of the nervous system
dendrite
bushy branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
Axon
extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
Myelin Sheath
layer of 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.
Action Potential
neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The axon potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane
Threshold
level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
synapse
junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons when released by the sending neuron neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron. thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse
Acetylcholine, ACh
neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory and also triggers muscle contraction.
Dopamine
influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion
Serotonin
affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal
Endorphins
“Morphine within” nautral, opiate like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure
Nervous System
Body’s speedy electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
Central Nervous System
the brain and spinal chord
Peripheral Nervous System
sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.
nerves
neural “cables” containing many axons these bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs
Sensory Neurons
neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system
Motor Neurons
neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands
Interneurons
Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor ouputs
Somatic Nervous System
division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles.
Autonomic Nervous System
part of peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. It’s sympathetic division arouses; it’s parasympathetic division calms
Sympathetic Nervous System
Division of autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.