Chapter 2 Flashcards
Biological psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology & behavior.
Phrenology
The detailed study of the shape & size of the cranium as a supposed indication of character & mental abilities.
Neuron
A nerve cell. The basic building block of the nervous system.
Dendrite
Receives messages from other cells.
Axon
Passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles or glands.
Myelin sheath
Covers the axon of some neurons & helps speed natural impulses.
Action Potential
A neural impulse. A brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. Generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in & out of channels in the axon’s membrane.
Threshold
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Synapse
A junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron & the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. This tiny gap called the synaptic gap or cleft.
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals released from the sending neuron travel across the synapse & bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing it to generate an action potential.
Acetylcholine, ACh
Enables muscle action, learning & memory. (Deteriorates: Alzheimer’s)
Dopamine
Influences movement, learning, attention & emotion. (High levels=schizophrenia, low levels=Parkinson’s)
Serotonin
Affects mood, hunger, sleep & arousal. (Low levels=depression)
Endorphins
“Endorphins within” controls pain control & pleasure.
Nervous system
The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral & central nervous systems.
Central Nervous System
The Brain & spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System
The sensory & motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Nerves
Neural “cables” containing many axon’s. These bundled axons, which are part of the peripheral nervous system with muscles, glands & sense organs.
Sensory neurons
Neurons that carry incoming info from the sense receptors to the central nervous system, connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands & sense organs.
Motor Neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing info from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands.
Interneurons
Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate & intervene between the sensory inputs & motor outputs.
Somatic Nervous System
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. (Aka skeletal nervous system)
Autonomic Nervous System
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs. It’s sympathetic division arouses; it’s parasympathetic division cells.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
