Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Psychology 101 > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Psychology 101 flashcards Physics 101 flashcards AP® Psychology flashcards GRE® Psychology flashcards Chemistry 101 flashcards Biology 101 flashcards Organic Chemistry 101 flashcards Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is biological psychology?

A

The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a neuron?

A

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are dendrites?

A

They are the bushy, branching extensions that receive messages & conduct impulses toward the cell body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the axon of a neuron?

A

It is the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the myelin sheath of a neuron?

A

It is a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables (helps) vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the glial cells (glia)?

A

They are the cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, & protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning & thinking

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is a action potential?

A

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is a threshold

A

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Neurons differ, but all are variations on the same theme, explain.

A
  • All have a cell body & its branching fibers
  • The bushy dendrite fibers receive info. & conduct it towards cell body, from there the lengthy axon fiber passes the message through its terminal branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
  • Dendrites listen, axons speak
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

The cells life support center

A

Cell body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Receive messages from cells

A

Dendrites

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands

A

Axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Form junctions with other cells

A

Terminal branches of axon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Covers the axon of some neurons & helps speed neural impulses

A

Myelin sheath

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Action potential, electrical signal traveling down the axon

A

Neural impulse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

As myeline is laid down up to about age 25 what else grows?

A

Neural efficiency, judgment, and self control grows

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What happens if the myeline sheath degenerates?

A

Multiple sclerosis results: communication to muscles slows down, with eventual loss of muscle control

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What did they find in Albert Einsteins brain?

A

Greater concentration of glial cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Depending on the type of fiber, a neural impulse travel at speeds ranging from

A

2 mph to 180 mph

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

We measure brain activity in?

A

Milliseconds (thousandths of a second)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are synapses?

A

They are the gaps/space between one sending neuron and one receiving neuron. The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron & the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

They are chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap 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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is acetylcholine (ACh)

A

It plays a role in learning and memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Function of acetylcholine

A

Enables muscle action, learning & memory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Malfunction with Alzheimer’s disease and acetylcholine

A

ACh producing neurons deteriorates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is the function of the neurotransmitter dopamine?

A

Influences movement, learning, attention, & motion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is the function of the neurotransmitter serotonin?

A

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, & arousal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is the function of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine?

A

Helps control alertness and arousal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What is the function of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)?

A

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What is the function of the neurotransmitter Glutamate?

A

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

31
Q

Oversupply and undersupply of dopamine is linked to?

A

Oversupply linked to schizophrenia

Undersupply is linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson’s disease

32
Q

Undersupply of serotonin is linked to?

A

Depression. Some antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels

33
Q

Undersupply of norepinephrine can?

A

Depress mood

34
Q

Under supply of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is linked to?

A

Seizures, tremors, and insomnia

35
Q

Oversupply of glutamate can?

A

Overstimulate the brain, producing migraines or seizures

36
Q

What are endorphins?

A

It’s short for endogenous (produced within) morphine

37
Q

What is the nervous system?

A

The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous system

38
Q

What is the CNS?

A

Central Nervous System consisting of the brain & spinal cord

39
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

A

The sensory & motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

40
Q

What are nerves?

A

They are bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, & sense organs

41
Q

What are the sensory (afferent) neurons?

A

They are the neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain & spinal cord

42
Q

What are the motor (efferent) neurons?

A

They are the neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain & spinal cord to the muscles & glands

43
Q

What are interneurons?

A

They are neurons w/in the brian & spinal cord that communicate internally & intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

44
Q

The body’s decision maker

A

CNS

45
Q

Responsible for gathering information & for transmitting CNS decisions to other body parts

A

PNS

46
Q

Our complexity resides mostly in our?

A

Interneuron systems

47
Q

What does autonomic control?

A

Self-regulated action of internal organs and glands

48
Q

What does somatic control?

A

Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

49
Q

Arousing

A

Sympathetic

50
Q

Calming

A

Parasympathetic

51
Q

The somatic nervous system is the division of the?

A

PNS that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system

52
Q

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the PNS that controls the?

A

Glands & the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms

53
Q

The sympathetic nervous system is the division

A

Of the ANS that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

54
Q

The parasympathetic nervous system is the division

A

Of the ANS that calms the body, conserving its energy

55
Q

What is a reflex?

A

A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

56
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

The body’s “slow” chemical communication system

57
Q

What are hormones?

A

They are chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the blood stream, & affect other tissues

58
Q

What are the adrenal glands?

A

They are a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys & secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

59
Q

What are the pituitary glands?

A

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

60
Q

What is a lesion?

A

Tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

61
Q

What is the brainstem?

A

The oldest part & central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

62
Q

What is the medulla?

A

The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

63
Q

Just above the medulla sits the?

A

Pons which helps coordinate movements

64
Q

What is the thalamus?

A

The brains sensory router, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

65
Q

Receives information from all the senses except smell, & it routes that information to higher brain regions that deal with seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching.

A

Thalamus

66
Q

Inside the brainstem, between your ears, lies the?

A

Reticular formation, a finger-shaped network of neurons extending from the spinal cord right up through the thalamus. As the spinal cords sensory input flows up to the thalamus, some of it travels through the reticular formation, which filters incoming stimuli, relays important info. to other brain areas, and controls arousal

67
Q

A nerve network that travels through the brainstem & plays an important role in controlling arousal

A

Reticular formation

68
Q

The brains organ of agility

A

Hanging at the back of the brain, the cerebellum (little brain) coordinates our voluntary movements

69
Q

What is the cerebellum?

A

“the little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output & balance, & enabling nonverbal learning and memory. Also helps us judge time, modulate our emotions, & discriminate sounds & textures

70
Q

In what brain region would damage be most likely to

1) Disrupt your ability to skip rope?
2) Disrupt your ability to hear & taste?
3) Leave you in a coma?
4) Cut off the very breath & heartbeat of life?

A

1) Cerebellum
2) Thalamus
3) Reticular formation
4) Medulla

71
Q

This neural system sits between the brain’s older parts & its cerebral hemispheres.

A

The limbic system

72
Q

Neural system including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus, located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

A

Limbic system

73
Q

What is the amygdala?

A

Two lima-bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

74
Q

What is the hypothalamus

A

A neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp.) helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

Psychology 101 (18 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions