Chapter 2 Flashcards
Craniotomy
Early physical therapy in which a section of patient’s skull was removed in attempt to restore balance to the four humors, leading to recovery from mental illness
Experiment
Research technique in which Variables are purposively manipulated in a systematic way to test or establish a hypothesis
Ventricles
Internal capsules in the medial part of the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid
Reflex
Most basic form of behavior that involves an automatic response to an environmental event or stimulus like sucking or blinking
Mind-body problem
Philosophical question posed to determine the nature, either mental or physical of the mind
Dualism
Philosophical position taken on the mind-body problem suggesting that the mind and body/brain are separate entities: Descartes proposed interaction in in which the two entities interacted in the physical brain specifically in the pineal gland
Localization of function
Notion that specific functions are localized in specific brain areas as suggested by the eighteenth-century theory of phrenology
Cerebral cortex
Most recently evolved part of the brain that envelops the midbrain; also associated with complex cognitive functions
Correlation
Statistical technique used to determine how strongly two variables are related; two variables may change in a similar pattern (positive correlation) or a different pattern (negative correlation)
Phrenology
Term popularized to describe gall’s theory of localization of function. In this theory, bumps on the surface of the skull were deemed to predict certain mental capabilities
Histology
Systematic preparation of brain or other physiological tissue for microscopic study to be used for experimental and diagnostic purposes
Nerve net theory
Early theory of the nature of the nervous system implying that the nervous system is made up of continuous extensions of nervous tissue
Neuron
fundamental unit, or cell, of the nervous system
Neuron doctrine
Theory that separate units, or neurons, as opposed to continuous units, make up the nervous system
Synapse
Tiny gap that separates two neurons and is the location of communication between the two cells
Neurotransmitter
Chemical, such as dopamine or serotonin, in the brain that is essential for communication between two neurons
Nerve impulse (action potential)
Physiological basis of communication in the nervous system triggered by the exchange of certain ions across the nerve cell membrane
All-or-none law
Observation that, once the threshold is reached, all action potentials are the same size regardless of the intensity of the original stimulation
Transduction
Conversion of physical energy, such as light, to energy that can be used in the nervous system
Dementia
Progressive loss of mental functioning atypical of normal aging process
Schizophrenia
Mental illness characterized by hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal, and cognitive deterioration. Certain brain modifications such as a smaller hippocampus and dissarrayed neurons have been observed to accompany this condition
Hysteria
Early characterization of mental disturbance described in women who had no known accompanying brain damage. Charcot thought that only hysterical women could be hypnotized
Psychoanalysis
Therapeutic approach to mental illness developed by Freud. In this subjective theory unconscious motives were thought to direct behavior and thoughts
Coma therapy
Physical therapy in which an insulin coma was induced to treat mental illness in a patient. After 1960s, the use of this therapy decreased because of rising popularity of electroconvulsive therapy and psychoactive drugs
ECT
Physical therapy used for mental illnesses such as major depression and schizophrenia; involves the delivery of electrical current to an anesthetize patient in an attempt to reconfigure neural functions for normal mental functioning
Barbiturates
Group of highly addictive depressive drugs used as anticonvulsants and tranquilizers
Psychopharmacology
Discipline that explores the relationship between certain psychoactive drugs and behavior and/or mental processes
Trepanning
Medical process of drilling a hole in the skull in an attempt to correct a problem associated with the brain
Lobotomy
Faddish operation to treat mental illness used in the 1930s and 1940s. The procedure involves separating sections of the frontal lobe from the rest of the brain
Placebo effect
Term used to describe a therapeutic effect resulting from the consumption of the physiologically inactive substance (ex. A sugar pill or some other un-related treatment); used as evidence for mind-body communications
Classical conditioning
Basic form of associative learning originally studied by Ivan Pavlov; involves pairing a neural stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus known to automatically evoke a response so that eventually the neutral stimulus will lead to the behavior originally produced by the unconditioned stimulus
Behaviorism
Theory advocated by j.b. Watson calling for a shift of emphasis in the field of psychology from unconscious processes to the empirical manipulation of environmental stimuli and observable responses
Social learning theory
Theory proposed by Albert bandura emphasizing the importance of observations of models in a social situations and how observations can lead to learning without direct exposure to reinforcer
Self-efficacy
Term proposed by Albert bandura to describe a person’s assessment of his or her competence in dealing with life’s problems
Internal/external locus of control
Components of the theory proposed by Julian rotter that emphasized the importance of one’s perception of his or her source of control in life- either within the individual or in the environment
