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AP Psych > Chapter 2 Key Terms > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Ill fated theory created by Franz Gall that claimed bumps on skull could reveal mental abilities and character traits

A

phrenology

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2
Q

a branch of psychology concerned with the links b/w biology and behavior

A

biological psychology

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3
Q

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system. consists of a cell body and its branching fibers

A

neuron

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4
Q

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

A

dendrite

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5
Q

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

A

axon

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6
Q

__ speak, __ listen

A

axondendrites

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7
Q

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

A

myelin sheath

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8
Q

disorder where myelin sheath degenerates

A

multiple sclerosis

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9
Q

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane

A

action potential

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10
Q

electrically charged atoms

A

ions

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11
Q

positive-outside/negative-inside

A

resting potential

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12
Q

selective about what it allows in

A

selectively permeable

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13
Q

positive ions flood through membrane to negative inside of axon

A

depolarizes

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14
Q

resting pause where neuron pumps positively charge ions back outside

A

refractory period

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15
Q

pushing a neuron’s accelerator

A

excitatory signal

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16
Q

pushing a neuron’s brake

A

inhibitory signal

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17
Q

level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

A

threshold

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18
Q

neurons fire or they don’t

A

all-or-none response

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19
Q

the junction b/w the axon tip of the sending neuron & the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

A

synapse

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20
Q

tiny gap at the synapse junction

A

synaptic gap (cleft)

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21
Q

chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps b/w neurons. when released by sending neuron, they travel across the synapse & bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

A

neurotransmitters

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22
Q

sending neuron normally reabsorbs excess neurotransmitter molecules

A

reuptake

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23
Q

neurotransmitter that enables learning & memory and also triggers muscle contraction

A

Acetylcholine (ACh)

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24
Q

disease where ACh producing neurons deteriorate

A

Alzheimer’s disease

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25
Q

neurotransmitter that influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

A

dopamine

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26
Q

neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

A

serotonin

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27
Q

neurotransmitter that helps control alertness and arousal

A

norepinephrine

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28
Q

major inhibitory neurotransmitter

A

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

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29
Q

major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory

A

glutamate

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30
Q

excess dopamine linked to __, starved of dopamine linked to ___ ___

A

schizophreniaParkinson’s disease

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31
Q

“morphine-within” natural opiate like neurotransmitter linked to pain control and to pleasure

A

endorphins

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32
Q

excite; can mimic neurotransmitter’s effects or block its reuptake

A

agonists

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33
Q

inhibit neurotransmitter’s release, or occupy its receptor site & block its effect, but not similar enough to stimulate the receptor

A

antagonists

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34
Q

enables brain to fence out unwanted chemicals circulating in the blood

A

blood-brain barrier

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35
Q

poison that occupies & blocks ACh receptor sites involved in muscle movement

A

curare

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36
Q

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral & central nervous systems

A

nervous system

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37
Q

the brain and spinal cord

A

central nervous system (CNS)

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38
Q

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

A

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

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39
Q

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

40
Q

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

A

sensory neurons

41
Q

neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands

A

motor neurons

42
Q

central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene b/w the sensory inputs and motor outputs

A

interneurons

43
Q

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

A

somatic nervous system

44
Q

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

A

autonomic nervous system

45
Q

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

A

sympathetic nervous system

46
Q

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

A

parasympathetic nervous system

47
Q

a simple, autonomic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus

48
Q

interconnected neural cells. w/ experience, can learn, as feedback strengthens or inhibits connections that produce certain results

A

neural network

49
Q

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

A

endocrine system

50
Q

chemical messengers, mostly those manufactures by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue & affect another

51
Q

affects metabolism, among other things

A

thyroid gland

52
Q

helps regulate the level of calcium in the blood

A

parathyroids

53
Q

regulates the level of sugar in the blood

54
Q

secretes female sex hormones

55
Q

secretes male sex hormones

56
Q

a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys; secrete the hormones epinephrine (___) and norepinephrine (___), which help to arouse the body in times of stress

A

adrenal glandsadrenalinenoradrenaline

57
Q

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

A

pituitary gland

58
Q

a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

59
Q

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface; these waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

A

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

60
Q

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

A

PET (position emission tomography) scan

61
Q

technique that uses magnetic fields & radiowaves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain

A

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

62
Q

a technique for revealing blood flow & therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans

A

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

63
Q

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

64
Q

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat & breathing

65
Q

just above the medulla which helps coordinate movements

66
Q

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

A

reticular formation

67
Q

brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex & transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

68
Q

the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input & coordinating movement output & balance

A

cerebellum

69
Q

a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem & cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear & aggression, & drives such as those for food & sex. includes the hippocampus (process memory), amygdala, and hypothalamus

A

limbic system

70
Q

two lima bean sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system & are linked to emotion (rage & fear)

71
Q

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland & is linked to emotion

A

hypothalamus

72
Q

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; body’s ultimate control & information processing center

A

cerebral cortex

73
Q

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

A

glial cells

74
Q

geographic subdivisons of the brain

75
Q

folds on the brain

76
Q

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking & muscle movements & in making plans & judgements

A

frontal lobes

77
Q

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head & toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

A

parietal lobes

78
Q

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field

A

occipital lobe

79
Q

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear

A

temporal lobes

80
Q

brain’s capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) & in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development

A

plasticity

81
Q

large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres & carrying messages b/w them

A

corpus callosum

82
Q

condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) b/w them

A

split brain

83
Q

hemispheric specialization

A

lateralization

84
Q

who found in 1993 that as age increases, lefthanders decrease?

85
Q

in the 1960s, the left hemisphere was described as __ and the right hemisphere as __

A

dominant (major)subordinate (minor)

86
Q

most severed neurons will not regenerate, but some neural tissue can __ in response to __

A

reorganizedamage

87
Q

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

A

motor cortex

88
Q

the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers & processes body touch & movement sensations

A

sensory cortex

89
Q

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they’re involved in higher mental functions such as learning, thinking, and speaking

A

association areas

90
Q

impairment of language, usually created by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area or to Wernicke’s area

91
Q

controls language expression- an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

A

Broca’s area

92
Q

controls language reception- a brain area involved in language comprehension & expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

A

Wernicke’s area

93
Q

transforms visual representations into an auditory code

A

angular gyrus

94
Q

more sensitive body regions have __ area of the sensory cortex devoted to it

95
Q

genetically disposed deficiency in the natural brain systems for pleasure & well-being that leads people to crave whatever provides that missing pleasure or relieves negative feelings

A

reward deficiency syndrome

96
Q

part of brain with increased activity associated with lying

A

anterior cingulate cortex

AP Psych (24 decks)

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