Chapter 2 - Vocabulary Flashcards
Biological Psychology
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between Psychology and Behavior.
Phrenology
A popular but outdated theory that claimed bumps on the head could reveal our mental abilities and characteristics.
Neuron
A nerve cell. The basic building block of the nervous system.
Dendrite
A bushy branching extension of a neuron that receives messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
Axon
The extension of a neuron ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
Myelin Sheath
A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables greater transmission speeds of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next. Protects the Axon.
Action Potential
A neural impulse. A brief electrical charge that travels down the Axon. It is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the Axon’s membrane.
Threshold
A level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
Synapse
A junction between the Terminal Fibers of the sending neuron and the Dendrites of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap.
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that traverse synaptic gaps between neurons, when released by the sending neurons, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether or not the neuron will generate a neural impulse.
Acetylcholine, Ach
A neurotransmitter that enables learning and memory, and also triggers muscle contraption.
Dopamine
Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion.
Serotonine
Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal.
Endorphins
Natural opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure.
Nervous System
The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the Peripheral and Central Nervous Systems.
