Chapter 3: Bio & environmental Flashcards
Neurons
Specialized cells composed of a dendrites, cell body and axon.
Myelin
White lipid that increases the efficiency of communication in the brain surrounding nerve fibers.
Pruning
Unneeded cells and connections become terminated (ex: decrease in gray matter in frontal brain area - adolescence)
Central Nervous System
Brain + Spinal Cord
Peripheral Nervous System
The nerves outside of the CNS transmitting messages to and from it, composed of the autonomic and somatic system.
Somatic System
Sensory organs and muscles engaged in sensory processes and voluntary movement.
Autonomic system
Aids in involuntary regulation (activates/deactivates) of states of arousal and emotion.
Endocrine system
Collection of glands intricately involved in bodily functions through the release of hormones.
Hindbrain
-pons: relays info
- medulla: regulates heart function and breathing
- cerebellum: Movement & cognitive processing
Hindbrain
-pons: relays info
- medulla: regulates heart function and breathing
- cerebellum: Movement & cognitive processing
Midbrain
Contains fibers that connect the hindbrain and upper brain regions. It also influences arousal states (ex; walking, sleeping).
The hindbrain and the midbrain form the brain stem.
Forebrain
2 cerebral hemispheres connected by the corpus collosum, with 4 brain regions.
Neuron composition
Cell body, dendrites and axon
neurotransmitter
chemical messengers released into the synaptic cleft - exciting or inhibiting neurons making them less/more likely to fire an impulse.
Prenatal
Prior to birth
Perinatal
Around the time of birth
Postnatal
After birth
Teratogens
Harmful/toxic substances exposed to the fetus, entered via the mother’s bloodstream.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Extreme end of spectrum for adverse affects of prenatal alcohol exposure.
Plasticity
The brains ability to adapt at restoring itself or at transferring functions to undamaged brain areas.
Behaviour Genetics
Study of genetic influences on individual differences.
Genetic code
The order of four nucelotides (adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine) appear in particular regions of a gene. Sequences is the bsis for transcription (for messanger mRNA) which is then translated for the manufacturing of proteins.
Genotype
Combination of alleles an individual expresses for a specific gene
Phenotype
Combination of individual’s observable characteristics or traits
Epigenetics
Reversable modifications of the genome that help regulate gene function without changing the actual genetic code.
Dominant & Recessive genes
dominant
—its transmission by either parent leads to the display of traits associated with
it—
or recessive—only its transmission by both parents result in associated
traits.
Dominant and recessive patterns of inheritance, as well as the sex-linked
pattern, described later in this text, are involved in the inheritance of many
human attributes and disorders.
Index case/proband
A way of determining single-gene influence
Quantitive Trait Loci (QL)
When multiple genes are implicated in complex human-characteristics (like intelligence and psychological disorders)>
Quantitive genetic methods
Family, twin and adoption studies are used to establish genetic influence on an attribute - assessing heritability.
Heritability
Degree to which genetic influence accounts for variance in behavior among
individuals in the population studied.
Shared environmental
influences
Influences that contribute to family members developing in
similar ways.
Nonshared
environmental influences
Influences that are different for children
growing up in the same family and result in siblings being different from each
other.
linkage analysis
Reveal the location of a defective gene: the specific chromosome and the place on the chromosome.
This strategy takes advantage of the fact that genes on the same chromosome, especially when located close to each other, are generally transmitted together to the offspring.
Association analysis
This method tests whether a particular form of a gene is associated with a trait or disorder in the population. A comparison is made between the genetic material of persons with a specific disorder and that from a matched control group.
Genome-wide linkage and genome-wide association analyses
Enable researchers to scan across the genomes of individuals or large portions of the genome.
Gene–environment interaction (G×E)
Differential sensitivity to
experience due to differences in genotype (ex: PKU - phenylketonuria: children who develop intellectual disability when they eat certain foods.)
Gene–environment correlation (GE)
Genetic differences in exposure to environments; passive, reactive and active.
Passive GE
correlations stem from parents transmitting both their genes and gene-related
rearing environments to their offspring.
Reactive GE
correlations reflect both
the child’s genetic endowment and reactions from others to the child’s gene-
related characteristics.
Active GE
correlations are based on both the child’s genetic endowment and the child’s active selection of gene-related experiences.
Pavlov: Classical conditioning
In classical conditioning, the individual learns to respond to a stimulus
that previously did not elicit the response.
Thorndike’s Law of Effect :
Operant conditioning
a positive consequence of a
behavior will strengthen the behavior while a negative consequence will
weaken it.
Observational Learning
A wide range of behaviors can be acquired by observing others perform them—from jumping rope, to cooperation or
aggression, to social skills.
Cognitive-behavioural perspective
It is assumed that behaviors are learned
and maintained by the interaction of internal cognitions and emotions with
external environmental events.
Cognitive factors influence:
- whether the individual pays attention to environmental events?
- how the person perceives
events?
- whether these events affect future behavior?
Cognitive structures
Schema for representing information stored in memory
Cognitive content
The actual content of the cognitive structures stored in memory.
Cognitive processes
How people perceive and interpret experience
Cognitive products
The combination of cognitive
structures, content, and processes interacting with actual events.
Cognitive deficiencies
Absence of thinking.
Cognitive distortions
Inaccurate thought processes that are dysfunctional.
Parenting styles
Sets of attitudes, goals, and patterns of parenting practices that affect outcomes
for children and adolescents.
Dimensions: 2 (page 136)
Degree of control
Degree of warmth
Battered child syndrome : Kempe
Child maltreatment (physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect) and its adverse affects on development
Child Abused
sets of attitudes, goals, and patterns of parenting practices that affect outcomes
for children and adolescents.
Maltreatment
Abused + neglect
Belli’s 2001: Developmental Traumatolgy Model
how neurobiological outcomes may underlie the variety of negative outcomes
associated with abuse and neglect.
Global family stability
Emphasizes changes in the family’s life and structure. Global is used to emphasis changes that are more distal to the child’s daily experiences and less in their control.
Molecular Family Stability
Refers to the predictability and consistency of family activities and routines. More focused on the proximal aspect of the youth’s daily life around the family and therefor more controllable (available for intervention)
Duncan & Brooks-Gunn: Poverty’s persistence, depth, and timing
Poverty that persists
over time is severe + occurs early in the child’s life has the most negative
effects.
Community resource
Community can influence youth by the opportunities for learning offered at schools, museums, libraires quality day-care, medica services, and employment.
Levethal & Brooks Neighbourhood feautures (pathways) and Youth Outcomes
Pathwyas:
1. Commmunity resources: learning opportunities museums, schools, quality day care
- Relationships: family + community
- Community norms/co-effective efficacy: Organization of the community
Acculturation
Modification of a culture due to combining cultures = mixing pot.
