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PSY 201 > Chapter 3 Key Terms > Flashcards

Chapter 3 Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

What is an action potential?

A

An electrical signal that moves down the neuron’s axon.

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2
Q

What is the adrenal gland?

A

Sits atop our kidneys and secretes hormones involved in the stress response.

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3
Q

What is an agonist?

A

A drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter.

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4
Q

What does all-or-none refer to?

A

The phenomenon that an incoming signal from another neuron is either sufficient or insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation.

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5
Q

What is an allele?

A

A specific version of a gene.

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6
Q

What is the amygdala?

A

A structure in the limbic system involved in our experience of emotion and tying emotional meaning to our memories.

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7
Q

What is an antagonist?

A

A drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter.

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8
Q

What is the auditory cortex?

A

A strip of cortex in the temporal lobe that is responsible for processing auditory information.

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9
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

A

It controls our internal organs and glands.

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10
Q

What is an axon?

A

A major extension of the soma.

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11
Q

What is the biological perspective?

A

The view that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems.

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12
Q

What is Broca’s area?

A

A region in the left hemisphere that is essential for language production.

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13
Q

What does the central nervous system (CNS) consist of?

A

The brain and spinal cord.

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14
Q

What is the cerebellum responsible for?

A

It controls our balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills, and is thought to be important in processing some types of memory.

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15
Q

What is the cerebral cortex?

A

The surface of the brain that is associated with our highest mental capabilities.

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16
Q

What is a chromosome?

A

A long strand of genetic information.

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17
Q

What is a computerized tomography (CT) scan?

A

An imaging technique in which a computer coordinates and integrates multiple x-rays of a given area.

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18
Q

What is the corpus callosum?

A

A thick band of neural fibers connecting the brain’s two hemispheres.

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19
Q

What is a dendrite?

A

A branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals from other neurons.

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20
Q

What is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)?

A

A helix-shaped molecule made of nucleotide base pairs.

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21
Q

What is diabetes?

A

A disease related to insufficient insulin production.

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22
Q

What is a dominant allele?

A

An allele whose phenotype will be expressed in an individual that possesses that allele.

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23
Q

What is electroencephalography (EEG)?

A

A method for recording the electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp.

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24
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

A series of glands that produce chemical substances known as hormones.

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25
What is epigenetics?
The study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same genotype leads to different phenotypes.
26
What is the fight or flight response?
Activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, allowing access to energy reserves and heightened sensory capacity to either fight off a threat or run away to safety.
27
What is the forebrain?
The largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex, the thalamus, and the limbic system, among other structures.
28
What are fraternal twins?
Twins who develop from two different eggs fertilized by different sperm, so their genetic material varies the same as in non-twin siblings.
29
What is the frontal lobe responsible for?
It contains the motor cortex and is involved in reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language.
30
What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?
An MRI that shows changes in metabolic activity over time.
31
What is a gene?
A sequence of DNA that controls or partially controls physical characteristics.
32
What is genetic environmental correlation?
A view of gene-environment interaction that asserts our genes affect our environment, and our environment influences the expression of our genes.
33
What is a genotype?
The genetic makeup of an individual.
34
What is a glial cell?
A nervous system cell that provides physical and metabolic support to neurons, including neuronal insulation and communication, and nutrient and waste transport.
35
What is a gonad?
An organ that secretes sexual hormones, which are important for successful reproduction and mediate both sexual motivation and behavior.
36
What is a gyrus?
A bump or ridge on the cerebral cortex.
37
What is a hemisphere?
Either the left or right half of the brain.
38
What does heterozygous mean?
Consisting of two different alleles.
39
What is the hindbrain?
The division of the brain containing the medulla, pons, and cerebellum.
40
What is the hippocampus associated with?
Learning and memory.
41
What is homeostasis?
A state of equilibrium—biological conditions, such as body temperature, are maintained at optimal levels.
42
What does homozygous mean?
Consisting of two identical alleles.
43
What is a hormone?
A chemical messenger released by endocrine glands.
44
What is the hypothalamus?
A forebrain structure that regulates sexual motivation and behavior and a number of homeostatic processes; it serves as an interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system.
45
What are identical twins?
Twins that develop from the same sperm and egg.
46
What is lateralization?
The concept that each hemisphere of the brain is associated with specialized functions.
47
What is the limbic system?
A collection of structures involved in processing emotion and memory.
48
What is the longitudinal fissure?
A deep groove in the brain’s cortex.
49
What is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
An imaging technique that uses magnetic fields to produce a picture of the tissue being imaged.
50
What does the medulla control?
Automated processes like breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.
51
What is membrane potential?
The difference in charge across the neuronal membrane.
52
What is the midbrain?
The division of the brain located between the forebrain and the hindbrain; it contains the reticular formation.
53
What is the motor cortex?
A strip of cortex involved in planning and coordinating movement.
54
What is a mutation?
A sudden, permanent change in a gene.
55
What is the myelin sheath?
A fatty substance that insulates axons.
56
What is a neuron?
Cells in the nervous system that act as interconnected information processors, essential for all tasks of the nervous system.
57
What is neuroplasticity?
The nervous system's ability to change.
58
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical messenger of the nervous system.
59
What are Nodes of Ranvier?
Open spaces found in the myelin sheath that encases the axon.
60
What is the occipital lobe?
Part of the cerebral cortex associated with visual processing; it contains the primary visual cortex.
61
What does the pancreas secrete?
Hormones that regulate blood sugar.
62
What is the parasympathetic nervous system associated with?
Routine, day-to-day operations of the body.
63
What is the parietal lobe involved in?
Processing various sensory and perceptual information; it contains the primary somatosensory cortex.
64
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
The system that connects the brain and spinal cord to the muscles, organs, and senses.
65
What is a phenotype?
An individual’s inheritable physical characteristics.
66
What does the pituitary gland secrete?
A number of key hormones that regulate fluid levels in the body and messenger hormones that direct the activity of other glands in the endocrine system.
67
What does polygenic mean?
Multiple genes affecting a given trait.
68
What is the pons?
A hindbrain structure that connects the brain and spinal cord; it is involved in regulating brain activity during sleep.
69
What is a positron emission tomography (PET) scan?
An imaging technique that involves injecting individuals with a mildly radioactive substance and monitoring changes in blood flow to different regions of the brain.
70
What is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?
Higher-level cognitive functioning.
71
What are psychotropic medications?
Drugs that treat psychiatric symptoms by restoring neurotransmitter balance.
72
What is the range of reaction?
The assertion that our genes set the boundaries within which we can operate, and our environment interacts with the genes to determine where in that range we will fall.
73
What is a receptor?
A protein on the cell surface where neurotransmitters attach.
74
What is a recessive allele?
An allele whose phenotype will be expressed only if an individual is homozygous for that allele.
75
What is resting potential?
The state of readiness of a neuron membrane’s potential between signals.
76
What is the reticular formation?
A midbrain structure important in regulating the sleep/wake cycle, arousal, alertness, and motor activity.
77
What is reuptake?
The process where a neurotransmitter is pumped back into the neuron that released it.
78
What is a semipermeable membrane?
A cell membrane that allows smaller molecules or molecules without an electrical charge to pass through it, while stopping larger or highly charged molecules.
79
What is a soma?
The cell body of a neuron.
80
What is the somatic nervous system?
The system that relays sensory and motor information to and from the CNS.
81
What is the somatosensory cortex?
Essential for processing sensory information from across the body, such as touch, temperature, and pain.
82
What is the substantia nigra?
A midbrain structure where dopamine is produced; it is involved in the control of movement.
83
What is a sulcus?
A depression or groove in the cerebral cortex.
84
What is the sympathetic nervous system involved in?
Stress-related activities and functions.
85
What is the synaptic cleft?
The small gap between two neurons where communication occurs.
86
What is a synaptic vesicle?
A storage site for neurotransmitters.
87
What is the temporal lobe associated with?
Hearing, memory, emotion, and some aspects of language; it contains the primary auditory cortex.
88
What is a terminal button?
The axon terminal containing synaptic vesicles.
89
What is the thalamus?
The sensory relay for the brain.
90
What is the theory of evolution by natural selection?
The theory that states organisms that are better suited for their environments will survive and reproduce compared to those that are poorly suited for their environments.
91
What is the threshold of excitation?
The level of charge in the membrane that causes the neuron to become active.
92
What does the thyroid secrete?
Hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and appetite.
93
What is the ventral tegmental area (VTA)?
A midbrain structure where dopamine is produced; it is associated with mood, reward, and addiction.
94
What is Wernicke’s area important for?
Speech comprehension.

PSY 201 (4 decks)

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