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Psychology > Chapter 3: The Biological Bases of Behavior > Flashcards

Chapter 3: The Biological Bases of Behavior Flashcards

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1
Q

minimum length of the time after action potential during another action potential cannot begin

A

Absolute Refractory Period

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2
Q

a brief change in a neuron’s electrical charge

A

Action Potential

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3
Q

an inherited characteristic that increased in a population because it helped solve a problem of survival or reproduction during the time it emerged

A

Adaption

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4
Q

research studies that assess hereditary influence by examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and their adoptive parents

A

Adoption Studies

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5
Q

axons that carry information inward to the central nervous system from the periphery of the body

A

Afferent Nerve Fibers

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6
Q

a chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter

A

Agonist

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7
Q

a chemical that opposes the action of a neurotransmitter

A

Antagonist

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8
Q

partial or total loss of the ability to articulate ideas or comprehend written or spoken language

A

Aphasia

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9
Q

the system of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and glands

A

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

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10
Q

a long, thin fiber that transmits signals away from the neuron cell body to other neurons,or to muscles or glands

A

Axon

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11
Q

where plasma regions of cell body (soma) generate nerve impulses

A

Axon Hillock

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12
Q

any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism

A

Behavior

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13
Q

an interdisciplinary field that studies the influence of genetic factors on behavioral traits

A

Behavioral Genetics

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14
Q

the brain and the spinal cord

A

Central Nervous System (CNS)

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15
Q

the convoluted outer layer of the cerebrum

A

Cerebral Cortex

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16
Q

the right and left halves of the cerebrum

A

Cerebral Hemispheres

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17
Q

a solution that fills the hollow cavities of the brain and circulates around the brain and spinal cord

A

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CFS)

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18
Q

threadlike strands of DNA molecules that carry genetic information

A

Chromosomes

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19
Q

the structure that connects the two cerebral hemispheres

A

Corpus Callosum

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20
Q

a limited time span in the development of an organism when it is optimal for certain capacities to emerge because the organism is especially responsive to certain experiences

A

Critical Period

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21
Q

branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information

A

Dendrites

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22
Q

a gene that is expressed when paired genes are heterozygous (different)

A

Dominant Gene

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23
Q

axons that carry information outward from the central nervous system to the periphery of the body

A

Efferent Nerve Fibers

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24
Q

sending weak electric currents into a brain structure to stimulate (activate) it

A

Electrical Stimulation of the Brain (ESB)

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25
Q

a device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time by means of recording electrodes attached to the surface of the scalp

A

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

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26
Q

a group of glands that secrete chemicals into the bloodstream that help control bodily functioning

A

Endocrine System

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27
Q

the entire family of internally produced chemicals that resemble opiates in structure and effects

A

Endorphins

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28
Q

theoretical perspective that examines behavioral processes in terms of their adaptive value for a species over the course of many generations

A

Evolutionary Psychology

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29
Q

an electric potential that increases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire action potentials

A

Excitatory PSP

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30
Q

people who tend to be interested in the external world of people and things

A

Extraverts

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31
Q

scientific studies in which researchers assess hereditary influence by examining blood relatives to see how much they rememble each other on a specific trait

A

Family Studies

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32
Q

a physiological reaction to threat in which the autonomic nervous system mobilizes the organism for attacking (fight) or fleeing (flight) an enemy

A

Fight-or-Flight Response

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33
Q

the reproductive success of an individual organism relative to the average reproductive success of the population

A

Fitness

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34
Q

the largest and most complicated region of the brain, encompassing a variety of structures, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum

A

Forebrain

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35
Q

twins that result when two eggs are fertilized simultaneously by different sperm cells, forming two separate zygotes

A

Fraternal Twins; Dizygotic Twins

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36
Q

DNA segments that serve as the key functional units in hereditary transmition

A

Genes

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37
Q

the process of determining the location and chemical sequences of specific genes on specific chromosomes

A

Genetic Mapping

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38
Q

a person’s genetic makeup

A

Genotype

39
Q

the situation that occurs when two genes in a specific pair are different

A

Heterozygous Condition

40
Q

the part of the brain that includes the cerebellum and two structures found in the lower part of the brainstem: the medulla and the pons

A

Hindbrain

41
Q

the situation that occurs when two genes in a specific pair are the same

A

Homozygous Condition

42
Q

the chemical substances released by the endocrine glands

A

Hormones

43
Q

a structure found near the base of the forebrain that is involved in the regulation of basic biological needs

A

Hypothalamus

44
Q

twins that emerge from one zygote that splits for unknown reasons

A

Identical Twins; Monozygotic Twins

45
Q

the sum of an individual’s own reproductive success plus the effects the organism has on the reproductive success of related others

A

Inclusive Fitness

46
Q

an electric potential that decreases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire action potentials

A

Inhibitory PSP

47
Q

a relatively durable change in behavior or knowledge that is due to experience

A

Learning

48
Q

destroying a piece of the brain

A

Lesioning

49
Q

a densely connected network of structures roughly located along the border between the cerebral cortex and deeper subcortical areas

A

Limbic System

50
Q

the segment of the brain stem that lies between the hindbrain and the forebrain

A

Midbrain

51
Q

a mating system in which one male and one female mate exclusively, with each other

A

Monogamy

52
Q

a spontaneous, heritable change in a piece of DNA that occurs in the individual organism

A

Mutation

53
Q

insulating material, derived from glial cells, that encases some axons of neurons

A

Myelin Sheath

54
Q

principle stating that heritable characteristics that provide a survival reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative characteristics to be passed on to subsequent generations and thus come to be selected over time

A

Natural Selection

55
Q

bundles of neuron fibers (axons) that are routed together in the peripheral nervous system

A

Nerves

56
Q

individual cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information

A

Neurons

57
Q

chemicals that transit information from one neuron to another

A

Neurotransmitters

58
Q

periodic gaps in myelin sheath that speed information travel along the axon

A

Nodes of Ranvier

59
Q

the branch of the autonomic nervous system that generally conserves bodily resources

A

Parasympathetic Division

60
Q

what each sex contributes in terms of time, energy, survival risk, and forgone opportunities to produce and nurture offspring

A

Parental Investment

61
Q

left-right imbalances between the cerebral hemispheres in the speed of visual or auditory processing

A

Perceptual Asymmetries

62
Q

all those nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord

A

Peripheral Nervous System

63
Q

the ways in which a person’s genotype is manifested in observable characteristics

A

Phenotype

64
Q

the “master gland” of the endocrine system; it releases a great variety of hormones that fan out through the body, stimulating actions in the other endocrine glands

A

Pituitary Glands

65
Q

a mating system in which each female seeks to mate with multiple males, while each male mates with only one female

A

Polandry

66
Q

characteristics that are influenced by more than one pair of genes

A

Polygenic Traits

67
Q

a mating system in which each male seeks to mate with multiple females, while each female mates with only one male

A

Polygyny

68
Q

the larger collection of animals or people from which a sample is drawn and that researchers want to generalize about

A

Population

69
Q

a voltage change at the receptor site on a postsynaptic cell membrane

A

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

70
Q

the sexual structures necessary for reproduction

A

Primary Sex Characteristics

71
Q

the period of early adolescence marked by rapid physical growth and the development of sexual maturity

A

Puberty

72
Q

a gene whose influence is masked when paired genes are different (heterozygous)

A

Recessive Gene

73
Q

time a neuron cannot fire

A

Refractory Period

74
Q

the stable, negative charge of a neuron when it is inactive

A

Resting Potential

75
Q

a process in which neurotransmitters are sponged up from the synaptic cleft by the presynaptic membrane

A

Reuptake

76
Q

physical features that are associated with gender by that are not directly invovled in reproduction

A

Secondary Sex Characteristics

77
Q

the cell body of a neuron; it contains the nucleus and much of the chemical machinery common to most cells

A

Soma

78
Q

the system of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and to sensory receptors

A

Somatic Nervous System

79
Q

a procedure in which the bundle of fibers that connects the cerebral hemispheres is cut to reduce the severity of epileptic seizures

A

Split-Brain Surgery

80
Q

the branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body’s resources for emergencies

A

Sympathetic Division

81
Q

a junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next

A

Synapse

82
Q

a microscopic gap between the terminal button of a neuron and the cell membrane of another neuron

A

Synaptic Cleft

83
Q

small knobs at the end of axons that secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters

A

Terminal Buttons

84
Q

a structure in the forebrain through which all sensory information (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex

A

Thalamus

85
Q

a research design in which hereditary influence is assessed by comparing the resemblance of identical twins and fraternal twins with respect to a trait

A

Twin Studies

86
Q

a one-celled organism formed by the union of a sperm and an egg

A

Zygote

87
Q

identified natural selection as the mechanism that orchestrates the process of evolution

A

Charles Darwin

88
Q

unlocked the secret of the neural impulse

A

Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley

89
Q

discovered “pleasure centers” in the limbic system

A

James Olds and Peter Milner

90
Q

showed that morphine works by binding to specific receptors

A

Candace Pert and Solomon Snyder

91
Q

one of the leading behavior genetics researchers in the last decade

A

Robert Plomin

92
Q

known for their work with the split-brain

A

Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga

93
Q

discovered the motor speech center of the brain and did pioneering work in brain surgery; his study of brain lesions contributed to the understanding of the origins of aphasia; discovered Broca’s area of the brain

A

Paul Broca

94
Q

related nerve diseases to specific parts of the brain and known for studies in aphasia; discovered Wernicke’s area of the brain

A

Carl Wernicke

Psychology (2 decks)

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