Chapter 4 - Biological processes and psychological explanation Flashcards
Physiology
The study of the structure and function of the body.
Reductionism
An approach to scientific explanation that seeks insight by reducing to a smaller scale of explanation.
Emergent property
A property exhibited by a combination of components, which is not evident when looking at the properties of the individual components alone.
Dualism
A philosophical perspective that draws an absolute distinction between the brain and mind.
Cell
A basic building block of an organism.
Neuron
A type of cell that forms part of the nervous system and which is specialized for processing information.
Motivation
A tendency to engage in a particular type of behaviour, such as feeding.
Regulation
The maintenance of stable conditions for bodily variables such as temperature.
Control
Action that is exerted in the interests of regulation.
Homeostasis
The tendency of certain parameters of the body to remain nearly constant and action to be taken when they deviate from their normal values.
Cell body
The cell body is the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus, amongst other things.
Process
A part of a neuron, an extension.
Neural system
A combination of neurons that serve a particular role.
Spinal cord
A collection of neurons housed within the backbone.
Central nervous system
The brain and spinal cord.
Peripheral nervous system
The part of the nervous system that is outside the brain and spinal cord.
Detector
A neuron or part of a neuron that is sensitive to events in the world, such as touch or tissue damage.
Hormone
A chemical that is secreted into the blood at one location, is transported in the blood, and effects action at a distant site.
Nucleus
The component of the cell body of a neuron that contains the genetic material.
Chromosome
The structure within which genes are located.
Gamete
A generic term for egg cells of the female and sperm cells of the male.
Reproduction
The coming together of sperm and egg cells and the production of a new individual.
Replication
The process of producing cells from the original precursor cell, the fertilized egg cell.
Genotype
The collection of all of the genes within the cell of a given individual.
Differentiation
The changes that occur within cells during development, such that they come to serve particular roles.
Phenotype
The physical structure and behaviour of an animal that arises from the interaction of the genotype and the environment.
Action potential
A brief and sudden change in electrical voltage in a cell and the means by which information is transmitted by neurons.
Sensory neuron
A type of neuron that is specialized to detect information and convey it to the central nervous system.
Motor neuron
A type of neuron that is specialized to convey information from the central nervous system to muscles.
Synapse
The junction between a neuron and another cell.
Neurotransmitter
A chemical that is released from a neuron and influences a neighbouring cell.
Excitation
The effect that a neuron has on a neighbouring cell such that the second cell is more likely to exhibit action potentials.
Inhibition
The effect that a neuron has on a neighbouring cell such that the second cell is less likely to exhibit action potentials.
Receptor cell
A cell specialized to detect, for example, light.
Rod
A type of receptor cell specialized to detect light.
Cone
A type of receptor cell specialized to detect light.
Ganglion cell
A type of cell in the visual system, part of the route conveying information from receptors in the eye to the brain.
Optic nerve
The collection of neurons that convey information from the eye to the brain.
Nerve
A collection of neurons in the peripheral nervous system, rather like a cable made of a number of electrical wires.
Receptive field
The part of a sensory surface, such as the retina of the eye, which when stimulated influences a neuron under investigation.
Centre-surround
A type of receptive field of ganglion cells in the visual system, such that light falling on the centre of the receptive field excites the cell and light falling on the surround inhibits it.
Enzyme
A chemical that has an influence on another chemical.
Reuptake
The process of inactivation of a neurotransmitter by taking it back into the same neuron that released it.
Dysphoria
A negative mood.
Placebo effect
An effect obtained by an apparently neutral procedure, which owes its efficacy to a belief by the patient that a therapeutic intervention has taken place.
Hemisphere
One half of the upper part of the brain.
Cerebral cortex
The outer layer of the brain.
Lateral geniculate nucleus
A part of the visual system that is a collection of cell bodies of neurons.
Corpus callosum
A bundle of processes of neurons which connect one hemisphere with another.
Lesion
Damage to a region of the brain, for example in an accident or in surgery.
Positron emission tomography
A technique for forming images of the activity of the brain.
Somatic nervous system
A division of the nervous system, which controls skeletal muscles.
Skeletal muscle
A type of muscle attached to the skeleton, which is responsible for moving parts of the body such as the arm.
Voluntary behaviour
Behaviour that is under our conscious control.
Motor cortex
The part of the cerebral cortex which is responsible for organizing motor control.
Autonomic nervous system
Part of the nervous system which is responsible for exerting action on the internal environment, for example through smooth muscle.
Cardiac muscle
Muscle in the wall of the heart which is responsible for its activity.
Smooth muscle
Muscle which is excited by the ANS, and is found in places such as the walls of blood vessels and the intestines.
