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MCAT Behavioral Sciences > Chapters 1 and 2 > Flashcards

Chapters 1 and 2 Flashcards

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MCAT flashcards
1
Q

neuropsychology

A

study of the connection between the nervous system and behavior

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2
Q

3 types of neurons

A

sensory: afferent, receptors to the brain
motor: efferent, brain and spinal cord to the muscle
interneurons: reflex arcs, found in brain and spinal cord

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3
Q

Franz Gall

A

phrenology: part of brain would expand in correspondence with a specific trait

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4
Q

Pierre Flourens

A

first to study functions of major sections of the brain

did extirpations on rabbits

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5
Q

William James

A

father of psychology, functionalism: studied how mental processes help an individual adapt to their environments

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6
Q

John Dewey

A

believed that psychology should study the organism as a whole as it functions to adapt to the environment

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7
Q

central nervous system

A

brain and spinal cord

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8
Q

peripheral nervous system

A

nerve tissue and fibers outside brain and spinal cord

31 pairs of spinal nerves
12 pairs of cranial nerves

connects CNS to the rest of the body

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9
Q

somatic nervous system

A

sensory and motor neurons distributed throughout the skin, joints, and muscles

voluntary

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10
Q

autonomic nervous system

A

regulates heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and glandular secretions

involuntary

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11
Q

parasympathetic nervous system

A

aim is to conserve energy

rest and digest: reduce heart rate, constrict bronchi, increase peristalsis and exocrine secretions

Ach is neurotransmitter

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12
Q

sympathetic nervous system

A

activated by stress

fight, flight, fright, fornication: increase heart rate, redistribute blood to muscles for locomotion, increase blood glucose concentration, relaxes bronchi, decrease digestion and peristalsis, dilates eyes, release epinephrine

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13
Q

layers of meninges

A

duramater, arachnoid mater, pia mater

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14
Q

brainstem

A

hindbrain + midbrain

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15
Q

cerebral cortex

A

language processing, problem solving, impulse control, long-term planning

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16
Q

limbic system

A

emotion and memory

aggression, fear, pleasure, pain

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17
Q

forebrain

A

cerebral cortex: complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes
basal ganglia: smooth and coordinated movement
limbic system: emotion and memory
thalamus: sensory relay station
hypothalamus: hunger and thirst, emotion; overall homeostasis

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18
Q

midbrain

A

inferior and superior colliculi: sensorimotor reflexes

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19
Q

hindbrain

A

cerebellum: refined motor movements
medulla oblongata: vital functioning – breathing and digestion
reticular formation: arousal and alertness

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20
Q

cortical maps

A

sensory locations on the brain

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21
Q

CT (computed tomography)

A

multiple X-rays are taken at different angles and processed by computer to cross-sectional slice images of tissue

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22
Q

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

A

radioactive sugar is injected and absorbed into the body and its path is imaged

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23
Q

MRI 9magnetic resonance imaging)

A

uses magnetic field to interact with hydrogen and map out hydrogen dense regions in the brain

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24
Q

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

A

measures changes related to blood flow

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25
Q

hypothalamus

A

lateral: hunger and thirst center, triggered by LH
ventromedial: “satiety center”
provides signals to stop eating
anterior: sexual behavior, sleep, body temperature

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26
Q

posterior pituitary

A

ADH and oxytocin

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27
Q

pineal gland

A

melatonin, regulates circadian rhythms

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28
Q

basal ganglia

A

coordinates muscle movement and relays this back to the brain and spinal cord via extrapyramidal system

its destruction can lead to Parkinson’s Disease

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29
Q

limbic system

A

emotion and memory
septal nuclei: primary pleasure center in the brain
amygdala: fear and rage
hippocampus: learning and memory processes, communicates with other parts of the system via the fornix

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30
Q

cerebral cortex

A

frontal lobe: prefrontal cortex and M1 (located on precentral gyrus)
parietal lobe: somatosensory cortex is located on the postcentral gyrus
occipital lobe: visual cortex/striate cortex
temporal lobe: auditory cortex and Wernicke’s area, memory, emotion, language

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31
Q

association area

A

area that integrates input from diverse brain regions, like prefrontal cortex

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32
Q

projection area

A

performs more rudimentary perceptual and motor tasks

further analyze sensory input

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33
Q

contralaterally

A

brain communicating with opposite side of the body

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34
Q

ipsilaterally

A

brain communicating with same side of the body

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35
Q

dominant hemisphere

A

usually the left, primarily analytic, good for managing details

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36
Q

nondominant hemisphere

A

usually the right, intuition, creativity, music cognition, spatial processing (geometry, sense of direction)

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37
Q

acetylcholine

A

neurotransmitter found in both CNS (in ganglia for innervating sweat glands) & PNS transmit nerve impulses)

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38
Q

catecholamines

A

epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine: important for experiencing emotions

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39
Q

epinephrine(adrenaline) and norepinephrine(noradrenaline)

A

involved in controlling alertness and wakefulness

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40
Q

dopamine

A

movement and posture, too much is believed to be tied with scizophrenia, too little=Parkinson’s

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41
Q

serotonin

A

mood, eating, sleep, dreaming
too much=manic states
too little=depression

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42
Q

GABA

A

inhibitory postsynaptic potential, stabilizes brain

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43
Q

glycine

A

inhibitory in CNS, increases chloride influx into the neuron, stabilizes brain

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44
Q

glutamate

A

CNS, excitatory

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45
Q

endorphins

A

natural painkillers

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46
Q

hormones

A

chemical messengers

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47
Q

hypophyseal portal system

A

how hypothalamus links endocrine and nervous systems

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48
Q

anterior pituitary

A

master gland, releases hormones that regulate the activity of endocrine glands

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49
Q

adrenal medulla

A

epinephrine and norepinephrine

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50
Q

adrenal cortex

A

glucocorticoids and sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen)

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51
Q

innate behavior

A

programmed as a result of evolution

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52
Q

learned behaviors

A

based on experience and environment

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53
Q

adaptive value

A

extent to which a trait or a behavior positively benefits a species

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54
Q

nature

A

heredity and its influence on behavior

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55
Q

nurture

A

influence of environment and physical surroundings on behavior

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56
Q

family studies

A

rely on assumption that genetically related individuals are more similar genotypical than unrelated individuals

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57
Q

twin studies

A

comparing concordance rates: likelihood that both twins exhibit the same trait
MZ: monozygotic twins: identical
DZ: dizygotic twins: fraternal

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58
Q

adoption studies

A

help to understand environmental influences and genetic influences on behavior

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59
Q

neurulation

A

process by which ectoderm overlying notochord begins to furrow, forming neural groove surrounded by two neural folds

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60
Q

neural crest

A

cells at leading edge of the neural fold

migrate to form dorsal root ganglia, melanocytes, and calcitonin producing cells of the thyroid

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61
Q

neural tube

A

forms the CNS
alar plate: will become sensory neurons
basal plate: will become motor neurons

62
Q

umbilical cord

A

connects fetus to uterine wall and placenta(food, O2, and H2O

63
Q

reflex

A

behavior that occurs in response to a given stimulus without higher cognitive input

64
Q

primitive reflexes

A

what infants have, should disappear with age

rooting reflex: autonomic response of tuning head in direction that stimulation touches cheek

65
Q

moro reflex

A

infants react to abrupt movements of their heads by flinging out arms, then slowly retracting arms and crying

66
Q

Babinski reflex

A

toes spread apart when sole of foot is stimulated

67
Q

grasping reflex

A

occurs when infant closes his or her fingers around an object placed in the hand

68
Q

sensory receptors

A

respond to stimuli and trigger electrical signals

69
Q

distal stimuli

A

originate from outside of the body, like campfire

70
Q

proximal stimuli

A

directly interact with and affect the sensory receptors, like photons from the campfire

71
Q

psychophysics

A

relationship between the physical nature of stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they evoke

72
Q

ganglia

A

collection of neuron cell bodies found outside the cns

73
Q

threshold

A

minimum amount of a stimulus that renders a difference in perception

74
Q

absolute threshold

A

minimum amount of stimulus energy that is needed to activate a sensory system

75
Q

subliminal perception

A

perception of stimulus below a given threshold

threshold of conscious perception

76
Q

psychophysical discrimination testing

A

ways to analyze limit in human perspective ability

77
Q

difference threshold

A

AKA just-noticeable difference : minimum difference in magnitude between two stimuli before one can perceive this difference

78
Q

Weber’s Law

A

ratio between the change in stimulus and its original valu

difference/original

79
Q

signal detection theory

A

changes in our perception of the same stimuli depending on psychological and environmental factors

encompasses notion of false alarm

80
Q

response bias

A

tendency of subjects to systematically respond to a stimulus in a particular way due to nonsensory factors

81
Q

hair cell

A

respond to movement of fluid in inner ear structures

82
Q

photoreceptors

A

respond to electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum

83
Q

nociceptors

A

respond to painful or noxious stimuli

84
Q

thermoreceptors

A

respond to changes in temperature

85
Q

osmoreceptors

A

respond to osmolarity of the blood

86
Q

olfactory receptors

A

respond to smell

87
Q

taste recptors

A

respond to taste

88
Q

sclera

A

thick structural layer, the white part of the eye

89
Q

choroidal and retinal vessels

A

supply the eye with nutrients

90
Q

retina

A

contains actual photoreceptors that transduce light into electrochemical info

duplexity theory of vision: light and dark photoreceptors (cones and rods)

91
Q

cornea

A

where light enters, gathers and focuses the light

92
Q

anterior chamber

A

in front of the iris

93
Q

posterior chamber

A

between the iris and the lens

94
Q

iris

A

colored part of the eye composed of dilator pupillae (opens, sympathetic) and constrictor pupillae (constricts, parasympathetic)

95
Q

ciliary body

A

produces the aqueous humor that bathes the front part of the eye before draining into the Canal of Schlemm

96
Q

lens

A

behind iris, controls refraction of light

97
Q

accomodation

A

as ciliary muscle contracts, it pulls on the suspensory ligaments and changes the shape of the lens

98
Q

vitreous

A

transparent gel that supports the retina

99
Q

rods

A

more functional in reduced illumination, contain rhodopsin

100
Q

fovea

A

contains only cones, visual acuity is best here

101
Q

bipolar cells

A

rods and cones connect with them to synapse with ganglion cells that group together to form the optic nerve

102
Q

visual pathways

A

refer to both the physical anatomical connections between the eyes and the brain and the flow of visual information

103
Q

optic chiasm

A

where fibers from the nasal half of each retina cross paths

104
Q

flow of visual info

A

optic chiasm–lateral geniculate nucleus(LGN)–thalamus–temporal and parietal lobes–visual cortex–occipital lobe

105
Q

parallel processing

A

ability to simultaneously analyze and combine info regarding color, shape, and motion

106
Q

feature detection

A

specialization in the detection of color, shape, or motion

107
Q

parvocellular cells

A

detect shape, have high spatial resolution, have low temporal resolution

108
Q

magnocellular cells

A

detect motion, have very high temporal resolution

109
Q

vestibular sense

A

rotational and linear accleration

110
Q

pinna/auricle

A

where a sound wave first reaches, channels sound waves to external auditory canal, which directs sound waves to the tympanic membrane (eardrum)

111
Q

intensity

A

amplitude of the vibration

112
Q

ossicles

A

3 of the middle ear: malleus/hammer, incus/anvil, and stapes/stirrup

113
Q

eustachian tube

A

connects middle ear to nasal cavity, helps to equalize pressure between the middle ear and the environment

114
Q

inner ear

A

bony labyrinth, cochlea, vestibule, semicircular canals

115
Q

membranous labyrinth

A

bathed with endolymph, is suspended within the bony labyrinth by a thin layer of fluid called perilymph, which transmits vibrations from outside world

116
Q

cochlea

A

spiral shaped organ divided into scalae

117
Q

organ of Corti

A

actual hearing apparatus, at the top is the tectorial membrane, bathed in endolymph

118
Q

basilar membrane

A

thin, flexible membrane

119
Q

round window

A

permits perilymph to move within the cochlea

120
Q

auditory nerve

A

carries electrical signal to the brain

121
Q

vestibule

A

portion of the bony labyrinth that contains the utricle and saccule, which coordinate balance and orientation and are covered by otolith hair cells

sensitive to linear acceleration

122
Q

semicircular canals

A

sensitive to rotational acceleration

arranged perpendicular to each other, each end results in a swelling called an ampulla

123
Q

auditory pathway

A

sound info passes through the vestibulocochlear nerve–brain stem–medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)–auditory cortex–also sent to superior olive for localizing sound and inferior colliculus for startle reflex

124
Q

stereocilia

A

hair cells

125
Q

place theory

A

location of a hair cell on the basilar membrane determines the perception of pitch when that hair cell is vibrated

126
Q

tonotopical organization

A

hair cells that are vibrating gives the brain an indication of the pitch of the sound

127
Q

olfactory pathway

A

odor molecules are inhaled–olfactory bulb–olfactory tract–higher regions of the brain

128
Q

somatosensation

A

touch: pressure, vibration, pain, temperature

129
Q

pacinian corpuscles

A

deep pressure and vibrattion

130
Q

meissners corpuscles

A

light touch

131
Q

merkel cells/discs

A

deep pressure and texture

132
Q

ruffini ending

A

stretch

133
Q

free nerve endings

A

pain and temperature

134
Q

two-point threshold

A

minimum distance necessary between two points of stimulation on the skin such that the points will be felt as two distinct stimuli

135
Q

physiological zero

A

normal temperature of the skin

136
Q

nocireceptors

A

for pain perception

137
Q

gate theory of pain

A

special gating mechanism that can turn pain signals on or off, affecting whether or not we perceive pain

138
Q

proprioception

A

kinesthetic sense, ability to tell where your body is in space

139
Q

bottom up processing

A

data driven, object recognition via parallel processing and feature detection

140
Q

top down processing

A

conceptually driven, driven by memories and expectations

141
Q

perceptual organization

A

ability to use both top down and bottom up processing to create complete picture

142
Q

depth perception

A

rely on both monocular and binocular cues

143
Q

form

A

determined by parallel processing and feature detection

144
Q

constancy

A

idea that we perceive certain characteristics of objects to remain the same, despite differences in the environment

145
Q

Gesttalt principles

A

ways for the brain to infer missing parts of a picture when picture is incomplete

146
Q

law of proximity

A

elements close to one another tend to be perceived as a unit

147
Q

law of similarity

A

objects that are similar tend to be grouped together

148
Q

law of good continuation

A

elements that appear to follow the same pathway tend to be grouped together

149
Q

subjective contours

A

perceiving shapes that aren’t actually present in the stimulus

150
Q

law of closure

A

when a space is enclosed by a contour it tends to be perceived as a complete figure

MCAT Behavioral Sciences (2 decks)

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