Chapters 123 Vocab

Question 1

biological psychology

Answer 1

the branch of psychology that studies the biological foundations of behavior, emotions, and mental processes

Question 2

neuron doctrine

Answer 2

theory that the nervous system is made up of individual cells

Question 3

phrenology

Answer 3

the pseudo-scientific notion that skull contours indicate personality and character traits

Question 4

histology

Answer 4

refers to the study of microscopic structures and tissues

Question 5

CAT scan

Answer 5

an imaging technology in which computers are used to enhance X-ray images

Question 6

Brain Leisons

Answer 6

an injury to neural tissue and can either be naturally occurring or deliberately produced

Question 7

Common Rule

Answer 7

protects people from immoral or unethical research practice

Question 8

“mixed” nerve

Answer 8

spinal nerves that carry both sensory and motor information

Question 9

myelin

Answer 9

the fatty insulating material covering some axons that boosts the speed and efficiency of electrical signaling

Question 10

fight or flight respone

Answer 10

physiological reaction to an attack or danger

Question 11

encephalization quotient

Answer 11

a measure of relative brain size defined as the ratio between actual brain mass and predicted brain mass for an animal of a given size

Question 12

chordate

Answer 12

the phylum of animals that possess true brains and spinal cords (vertebrates)

Question 13

permeability

Answer 13

a property of a substance that determines the extent to which other substances may pass through it

Question 14

ligand vs voltage gated channels

Answer 14

• ligand: ion channel in the neural membrane that responds to chemical messengers
• voltage: ion channel that opens or closes in response to the local electrical enviornment

Question 15

3 types of cytoskeleton fibers

Answer 15

microtubules
neurofilaments
microfilaments

Question 16

cell body/soma

Answer 16

the main mass of a neuron containing the nucleus and many organelle

Question 17

dendrite

Answer 17

the branch of a neuron that generally receives information from other neurons

Question 18

axon

Answer 18

the branch of a neuron usually responsible for carrying signals to other neurons

Question 19

axon hillock

Answer 19

cone-shaped segment of axon located at the junction of the axon and cell body that is specialized for the generation of action potentials

Question 20

node of ranvier

Answer 20

the uncovered section of axon membrane between two adjacent segments of myelin

Question 21

sensory neurons
interneurons
motor neaurons

Answer 21

• neuron that translates incoming sensory info into electric signals
• neuron that serves as a bridge between sensory and motor neurons
• neuron that communicates with muscles and glands

Question 22

intracellular fluid

Answer 22

the fluid on the inside of the cell

Question 23

extracellular fluid

Answer 23

the fluid surrounding the cell

Question 24

diffusion

Answer 24

the force that moves molecules from areas of high concentration to low concentration

Question 25

extocytosis

Answer 25

process in which vesicles fuse with the membrne of the axon terminal and release neurotransmitter molecules into the synaptic gap

Question 26

saltatory vs passive conduction

Answer 26

saltatory: movement of an action potential from node of ranvier to node of ranvier down a myelinated axon
passive: the movement of an action potential down the length of unmyelinated axon