Curriculum Outcomes

Question 1

Biological psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. (Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neurosci- entists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psycholo- gists, or biopsychologists.)

Question 2

Neuron

Answer 2

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.

Question 3

Dendrites

Answer 3

a neuron’s bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Question 4

Axon

Answer 4

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

Question 5

Myelin sheath

Answer 5

sheath a fatty tissue layer segmentally encas- ing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next.

Question 6

Action potential

Answer 6

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.

Question 7

Refectory period

Answer 7

a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired.

Question 8

Threshold

Answer 8

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.

Question 9

Neurotransmitter

Answer 9

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neu- rotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.

Question 10

Reuptake

Answer 10

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron.

Question 11

Endorphins

Answer 11

“morphine within”—natural, opiate- like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Question 12

Agonist

Answer 12

a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, stimulates a response.

Question 13

Antagonist

Answer 13

a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, inhibits or blocks a response.

Question 14

Nervous system

Answer 14

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communica- tion network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.

Question 15

CNS

Answer 15

The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS receives sensory information from the nervous system and controls the body’s responses.

Question 16

PNS

Answer 16

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the division of the nervous system containing all the nerves that lie outside of the central nervous system.

Question 17

Nerves

Answer 17

nerves bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

Question 18

sensory (afferent) neurons

Answer 18

neurons that carry incoming informa- tion from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

Question 19

motor (efferent) neurons

Answer 19

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.

Question 20

interneurons

Answer 20

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that com- municate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Question 21

somatic nervous system

Answer 21

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles.

Question 22

autonomic nervous system

Answer 22

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

Question 23

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 23

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

Question 24

Hormones

Answer 24

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endo- crine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.

Question 25

CT scan

Answer 25

a series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a compos- ite representation of a slice of the brain’s structure.

Question 26

PET scan

Answer 26

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.

Question 27

MRI scan

Answer 27

(magnetic resonance imaging) a technique that uses mag- netic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated im- ages of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.

Question 28

frontal lobe

Answer 28

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.

Question 29

occipital lobe

Answer 29

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive informa- tion from the visual fields.

Question 30

glial cell

Answer 30

cells in the nervous system that support, nour- ish, and protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning and thinking.

Question 31

cerebellum

Answer 31

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinat- ing movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learn- ing and memory.

Question 32

Medulla

Answer 32

the base of the brainstem; controls heart- beat and breathing.

Question 33

Brain stem

Answer 33

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions.

Question 34

Thalamus

Answer 34

the brain’s sensory control center, lo- cated on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Question 35

fMRI scan

Answer 35

functional MRI measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow

Question 36

limbic system

Answer 36

neural system (including the hippocampus, amyg- dala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.

Question 37

cerebral cortex

Answer 37

the intricate fabric of intercon- nected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.

Question 38

amygdala

Answer 38

two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Question 39

hypothalamus

Answer 39

A neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

Question 40

adrenal gland

Answer 40

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and nor- epinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress.

Question 41

Lesion

Answer 41

tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.

Question 42

Reflex

Answer 42

A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.

Question 43

Endocrine system

Answer 43

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Question 44

pituitary gland

Answer 44

the endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Question 45

Partial lobe

Answer 45

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

Question 46

All or non response

Answer 46

a neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.