Exam 1

Question 1

thalamus

Answer 1

relays messages between lower brain centers and cerebral cortex

Question 2

epigenetics

Answer 2

the study of the molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expressions

Question 3

axon

Answer 3

passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands

Question 4

threshold

Answer 4

minimum intensity of a stimulus that is necessary to evoke a response

Question 5

peripheral nervous system

Answer 5

nerves that connect to the spinal chord and run throughout the body

Question 6

somatic nervous system

Answer 6

voluntary movement of skeletal muscles

Question 7

parasympathetic divison

Answer 7

rest and digest

Question 8

reflex arc

Answer 8

allows reflexes to happen really quickly, because the sensory messages don’t have to go all the way up to the brain to be received

Question 9

hormone

Answer 9

chemical messages

Question 10

pituitary gland

Answer 10

endocrine system’s most influential gland- regulates growth and a secretes lots of different hormones

Question 11

endocrine system

Answer 11

glands and organs that make hormones and release them directly into the blood so they can travel to tissues and organs all over the body

Question 12

midbrain

Answer 12

regulate movement

Question 13

pons

Answer 13

helps coordinate movement and sleep control

Question 14

genetics

Answer 14

focuses on what makes us different

Question 15

monozygotic

Answer 15

identical twins, genetically identical

Question 16

transduction

Answer 16

conversion of one form of energy to another

Question 17

absolute threshold

Answer 17

minimum stimulus energy needed to notice something

Question 18

weber’s law

Answer 18

the JND is relative to how strong the initial stimuli was

Question 19

neuron

Answer 19

type of cell that receives and sends messages from the body to the brain and back to the body

Question 20

dendrite

Answer 20

receive messages from other cells

Question 21

glial cells

Answer 21

supports the neuron

Question 22

myelin sheath

Answer 22

covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses

Question 23

action potential

Answer 23

a rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across a membrane

Question 24

refractory period

Answer 24

period of time during with an organ or cell is incapable of repeating a particular function/action

Question 25

synapse

Answer 25

little gaps between ones neurons axon terminal and another neuron's dendrite at the receptor site

Question 26

neurotransmitter

Answer 26

a chemical messenger that is released

Question 27

central nervous system

Answer 27

the brain and spinal chord

Question 28

autonomic nervous system

Answer 28

involuntary movement of skeletal muscles

Question 29

sympathetic divison

Answer 29

fight or flight

Question 30

hindbrain

Answer 30

essential function

Question 31

forebrain

Answer 31

sensory info

Question 32

medulla

Answer 32

controls heart rate and breathing

Question 33

cerebellum

Answer 33

voluntary movements and balance

Question 34

spinal chord

Answer 34

pathway for neural fibers, controls simple reflexes

Question 35

reticular formation

Answer 35

network that filters info from the body to the thalamus

Question 36

limbic system

Answer 36

part of the forebrain

Question 37

amygdala

Answer 37

controls aggression and fear

Question 38

hypothalamus

Answer 38

helps maintain homeostasis, linked to emotion and reward

Question 39

hippocampus

Answer 39

memory

Question 40

corpus callosum

Answer 40

connects two cerebral hemispheres

Question 41

cerebrum

Answer 41

divided into two hemispheres, control speech, thoughts, emotions, etc

Question 42

cerebral cortex

Answer 42

control and information processing center

Question 43

frontal lobe

Answer 43

speaking, muscle movements, making plans and judgements

Question 44

parietal lobe

Answer 44

receives sensory input for touch and body position

Question 45

occipital lobes

Answer 45

receive information from the visual fields

Question 46

temporal lobe

Answer 46

auditory areas, each receives information primarily from other ear

Question 47

motor cortex

Answer 47

in the frontal lobe, motor output, opposite side control

Question 48

somatosensory cortex

Answer 48

in the parietal lobe, sensory input, opposite side receiving

Question 49

association areas

Answer 49

all of the rest of the cerebral cortex

Question 50

chromosome

Answer 50

structure found inside a cell that makes up DNA

Question 51

twin studies

Answer 51

used to study genes vs environment

Question 51

monozygotic

Answer 51

identical twins, genetically identical

Question 52

evolutionary psychology

Answer 52

focuses on what makes us similar to each other

Question 53

sensation

Answer 53

the actual stimuli that you receive from the environment

Question 54

perception

Answer 54

the way your brain interprets/processes the data

Question 55

top-down processing

Answer 55

perceiving things based on previous experience

Question 56

bottom-up processing

Answer 56

brain processes sensory information and uses clues to understand stimuli

Question 57

difference threshold

Answer 57

minimum difference that a person can detect between two stimuli

Question 58

subliminal stimulus

Answer 58

below absolute threshold

Question 59

sensory adaptation

Answer 59

diminished sensitivity due to constant stimulation

Question 60

perceptual set

Answer 60

mental predisposition to perceive something over another

Question 61

schema

Answer 61

organize and interpret unfamiliar information through experience

Question 62

context effects

Answer 62

influence of environment factors on one's perception of stimulus