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exam definitions Flashcards

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1
Q

Central nervous
system (CNS)

A

the brain and the spinal cord; processes and coordinates responses to sensory stimuli

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2
Q

Brain

A

a complex structure that receives and processes sensory stimuli from the body and coordinates responses

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3
Q

Spinal cord

A

a dense bundle of nerves that carries sensory information from the body to the brain and motor information from the brain to the body

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4
Q

Spinal reflex

A

an involuntary and unconscious response to a stimulus involving the spinal cord, which occurs without input from the brain

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5
Q

Sensory receptor

A

a sensory nerve ending

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6
Q

Sensory neuron

A

a nerve cell that carries sensory signals along an afferent pathway throughout the nervous system

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7
Q

Interneuron

A

a nerve cell in the spinal cord and brain that connects motor and sensory neurons by relaying information

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8
Q

Motor neuron

A

a nerve cell that sends motor info along an efferent pathway to initiate motor movements

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9
Q

Peripheral
nervous system

A

all the nerves outside the CNS that carry messages between the CNS and muscles, organs and glands throughout the body

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10
Q

Somatic nervous
system

A

subdivision of PNS that carries sensory info to the CNS and motor info to the body

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11
Q

Autonomic
nervous system

A

a subdivision of PNS that controls the body’s internal environment in an autonomous or self regulated manner

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12
Q

Sympathetic
nervous system

A

a subdivision of the autonomic nervous system that increases our arousal, readying the body for a quick response

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13
Q

Parasympathetic
nervous system

A

a subdivision of the autonomic nervous system that controls the body’s internal environment in an autonomous or self-regulated manner

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14
Q

Unconscious
response

A

any response of our nervous system that does not require awareness

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15
Q

Conscious
response

A

any response of the nervous system that requires awareness

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16
Q

Neuron

A

an individual nerve cell that is specialised to receive, process and/or transmit information within the nervous system

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17
Q

Neural
transmission

A

an electrical impulse that occurs when a neuron is activated or fires

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18
Q

Neurotransmitter

A

a chemical produced by neurons that carries messages to other neurons or cells within the nervous system, including muscles, organs and glands

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19
Q

Synapse

A

the point of communication between two neurons or between a neuron and a target cell such as a muscle or gland

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20
Q

Synaptic vesicle

A

a membrane-bound sphere filled with neurotransmitter molecules

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21
Q

Synaptic gap

A

the space between the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron and the dendrite of the post-synaptic neuron

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22
Q

Receptor site

A

a membrane protein on the dendrites of neurons that receive and detect specific neurotransmitters

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23
Q

Excitatory effect

A

the increased likelihood that the post-synaptic neuron will fire an action potential or neural impulse

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24
Q

Glutamate

A

the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, which is involved with learning and memory

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25
Q

Inhibitory effect

A

the decreased likelihood that the post-synaptic neuron will fire an action potential or neural impulse

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26
Q

Gamma-
aminobutyric acid (GABA)

A

the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, associated with anxiety, specific phobias and Parkinson’s disease

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27
Q

Neuromodulator

A

a subclass of neurotransmitters that alter the strength of neural transmission, by increasing or decreasing the responsiveness of neurons to neurotransmitter signals

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28
Q

Dopamine

A

a multifunctional neurotransmitter with both excitatory and inhibitory effects, that is involved in many central nervous system functions such as movement, pleasure, attention, mood, cognition and motivation

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29
Q

Reward pathway

A

a group ofvstructures invthe brain that are activated by rewarding or reinforcing stimuli

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30
Q

Serotonin

A

an inhibitory neurotransmitter that also acts as a neuromodulator, influencing a variety of brain activities

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31
Q

Serotonin
pathway

A

serotonin’s neuromodulatory system, which originates in the brainstem and extends to almost all areas of the cerebrum including the cerebral cortex

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32
Q

Synaptic
plasticity

A

specific changes that occur within the synapse, between neurons

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33
Q

Long-term
potentiation (LTP)

A

the relatively permanent strengthening of synaptic connections as a result of repeated activation of a neural pathway

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34
Q

Long-term
depression (LTD)

A

the relatively permanent weakening of synaptic connections as a result of repeated low-level activation

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35
Q

Sprouting

A

the growth of axon or dendrite fibres at the synapse

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36
Q

Dendritic spine

A

a dendrite fibre that grows by sprouting on the post-synaptic neuron

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37
Q

Filigree
appendage

A

a fibre that grows by sprouting from the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron

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38
Q

Synaptogenesis

A

the formation of new synapses that result from the process of sprouting

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39
Q

Rerouting

A

the formation of new connections between neurons to establish alternative neural pathways

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40
Q

Pruning

A

the removal of excess neurons and synaptic connections to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmissions

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41
Q

Stressor

A

any event that causes stress or is perceived as a threat and a challenge to our ability to cope

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42
Q

Internal stressor

A

a cause of stress that originates within an individual; can be both psychological and biological/physiological

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43
Q

External stressor

A

a cause of stress that originates from outside an individual, such as an event or environmental extreme

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44
Q

Acute stress

A

stress that usually occurs because of a sudden threat and only lasts for a short time

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45
Q

Chronic stress

A

stress that lasts for a long time

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46
Q

Flight-or-fight-or-freeze response

A

an automatic biological response to a perceived stressor that increases our chances of survival in our environment

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47
Q

Cortisol

A

a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that regulates a wide range of bodily processes, including metabolism, and is released in response to stress

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48
Q

Gut–brain axis
(GBA)

A

the connection between the CNS and the ENS, that enables bidirectional communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract

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49
Q

Enteric nervous
system (ENS)

A

a subdivision of the autonomic nervous system that controls the digestive system

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50
Q

Vagus nerve

A

a nerve that connects the brain (CNS) to organs within the autonomic nervous system, via nerve fibres that directly link organs such as:
- lungs
- heart
- oesophagus
- intestinal tract

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51
Q

Gut

A

the gastrointestinal tract or long tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the anus

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52
Q

Gut microbiota

A

the microbe population found in the gut (digestive system)

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53
Q

Microbe

A

a microscopic living thing found in water, soil and the air

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54
Q

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

A

a biological model of stress that proposes we have a non-specific biological response to stress that occurs in three stages

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55
Q

Transactional
model of stress
and coping

A

a model that suggests a stress response is only elicited if an event is perceived to exceed our ability to cope and is based on our appraisal of the situation

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56
Q

Coping

A

all the things we do to manage and reduce the stress we experience

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57
Q

Coping strategy

A

a method that we use to manage or reduce the stress produced by a stressor

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58
Q

Coping flexibility

A

the ability to modify our coping strategies to adapt and meet the demands of different stressful situations

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59
Q

Context-specific
effectiveness

A

when a coping strategy matches or is appropriate to the stressful situation

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60
Q

Approach strategy

A

an effort to confront a stressor and deal directly with it and its effects

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61
Q

Avoidance strategy

A

an effort to avoid a stressor and not deal directly with it and its effects

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62
Q

Learning

A

the process of acquiring knowledge or skills resulting from experience; there are many approaches

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63
Q

Behaviourist
approach

A

an approach to learning that states that behaviours are learned through interactions with the environment

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64
Q

Conditioning

A

the learning process by which the behaviour of an organism becomes dependent on an event occurring in its environment

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65
Q

Stimulus

A

an environmental event that triggers a response in an organism

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66
Q

Response

A

a behavioural reaction to a stimulus

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67
Q

Classical
conditioning

A

a simple form of learning that occurs through repeated associations between two stimuli to produce a conditioned
response

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68
Q

Acquisition

A

the process during which an organism learns to associate two events (the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus)

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69
Q

Operant
conditioning

A

a learning process in which the likelihood of a voluntary behaviour occurring is determined by its consequences

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70
Q

Antecedent

A

an environmental stimulus that triggers an action

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71
Q

Behaviour

A

any observable action by an organism

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72
Q

Consequence

A

something that makes a behaviour more or less likely to occur again

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73
Q

Observational
learning

A

a type of social learning that occurs when a learner observes a model’s actions and their consequences to guide their future actions

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74
Q

Social-cognitive
approach

A

when individuals process, remember and learn information in social contexts to explain and predict their behaviour and that of others

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75
Q

Memory

A

an information processing system that actively receives, organises, stores and recovers information

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76
Q

Encoding

A

converting sensory information
into a useable from that can be processed by the brain

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77
Q

Storage

A

retaining information over time

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78
Q

Retrieval

A

accessing information that has previously been stored

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79
Q

Sensory memory

A

a memory store that receives and stores an unlimited amount of incoming sensory information for a brief time

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80
Q

Short-term
memory (STM)

A

a memory store that has limited capacity of short duration, unless the information is renewed

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81
Q

Displacement

A

adding new single items to short-term memory by pushing out old items

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82
Q

Decay

A

the fading away of information in short-term memory when not maintained by rehearsal

83
Q

Rehearsal

A

the conscious manipulation of information to keep it in short- term memory for longer or to transfer it to long-term memory

84
Q

Long-term
memory (LTM)

A

memory that is relatively permanent and holds huge amounts of information for a long time, possibly lifelong

85
Q

Semantic information

A

information related to meaning

86
Q

Explicit memory

A

information that can be consciously retrieved and stated, such as ‘known facts’

87
Q

Declarative
memory

A

an explicit long- term memory of specific facts and events, most of which can be stated or ‘declared’

88
Q

Semantic
memory

A

the declarative memory of facts or knowledge about the world

89
Q

Episodic memory

A

the declarative memory of personally experienced events

90
Q

Implicit memory

A

memory not requiring conscious retrieval, such as ‘how to’ skills

91
Q

Reconstruction

A

the combining of stored information with other available information to form what is believed to be a more coherent, complete or accurate memory

92
Q

Autobiographical memory

A

a memory system consisting of episodes recollected from an individual’s life, based on a combination of episodic and semantic memory

93
Q

Episodic future thinking

A

projecting yourself forwards in time to pre-experience an event that might happen
in your personal future

94
Q

Mental time travel

A

the capacity to mentally reconstruct past personal events and imagine possible future scenarios

95
Q

Amnesia

A

a permanent or temporary, complete or partial loss of memory

96
Q

Alzheimer’s disease

A

a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the progressive deterioration of brain neurons, causing memory loss, decline in cognitive and social skills and personality changes

97
Q

Dementia

A

a collection of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain

98
Q

Brain scan

A

an examination of the brain that shows brain activity and tissues that cannot be detected otherwise

99
Q

Lesion

A

a damaged or abnormal area of the brain that may appear like a scar or wound

100
Q

Amyloid plaque

A

an abnormal build-up of beta-amyloid proteins between the synapses of neurons that interfere with communication

101
Q

Neurofibrillary tangle

A

an abnormal build-up of protein inside a neuron that is associated with cell death

102
Q

Brain atrophy

A

the loss of neurons within the brain

103
Q

Anterograde amnesia

A

the inability to form new explicit long- term memories after an amnesia-causing event

104
Q

Retrograde amnesia

A

the inability to retrieve previously stored memories after an amnesia- causing event

105
Q

Aphantasia

A

the inability to visualise imagery

106
Q

Visual cortex

A

the primary cortical region of the brain that receives, integrates and processes visual information relayed from the retinas

107
Q

Congenital

A

present from birth

108
Q

Acquired

A

present after brain injury or a significant psychological event

109
Q

Mnemonic

A

any technique used for improving or enhancing memory

110
Q

Written culture

A

a culture in which stories and information are shared and preserved through the processes of reading and writing

111
Q

Method of loci

A

a mnemonic system that commits a familiar location or sequence of locations to memory, then visually links them with information that needs to be recalled

112
Q

Acronym

A

an abbreviation formed from the first letter of each word and pronounced as a single word

113
Q

Acrostic

A

a phrase (or poem) in which the first letter of each word functions as a cue to help with recall

114
Q

Oral culture

A

a culture in which information and stories are communicated by word of mouth

115
Q

Sung narrative

A

a story told through singing, music and sometimes dance

116
Q

Dreaming

A

a guide to life and living; Dreaming is not just stories, it is art, songs, dance; it is written into the land itself

117
Q

Songline

A

one of many sung narratives of the landscape that weave across Country and enable every significant place in Aboriginal Dreaming to be known

118
Q

Consciousness

A

the awareness of your own internal mental processes, including your thoughts, feelings, sensations and perceptions, and your awareness of the external world around you

119
Q

Psychological construct

A

a concept that cannot be objectively observed or measured directly through the collection of data, but is widely understood to exist

120
Q

Normal waking consciousness

A

a state associated with being aware of our internal and external environments

121
Q

Altered state of consciousness

A

any state that differs in awareness when compared to normal waking consciousness

122
Q

Naturally occurring
altered state of consciousness

A

an altered state of consciousness that occurs without any external influence

123
Q

Induced
altered state of consciousness

A

an altered state of consciousness that has been brought about on purpose

124
Q

Sleep

A

a naturally occurring and reversible altered state of consciousness, characterised by a reduction in awareness and responsiveness to external surroundings

125
Q

Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep

A

a type of sleep characterised by a progressive decline in physiological activity

126
Q

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

A

a type of sleep characterised by quick darting of the eyes behind closed eyelids and an increase in physiological activity

127
Q

Hypnogram

A

a line graph that represents the stages of sleep plotted against time

128
Q

Polysomnography

A

a multi-parameter sleep study used as a diagnostic tool in sleep medicine

129
Q

Electro- encephalography (EEG)

A

a technique that detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the brain

130
Q

Electromyography (EMG)

A

a technique that detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the skeletal muscles

131
Q

Electro- oculography (EOG)

A

a technique that detects, amplifies and records the electrical activity of the muscles controlling the eyes

132
Q

Sleep diary

A

a subjective self-report tool used by a person to track their own sleep and wake patterns

133
Q

Video monitoring

A

a sleep study tool used to collect qualitative visual and audio information about a person’s sleep

134
Q

Circadian rhythm

A

biological processes that coordinate the timing of body activities over a 24-hour period

135
Q

Ultradian rhythm

A

biological processes that coordinate the timing of body activities over a period of less than 24 hours

136
Q

Suprachiasmatic nucleus

A

a master body clock in the hypothalamus that regulates body activities to a daily schedule of sleep and wakefulness

137
Q

Zeitgeber

A

an environmental cue such as light, temperature and eating patterns that
can synchronise and regulate the body’s circadian rhythm

138
Q

Melatonin

A

a hormone
that induces drowsiness and decreases cell activity

139
Q

Life span

A

the period of time a person is alive

140
Q

Partial sleep deprivation

A

the experience of achieving inadequate sleep in terms of quantity or quality

141
Q

Affective functioning

A

a person’s experience of their emotions

142
Q

Behavioural functioning

A

a person’s observable actions

143
Q

Cognitive functioning

A

a person’s mental processing

144
Q

Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

A

the percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream

145
Q

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders

A

a category of sleep disorders in which sleep is disrupted because the circadian rhythm and a person’s sleep–wake schedule are misaligned

146
Q

Bright light therapy

A

a therapy to treat a sleep disorder in which the person is exposed to a bright light to reset the sleep– wake cycle

147
Q

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (DSPS)

A

a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterised by a delay in the timing of sleep onset and awakening compared with the timing that is desired

148
Q

Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder (ASPD)

A

a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterised by an advance in the timing
of sleep onset and awakening compared to the timing that is desired

149
Q

Shift work

A

work that regularly takes place outside
of normal business hours, particularly
at night and the very early morning;
can cause a circadian rhythm sleep disorder

150
Q

Sleep hygiene

A

the sleep-related behaviours and environmental conditions that are beneficial for sleep

151
Q

Zeitgeber

A

an environmental cue such as light, temperature and eating patterns that can synchronise and regulate the body’s circadian rhythm

152
Q

Daylight

A

all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime

153
Q

Blue light

A

a part of the visible light spectrum that is emitted from smartphone screens, computer monitors, televisions, LED and fluorescent light bulbs, as well as sunlight

154
Q

Mental health and wellbeing

A

a beneficial emotional state in which a person realises their abilities, copes with the normal stresses of life, works productively and contributes to their community

155
Q

Resilience

A

the ability to recover from adversity

156
Q

Mentally healthy

A

the state of not having difficulty with everyday activities and displaying resilience

157
Q

High level of functioning

A

the ability to carry out a wide range of daily activities, attend to self- care, maintain interpersonal relationships and demonstrate resilience in the face of everyday challenges

158
Q

Wellbeing

A

a complex combination of a person’s physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual health that is linked to happiness and life satisfaction

159
Q

Social wellbeing

A

relates to the connections you make with other people and your ability to get along with people in a community

160
Q

Emotional wellbeing

A

relates to the ability to feel a range of emotions and express them in a positive way

161
Q

Life stressor

A

an everyday or conceivable event, such as
a relationship breakdown, work challenge or failing a test

162
Q

Mental health problem

A

a relatively short- term disruption that impacts on a person’s everyday functioning

163
Q

Mental disorder

A

a condition that affects mood, thinking and behaviour and is typically long lasting

164
Q

External factor

A

a factor that influences mental wellbeing and originates from outside a person, such
as the physical and social environment

165
Q

Internal factor

A

a factor that influences mental wellbeing and originates from within a person, such
as genetics and hormones

166
Q

Biological factor

A

a factor that relates to the physiological functioning of the body

167
Q

Psychological factor

A

a factor that relates to the functioning
of the brain and the mind, including cognitive and affective processes such as thought patterns and memory

168
Q

Social factor

A

a factor that relates to the social components of a person’s environment

169
Q

Stress

A

a state of mental or emotional and physiological tension, resulting from factors that are perceived to challenge
or threaten our ability to cope

170
Q

Anxiety

A

an emotion akin to worrying and uneasiness that something is wrong or something bad is going to happen, usually accompanied by physiological signs

171
Q

Phobia

A

a persistent, intense, irrational fear of a specific object or event

172
Q

Protective factor

A

a factor that plays a role in decreasing the chance of developing a mental disorder

173
Q

Biological risk factor

A

a factor that relates to the physiological functioning of the body, and may contribute to mental disorders

174
Q

Genetic vulnerability

A

an increased likelihood
that a person will develop a particular mental disorder because of their DNA

175
Q

Stigma

A

the feeling of shame or disgrace associated with a personal characteristic that indicates you belong to a culturally devalued group in society – this can be real or imagined

176
Q

Mindfulness meditation

A

the practice of observing the present moment, suspending judgements,
and focusing on something calm and peaceful

177
Q

Specific phobia

A

a persistent, intense, irrational fear of a specific object or event

178
Q

Gamma- aminobutyric acid (GABA)

A

the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, associated with anxiety, specific phobias and Parkinson’s disease

179
Q

Glutamate

A

the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, involved with learning and memory

180
Q

Dysfunctional GABA system

A

a failure to produce, release or receive the correct amount of gamma- aminobutyric acid

181
Q

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

A

the relatively permanent strengthening of synaptic connections as a result
of repeated activation of a neural pathway

182
Q

Behavioural model

A

phobias are learned through experience
and may be developed, sustained or modified by environmental consequences such as rewards or punishments

183
Q

Precipitate

A

trigger the onset or exacerbation of a mental disorder

184
Q

Perpetuation

A

prolonging of the occurrence of a mental disorder and preventing recovery

185
Q

Avoidance behaviour

A

actions a person takes to escape from difficult thoughts and feelings

186
Q

Cognitive model

A

a model that describes how people’s perceptions of situations influence their emotional and behavioural reactions

187
Q

Cognitive bias

A

the tendency to think in a way that involves errors of judgement and faulty decision- making

188
Q

Memory bias

A

distorted thinking that either enhances or impairs the recall of a memory or alters its content

189
Q

Catastrophic thinking

A

a cognitive bias that involves overestimating and exaggerating the worst possible outcomes to situations even though they are unlikely to occur

190
Q

Specific environmental trigger

A

an object, situation or circumstance that probably caused a direct, negative traumatic experience associated with extreme fear or discomfort, which then acts as a cue for future phobic fear responses

191
Q

Evidence-based intervention

A

a treatment shown to be effective in valid and reliable research studies

192
Q

Biological intervention

A

a treatment targeting physiological mechanisms believed to contribute to a condition

193
Q

Benzodiazepine

A

a type of agonist drug that works on the central nervous system to make the post-synaptic neuron less likely to fire, which regulates anxiety

194
Q

Agonist

A

a type of drug that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter that binds to the same receptor by stopping the presynaptic neuron from firing

195
Q

Hyperventilation

A

rapid, shallow breathing

196
Q

Breathing retraining

A

an anxiety management technique that involves teaching someone with a specific phobia how to control their breathing in the presence of their phobic stimulus

197
Q

Psychological intervention

A

treatment that uses activities such as psychotherapy to modify thoughts, feelings and behaviours

198
Q

Psychotherapy

A

any talking therapy designed to help people with a broad range of mental health issues

199
Q

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

A

a common intervention consisting
of a range of cognitive and behavioural therapies and learning principles to help people identify and change unhelpful thought processes, feelings and behaviours to more helpful ones

200
Q

Systematic desensitisation

A

a method for treating phobias in which the phobic stimulus is progressively introduced while the person uses relaxation techniques until their fear is replaced by a relaxation response

201
Q

Relaxation technique

A

any method or procedure that helps to induce a physiological and psychological relaxation response

202
Q

Fear hierarchy

A

a list of anxiety- inducing experiences relating to the patient’s phobia, in order from easiest to confront, to the most difficult to confront

203
Q

Social intervention

A

an intervention designed to increase social support for people with a mental illness

204
Q

Psychoeducation

A

educating people diagnosed with mental health conditions and their family members about the disorder
and possible treatment options

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