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Cognitive Psychology > Fundamental structures and processes within the Brain > Flashcards

Fundamental structures and processes within the Brain Flashcards

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1
Q

is the field of study linking the brain and other aspects of the nervous system to cognitive processing and, ultimately, to behavior.

A

Cognitive neuroscience

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2
Q

the organ in our bodies that most directly controls our thoughts, emotions, and motivations

A

Brain

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3
Q

A major goal of present research on the brain is?

A

to study localization of function

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4
Q

refers to the specific areas of the brain that control specific skills or behaviors

A

Localization of function

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5
Q

the basis for our ability to perceive, adapt to, and interact with the world around us

A

Nervous system

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6
Q

Through this system, we receive, process, and then respond to information from the environment

A

Nervous system

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7
Q

The region of the brain located toward the top and front of the brain

A

Forebrain

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8
Q

It comprises the cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia, the limbic system, the thalamus, and the hypothalamus

A

Forebrain

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9
Q

the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres

A

Cerebral cortex

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10
Q

It plays a vital role in our thinking and other mental processes

A

Cerebral cortex

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11
Q

True or False:
The forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain contain structures that perform essential functions for survival and for high-level thinking and feeling.

A

True

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12
Q

influences anger and aggression

A

Amygdala

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13
Q

relays information between the two cerebral hemispheres

A

Corpus callosum

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14
Q

controls thinking and sensing functions, voluntary movement

A

Cerebral cortex

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15
Q

influences anger and fear

A

Septum

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16
Q

influences learning and memory

A

Hippocampus

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17
Q

relays sensory information to cerebral cortex

A

Thalamus

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18
Q

regulates temperature, eating, sleeping, and endocrine system

A

Hypothalamus

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19
Q

reticular activating system: carries messages about sleep and arousal

A

Midbrain

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20
Q

relays information between cerebral cortex and cerebellum

A

Pons

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21
Q

coordinates fine muscle movement & balance

A

Cerebellum

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22
Q

relays nerve impulses between brain and body, controls simple reflexes

A

Spinal cord

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23
Q

are collections of neurons crucial to motor function

A

Basal ganglia

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24
Q

True or False:
Dysfunction of the basal ganglia can result in motor deficits. These deficits include tremors, involuntary movements, changes in posture and muscle tone, and slowness of movement.

A

True

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25
Q

allows us to suppress instinctive responses; helps us to adapt our behaviors flexibly in response to our changing environment and; important to emotion, motivation, memory, and learning.

A

Limbic system

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26
Q

involved in anger and fear

A

Septum

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27
Q

plays an important role in emotion as well, especially in anger and aggression

A

Amygdala

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28
Q

plays an essential role in memory formation. It is essential for flexible learning and for seeing the relations among items learned as well as for spatial memory.

A

Hippocampus

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29
Q

relays incoming sensory information through groups of neurons that project to the appropriate region in the cortex; also helps in the control of sleep and waking

A

Thalamus

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30
Q

regulates behavior related to species survival: fighting, feeding, fleeing, and mating. The h____ also is active in regulating emotions and reactions to stress

A

Hypothalamus

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31
Q

The _____ plays a role in sleep.
The ____ also is important for the functioning of the endocrine system.
It is involved in the stimulation of the pituitary glands, through which a range of hormones are produced and released.

A

Hypothalamus

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32
Q

helps to control eye movement and coordination

A

Midbrain

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33
Q

RAS stands for?

A

Reticular Activating System

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34
Q

Both the __ and the ___ are essential to our having any conscious awareness of our control over our existence

A

RAS & Thalamus

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35
Q

connects the forebrain to the spinal cord

A

Brainstem

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36
Q

A structure called the P___ g__ is in the brainstem. This region seems to be essential for certain kinds of adaptive behaviors.

A

Periaqueductal gray (PAG)

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37
Q

serves as a kind of relay station because it contains neural fibers that pass signals from one part of the brain to another

A

Pons

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38
Q

also contain a portion of the RAS and nerves serving parts of the head and face

A

Pons

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39
Q

controls bodily coordination, balance, and muscle tone, as well as some aspects of memory involving procedure-related movements

A

Cerebellum

40
Q

is evolutionarily the oldest and most primitive part of the brain. It also is the first part of the brain to develop prenatally

A

Hindbrain

41
Q

a relatively newer addition to the brain in evolutionary terms. It is the next part of the brain to develop prenatally

A

Midbrain

42
Q

the most recent evolutionary addition to the brain

A

Forebrain

43
Q

plays an extremely important role in human cognition

A

Cerebral cortex

44
Q

(singular, sulcus) are small grooves

A

Sulci

45
Q

are large grooves

A

Fissures

46
Q

(singular, gyrus) are bulges between adjacent sulci or fissures

A

Gyri

47
Q

The complexity of brain function increases with the c___ a__

A

Cortical area

48
Q

The human c___ c___ enables us to think

A

Cerebral cortex

49
Q

True or False:
With cerebral cortex we can plan, coordinate thoughts and actions, perceive visual and sound patterns, and use language.
Without it, we would not be human.

A

True

50
Q

What color is the surface of cerebral cortex?

A

Grayish

51
Q

The surface of the cerebral cortex is sometimes referred to as?

A

Gray matter

52
Q

a dense aggregate of neural fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres that allows transmission of information back and forth

A

Corpus callosum

53
Q

are people who have undergone operations severing the corpus callosum

A

Split-brain patients

54
Q

toward the front of the brain, is associated with motor processing and higher thought processes, such as abstract reasoning, problem solving, planning, and judgment

A

Frontal lobe

55
Q

tends to be involved when sequences of thoughts or actions are called for and critical in producing speech

A

Frontal lobe

56
Q

the region toward the front of the frontal lobe, is involved in complex motor control and tasks that require integration of information over time

A

Prefrontal cortex

57
Q

at the upper back portion of the brain, is associated with somatosensory processing

A

Parietal lobe

58
Q

receives inputs from the neurons regarding touch, pain, temperature sense, and limb position when you are perceiving space and your relationship to it

A

Parietal lobe

59
Q

also involved in consciousness and paying attention

A

Parietal lobe

60
Q

directly under your temples, is associated with auditory processing and comprehending language

A

Temporal lobe

61
Q

It is also involved in your retention of visual memories; it also matches new things you see to what you have retained in visual memory

A

Temporal lobe

62
Q

associated with visual processing

A

Occipital lobe

63
Q

contains numerous visual areas, each specialized to analyze specific aspects of a scene, including color, motion, location, and form

A

Occipital lobe

64
Q

are the areas in the lobes in which sensory processing occurs

A

Projection areas

65
Q

specializes in the planning, control, and execution of movement, particularly of movement involving any kind of delayed response

A

primary motor cortex

66
Q

Other fibers cross over the o__ c__ and go contralaterally to the opposite hemisphere

A

optic chiasma

67
Q

They go from the left side of the visual field for each eye to the right side of the visual cortex

A

Neural fibers

68
Q

A neural fiber that refers to the front part of the brain (literally the “nasal region”)

A

Rostral

69
Q

A neural fiber that refers to the bottom surface of the body/brain (the side of the stomach)

A

Ventral

70
Q

A neural fiber that literally means “tail” and refers to the back part of the body/brain

A

Caudal

71
Q

A neural fiber that refers to the upside of the brain (it literally means “back,” and in animals the back is on the upside of the body)

A

Dorsal

72
Q

transmit electrical signals from one location to another in the nervous system

A

Neurons

73
Q

The __ tend to be arranged in the form of networks, which provide information and feedback to each other within various kinds of information processing

A

Neurons

74
Q

contains the nucleus of the cell, and is responsible for the life of the neuron and connects the dendrites to the axon

A

Soma

75
Q

are branchlike structures that receive information from other neurons, and the soma integrates the information

A

Dendrites

76
Q

a long, thin tube that extends (and sometimes splits) from the soma and responds to the information, when appropriate, by transmitting an electrochemical signal, which travels to the terminus (end), where the signal can be transmitted to other neurons

A

Axon

77
Q

a white, fatty substance that surrounds some of the axons of the nervous system, which accounts for some of the whiteness of the white matter of the brain

A

Myelin

78
Q

small gaps in the myelin coating along the axon

A

Nodes of Ranvier

79
Q

are small knobs found at the ends of the branches of an axon that do not directly touch the dendrites of the next neuron

A

Terminal buttons

80
Q

serves as a juncture between the terminal buttons of one or more neurons and the dendrites (or sometimes the soma) of one or more other neurons; are important in cognition

A

Synapse

81
Q

are chemical messengers for transmission of information across the synaptic gap to the receiving dendrites of the next neuron

A

Neurotransmitters

82
Q

are synthesized by the nervous system through enzymatic actions on one of the amino acids

A

Monoamine neurotransmitters

83
Q

are obtained directly from the amino acids in our diet without further synthesis

A

Amino-acid neurotransmitters

84
Q

are peptide chains (molecules made from the parts of two or more amino acids)

A

Neuropeptides

85
Q

associated with memory functions, and the loss of acetylcholine through Alzheimer’s disease has been linked to impaired memory functioning in Alzheimer’s patients.

A

Acetylcholine

86
Q

also plays an important role in sleep and arousal

A

Acetylcholine

87
Q

is associated with attention, learning, and movement coordination; also is involved in motivational processes, such as reward and reinforcement

A

Dopamine

88
Q

plays an important role in eating behavior and body-weight regulation; also involved in aggression and regulation of impulsivity

A

Serotonin

89
Q

P__ s___ and the dissection of brains have been done for centuries

A

Postmortem studies

90
Q

To study the changing activity of the living brain, scientists must use in vivo research

A

Studying Live Nonhuman Animals

91
Q

a brain disorder caused by a stroke

A

Vascular disorder

92
Q

occur when the flow of blood to the brain undergoes a sudden disruption.
People who experience ___ typically show marked loss of cognitive functioning.

A

Stroke

93
Q

usually occurs when a buildup of fatty tissue occurs in blood vessels over a period of years, and a piece of this tissue breaks off and gets lodged in arteries of the brain

A

Ischemic stroke

94
Q

occurs when a blood vessel in the brain suddenly breaks

A

hemorrhagic stroke

95
Q

also called neoplasms, can affect cognitive functioning in very serious ways; can either be benign or malignant

A

Brain tumors

96
Q

a network of neurons essential to the regulation of consciousness

A

Reticular activating system

Cognitive Psychology (6 decks)

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