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Psychology 2e > Key terms of Chapter 3 > Flashcards

Key terms of Chapter 3 Flashcards

1
Q

What is an action potential?

A

Electrical signal that moves down the neuron’s axon

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2
Q

Where does the adrenal gland sit, and what does it secrete?

A

Sits atop our kidneys and secretes hormones involved in the stress response

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3
Q

Define agonist in the context of pharmacology.

A

Drug that mimics or strengthens the effects of a neurotransmitter

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4
Q

What does the all-or-none phenomenon refer to?

A

Incoming signal from another neuron is either sufficient or insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation

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5
Q

What is an allele?

A

Specific version of a gene

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6
Q

What role does the amygdala play in the brain?

A

Involved in our experience of emotion and tying emotional meaning to our memories

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7
Q

What is the function of an antagonist?

A

Drug that blocks or impedes the normal activity of a given neurotransmitter

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8
Q

What is the auditory cortex responsible for?

A

Processing auditory information

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9
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

A

Controls our internal organs and glands

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10
Q

What is an axon?

A

Major extension of the soma

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11
Q

What does the biological perspective suggest about psychological disorders?

A

Associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems

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12
Q

What is Broca’s area essential for?

A

Language production

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13
Q

What does the central nervous system (CNS) consist of?

A

Brain and spinal cord

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14
Q

What does the cerebellum control?

A

Balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills

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15
Q

What is the cerebral cortex associated with?

A

Our highest mental capabilities

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16
Q

What is a chromosome?

A

Long strand of genetic information

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17
Q

What is a computerized tomography (CT) scan?

A

Imaging technique coordinating multiple x-rays

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18
Q

What connects the brain’s two hemispheres?

A

Corpus callosum

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19
Q

What is a dendrite?

A

Branch-like extension of the soma that receives incoming signals

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20
Q

What does deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) represent?

A

Helix-shaped molecule made of nucleotide base pairs

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21
Q

What disease is related to insufficient insulin production?

A

Diabetes

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22
Q

What is a dominant allele?

A

Allele whose phenotype will be expressed in an individual that possesses that allele

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23
Q

What does electroencephalography (EEG) record?

A

Electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on the scalp

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24
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

Series of glands that produce hormones

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25
What does epigenetics study?
Gene-environment interactions
26
What is the fight or flight response?
Activation of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system
27
What part of the brain is the forebrain?
Largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex and limbic system
28
What are fraternal twins?
Twins who develop from two different eggs fertilized by different sperm
29
What is the frontal lobe involved in?
Reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language
30
What does functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) show?
Changes in metabolic activity over time
31
What is a gene?
Sequence of DNA that controls physical characteristics
32
What does genetic environmental correlation assert?
Genes affect our environment, and environment influences gene expression
33
What is a genotype?
Genetic makeup of an individual
34
What is a glial cell?
Cell that provides support to neurons
35
What is the function of a gonad?
Secretes sexual hormones important for reproduction
36
What is a gyrus?
Bump or ridge on the cerebral cortex
37
What is a hemisphere in the context of the brain?
Left or right half of the brain
38
What does heterozygous mean?
Consisting of two different alleles
39
What structures are contained in the hindbrain?
Medulla, pons, and cerebellum
40
What is the hippocampus associated with?
Learning and memory
41
What is homeostasis?
State of equilibrium in biological conditions
42
What does homozygous mean?
Consisting of two identical alleles
43
What is a hormone?
Chemical messenger released by endocrine glands
44
What does the hypothalamus regulate?
Sexual motivation, behavior, and homeostatic processes
45
What are identical twins?
Twins that develop from the same sperm and egg
46
What is lateralization in the brain?
Each hemisphere is associated with specialized functions
47
What does the limbic system process?
Emotion and memory
48
What is the longitudinal fissure?
Deep groove in the brain’s cortex
49
What does magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use?
Magnetic fields to produce images of tissue
50
What does the medulla control?
Automated processes like breathing and heart rate
51
What is membrane potential?
Difference in charge across the neuronal membrane
52
What is the midbrain?
Division of the brain located between the forebrain and hindbrain
53
What does the motor cortex do?
Involved in planning and coordinating movement
54
What is a mutation?
Sudden, permanent change in a gene
55
What is the myelin sheath?
Fatty substance that insulates axons
56
What is the nervous system composed of?
Billions of neurons controlling thoughts, responses, and movements
57
What is a neuron?
Cell that acts as an information processor in the nervous system
58
What is neuroplasticity?
Nervous system's ability to change
59
What is a neurotransmitter?
Chemical messenger of the nervous system
60
What are Nodes of Ranvier?
Open spaces in the myelin sheath encasing the axon
61
What is the occipital lobe associated with?
Visual processing
62
What does the pancreas secrete?
Hormones that regulate blood sugar
63
What is the parasympathetic nervous system associated with?
Routine, day-to-day operations of the body
64
What does the parietal lobe process?
Sensory and perceptual information
65
What does the peripheral nervous system (PNS) connect?
Brain and spinal cord to muscles, organs, and senses
66
What is a phenotype?
Individual’s inheritable physical characteristics
67
What does the pituitary gland secrete?
Key hormones regulating fluid levels and activity of other glands
68
What is polygenic?
Multiple genes affecting a given trait
69
What is the pons involved in?
Regulating brain activity during sleep
70
What does a positron emission tomography (PET) scan monitor?
Changes in blood flow to different regions of the brain
71
What is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?
Higher-level cognitive functioning
72
What are psychotropic medications used for?
Treating psychiatric symptoms by restoring neurotransmitter balance
73
What does the range of reaction assert?
Genes set boundaries, and environment interacts to determine outcomes
74
What is a receptor?
Protein on the cell surface where neurotransmitters attach
75
What is a recessive allele?
Allele whose phenotype is expressed only if homozygous
76
What is resting potential?
State of readiness of a neuron membrane’s potential
77
What is the reticular formation important for?
Regulating the sleep/wake cycle and arousal
78
What is reuptake?
Neurotransmitter is pumped back into the neuron that released it
79
What is a semipermeable membrane?
Cell membrane allowing certain molecules to pass through
80
What is a soma?
Cell body of a neuron
81
What does the somatic nervous system relay?
Sensory and motor information to and from the CNS
82
What does the somatosensory cortex process?
Sensory information from the body
83
What is the substantia nigra associated with?
Production of dopamine and control of movement
84
What is a sulcus?
Depression or groove in the cerebral cortex
85
What does the sympathetic nervous system involve?
Stress-related activities and functions
86
What is the synaptic cleft?
Small gap between two neurons where communication occurs
87
What are synaptic vesicles?
Storage site for neurotransmitters
88
What is the temporal lobe associated with?
Hearing, memory, emotion, and some aspects of language
89
What does the terminal button contain?
Synaptic vesicles
90
What is the thalamus?
Sensory relay for the brain
91
What does the theory of evolution by natural selection state?
Organisms better suited for their environments will survive and reproduce
92
What is the threshold of excitation?
Level of charge in the membrane that causes neuron activation
93
What does the thyroid secrete?
Hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and appetite
94
What is the ventral tegmental area (VTA) associated with?
Production of dopamine, mood, reward, and addiction
95
What is Wernicke’s area important for?
Speech comprehension

Psychology 2e (5 decks)

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