MCAT Psychology Flashcards
If an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase is added to a neuromuscular junction, then the postsynaptic membrane will:
be depolarized longer with each action potential since ACH will remain in the synaptic cleft longer
temporal summation
PREsynaptic neuron fired action potentials so rapidly that the EPSPs or IPSPs pile up, can lead to postsynaptic action potential
spatial summation
EPSSPS and IPSPs from all synapses on the POSTSYNAPTIC membrane are summed up- can lead to action potential
spinal cord
simple reflexex: stretch and tendon, (primitive) walking, urination, sex organ function
medulla
involuntary functions: BP, heart rate, reflex reaction (coughing)
pons
relay station and balance
cerebellum
movement coordination: balance, posture, muscle tone
midbrain
eye movement , wakefulness
thalamus
integrating center and relay station
hypothalamus
homeostasis and behavior
basal nuclei
movement
limbic sys
emotion, memory, and learning
cerebral cortex
perception, skeletal muscle movement, thought, language, and consciousness
corpus callosum
connects left and right hemispheres
parallel processing
processing simultaneously
Alan Baddeley’s model
short-term memory is working memory with four components
Jean Piaget
cognitive dev in children: dev involved schemas (mental frameworks), assimilating and accommodating schemas
Piaget’s Theory
Sensorimotor(object permanence), Pre-operational Stage( 2-7 representation through symbols, pretend play, and language , Concrete Operational (7-11 thinking logically about concrete events and the idea of conservation- quantity remains the same), Formal Operational Stage ( 12-up abstract thinking and moral reasoning)
Sleep
Stage 1 sleep: theta waves, less responsive to stimuli
Stage 2 sleep: theta waves, sleep spindles and k-complexes, no eye movement, decreased heart rate, respiration, and temp
Stage 3 and 4- transitioning to slow wave sleep, delta waves, growth hormones secrets
Final REM sleep: bursts of quick eye movement, similar to beta waves in wake, very low skeletal movement , dreams
Depressants
alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates ( heroin and morphine)
Yerkes- Dodson Law
emotional arousal is a U shaped correlation and we perform best when moderately aroused
James-Lange Theory
1st we experience physiological response and then we experience emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory
after a stimulus, the physiological response and the experience of emotion occur simultaneously and independently of each other