Mod 1-3,5 Flashcards
Biological Psychology
the science that deals with the biological basis of behavior, thoughts, emotions and the reciprocal relations between biological and psychological processes.
Nervous System
the network of fibers which transmit nerve impulses between parts of the body
neuron
a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; nerve cell
neuroplasticity
the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience following an injury.
cell body
the spherical part of a neuron containing the nucleus
dendrite
the branches coming off of a nerve cell that receive impulses from other cells at synapses.
axon
the long portion of a neuron that conducts impulses away from the body of the cell
critical thinking
the ability to effectively analyze information and form a judgment through curiosity, skepticism, and humility.
psychology
the scientific study of behavioral and mental processes
levels of analysis
the various ways of observation in psychology: biological, psychological, and sociocultural
biopsychosocial approach
considers the combination of biological, psychological, and social factors to help understand health (usually mental health)
hindsight bias
you thought you knew it all along after hearing a fact you actually didn’t know simply because it “makes sense”
overconfidence
being overconfident in answers because you think you know more than you do
theory
a system of an idea to explain a behavior with little to no evidence yet—information to be tested
hypothesis
is a precise, testable statement of what the researchers predict will be the outcome of the study
operational definition
The way an original experiment was conducted (independent variables written down so they can be used). this is important when an experiment is being retested by the same scientists or others
replicate
to conduct a study again with the same operational definition as before
case study
a thorough study of a single person, community or event that relies on observations, facts and experiments to gather information
naturalistic observation
to study the behavior of specimen in their natural state
survey
this collects self-report data from study participants
sample
a small portion of individual cases selected from a greater population. A population is every single person (or case) that shares a common characteristic
population
the entire group of people you want to draw conclusions about
correlational study
a type of research design that looks at the relationships between two or more variables
experimental study
a type of study that involves manipulating variables to see if there is a cause-and-effect relationship
experimental and control group
control group is the one who gets to act as normal or have a placebo, while experimental are the test subjects of the new medicine or whatever other reason the study is being conducted
independent variable
a variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure
dependent variable
what changes as a result of the independent variable manipulation in experiments. It’s what you’re interested in measuring, and it “depends” on your independent variable. In statistics, dependent variables are also called: Response variables (they respond to a change in another variable)
informed consent
the process by which researchers working with human participants describe their research project and obtain the subjects’ consent to participate in the research based on the subjects’ understanding of the project’s methods and goals.
debriefing
when an experimenter tells the subject more information about the study’s purpose and procedures after the study is completed
myelin sheath
a layer of fatty tissue that insulates some axons and speeds their impulses
terminal branches
at the end of the axon, forming junctions with cells (neurons, muscles or glands)
action potential
an incoming signal from another neuron that is either sufficient or insufficient to reach the threshold of excitation
synapse
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. the gap is called synaptic gap or synaptic cleft
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
receptors
molecules that receive and react to neurotransmitters on the surface of a cell
central nervous system
the body’s decision maker
peripheral nervous system
responsible for gathering information and transmitting central nervous system decisions to other parts of the body
brain
a complex organ that controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and every process that regulates our body.
spinal cord
the conduit between the brain and the rest of the body
nerve
cables that carry electrical impulses between your brain and the rest of your body
somatic nervous system
gathers sensory input and sends to the central nervous system, but at the same time receives motor output from the CNS, causing you to move
autonomic nervous system
controls action of internal organs and glands
Sympathetic
arouses and expands energy so you are ready for action
parasympathetic (nervous system)
produces opposite effects of sympathetic, conserving energy as it calms you.
hierarchy
ranking parts of the brain from most complex to least complex base on control
spinal reflex
simple behaviors the brain doesn’t control that are produced entirely by the spinal cord
brainstem
the bottom, stalk-like piece of the brain that connects to the spinal cord. your brainstem sends messages to the rest of the body to regulate involuntary functions like balance, breathing, heart rate and more.
medulla
it’s the lowest part of the brainstem and it’s job is to control functions that involve autonomic nervous response like heart rate and breathing.
pons
the part of the brainstem that controls when you become conscious and unconscious. (part of the brainstem that controls when you wake up, and when you fall asleep)
cerebellum
this helps
-balance and posture,
-movement and motor learning, -language processing and memory.
thalamus
this is in the middle of your brain (on the top of the brainstem).
it takes incoming motor and sensory information (hearing, taste, touch, sight, but not smell)
forebrain
-controls voluntary movement,
-it receives sensory information,
-governs all our higher complex thought (logic, speech and emotions)
cerebral cortex
This is called “gray matter.” it is the outer layer of the forebrains cerebral hemispheres. this is the body’s ultimate control and information processing center.
hippocampus
this is in the limbic system.
it helps process conscious memories, facts and events so they can be stored. it kind of looks like cords, and was blue on the diagram!
amygdala
two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system that are linked to emotion. when activated, they cause fear and/or aggression.
it is connected to the hippocampus and is purple on the diagram!
hypothalamus
part of the limbic system that is below (hypo means below!) the thalamus; it makes you to do things to survive (eating, drinking, maintaining body temperature). When that happens, it gives you an emotional reward.
It also controls the endocrine system by the pituitary gland, which helps with giving emotional rewards.
motor cortex
causes voluntary motor function
(motor means movement! and voluntary means to do on purpose.)
“on purpose movement”
somatosensory cortex
this receives skin senses such as touch and temperature, and from body part movements
corpus callosum
the connectivity pathway that connects the left side of the brain to the right
frontal lobes
the part of the cerebral cortex behind the forehead.
it controls speaking, voluntary muscle movements, in making plans and judgments
parietal lobes
the part of the cerebral cortex at the top of the head and towards the back. it receives sensory input for touch and body position.
occipital lobes
the part of the cerebral cortex at the back of the head.
it has the visual cortex, which makes you see
temporal lobes
the part of the cerebral cortex above the ear; it includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear
association areas
areas of the cerebral cortex that don’t deal with motor or sensory functions; rather, they cause higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking
