Modules 3,4,5,6

Question 1

Biological psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal,) and psychological processes

Question 2

plasticity

Answer 2

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or building new pathways based on experience

Question 3

cell body

Answer 3

the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cells life support center

Question 4

neuron

Answer 4

a nerve cell

Question 5

dendrites

Answer 5

a neuron’s often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body

Question 6

axon

Answer 6

the neuron extension that passes messeges through its branches to other nuerons or to muscle glands

Question 7

axon

Answer 7

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscle glands

Question 8

brainstem

Answer 8

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

Question 9

medulla

Answer 9

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Question 10

thalamus

Answer 10

the brain’s sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medula

Question 11

reticular formation

Answer 11

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal

Question 12

cerebellum

Answer 12

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

Question 13

limbic system

Answer 13

neural systems located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Question 14

amygdala

Answer 14

two lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Question 15

hypothalamus

Answer 15

a neural structure lying below that thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities, helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

Question 16

hippocampus

Answer 16

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories of facts and events for storage

Question 17

association areas

Answer 17

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking