Physiological Psych Flashcards
earliest theories that behavior, intellect, and even personality might be linked to brain anatomy; phrenology
Gall
Ablation (extirpation)
various parts of the brain are surgically removed, and the behavioral consequences are observed
-how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments
Functionalism (James)
study of the organism as a whole
Dewey
behavioral deficits of people with brain damage
Broca
each sensory nerve is excited by only one kind of energy
Müller
first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse
Helmholtz
inferred the existence of synapses
Sherrington
transmit sensory information from receptors to the spinal cord and brain
Sensory (afferent) neurons
transmit motor information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles
Motor (efferent) neurons
found between other neurons; most numerous; linked to reflexive behavior
Interneurons
behavior that is crucial to survival
Reflexes
CNS
brain and spinal cord
PNS
nerve tissue fibers outside the brain and spinal cord
Somatic nervous system
sensory and motor neurons distributed throughout the skin and muscles
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
regulates heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and glandular secretions; independent of conscious control; Cannon
Antagonistic
act in opposition
conserve energy; resting and digesting
Parasympathetic nervous system
Acetylcholine
neurotransmitter responsible for parasympathetic responses
Sympathetic nervous system
fight or flight; adrenaline
where the brain meets the spinal cord; balance, motor coordination, breathing, digestion, and general arousal processes
Hindbrain
sensorimotor reflexes that also promote survival
Midbrain (mesencephalon)
complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes; emotion and memory
Forebrain
Limbic system
group of neural structures primarily associated with emotion and memory
outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres; language processing, problem solving, impulse control, long-term planning
Cerebral cortex
Phylogeny
evolutionary development
responsible for regulation vital functioning
Medulla oblongata
sensory and motor tracts between the cortex and the medulla
Pons
helps maintain posture and balance and coordinates body movements
Cerebellum
regulates arousal, alertness, and attention
Reticular formation
receives visual sensory input
Superior colliculus
receives sensory information from the auditory system
Inferior colliculus
relay station for incoming sensory information
Thalamus
homeostatic functions; emotional expression during high arousal stages, aggressive behavior, and sexual behavior
Hypothalamus
Osmoregulation
maintenance of water balance in the body
hunger center
Lateral hypothalamus
Aphagia
refusal to eat or drink
satiety center
Ventromedial hypothalamus
Hyperphagia
excessive eating
Anterior hypothalamus
sexual behavior
Basal ganglia
coordinates muscle movement
gathers information about body position; makes our movements smooth and our posture steady
Extrapyramidal motor system
fluid-filled cavities that link up with the spinal canal
Ventricles
Septal nuclei
primary pleasure centers in the brain; Olds and Milner
Septal rage
if septal nuclei are damaged, aggressive behavior goes unchecked
Amygdala
role in defensive and aggressive behaviors
changes in animals from bilateral removal of amygdala
Klüver-Bucy syndrome
not being able to establish new long-term memories
Anterograde amnesia
memory loss of events that transpired before brain injury
Retrograde amnesia
bumps and folds in the cortex
Convolutions
Prefrontal cortex
serves an executive function;governs and integrates numerous cognitive and behavioral processes
area that combines input from diverse brain regions
Association area
receive incoming sensory information or send out motor-impulse commands
Projection area
Motor cortex
initiates voluntary motor movements
Broca’s area
speech production
destination for all incoming sensory signals for touch, pressure, temperature, and pain
Somatosensory cortex
Hubel and Wiesel
visual cortex
Wernicke’s area
language reception and comprehension
one side of brain communicates with the opposite side of the body
Contralaterally
cerebral hemispheres communicate with the same side of the body
Ipsilaterally
Sperry and Gazzaniga
severing the corpus callosum
slight electrical charge stored inside the neuron’s cell membrane
Resting potential
changes in synaptic transmission underlie changes in behavior
Kandel
side effect of antipsychotic medication resembling the motor disturbances seen in Parkinson’s disease
Tardive dyskinesia
stabilizing neural activity in the brain
GABA
facilitating the transmission of norepinephrine or serotonin at the synapse
Tricyclic antidepressants
study of neuropsychological disorders
Luria
Agnosia
affects perceptual recognition
Apraxia
impairment in the organization of motor action
neurological disorders characterized by a loss in intellectual functioning
Neurocognitive disorders (dementias)
Beta waves
person is alert or attending to some mental task that requires concentration
Alpha waves
awake but relaxing with our eyes closed
we become aware of our emotion after we notice our physiological reactions to some external event
James-Lange Theory
awareness of emotions reflects our physiological arousal and our cognitive experience of emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory
Schacter and Singer
two-factor theory; subjective experience of emotion is based on the interaction between changes in physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation of that arousal
