Physiological Psychology Flashcards
Franz Gall
Known for having one of the earliest physiological psychology theories, creating the field of phrenology, and asserting that brain area sizes (and therefore lumps on one’s head) predicted personality traits. Super racist and problematic.
Pierre Flourens
Worked in the early 1800s, was inspired by Gall and was one of the first people to study the functions of brain areas using Extirpation on pigeons.
Extirpation
AKA ablation. Technique where areas of the brain are removed, and then the behavioral consequences are observed.
William James
(late 1800s), asserted that it was important to study the brain and how it adapted to it’s environment. One of the founders of functionalism.
Functionalism
A system of thought concerned with studying how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environment. Functionalists disdain breaking down processes (i.e. the reflex process) into separate stimuli and responses, preferring to study the process as a whole rather than “artificial” seperations.
John Dewey
His article in 1896 is seen as the inception of functionalism.
Paul Broca
First to assert that specific functional impairments could be linked to specific brain area damage. Found Broca’s area based upon someone with a lesion in the area who could not speak.
Johannes Müller
Identified the law of specific nerve energies (which asserts that each sensory nerve is excited by only one type of energy).
Herman Von Helmholtz
First to measure the speed of a nerve impulse (through measuring reaction times).
Charles Sherrington
First to infer the existence of synapses. His conclusions have mostly held true over time, except he thought the process was mostly electrical, but now we know it’s chemical.
Three Types of Nerve Cells in Nervous System
Sensory Neurons: aka afferent neurons: transmit sensory information from receptors to spinal cord and brain.
Motor Neurons: aka efferent neurons: transmit motor information from brain to spine to muscles.
Interneurons: most numerous of the neurons, and fill the space between the others. mostly located in the brain and spinal cord- they are linked to reflexive behavior
Reflex Arcs
A type of neural circuits which engage in the behavior vital to survival. Mostly connected to interneuron behavior.
Central Nervous System
Composed of the brain and spinal cord.
Peripheral Nervous System
Composed of the nerve tissue and fibers outside the brain/spinal cord. The PNS connects the CNS to the rest of the body. The PNS is split into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
Somatic nervous system
Composed of sensory and motor neurons distributed through the skin and muscles
Afferent Fibers
Transmits information for sensory neurons. (Sensory impulses travel along Afferent fibers, which Ascend up to the brain.
Efferent Fibers
Transmits motor impulses. (Motor impulses travel along Efferent fibers, which Exit the brain while going to the muscles).
Autonomic Nervous System
Regulates involuntary functions (i.e. breathing, heartbeat, etc). Houses the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. (Autonomic system deals with the automatic.)
Walter Cannon
Completed the pioneering work regarding the automatic nervous system. Developed the idea of homeostasis.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Main goal of Parasympathetic system is to conserve energy (i.e. when sleeping or resting) and also works to digest food. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter associated with parasympathetic responses.
Sympathetic Nervous System
Activated during stressful situations (known for the fight/flight/freeze response). HR raises, eyes dilate (open wider), digestion stops, releases adrenaline.
Mesencephalon
Aka the midbrain. Manages sensorimotor reflexes which promote survival.
Cerebral Cortex
The outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres. Associated with language processing, problem solving, impulse control. long term planning, etc. Much of what makes us human.
Phylogeny
Term referring to evolutionary development (i.e. the brainstem (hindbrain and midbrain) were evolutionarily before the forebrain).