PSYC 2 Flashcards
The scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes. (Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists.)
Biological Psychology
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.
Neuron
A neuron’s bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
Dendrites
The neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
Axon
A fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next.
Myelin Sheath
Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning and thinking.
Glial Cells (Glia)
A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.
Action Potential
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.
Threshold
The junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.
Synapse
Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps 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.
Neurotransmitters
“Morphine within” - natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.
Endorphins
The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting f all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
Nervous System
The brain and spinal cord.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
Bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous systems with muscles, glands, and sense organs.
Nerves
Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.
Sensory (Afferent) Neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
Motor (Efferent) Neurons
Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
Interneurons
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.
Somatic Nervous System
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.
Reflex
The body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
Endocrine System
Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
Hormones
A pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress.
Adrenal Glands
The endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.
Pituitary Gland
Tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.
Lesion
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.
Brainstem
The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.
Medulla
The brains sensory router, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
Thalamus
A nerve network that travels through the brainstem and plays an important role in controlling arousal.
Reticular Formation
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
A technique that uses magnetic fields and waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.
Functional MRI (fMRI)
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.
Cerebellum
Neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.
Limbic System
Two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.
Amygdala
A neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.
Hypothalamus
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.
Cerebral Cortex
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
Frontal Lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.
Parietal Lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
Occipital Lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.
Temporal Lobes
An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.
Motor Cortex
Area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.
Sensory Cortex
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.
Association Areas
The brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, be reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
Plasticity
The formation of new neurons.
Neurogenesis
The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.
Corpus Callosum
A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them.
Split Brain
Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.
Environment
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.
Behavior Genetics
Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.
Chromosomes
A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins.
Genes
Twins who develop from a single (monozygotic) fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms.
Identical Twins
Twins who develop from separate (dizygotic) fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than ordinary brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment.
Fraternal Twins
The interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity).
Interaction
The study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.
Epigenetics
The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.
Evolutionary Psychology
The principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.
Natural Selection
A random error in gene replication that leads to a change.
Mutation
