Psych 2

Question 1

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Answer 1

nervous system

Question 2

brain and spinal cord

Answer 2

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Question 3

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.

Answer 3

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Question 4

bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

Answer 4

nerves

Question 5

neurons that carry incoming information from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Answer 5

sensory (afferent) neurons

Question 6

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Answer 6

motor (efferent) neurons

Question 7

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

Answer 7

interneurons

Question 8

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.

Answer 8

somatic nervous system

Question 9

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

Answer 9

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Question 10

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy.

Answer 10

sympathetic

Question 11

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

Answer 11

parasympathetic nervous system

Question 12

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

Answer 12

reflex

Question 13

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

Answer 13

neuron

Question 14

the part of a neuron that contains the nucleus; the cell’s life-support center

Answer 14

cell body

Question 15

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

Answer 15

dendrites

Question 16

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

Answer 16

axon

Question 17

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

Answer 17

myelin sheath

Question 18

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Answer 18

glial cells

Question 19

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

Answer 19

action potential

Question 20

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Answer 20

threshold

Question 21

in neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state

Answer 21

refractory period

Question 22

a neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.

Answer 22

all-or-none response

Question 23

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Answer 23

synapse

Question 24

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

Answer 24

neurotransmitters

Question 25

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Answer 25

reuptake

Question 26

"morphine within"--natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Answer 26

endorphins

Question 27

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action

Answer 27

agonist

Question 28

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action

Answer 28

antagonist

Question 29

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

Answer 29

endocrine system

Question 30

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

Answer 30

hormones

Question 31

the scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes

Answer 31

biological psychology

Question 32

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

Answer 32

biopsychosocial approach

Question 33

the differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon

Answer 33

levels of analysis

Question 34

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

Answer 34

neuroplasticity

Question 35

tissue destruction, naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

Answer 35

lesion

Question 36

An amplified recording of the electrical waves sweeping across the brain's surface, measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

Answer 36

EEG (electroencephalogram)

Question 37

consists of the medulla, pons, and cerebellum; directs essential survival functions, such as breathing, sleeping, and wakefulness, as well as coordination and balance

Answer 37

hindbrain

Question 38

found atop the brainstem; connects the hindbrain with the forebrain, controls some motor movement, and transmits auditory and visual information.

Answer 38

midbrain

Question 39

consists of the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus; manages complex cognitive activities, sensory and associative functions, and voluntary motor activities

Answer 39

forebrain

Question 40

central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions

Answer 40

brainstem

Question 41

the hindbrain structure that is the brainstem's base; controls heartbeat and breathing

Answer 41

medulla

Question 42

the forebrain'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 medulla

Answer 42

thalamus

Question 43

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

Answer 43

reticular formation

Question 44

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Answer 44

cerebellum

Question 45

neural system located mostly in the forebrain- below the cerebral hemispheres- that includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, thalamus, and pituitary glands; associated with emotion and drives.

Answer 45

limbic system

Question 46

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

Answer 46

amygdala

Question 47

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

Answer 47

hypothalamus

Question 48

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

Answer 48

hippocampus

Question 49

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Answer 49

cerebral cortex

Question 50

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments

Answer 50

frontal lobes

Question 51

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Answer 51

parietal lobes

Question 52

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields

Answer 52

occipital lobe

Question 53

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

Answer 53

temporal lobes

Question 54

cerebral cortex area at the rear of the frontal lobes; controls voluntary movements

Answer 54

motor cortex

Question 55

cerebral cortex area at the front of the parietal lobes; registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Answer 55

somatosensory cortex

Question 56

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

Answer 56

association areas

Question 57

the formation of new neurons

Answer 57

neurogenesis

Question 58

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Answer 58

corpus callosum

Question 59

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them

Answer 59

split brain