Psychology Flashcards
1
Q
Franz Gull
A
- earliest theories that the behavior, intellect and personality may be linked to the brain anatomy
- phrenology: if a trait was developed, spot of the brain would expand
- believed expansion of knowledge would cause bulges in the head
- measure psychological attributes by feeling/measuring skull
2
Q
Pierre Flourens
A
- studies functions of the major brain sections
- extirpation/ablation
extirpation: parts of brain removed, behavior observed - certain parts of the brain = specific functions
3
Q
William James
A
- father of american psychology
- studied how mind adapts to the environment
- functionalism: mental processes help individuals adapt to their environments
4
Q
John Dewey
A
- functionalism
- criticized reflex arc (breaking process of reacting to a stimulus into discrete parts)
- believed psychology should focus on study of organism as a whole as it functioned to adapt to environment
5
Q
Paul Broca
A
- examined behavior deficits of people with brain damage
- 1st to show specific functional impairments could be linked with specific brain lesions
- studied man who could not speak, disability due to lesion in specific area of the left side of mans brain (Broca’s area)
6
Q
Hermonn Von Helmholtz
A
- measured speed of nerve impulse
- related to reaction time (link between behavior and nervous system activity
- began to make psychology quantifiable
7
Q
Sir Charles Sherrington
A
- inferred existence of synapses
- thought synaptic transmission was electrical, but it is actually chemical
8
Q
Sensory neurons
A
(afferent neurons)
trasmit sensory info from receptors to spinal cord and brain
9
Q
motor neurons
A
(efferent neurons)
transmit motor information from brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands
10
Q
Interneurons
A
found between other neurons, most numerous of the three
located in brain and spinal cord, linked to reflexes
11
Q
Reflex arcs
A
control reflexive behavior… formed by interneurons
ex: stepping on a nail, interneurons cause you to react before info reaches the brain
12
Q
Central Nervous system (CNS)
A
brain and spinal cord
13
Q
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
A
nerve tissue and fibers outside brain and spinal cord (includes spinal nerves and cranial nerves)
14
Q
Spinal nerves
A
31 pairs of nerves emanating from the spinal cord
15
Q
cranial nerves
A
12 pairs of nerves emanating directly from brain
16
Q
Somatic Nervous system
A
sensory and motor neurons through skin , joints, muscles
Afferent neurons Ascend in the cord towards brain, Efferent neurons Exit the cord to rest of body
17
Q
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
A
- regulated heartbeat, respiration, digestion and glandular secretions
- manages involuntary muscles
- regulates body temp
18
Q
What are the two subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system
A
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- two antagonistic systems
19
Q
Parasympathetic nervous system main role
A
- conserve energy
(resting, sleeping, reduce heart rate, constrict bronchi) - manage digestion (increase peristalsis and exocrine secretions)
20
Q
What is the main neurotransmitter responsible for parasympathetic responses in the body?
A
- acetylcholine
21
Q
Specific functions of the parasympathetic nervous system?
A
- constricts pupils
- stimulates flow of saliva
- constricts bronchi
- slows heartbeat
- stimulates peristalsis and secretion
- stimulates bile release
- contracts bladder
22
Q
How is the sympathetic nervous system activated?
A
Stress!
(school, emergencies, life/death situations)
“fight or flight”
23
Q
Specific functions of activated sympathetic nervous system?
A
- dilates pupiles
- inhibits salivation
- relaxes bronchi
- accelerates heartbeat
- stimulates sweating or piloerection
- inhibits peristalsis and secretion
- stimulates glucose production and release
- secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline
- inhibits bladder contraction
- stimulates orgasm
24
Q
Meninges
A
thick, three-layered sheath of connective tissue covering brain
25
What are the three layers of meninges?
outer: dura mater - connected to skull
middle: arachnoid mater
inner: pia mater, directly connected to brain
26
Role of meninges?
- keep brain anchored in skull
- resorb cerebrospinal fluid
27
What is cerebrospinal fluid
- aqueous solution that nourishes brain and spinal cord, provides protective cushion
- produced by special cells lining the ventricles (internal cavities) of brain
28
What are the three main parts of brain?
Hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain
29
Subdivisions of the hindbrain?
- cerebellum
- medulla oblongata
- reticular formation
- pons
30
Subdivisions of midbrain?
- inferior and superior colliculi
31
Subdivisions of Forebrain
- cerebral cortex
- basal ganglia
- limbic system
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
32
Brainstem
midbrain + hindbrain
33
Limbic system
Emotion and memory
(aggression, fear, pleasure, pain)
34
Cerebral cortex
outer covering of hemispheres
- language processing, problem solving, impulse control to long-term planning
35
Basal ganglia
movement
36
Hypothalamus
hunger and thirst, emotion
37
Inferior and super colliculi
sensorimotor reflexes
38
cerebellum
refined motor movements
39
Medulla oblongata
heart, vital reflexes (vomiting and coughing)
40
Reticular formation
arousal and alertness
41
Pons
communication within brain, breathing
42
Hindbrain controls?
Balance, motor coordination, breathing, digestion, arousal processes such as sleeping/waking
(vital functions)
43
Midbrain controls?
- receives sensory information from rest of body
- involuntary reflex responses triggered by visual or auditory stimuli
44
What are the two prominant nuclei in the midbrain?
Superior and inferior colliculus
Superior: receives visual sensory input
Inferior: auditory sensory input
45
Forebrain controls?
- complex perceptural, cognitive and behavioral processes
- emotion and memory
46
Describe the parts of embryonic brain development
- rhombencephalon (hindbrain) forms the myelencephalon (medulla oblongata) and metencephalon (pons and cerebellum)
- mesencephalon (midbrain)
- prosencephalon (forebrain) forms the telencephalon (cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system) and diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary gland, pineal gland)
47
Neuropsychology
study of functions and behaviorsassociated with specific regions of the brain
48
Cortical maps
electrical stimulation in the brain
49
Electroencephalogram
(EEG)
image of the brain that allows electrical activity to be detected and recorded
- research sleep, seizures brain legions
50
Regional cerebral blood flow
(rCBF)
- detected broad patterns of neural activity based on increased blood flow to certain parts of brain
51
What are a few common scanning devices and methods of visualization used for brain imaging?
- CT (COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY)
- PET (POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY)
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
- fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
52
Thalamus
- important relay station for incoming sensory information, all senses except smell
53
What are the subdivisions of the hypothalamus
- lateral hypothalamus
- ventromedial hypothalamus
- anterior hypothalamus
54
What kinds of processes does the hypothalamus regulate?
- endocrine functions and autonomic nervous system
- homeostatic functions, regulate metabolism, temperature and water balance
- hunger, thirst, sexual behavior
(Feeding, Fighting, Flighting, sexual Function)
55
How does the hypothalamus control water balance?
- osmoreceptors in hypothalamus trigger release of antidiuretic hormone (vasopressin) to increase water reabsorption
56
Describe the lateral hypothalamus
- referred to as the hunger center
- LH triggers eating/ drinking
57
Describe the ventromedial hypothalamus
- "satiety center", provides signals to stop eating
58
Describe the anterior hypothalamus
controls sexual behavior, sleep, temperature
59
What are the divisions of the diencephalon
- posterior pituitary gland
- pineal gland
- connecting pathways to other brain regions
60
Posterior pituitary
- where vasopressin is released (ADH)
- where oxytocin is released
61
Pineal gland
- secretes melatonin, receives direct signals from retina for sunlight coordination
62
How does the basal ganglia relay information to the brain from the cortex?
- via extrapyramidal motor system
63
Describe the extrapyramidal motor system
- gathers info about body position and carries to CNS, not directly through motor neurons
64
Parkinson's Disease
degredation of basal ganglia
- jerky movement- tremors
65
What components make up limbic system?
- septal nuclei
- amygdala
- hippocampus
- anterior cingulate cortex
66
Describe the septal nuclei
primary pleasure center
67
Describe amygdala
- defense and aggressive behavior
68
Describe hippocampus
- learning and memory processes... long term memory
- communicates with other portions through the fornix
69
Anterograde amnesia
- not being able to establish new long-term memory, memory before injury remain
70
Retrograde amnesia
- memory loss of events before brain injury
71
Anterior cingulate cortex
- higher order cognitive processes (frontal and parietal lobe connection)
- connected to limbic system
72
Cerebral cortex
- sometimes called neocortex
73
What are the bumps and folds in the cerebral cortex called? what is their purpose?
- gyri and sulci
- increase surface area
74
What are the two halves of the cerebrum?
- cerebral hemispheres
75
What are the four lobes of the cortex?
- Frontal
- Parietal
- occipital
- temporal
(F-POT)
76
What are the two regions of the frontal lobe?
- prefrontal cortex
- motor cortex
77
Prefrontal cortex
- manages executive function
- regulates attention and alertness
- communicates with reticular formation in brainstem (arousal)
78
Association area
- area that integrates input from diverse regions of the brain
79
Projection areas
- redimentary perceptual and motor tasks
ex: primary motor cortex
80
primary motor cortex
- located on precentral gyrus in front of central sulcus, divides frontal and parietal
- initiate voluntary motor movements by sending neural impulses down spinal cord to muscles
81
What is the projection area located on the parietal lobe?
- somatosensory cortex
- destination for sensory signals such as touch, pressure, temp and pain
82
What region does the occipital lobe contain?
- visual cortex (striate cortex)
-responsible for a lot of visual processing
83
What are the two areas located on the temporal lobe?
- auditory cortex
- Wernicke's area
84
Auditory cortex
- sound processing, speech music
85
Wernicke's area
- language reception, comprehension
86
Colateral communication
one side of brain communicates with opposite side of body
ex: left side of brain activates movements on the rise side of the bosy
87
Ipsilateral communication
- one side of brain communicates with same side of body
ex: hearing
88
Dominant hemispheres?
dominant: heavily stimulated during language reception and production
- usually on left
-analytic in function, manage details
brocas and wernickes area
89
Non dominant hemispheres
- usually the right
- intuition, creativity, music cognition and spatial processing
- less prominant role in language
- emotional tone, helps us to detect mood,
90
Acetylcholine function
- used to transmit nerve impulses to the muscles
- neurotransmitter used by parasympathetic nervous system and small portion of sympathetic
- linked to attention and arousal
- loss of cholinergenic neruons = alzheimers
91
catecholamines
epinepherine
norepinepherine
dopamine
(monoamines, biogenic amines due to being closely related)
92
dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia
- delusions, hallucinations agitation due to too much dopamine or oversensitivity to dopamine
93
Parkinsons is a result of....
loss of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia
94
GABA
gamma-aminobuyric acid produces inhibitpry postsynaptic potentials... stabilizes neural activity in the brain
95
glycine
- inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS by increasing chloride influx into neuron
96
glutamate
- neurotransmitter in CNS
- excitatory neurotransmitter
97
Endorphins
natural painkillers
98
Hypophyseal portal system
Directly connects the hypothalamus and pituitary glans
99
Anterior pituitary
releases hormones that regulate activities of the endocrine glands
100
Adrenal glands divided into
adrenall medulla and adrenal cortex
101
Adrenal Medulla
releases epinephrine and norepinephrine as part of sympathetic nervous system
102
Adrenal Cortex
- produces hormones called corticosteroids, including stress hormone cortisol
- produces testosterone and estrogen
103
Innate behavior
- genetically programmed as a result of eovlution
104
Learned behavior
- experience and environment
105
Adaptive value
- extent to which trait or behavior benefits a species by influencing the evolutionary fitness of the species
106
Sclera
thick structural layer, white of the eye
107
Choroidal vessels
blood vessels between sclera and retina
108
What are the two blood vessels that supply nutrients to the eye?
choroidal vessel
retinal vessels
109
Retina
contains photoreceptors that transduce light into electrical information the brain can process
110
cornea
where light passes first
111
how is the front of the eye split up?
anterior and posterior chamber
112
What muscle compose the iris?
- dilator pupillae (opens pupil)
- constrictor pupillae (constricts pupil)
113
choroid
- continuous with iris, provides nourishment to retina
114
ciliary body
- continuous with iris
- produces aqueous humor, which covers front of eye, drains into canal of schlemm
115
lens
- lies behind iris and helps control refraction of incoming light
116
suspensory ligaments
changes shape of the lens to focus on an image in the distance (accommodation)
117
vitreous humor
- transparent gel to support retina
118
retina
back of the eye, screen consisting of neural elements and blood vessels
- convert photons of light into electrical signals
119
duplicity theory of vision
- 2 kinds of photoreceptors:
- those specialized for light-and-dark
- those specialized for color detection
120
cones
- color vision and sense fine details
- effective in bright light and come in 3 forms: short, medium and long
121
rods
- highly sensitive to photons
- contain rhodopsin
122
macula
central section of the retina
high concentration of cones
123
fovea
centermost section of macula, contains only cones
124
bipolar cells
highlight gradients between adjacent rods or cones
125
ganglion cells
synapse with bipolar cells
126
Optic nerve
formed by synapsing of bipolar and ganglion cells
127
Amacrine and horizontal cells
receive input from mupltiple retinal cells in the same area before the information is passed on to the ganlion cells
128
visual pathways
- anatomical connections between eyes and brain
129
optic chiasm
- where the fibers from the nasal hald of each retina cross paths
130
optic tracts
- reorganized visual pathways
131
Lateral Geniculate nucleus
- (LGN)
- in thalamus
- synapse with nerves that pass through radiations in the temporal and parietal lobes to the visual cortex in occipital lobe
132
What role does the superior colliculus play in the visual pathway:
- some nerve fibers travel here from the LGN to control some reflexive responses to visual stimuli
133
Parallel processing
- brains ability to analyze information regarding color, form, motion and depth
134
parvocellular cells
high color spatial resolution
- detect fine details
135
temporal resolution
- to detect fast movement
136
magnocellular cells
- detect motion
- high temporal resultion
- low spatial resolution
137
binocular neurons
- compare the inputs to each hemisphere and detect differences
138
feature detectors
specialized cells that associate patterns of stimuli with expected behaviors
139
Somatosensation
having four modalities: pressure, vibration, pain and temperature
140
Pacinian corpuscles
deep pressure and vibration
141
meissner corpuscles
respond to light touch
142
merkel cells (discs)
deep pressure, texture
143
ruffini endings
respond to stretch
144
free nerve endings
respond to pain and temperature
145
somatosensory cortex
the receiver of somatosensations
146
Bottom up (data-driven) processing
object recognition by parallel processing and feature detection.
( forming an image before determining what the object is)
147
Top-down (conceptually driven) processing
memories and expectations to recognize the whole object
148
perceptual organization
ability to create a complete picture or idea by combining top-down and bottom-up processing
149
monocular cues
- only require one eye and include:
- size
- linear perspective
- motion parallax
150
relative size
- objects appear larger the closer they are
151
interposition
- overlapping objects, one in front is closer
152
linear perspective
- convergence of parallel lines
153
motion parallax
- objects closer to us move faster when we change our field of vision
