Psychology Unit 2 Vocabulary Flashcards
Absolute threshold
The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.
Amygdala
Two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.
Association Areas
The cerebral cortex areas involved primarily in higher mental functions, such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking.
Brainstem
The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions.
Broca’s Area
The area that controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.
Broca’s Aphasia
Damage to the Broca’s area that makes you unable to speak.
Cerebellum
The “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.
Cerebral Cortex
A thin layer of interconnected neurons covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information processing center.
Difference Threshold
The minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection 50% of the time. We experience the difference threshold as a just noticeable difference.
Frontal Lobe
The portion o f the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
Hippocampus
A neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage.
Hypothalamus
A neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities, helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland and is linked to emotion and reward.
Limbic System
The neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.
Medulla
The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.
Motor Cortex
Part of the cerebral cortex area at the rear of the frontal lobes; controls voluntary movements.
Nervous System
The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Occipital Lobe
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.
Parietal Lobe
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.
Perception
The process by which our brain organizes and interprets sensory information, transforming it into meaningful objects and events.
Pons
Part of the brain associated with arousal and the ability to relax and helps to coordinate left and right sides of the body.
RAS/Reticular Activating System
Controls awake/asleep arousal and ability to focus our attention.
Retina
The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye; contains the receptor rods and cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information.
Sensation
The process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment.
Sense Receptors
Specialized cells that convert physical energy in the environment or the body to electrical energy that can be transmitted as nerve impulses to the brain.
Sensory Adaptation
The reduced sensitivity in response to constant stimulation.
Sensory Cortex
The part of the brain that receives incoming touch and skin sensations from the body.
Sensory Deprivation
The absence of normal levels of sensory stimulation.
Signal-Detection Theory
A psychophysical theory that divides the detection of a sensory signal into a sensory process and a decision process.
Temporal Lobe
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes areas that receive information from the ears.
Thalamus
The “Sensory Switchboard” of the brain, directs sensory messages to the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.
