Unit 1 Flashcards
Nature V.S. Nurture
Heredity and environmental factors work together to shape behavior and mental processes
Heredity (Nature)
Genetic characteristics that influence physical, behavioral, and mental traits and processes
Environmental (Nurture)
The external factors that someone experiences like family intersections or education
Evolutionary Perspective
Shows how natural selection affects the expression of behavior and mental processes to increase survival and reproductive success. Some theorists apply principles of the evolutionary perspective in ways that discriminate against others
Identical V.S. Fraternal Twin
Identical- Individuals who developed from a single fertilized egg that split in 2 creating 2 genetically identical organisms (generally are more alike in personalities)
Fraternal- individuals who developed from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than ordinary siblings.
Separated Twins
Twins we separate and reunited to find that they act similar but bc t get were given different things and one was given more of the access to things the other didn’t have
Interaction
The exchange that occurs when the effect of 1 factor (environment) depends on another (heredity)
Epigenetics
environments can influence genetic expression (w/out DNA change). Environmental factors like diet, drugs, and stress affect epigenetic molecules that regulate expression. Trauma and poverty, or malnourishment can leave fingerprints on a person’s gnome and may be passed down (epigenetic changes) some argue that this isn’t true tho. Tied through genes, but come out in environment
Genes
Are self regulating. Are not deterministic they are probabilistic (higher probability to get something) but not determined
Central Nervous System
Includes brain and spinal cord, all connected
Peripheral Nervous System
Outer part of body, hands and feet. Messages sent from central nervous system (includes autonomic and somatic system)
Autonomic Nervous System
Involuntary processes such as heartbeat, breathing (includes sympathetic and parasympathetic)
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Calms the body
Sympathetic Nervous System
Arouses the body, springing into action, alerting of danger (think flight or flight)
Somatic Nervous System
Governs processes that are done voluntarily or on purpose
Neurons
Neural cells that transmit information
Glial Cells
Cells that provide structure such as insulation, communication, waste transportation
These types of cells form the basis of the nervous system and are the building blocks of all behavior and mental processes
Neuron an Neural Firings
Spinal cord and reflex arc
sensory neurons of a reflex arc synapse, a space where neurons connect and send signals to the other, in the spinal cord. Allows faster actions by activating spinal motor neurons instead of delaying reaction time by signals first having to go to the brain
Sensory neurons
Carryon incoming info from the body’s issues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Motor Neurons
Brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands
Interneurons
Communicate between sensory and motor
Dendrites
Receive messages from neurons
Nucleus and Soma
Keep cells alive
Axon
Sends messages to dendrites
Axon Terminals
Send to next one
Myelin Sheaths
Wraps around all the neurons and allows electrical impulses to transmit along the nerve cells.
Action (resting) potential
A neuron’s relaxation state
Depolarization
when the cell’s charge becomes positive, or less negative and allows an action potential (nerve impulse) to occur
Threshold
The level of stimulation, activation feeling or senses, required to trigger a neural impulse
The All-or-Nothing Principle
The action of either firing (with full or strong response) or not firing at all. How hard effects amount of neurons; more pain, more nervous
Refractory Period
A brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired
Reuptake (Inhibitor)
A neurotransmitter’s reabsorbtion by the sending neuron (reabsorb neuron sent). Disruptions to process can lead to disorders like mulliate sterosis or myasthenia gravis
Neurotransmitters
Every neurotransmitters has specific functions that relate to behavior/mental process. Depends on its location in nervous system
Dopamine
Movement, learning, attention and emotion. Oversupply leads to schizophrenia, undersupply leads to pankinson’s disease
Serotonin
Mood, hunger, sleep and arousal (undersupply leads to depression)
Norepinephrine
Alertness and arousal
Glutamate
Major exititaory (excited) neurotransmitter; memory. Oversupply - migraines and seizures
GABA
A major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Undersupply- seizures, tremors.
Endorphins
Influence the perception of pain and pleasure
Substance P
Involved in pain perception and immune response. OS can lead to chronic pain
Acetylcholine
Muscle action, learning, memory
Undersupply- Alzheimer’s
Adrenaline
Stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Part of the “flight or fight” response (oxytocin facilitates childbirth)
Leptin
Appetite and weight control (lower appetite )
Grelin
Increased appetite. Level rises if person is not eating enough
Melatonin
Response to darkness, helps maintain circadian rhythm (natural sleep pattern)
Psychoactive Drugs
Neurotransmitter drugs influence neural communication, acting as agonists, antagonists, or reuptake inhibitors. They can cause psychological and physiological effects, leading to tolerance and addiction, causing withdrawal symptoms.
Stimulants
Such as caffeine, cocaine
Cause increase of neural activity
Depressants
Alcohol, decrease neural activity
Hallucinogens
Marijuana, psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”) distortions if perception/cognition
Opioids
Heroin, act as pain killers
The Brain Stem
Including medulla, generally controls basic functioning such as breathing and heart rate
Reticular Formation
Reticular activating system and the brain’s reward center generally control some voluntary movement, eye movement, some types of learning, cognition and emotion. Very important for alertness, Damage to area can cause coma
Thalamus
Egg-shaped structure in middle of brain. Filters motor (movement) and sensory info (all senses EXCEPT smell) from body to brain
Hypothalamus
Area of brain that controls body temp, hunger, thirst
Pituitary Gland
Small, pea-sized endocrine gland located at base of brain below hypothalamus releases important hormones and controls function of many others (regulates growth)
Hippocampus
Part of the brain that is associated primarily with memory
Amygdala
Part of the brain responsible for pain, anger fear, motivation
Corpus callosum
Ensures that both sides of the brain can communicate/ send signals to each other
Lobes of Cortex (frontal lobe)
The way you think, move, remember, social skills, behave, advanced rational thought
Located behind forehead
Oxytocin
Facilitates childbirth
Parietal lobe
Process of sense of touch and other senses
Located at the top of the brain
Occipital lobe
Visual spatial processing, distance to depth perception, color, visual memory
Located in the back of the brain
Temporal Lobe
Emotions, processing info from senses, storing and retrieving memories, understanding (hearing) language
Located on the side of the brain
Split Brain Research (severing corpus callosum)
Reveals less R hemisphere brain may specialize in different activities functions (brain lateralization)
Left and Right side of brain
Left side of the brain controls the right side of the body as well as speech and language
Right side of the brain controls the left side of the body as well as math and science
Damage to Borca’s Area leads to…
Broca’s area is in charge of speech production so damage to this area causes trouble with speaking (can’t get words out)
Damage to Wernicke’s area
Responsible for comprehensible speaking so damage to this causes the person’s speaking to not make sense
Brain Placticity
Brains rewires and modifies itself or creates connections throughout development and allows for function of damaged part of brain to be assumed by a different part of the brain (can find something else to learn as it fails)
Circadian Rythem
The sleep/wake cycle (24 hour cycle)
We normally get tired between 2-4pm and 3-4am
Stages of sleep
Identified by EEG (a test that records the activity or the brain) patterns:
Awake- short and fast
Sleeping stages- 1,2,3&4, REM
(we go through this cycle throughout the night
REM
Were dreams occur and happens more at the end of the night
REM Rebound
When sleep someone is sleep deprived then they go to sleep they will have more REM sleep and will dream more
Activism Synthesis
Dreams come from emotional things (like fear) theory
Consolidation Theory
In your sleep going through and organizing it your day. Converting short-term memories into longer-term memories by strengthening neural connections)
Insomnia
Affected person may not be able to fall asleep and wake up during the night
Narcolepsy
Sudden sleep attacks as well as overwhelming drowsiness (to from awake to REM)
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
When the muscle parálisis associated with the REM sleep phase does not occur. People who suffer from RBD have high levels of physical activity during REM sleep (especially disturbing dreams)
Multiple Sclerosis
A disorder of the central nervous system marked by weakness, numbness, a loss of muscle coordination, and problems with vision speech and bladder
Brain Lateralization
Different regions of the brain “take over” the functioning of specific behaviors and cognitive skills
Limbic System
Part of the brain involved in our behavior and emotional responses
Sleep Apnea
Episodes during which a sleeper’s breathing stops and they need to use a machine that pushes air through their lungs
Tolerance
When the body is able to tolerate something or get used to it (drugs) and it can lead to addiction and people consuming more
Withdrawal
The physical and mental symptoms that a person has when they suddenly stop or cut back on an addictive substance
Antagonist/Agonist
Agonists- encourage natural firing
Antagonists- discourages neural firing
Medulla
The bottom part of the brain and is where brain and spinal cord connect making it key for nerve signals to go to body and helps with heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure
Cerebellum
Controls coordination of muscle movement, balance (10% of brain)
Natural Experiment
carried out in natural conditions and the research is unable to manipulate the IV so they examine the effect of a naturally occurring variable on the dependent variable (DV).
Observational Experiment
researchers collect information from participants or look at data that was already collected
