Unit 1 Flashcards
What is Nature
Genetic factors that influence the development of behavior
What does the nucleus contain the most of?
Genetic information
What do we mean by genetic factors?
The genetics of sex (X and Y Chromosomes)
Cell body (Soma) contains what?
nucleus
What is inside the nucleus?
‘thread-like’ structures called chromosomes
Chromosomes have what inside them
Two strands of DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid
How many bases are in DNA?
4 nucleotide bases
What are the nucleotide bases called?
Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine or A,T,G,C
Portions of DNA contain what?
Information to code for proteins
What is Nurture?
Experiences influence behavior development
What is required for experimentation?
Manipulation and Random Assignment
Manipulation
actively interfering with the stream of events
Random Assignment
Everyone in your sample has the same opportunity to be assigned to an experimental/control group
Independent Variable (IV)
something is manipulated
Dependent Variable (DV)
something that is measured
Control group
a typical situation
Experimental group
gets the manipulation (IV)
Extraneous Variable
an undesirable variable that ADDS ERROR to variables an experimenter is examining.
N size
the total number of subjects/people/animals in the study
Single blind
participants don’t know what group they are in
Double Blind
participants AND experimenter do not know which group the participants are in
Confounding variables
extraneous variables that vary with levels of the IV and offer an alternative explanation for the results of the experiment
Operational defintion
how a concept in a specific research situation is measured
Central Nervous System (CNS)
Brain and Spinal Cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
nerves that extend from the brain to the rest of the body
Somatic
means skin (temp, pain, hard or soft, what you can detect through your skin)
Hemispheres
half of the brain (left hemisphere, right hemisphere)
Sulci
are valleys in the brain
Gyri
the top of the valleys
White/Grey Matter
White matter gets its color because of fat; Grey matter is made up of cell bodies which in turn gives it a grey color.
Sagittal
(side) looking at the brain from the side
Coronal
(front) looking at the brain from the front
Horizontal
(top) looking at the brain from the top
Hindbrain
Reticular formation, Pons, Cerebellum, and Medulla
Reticular formation
involved in arousal. Can fluctuate throughout the day due to energy levels
Pons
sleep and dreaming
Cerebellum
Coordinating movement
Medulla
sustaining life
Midbrain
Super colliculus, Inferior colliculus, and Substantia Nigra
Substantia Nigra
produces dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for smooth and coordinated movements
Superior colliculus
orients you to movement (moving multiple things at once)
Inferior Colliculus
orients you to sound (loud noise or small noise can take our attention away)
Hippocampus
learning and memory
Amygdala
emotions
Pituitary gland
releases hormones
hypothalamus
involved in the four F’s: fear feeding, fighting, and making love
Thalamus
the function is a major sensory relay station (Sight and hearing go to the thalamus and then it tells it where to go from there)
Cerebral cortex
Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, motor cortex, and somatosensory cortex
Broca’s area
can only be found in the left hemisphere of human brains and it’s function is making language
Wernicke’s area
only in the left hemisphere and is involved in understanding language
Motor cortex
moves muscle
Somatosensory cortex
receives information from the world around us, typically through the skin
Dendrties
receives information
Myelin
sends information faster through the axon and is electric
Ion channels
proteins create holes in neurons that allow ions to pass through
Ions
Sodium, Potassium, and Chloride
Sodium
Na+
Potassium
K+
Chloride
(Cl-)
Action Potential
an electrical charge that travels down an axon
2 Mechanisms that End Neurotransmitter Action
Reuptake and Enzymatic Degradation
