Unit 1: Biological Approach Flashcards
(21 cards)
Prefrontal cortex
Regulates decision making and planning
Top-down control
Influence of higher order cognitive processes on lower level sensory and perception
Amygdala
Important for survival, controls fear and aggression among other things
Neuron
Specialized cells that transmit information throughout the body
Neural network
Series of connected neurons that transmit information among each other, developed through repetition and neural pruning
Excitatory neurotransmitter
Chemical that increases likelihood of neuron firing
Inhibitory neurotransmitter
Chemical that decreases the likelihood of neuron firing
Agonist
Amplifies the effect of a neurotransmitter by activating receptor sites
MRI
Measures cross sections of the brain, often used to compare brains
Neural pruning
The loss of synaptic connections due to disuse, can be exacerbated by stress
Neural plasticity
The brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself physically, high during childhood and lower as one ages
Antisocial behavior
Genetic predisposition toward ASB can be activated by environmental stimuli
Localization theory
Different areas of the brain control different behaviors
Hormones
Chemicals secreted by glands in the endocrine system, affect behavior
Target cells
Cells that a hormone can produce a reaction in
Pheromones
Compounds released into the environment by an animal that affect the behavior or physiological responses of other animals
Primer pheromone
Causes slow, long term changes
Signaling pheromone
Produce rapid behavioral changes
MAOA gene
Produces enzymes that break down neurotransmitters in the synapse, MAOA-L gene can affect behavior
Antagonist
Chemical that binds to receptors and blocks them from firing
Glutamate
Abundant excitatory neurotransmitter that is inhibited by ketamine (feder)
