UNIT 1 PSYCH MID-TERM Flashcards
1
Q
Pineal gland secretes this hormone in response to reduced light (preparing to get to sleep)
A
melatonin
2
Q
The type of brain waves present when a person is awake but relaxed
A
alpha
3
Q
Theory that dreams are a byproduct of synthesis of an active brain’s random neural firing
A
activation synthesis
4
Q
chronic difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing restful sleep
A
insomnia
5
Q
Bizarre experiences, such as jerking or a feeling of falling, while transitioning to sleep
A
hypnagogic jerks
6
Q
This type of sleep also called paradoxical sleep
A
REM (rapid eye movement)
7
Q
Substance in marijuana that binds to cannabinoid receptors
A
THC
8
Q
Exists when a person must continue to take a drug to satisfy intense mental and emotional craving for the drug
A
addiction
9
Q
A tiny cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus that governs the timing of circadian rhythms, including the sleep-wake cycle
A
SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus)
10
Q
The sudden loss of voluntary muscle strength and control that is associated with narcolepsy
A
cataplexy
11
Q
In Freudian dream theory, the disguised meaning of the dream
A
latent content
12
Q
Increasing amounts of the drug are needed to gain the original effect
A
tolerance
13
Q
Also known as tranquilizers, these drugs mimic the effects of alcohol - often times used to induce sleep or reduce anxiety
A
barbituates
14
Q
Large, slow brain waves that are present during stage 3 and stage 4 sleep
A
delta
15
Q
Drugs in this class distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input (also called psychedelics)
A
hallucinogens
16
Q
The world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance
A
caffeine
17
Q
This stimulant blocks reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin
A
cocaine
18
Q
This neurotransmitter is used at the neuromuscular junction
A
acetylcholine
18
Q
These drugs bind to the receptor and mimic the effects of the normal neurotransmitter
A
agonists
18
Q
Sleep disorder where a person may stop breathing hundreds of times each night
A
apnea
18
Q
This pea-sized structure is often referred to as the “master gland” and is responsible for the increased secretion of growth hormone at puberty
A
pituitary
18
Q
Branchlike extensions of the neuron that receive input from other cells
A
dendrites
19
Q
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
A
efferent/motor
20
Q
The brain’s ability to change by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
A
neural plasticity
21
Reabsorption of neurotransmitter by presynaptic cell following signalling
reuptake
22
Inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor activated by alcohol and barbituates
GABA
23
Cells of the nervous system that support neurons with nutrients, protection from pathogens and guidance during development
glia
24
This branch of the peripheral nervous system controls automatic, involuntary processes (sweating, heart contractions, intestinal activity)
autonomic nervous system
25
Neurotransmitter linked to both Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia
dopamine
26
A brain imaging technique in which researchers inject radioactive glucose into a participant to measure ongoing activity in different regions of the brain
PET
27
Cumulative effect from synaptic input from several locations at the same time
spatial summation
28
A molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's actions
antagonist
29
If this point is reached, a neuron will fire
threshold
30
Also known as "afferent" neurons, these neurons carry messages from the body's tissues and sensory organs inward to the brain and spinal cord
sensory
31
Subfield of psychology interested in behaviors and mental attributes that allow people to live to the age of reproduction
evolutionary psych
32
Short for "endogenous morphine" - these chemicals explain good feelings such as pain relief and "runners high"
endorphins
33
Endocrine gland that controls metabolic rate
thyroid
34
Chemical messengers that are secreted from glands into the bloodstream
hormones
35
Rapid shift in membrane potential from negative to positive during action potential
depolarization
36
part of autonomic system that causes fight or flight or freeze
sympathetic nervous system
37
part of autonomic system that causes rest and digest; feed and breed
parasympathetic nervous system
38
A cluster of neuron cell
bodies, usually outside the CNS
ganglion
39
The sympathetic
nervous system
mostly uses the neurotransmitter:
norepinephrine
40
Postganglionic axons
of the
parasympathetic
nervous system
mostly release
____________ as a
neurotransmitter.
acetylcholine
41
carry incoming information from the body’s
tissues and sensory receptors to the
brain and spinal cord.
sensory (afferent) neurons
42
carry
outgoing information from the brain
and spinal cord to the muscles and
glands.
Motor (efferent) neurons
43
Connects the peripheral nervous system to
the brain.
Communicates with the sense organs and
muscles, except those of the head.
spinal cord
44
a neural impulse; an electrical impulse; a brief
electrical charge that travels down an axon; an electrochemical message.
action potential
45
the level of
stimulation required to trigger a
neural impulse.
threshold
46
a neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.
all or none response
47
the action potential
moves down the axon.
propagation
48
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and
the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.
synapse
49
neurotransmitter reabsorbed
by sending neuron (presynaptic cell) in a
process called reuptake.
reuptake
50
Stimuli repeated over a short period of time produce a stronger response.
Temporal summation
51
Several small stimuli in a similar location lead to a response when a single
stimulus does not.
Spatial Summation
52
“morphine within”; natural opioid-like neurotransmitters
linked to pain control and pleasure. Released in response to pain and
stress to help weaken pain perception.
Endorphins
53
What neurotransmitter is related to Parkinson's Disease, and it is caused by too little of that neurotransmitter?
dopamine
54
a molecule that increases
a neurotransmitter’s actions.
agonist
55
a molecule that
inhibits or blocks a
neurotransmitter’s actions.
antagonist
56
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine
glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
hormones
57
drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body
functions. Calming.
Examples: Alcohol, Barbiturates, Opioids: drugs that depress central
nervous system activity, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and
judgement.
depressants
58
-memory and judgment impairment.
When alcohol and __________ are
combined, the effects can be deadly.
Bind GABA receptor.
barbiturates
59
depressants that create a sense of euphoria and lethargy, eg. heroin, oxycontin, morphine, and fentanyl
opioids
60
drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body
functions.
Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine,
Ecstasy
stimulants
61
a brain
imaging technique that measures magnetic
fields from the brain’s natural activity, e.g. after
a person completes a task.
MEG
62
a series of X-ray photographs taken from
different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a
slice of the brain’s structure, Often used to show structural damage such as after a traumatic brain injury and
to identify tumors and other abnormalities.
CT
63
involve
following radioactive
glucose trackers to
identify areas of the brain
which are most active
during certain tasks.
Exposure to radioactivity.
Shows glucose metabolism.
PET
64
a technique that uses magnetic fields and
radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue.
MRI
65
a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore
brain activity, by comparing successive MRI scans.
fMRI
66
the principle that information is often simultaneously
processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.
dual processing
67
evaluates many aspects of a stimulus or problem simultaneously.
It is the faster, more automatic type of processing.
* Used for making quick decisions based on instinct or gut feelings.
* It's often called "automatic thinking" because it requires little conscious effort and
happens without deliberate thought. Working your way through a crowd of people,
solving common problems.
parallel processing
68
processing that occurs when we are faced with a novel
problem, which requires focused attention.
* It is slower but more conscious in its approach to the new problem.
* Tasks are processed step by step with each step requiring focused attention and
conscious effort.
* Reasoning in linear, structured way, e.g. planning a strategy, solving a difficult math
problem.
sequential processing
69
-a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.
Blindsight
70
allows researchers to
compare brain activity during
stages of sleep.
EEG
71
German meaning “time giver”
* Refers to stimulus that resets the circadian rhythm
* Examples: sunlight, exercise, meals, arousal of any kind, meals,
temperature of environment, olfactory stimulation, etc.
Zeitgeber
72
proposes that dreams are tools for
organizing and filing the day’s experiences into our memories.
information processing theory
73
theory of dreaming where
subconscious, unacceptable feelings could be projected. He proposed that
dreams have both a surface storyline, the manifest content, and a hidden
meaning, the latent content.
wish fulfillment theory
74
the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM
sleep deprivation.
REM rebound
75
sensory receptors for touch and hearing
mechanoreceptors
76
sensory receptors for vision
photoreceptors
77
sensory receptors for olfaction and gustation
chemoreceptors
78
information
processing that begins with the sensory
receptors and works up to the brain’s
integration of sensory information.
bottom-up processing
79
information
processing of what senses detect, guided
by higher-level mental processes, as
when we construct perceptions drawing
on our experience and expectations.
Not objective.
Influenced by a number of biases.
Top-down processing
80
the minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a
particular stimulus 50 percent of the time.
absolute threshold
81
predicts how and when we detect the presence
of a faint stimulus (signal) amid the background stimulation (noise);
Signal detection theory
82
The minimum amount needed for
us to hear or feel if a stimuli has
changed is called the
difference
threshold
83
the principle that, to be perceived as different, two stimuli must
differ by constant minimum percentage (rather than constant amount).
Just noticeable difference is function of the magnitude of the original stimulus.
Weber's law
84
the process by which the eye’s lens changes shape to
focus images of near and far objects on the retina.
accommodation
85
(rods and
cones) are at the back of the
retina.
Photoreceptors
86
-detect black, white, and gray
-are sensitive to movement.
_____ are necessary for peripheral vision and twilight
vision, when the other type don’t respond.
In the dark, only _____ are used.
rods
87
Give rise to color
-are concentrated near the center of the retina and
that function in well-lit conditions.
Cones detect fine detail.
Cones
88
The axons (1 million) of
ganglion cells join one
another to form the optic
nerve.
The point at which the
optic nerve leaves (also
where the blood vessels
enter and leave) is a
__________
blind spot
89
-theory that the retina contains three different types of color
receptors – one most sensitive to red, one to green, one to blue.
trichromatic theory
90
-theory that opposing retinal processes (red-green, blue-yellow, white-
black) enable color vision. We perceive colors in opposites.
For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by
red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green.
Opponent-process theory
91
nerve cells in the brain’s visual cortex that respond to specific
features of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement.
Feature detectors
92
determined by the frequency of sound
pitch
93
Located on the basilar membrane
are auditory receptors:
hair cells
94
most common form of hearing loss
* caused by damage to the cochlea’s receptor cells or to the auditory nerve: ____________ hearing loss
Sensorineural
95
a less common form of hearing loss, caused by
damage to the mechanical system that conducts sound waves to the
cochlea: _______ hearing loss
conduction
96
links the pitch we hear with the place where the cochlea’s membrane
is stimulated (also called place coding).
place theory
97
the rate of nerve impulses traveling up the auditory nerve matches
the frequency of a tone, thus enabling us to sense pitch (also called
temporal coding).
Frequency matching theory
98
the theory that the
spinal cord contains a neurological “gate”
that blocks pain signals or allows them to
pass on to the brain.
Gate-control theory
99
are specialized sensory
receptors that detect harmful
temperature, pressure or chemicals.
nocireceptors
100
-our movement sense
-our system for sensing the position and movement of individual body
parts.
kinesthesis
101
-Receptors that detect position and motion sensors
-located in muscles, joints, and tendons.
-Respond to small stretches and movements
-Works closely with other senses, e.g. vision.
Proprioceptors
102
When our senses disagree...
The __________ _________ is a perceptual illusion that occurs when the auditory
and visual components of two sounds are paired, causing the listener to
perceive a third sound
McGurk Effect
103
the influence of bodily sensations, gestures, and other
states on cognitive preferences and judgements.
embodied cognition
104
Stimulation of one sense triggers and experience of another sense
e. g. I see music. Tones are associated with colors.
synesthesia
