unit 2 biological bases of behavior Flashcards

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1
Q

neuroanatomy

A

study of parts & functions of neurons

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2
Q

neurons

A

individual nerve cells
- make up entire nervous system

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3
Q

dendrites

A

stretch out from cell body, grow to make synaptic connections w/ other neurons

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4
Q

cell body (soma)

A

contains nucleus & other parts of cell neded to sustain its life

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5
Q

axon

A

wirelike structure ending in terminal buttons that extends from cell body

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6
Q

myelin shealth

A

fatty covering around axon that spreads neural impulses

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7
Q

terminal buttons

A

branched end of axon that contains neurotransmitters

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8
Q

neurotransmitters

A

chemicals contained in terminal buttons that enable neurons to communicate
- fit into receptor sites on dendrites of neurons

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9
Q

synapse

A

space btwn terminal buttons of one neuron & dendrites of next neuron

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10
Q

process of neuron firing

A

neuron in resting state: slightly negative charge (negative ions inside), selectively permeable membrane
1) terminal buttons of neuron A stimulated -> releases neurotransmitters into synapse
2) neurotransmitters fit into receptor site on dendrites of neuron B
3) when enough neurotransmitters are received (Reaches threshold) -> cell membrane of neuron B becomes permeable & positive ions rush into cell, positive charge
4) action potential: change in charge spreads down length of neuron B & electric message fires
5) charge reaches terminal buttons of neuron B -> buttons release their neurotransmitters into synapse

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11
Q

all-or-none principle

A

neuron either fires completely or doesn’t fire
- if dendrite receives enough neurotransmitters to push neurons past its threshold, neuron will fire completely every time

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12
Q

neuron firing is electrochemical process

A
  • electricity travels within the cell (dendrite->terminal button, doesn’t jump between neurons!!)
  • chemicals (neurotransmitters) travel between cells in synapse
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13
Q

excitatory neurotransmitter

A

excites next neuron into firing

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14
Q

inhibitory neurotransmitter

A

inhibits next cell from firing

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15
Q

acetylcholine

A

function: motor movement
problem when lack: Alzheimer’s disease

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16
Q

dopamine

A

function: motor movement & alertness
problem when lack: Parkinson’s disease
when excess: schizophrenia

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17
Q

endorphins

A

function: pain control
problems: involved in addiction

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18
Q

serotonin

A

function: mood control
problems when lack: clinical depression

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19
Q

GABA

A

important inhibitory neurotransmitter
problem: seizures, sleep problems

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20
Q

glutamate

A

excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory
problem: migraines, seizures

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21
Q

norepinephrine

A

alertness, arousal
- problem: depression

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22
Q

sensory neurons (afferent neurons)

A

take information from senses to brain
- part of nervous system

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23
Q

interneurons

A

when information reaches brain/spinal cord -> take messages & send them elsewhere in brain or on to efferent neurons

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24
Q

motor neurons (efferent neurons)

A

take information from brain to rest of body

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25
Q

central nervous system (CNS)

A

brain & spinal cord

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26
Q

spinal cord

A

bundle of nerves that run through center of spine
- transmits information from rest of body to brain

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27
Q

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

A

all the neurons not covered in bone
- somatic nervous system & autonomic nervous system

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28
Q

somatic nervous system

A

controls voluntary muscle movements
- motor cortex of brain sends impulses -> somatic nervous system controls muscles that allow us to move

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29
Q

autonomic nervous system

A
  • controls automatic functions (e.g. heart, lungs)
  • controls response to stress: fight or flight response
  • sympathetic nervous system & parasympathetic nervous system
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30
Q

sympathetic nervous system

A

mobilizes body to respond to stress
- carries messages to control systems of organs, glands & muscles that direct body’s response to stress
- alert system: accelerates some functions (heart rate, blood pressure, respiration) BUT conserves energy needed for quick response by slowing down other functions (e.g. digestion)

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31
Q

parasympathetic nervous system

A

carries messages to stress response system that causes body to slow down “after” stress response

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32
Q

overall structure of nervous system

A
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33
Q

reflex

A

certain reactions that occur the moment sensory impulses reach the spinal cord
- in response to intense heat/cold
- adaptive value: passed on to offspring

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34
Q

accidents - study method for brain

A

phineas gage - front part of brain damaged
- limbic system separated from frontal lobes
- doctor documented how his personality & behavior changed after accident
-> he became more emotional & impulsive, showing that damaged brain was involved in emotional control

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35
Q

lesions - study method of brain

A

removal/destruction of parts of brain (never done purely for experimental purposes)
- when doctor decides that best treatment is surgery that destroys/disables part of brain
- doctor monitor patient’s change in behavior -> try to infer function of damaged brain part

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36
Q

frontal lobotomy (lesion)

A

surgery used to control mentally ill patients
- lesioning part of frontal lobe makes patients calm & relieve serious symptoms

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37
Q

electroencephalogram (EEG) - brain study method

A

detects brain waves -> examines different wave types that brain produces during different stages of consciousness & uses this info to generalize about brain function

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38
Q

computerized axial tomography (CAT/CT) - brain study method

A

uses serval x-ray cameras that rotate around brain & combine all pictures into detailed 3-dimensional pic of brain structure
- only shows structure of brain, NOT functions/activity of diff brain parts

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39
Q

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - brain study method

A

give pictures of brain, NOT function (similar to CAT scan but w/ greater details)
- uses magnetic fields to measure density & location of brain material (doesnt use x-ray!!)
-> patient not exposed to carcinogenic radiation

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40
Q

functional MRI (fMRI) - brain study method

A

shows details of brain structure w/ info about blood flow in brain (MRI + PET combined)
- ties brain structure to brain activity during cognitive tasks

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41
Q

overall brain structure

A
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42
Q

hindbrain

A

top of spinal cord
- controls basic biological functions that keep us alive
- medulla, pons & cerebellum

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43
Q

medulla - hindbrain

A

located above spinal cord
- controls blood pressure, heart rate & breathing

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44
Q

pons - hindbrain

A

located above medulla & toward the front
- involved in control of facial expressions
- connects hindbrain w/ midbrain & forebrain

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45
Q

cerebellum - hindbrain

A

located on bottom rear of brain
- coordinates some habitual muscle movements (e.g. tracking object w/ eyes)

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46
Q

midbrain

A

located between hindbrain & forebrain
- coordinates simple movements w/ sensory info
- integrates sensory info & muscle movements
- reticular formation: netlike connection of cells throughout midbrain that controls general body arousal & ability to focus our attention (doesnt work -> deep coma)

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47
Q

forebrain

A

controls what we think of as thought & reason
- bigger size in human
- thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, cerebral cortex

48
Q

thalamus - forebrain

A

located on top of brainstem
- receives sensory signals coming up spinal cord & sends them to appropriate areas in forebrain

49
Q

hypothalamus - forebrain

A

small structure next to thalamus
- controls several metabolic functions: body temp, sexual arousal (libido), hunger, thirst, endocrine system
- controls biological rhythms

50
Q

amygdala - forebrain

A

structures near the end of each hippocampal arm
- vital to experiences of emotion

51
Q

hippocampus - forebrain

A

two arms surrounding amygdala
- vital to memory system

52
Q

amygdala & hippocampus - forebrain

A

processes memories then send them to other locations in cerebral cortex for permanent storage
- damage -> unable to retain (유지) new info

53
Q

cerebral cortex - forebrain

A

grey wrinkled surface of brain (to increase S.A.)
- thin layer of densely packed neurons
- covers rest of brain
- when born) neurons not connected
- as develop & learn) dendrites of neurons in cerebral cortex grow & connect w/ other neurons to form complex neural web

54
Q

limbic system - forebrain

A

thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus grouped all together
- all deal w/ aspects of emotions & memory

55
Q

hemisphere - brain

A

cerebral cortex is divided into 2 hemispheres (contralateral control)

56
Q

left hemisphere

A

gets sensory messages & controls motor function of right half of body

57
Q

right hemisphere

A

gets sensory messages & controls motor function of left half of body

58
Q

brain lateralization / hemispheric specialization

A

specialization of function in each hemisphere

59
Q

brain hemisphere research

A

done by examining split-brain patients whose corpus callosum (nerve bundle that connects two hemispheres) has been cut to treat epilepsy
- operation pioneered by Roger Sperry & Michael Gazzaniga
- patients can’t orally report info only presented to right hemisphere -> spoken language centers of brain are usually located in left hemisphere

60
Q

areas of cerebral cortex

A

8 diff lobes, four on each hemisphere: frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital

61
Q

association area

A

any area of cerebral cortex that’s not associated w/ receiving sensory info or controling muscle movements
- thought to be responsible for complex & sophisticated thoughts (judgement, humor etc)

62
Q

frontal lobe

A

large areas of cerebral cortex located @ top front part of brain behind eyes
- contain prefrontal cortex & motor cortex
- most ppl) frontal lobe in left hemisphere contains one of two special areas responsible for language processing - broca’s area

63
Q

prefrontal cortex - frontal lobe

A

front of frontal lobe
- critical role in directing thought processes
- act as brain’s central executive
- believed to be important in predicting consequences, pursuing goals, maintaining emotional control & engaging in abstract thought

64
Q

broca’s area - frontal lobe

A

responsible for controlling muscles involved in producing speech

65
Q

motor cortex - frontal lobe

A

thin vertical strip @ back of frontal lobe
- sends signals to our muscles -> controls voluntary movements
- top part of body: controlled by neurons @ bottom of motor cortex, progressing down body as you go up the cortex
-> top of motor cortex: controls feet & toes

66
Q

parietal lobe

A

located behind frontal lobe, top of brain
- contain sensory cortex

67
Q

sensory cortex (somato-sensory cortex) - parietal lobe

A

located right behind motor cortex
- thin vertical strip that receives incoming touch sensations from body
- organized similarly to motor cortex: top part of sensory cortex receives sensations from bottom of body

68
Q

occipital lobes

A

at very back of brain
- interprets messages from eyes in visual cortex
- impulses from retinas in eyes are sent to visual cortex to be interpreted ->
impulses from right half of each retina: processed in visual cortex in right occipital lobe …

69
Q

temporal lobe

A

processes sound sensed by ears
- contains auditory cortex & wernicke’s area

70
Q

auditory cortex - temporal lobe

A

interprets soundwaves that are processed by ears -> turned into neural impulses
- not lateralized like visual cortex: sound received by left ear is processed on auditory cortices in BOTH hemispheres

71
Q

wernicke’s area - temporal lobe

A

2nd language area) interprets both written & spoken speech

72
Q

brain plasticity

A

parts of brain can adapt themselves to perform other functions if needed
- cerebral cortex is made up of complex neural networks connected by dendrites that grow to make new connections

73
Q

endocrine system

A

system of glands that secrete hormones
- controlled in brain by hypothalamus

74
Q

adrenal glands

A

produces adrenaline: signals rest of body to prepare for fight or flight (in connection w/ autonomic nervous system that controls involuntary responses)

75
Q

ovaries & tests

A

produces sex hormones: male-testosterone, female-estrogen

76
Q

genetics

A

affects human thought & behavior
- every human cell contains 46 chromosomes in 23 pairs

77
Q

DNA

A

genetic material that makes up chromosome
- certain DNA segments control production of specific proteins that control human traits
- genes: these discrete segments, can be dominant/recessive

78
Q

monozygotic twins (identical)

A

share all same genetic material -> used to examine influence of genes on human traits
- Bouchard) both environment & genetics have influence (twins living together/living apart)
-> criticism: same effective psychological environment created bc physical similarity, correlation not due to genetic influence

79
Q

sex - chromosome

A

determined by 23rd pair of chromosomes
- male: XY chromosomes
- female: XX chromosomes

80
Q

Turner’s syndrome - chromosomal abnormality

A

born w/ only single X chromosome usually occupied 23rd pair
- physical characteristics: shortness, webbed necks, diff in physical sexual development

81
Q

Klinefelter’s syndrome - chromosomal abnormality

A

extra X chromosome -> XXY pattern
- minimal sexual development & extreme introversion

82
Q

down syndrome - chromosomal abnormality

A

born with extra chromosome on 21st pair
- physical traits: rounded face, shorter fingers & toes, slanted eye set apart, some intellectual disability

83
Q

consciousness

A

level of awareness about ourselves & environment
William James)
- dualism: humans consist of thought & matter, thought is eternal
- monism: everything is same substance, thought stops existing when body dies

84
Q

mere exposure effect - consciousness

A

we prefer stimuli we’ve seen before over new stimuli, even if we don’t consciously remember seeing the old stimuli

85
Q

priming - consciousness

A

participants respond more quickly/accurately to questions they’ve seen before, even if they don’t remember seeing them

86
Q

blind sight - consciousness

A

some ppl who report blind can accurately describe path of moving object / accurately grasp objects they say they can’t see

87
Q

conscious level - levels of consciousness

A

information about urself & ur environemnt ur currently aware of

88
Q

nonconscious level - levels of consciousness

A

body processes controlled by ur mind that ur not aware of (heartbeat, respiration etc)

89
Q

preconscious level - levels of consciousness

A

info about urself/ur env that ur not currently thinking about but you could be (e.g. remembering fav childhood toy: bring that preconscious memory into conscious level)

90
Q

subconscious level - levels of consciousness

A

info that ur not consciously aware of BUT we know MUST exist due to behavior
- behaviors in priming & mere exposure effect: some info is accessible to subconsc level but not to consc level

91
Q

unconscious level - levels of consciousness

A

psychoanalytical psychologists) some events unacceptable to consc mind -> repressed into unconsc mind

92
Q

sleep

A

one of states of consciousness

93
Q

circadian rhythm

A

metabolic & thought process pattern during 24h day
- sleep cycle is part of it

94
Q

sleep cycle

A

EEG is used to record

95
Q

sleep onset - sleep cycle

A

period when we’re falling asleeep
- stage btwn wake & sleep -> mild hallucinations
- brain produces alpha waves

96
Q

awake -> stages 1&2 - sleep cycle

A

brain produces theta waves which progressively get slower & higher amplitude as we fall asleep

97
Q

stage 2 - sleep cycle

A

EEG starts to show sleep spindles (=short bursts of rapid brain waves)

98
Q

sage 3&4 - sleep cycle

A

delta sleep (slow-wave)
- delta waves exist, slower (lower frequency) the wave, deeper the sleep
- important in replenishing body’s chemical supplies, releasing growth hormones in children & fortifying our immune system
- after certain time, go back to stage 1

99
Q

REM - sleep cycle

A

when we reach from stage 4->stage 1
- paradoxical sleep since brain waves appear as active & intense as they do when we’re awake
- dreams & memory
- REM rebound: longer periods of REM next time we sleep when deprived
- more stress during day -> longer REM
- cycle approx. 90 min about 4-7 times (closer to morning - more time in stages 1,2&REM)
- as we age: less time in REM sleep

100
Q

insomnia - sleep disorder

A

problem going to sleep / staying asleep
- usually treated w/ changes in behavior

101
Q

narcolepsy - sleep disorder

A

periods of intense sleepiness & fall asleep @ unpredictable times
- may fall into REM sleep no matter what they were doing
- treated w/ medicine & changing sleep patterns

102
Q

sleep apnea - sleep disorder

A

stop breathing for short periods during sleep -> may wake up slightly & gasp for air
- interferes deep sleep -> tiredness, interferes memory
- don’t remember waking up -> goes undiagnosed
- overweight men = higher risk
- treated w/ respiration machine - provides air

103
Q

night terror - sleep disorder

A

sit up middle of night, scream, move around room
-usually children
- may be related to somnambulism(sleepwalking) -> both during first hours in stage 4 sleep

104
Q

dreams

A

series of storylike images experienced while sleeping
- research relies heavily on self-reports
- ppl awakened during/shortly after REM episode report they were dreaming

105
Q

lucid dream

A

aware that we’re dreaming, can control storyline

106
Q

Sigmund Freud - dream

A

interpreting dream as a method to uncover repressed info in unconscious mind
- manifest content: literal content of dream
- latent content: unconscious meaning of manifest content
- ego protects use from material in unconscious mind (protected sleep) by presenting repressed desires using symbols

107
Q

activation-synthesis theory of dreaming

A

dreams are biological phenomena
- dream is a story made up by literary part of mind caused by intense brain activity during REM -> no more than reflex

108
Q

information-processing theory of dreaming

A

stress during day -> increase in number & intensity of dreams
- brain deals w/ stress during REM -> function of REM is to integrate info processed during day into memories
- babies need more REM sleep bc they process so much new info everyday

109
Q

psychoactive drugs

A

chemicals that change chemistry of brain & induce altered state of consciousness
- molecules of psychoactive drug are small enough to pass blood-brain barrier that protects brain from harmful chemicals
- mimic/block neurotransmitters (agonist/antagonist)

110
Q

agonist

A

drugs that mimic neurotransmitters
- fit into receptor sites & function as that neurotransmitter normally would

111
Q

antagonist

A

drugs that block neurotransmitters
- fit into receptor sites & block neurotransmitters from using the site

112
Q

psychoactive drugs that aren’t agonist/antagonist

A

prevent neurotransmitter from being reabsorbed back to neuron -> creates abundance of that neurotransmitter in synapse

113
Q

tolerance - drug

A

physiological change that produces need for more of same drug to achieve same effect
- caused by change in natural level of neurotransmitter
- eventually causes withdrawal
- psychologically & physically dependent to the drug

114
Q

stimulants

A

arouses autonomic nervous system, euphoria
- tolerance & withdrawal
- caffeine, cocaine, nicotine

115
Q

depressants

A

slows down autonomic nervous system, euphoria
- tolerance & withdrawal
- alcohol, tranquilizers

116
Q

hallucinogens

A

causes sensory distortions, change in perception
- lingering, reverse tolerance: 2nd dose may be less than 1st but have same/greater effect
- LSD, marijuana, mushrooms

117
Q

opiates

A

relieves pain & elevates mood
- antagonist for endorphin
- euphoria associated w/ elevated endorphin levels
- heroine, morphine, codeine