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AP Psychology > Unit 2 - Biological Bases of Psychology > Flashcards

Unit 2 - Biological Bases of Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

Communication in the brain

what is a neuron?

A

nerve cells that send and recieve signals from your brain

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2
Q

communication in the brain

what is the type of neuron: sensory ?

A

nerve cells that are activated by sensory input from the environment

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3
Q

communication in the brain

what is the type of neuron: interneuron ?

A

connnect spinal motor and sensory neurons

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4
Q

communication in the brain

what is the type of neuron: motor ?

A

transmit impulses from spinal cord to skeletal and smooth muscles, and so directly to control all our muscle movements

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5
Q

communication in the brain

what does the dendrite part of the neuron do?

A

recieve messages

detects

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6
Q

communication in the brain

what does the axon part of a neuron do?

A

send messages

announces

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7
Q

communication in the brain

draw and label the parts of a neuron

A

should include: dendrite, nucleus, soma, axon, scwann cell, node of Ranvier, myelin sheath, and axon terminal button

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8
Q

communication in the brain

what does the myelin sheath part of a neuron do?

A

insulates axon, speeding up transmission

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9
Q

communication in the brain

describe the transmitions of messages

A
  • if it’s along the electrical neurons, its called an action petential
  • if it’s between two chemical neurons, its called a synaptic transmission
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10
Q

communication in the brain

draw an action potential

A

should include: threshold, depolarization, repolarization, failed initiations, Na^+ ions in, K^+ ions out, stimulus, hyperpolarization, and resting state

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11
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

What is heredity?

A

mostly known an nature

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12
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

What is environment?

A

mostly known as nurture

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13
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

What is reciprocal determinism?

A

the environment’s affects the person, then, the person reacts, and, thus influences the environment

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14
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

What is an example of heredity?

A

Baby’s temperament
* easy, difficult, slow to warm up
* it’s not what you’re born with, it’s what you’re conceived with

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15
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

What is an example of environment?

A

parenting style
* personality of a parent
* skills of a parent
* parenting styles
*authoritarian
*permissive
*authoritive
*neglectful

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16
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

what are epigenetics?

A

environmental pressures can change the activity of genes (not the structure of genes)
* one word answer to explain behavior and interaction
*the changes in genes can cause metabolic processes and behaviors
*these changes can be passed on to the next generation

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17
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

define polygenetic

vocab to explain the interaction

A

many genes
if a behavior or trait was caused by genes, it is likely caused by many genes

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18
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

define diathesis

vocab to explain the interaction

A

related to psychological disorders
many disorders may have a genetic predisposition with an environmental trigger

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19
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

define maturationism

vocab to explain the interaction

A

related to development
all children follow the same pattern: sit up, crawl, walk
when they go out of order, it’s influenced by environment

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20
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

define plasticity

vocab to explain the interaction

A

the brain changes and arranges itself on the cellular level in response to what is going on in the environment

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21
Q

Interaction of Heredity and Environment

explain the difference between epigenetics and plasticity

A

epigenetics
* genes “turn on or off” due to sustained environmental pressure/trauma
* changes slowly
* important for the benefit of the species
plasticity
* brain structural changes
* changes quickly
* important for learning and therapy of the individual

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22
Q

glands

what is the pineal gland?

A

involved in producing melatonin

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23
Q

glands

what does the pancreas do?

A

produces insulin, helps get energy from food

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24
Q

glands

what does the ovary do?

A

produce estrogen and progesterone

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25
Q

glands

what do the testes do?

A

produces testosterone (a type of androgen)

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26
Q

glands

what is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis?

A
  • the hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland
  • pituitary gland helps to regulate and communicates with all other glands
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27
Q

nervous system

how are the nervous systems connected?

A

Nervous System
* Central Nervous System
1. brain
2. spinal cord
* Peripheral Nervous system
1. somatic nervous system
2. autonomic nervous system
-parasympathetic nervous system
-sympathetic nervous system

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28
Q

central nervous system

what is the central nervous system?

A
  • part of a larger system called the nervous system (brain and spinal cord)
  • brain communicates and coordinates the actions between other parts of the body
  • the most complex organ in the body
  • organizes our movements
  • creates our thoughts
  • forms our emotions
  • produces our behaviors
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29
Q

central nervous system

What’s some information to know about the brain?

A
  • recieves support and protection from other parts of the body
  • weighs around 3 pounds (2-3% of one’s total weight)
  • nutrients and oxygen are carried by blood vessels
  • protected by the bones of the skull
  • 3 layers of membranes; durameter
  • fluid surrounding the brain acts as a shock absorber
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30
Q

central nervous system

what’s some information to know about the spinal cord?

A
  • backbone of the CNS
  • transmits messages from the brain to the muscles to the glands throughout the body
  • extends from the base of our neck (brain) down to our tailbone
  • consists of several columns of nerves running through; about as thick as a thumb
  • protected by the bones of the spine called vertebrae
  • spinal reflex is a simple, automatic response to something
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31
Q

Peripheral Nervous System

what is the peripheral nervous system?

A
  • has 2 main divisions > somatic nervous system, autonomic nervous system
  • a bundle of nerves outside of the entral nervous system which transmits information between the brain and the rest of the body
  • primary function is to carry out the orders from the CNS
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32
Q

Peripheral Nervous System

what is the somatic nervous system?

A
  • a system of nerves which controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles
  • works with our other organs (skin) to send pain, touch, and temperature messages to the brain/CNS
  • includes the sensory nervous system and the somatosensory organs which convey sensory information to the central nervous system
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33
Q

Peripheral Nervous System

what is the autonomic nervous system?

A
  • the involuntary system with humans
    *we don’t think about the system the ANS controls unless there is a problem
    e.g. - breathing, heart rate, digestion, and many otehr areas of daily functioning are controlled by the ANS
    *has two divisions that work together during emergency
    1. parasympathetic nervous system
    2. sympathetic nervous system
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34
Q

Peripheral Nervous System - Autonomic nervous system

what does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

A
  • contracts pupils
  • increases saliva production
  • reduces the heart rate
  • constricts bronchia
  • stimulates gall bladder
  • contricts urinary blatter
  • stimulates erection of genitals of man and woman
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35
Q

Peripheral Nervous System - Autonomic nervous system

what does the sympathetic nervous system do?

A
  • dilates pupils
  • inhibits saliva production
  • dilates bronchia
  • rises heart rate
  • inhibits the activity of the digestive organs
  • inhibits the activity of the pancreas
  • inhibits the gall bladder
  • stimulates the adrenal medulla to release adrenaline and noradrenaline
  • relaxes urinary bladder
  • stimulates orgasm in genitals of man and woman
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36
Q

Peripheral Nervous System - Autonomic nervous system

what is the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

functions as the calm down and default; allows one to relax after an emergency has occured
e.g. - after a car accident has been cleared, your body will feel any pains or aches from the impact that you weren’t aware of before

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37
Q

Peripheral Nervous System - Autonomic nervous system

what is the sympathetic nervous system?

A

the emergency response system which allows one to respond to situations which requires alertness
e.g. - you have to pee, you’re hungry, you’re rushing home and you get into a car accident. You no longer have to pee or feel hungry

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38
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what are glial cells?

A
  • the most abundant cells in the body
  • its job is to protect and provide nutrients for neurons
  • there are approximately 85 billion, making up about half of the brain and spinal cord’s volume
  • unlike nuerons, glial cells do not assist in the processing of information
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39
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is a schwann cell?

A

a type of glial neuron that forms the myelin sheath of the neuron

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40
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

What are dendrites?

A
  • parts of a neuron which recieve chemical inormation from adjacent neurons
  • appear as short with branches
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41
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is the soma?

A

also called the cell body, contains the nucleus (maintains health of the neuron) and other structures

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42
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

What is the axon?

A
  • a long bundle of fibers which carries information away from the cell body
  • longest axon is the spinal cord
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43
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is the myelin sheath covering?

A
  • the fatty insulating covering of the axon
  • neuron has several myelin sheath covering
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44
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is the node of ranvier?

A

the gaps between the myelin sheath which helps to promote action potential

45
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is the axon terminal?

A

has many names:
terminal buttons, terminal branches, synaptic knobs, and synaptic end buttons
* contains neurotransmitters (located at the end of the neuron) and synapse (space between the axon terminal and the adjunet dendrite)

46
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

how fast do neurons travel?

A

at speeds of 330 miles an hour and messages move from the brain to other parts of the body within miliseconds

47
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what are sensory neurons?

A
  • aka - afferent neuron
  • recieves information from sensory receptors throughout the body and send it to the brain
  • approaches brain
48
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what are motor neurons?

A
  • aka - efferent neurons
  • sends information from the brain to the body
  • exits brain to body
49
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what are mirror neurons?

A
  • activated when we watch others complete an action like yawning

these actions are present in humans and non-humans

50
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

describe the neural impulse cycle.

A
  • neurons sen dmessages between adjunct neurons in a process called neural transmission
  • the circular environment outside of the neuron contains potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+) and within the axon negative ion
51
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is resting potential?

A

a state where there are more positive ions on the outside of the neuron than on the inside of the neuron

52
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is permeability?

A

a process where the positive and negative come together

53
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is action potential?

A

neuron fires an impulse because positive sweep down the axon, also called the firing threshold

54
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is “all or none”?

A

once an electric impulse reaches its intensity level, it will fire

55
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is the refractory period?

A

the cell cannot fire again but must wait to achieve its intensity

56
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron

what is a re-uptake?

A

any excess neurotransmitters left in the synapse is recollected
it then goes into a resting period

57
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what are neurotransmitters?

A
  • used for communication between neurons to perform mental or physical activites
  • messages are carried in both directions from the brain to the body and vice versa by way of afferent and efferent neurons
  • stored in sacs located in the axon terminal
58
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what are the 2 types of neurotransmitters?

A
  • excitatory - stimulating the firing which sense messages
  • inhibitory - slows the firing which stops or slows the message
59
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what does acetylcholine do?

A

enables muscle action (spinal cord and skeletal muscles), learning, and memory
* deteriorate leads ot alzheimer

60
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what does dopamine do?

A

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion
-similar in nature to cocaine
* oversupply linked to schizophrenia
* undersupply linked to tremors and decreased mobility in Parkinson

61
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what does serotonin do?

A

affects hunger, mood arousal, and sleep
-similar in nature to LSD and ecstacy
* oversupply linked to depression
* antidepressand drugs increase levels

62
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what do endorphins do?

A

linked to pain control and pleasure during great bodily stress, such as an accident
-associated with disorders like OCD

63
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what does apinephrine do?

A

associated with energy and the sympathetic nervous system
* helps to respond to high-emotion situations
* same chemical as adrenaline
* connected to forming memories

64
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what does norepinephrine do?

A

associated with the sympathetic nervous system
* increases alertness, blood pressure, and heart rate
* releases glucose to support fight or flight response

65
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what does glutamate do?

A

major excitatory involved in memory
- oversupply can overstimulate the brain leading ot migraines and seizures

66
Q

Neural Firing - Neuron - neurotransmitters

what does GABA do?

A

major inhibitory
-oversupply linked with seizures, tremors, and insomnia

67
Q

Neural Firing -drugs

explain the neural firing process.

A
  1. neuron fires
  2. synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitters from the axon terminals
  3. neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and fit into the post synaptic receptor site like a lock and key
68
Q

Neural Firing -drugs

what is an agonist?

A
  • a mimic or copy cat for a neurotransmitter
  • one way that drugs can affect the neuron at a synapse
  • produces more of or an enhanced effect for whatever that neurotransmitter does by fitting into the recoptor site the same way
69
Q

Neural Firing -drugs

what is an antagonist?

A
  • oen way that drugs can affect the neuron at a synapse
  • fights against whatever the neurotransmitter is trying to do by blocking the neurotransmitter from being released by the terminal or from binding to the receptor site
  • produces less of or no effect for whatever that neurotransmitter does by stopping the neurotransmitter
70
Q

Neural Firing -drugs

what is a re-uptake inhibitor?

A
  • blockes the neurotransmitter from being absorved back into the presynaptic terminal
  • produces more of the neurotransmitter at the synapse the next time the neuron fires
  • neuron will fire and release some of that neurotransmitter, but then there’s also already some of that neurotransmitter hanging out in the synapse. Now there’s more of an effect of that neurotransmitter
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AP Psychology (3 decks)

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