Unit 3: The Biology of Behavior Flashcards
Neurons
Nerve cells that make up the nervous system and communicate to transfer information from the brain throughout the body.
Action Potential
When a sensation occurs, either outside your body or from another neuron, a quick electrical charge is sent down the axon of the neuron, waking it up.
Excitatory Signals
like gas pedal, telling neurons to go
Inhibitory signals
Like brakes, telling the neuron to stop
Threshold
Specific level of stimulation that must be generated for a neural impulse or message to be sent. When threshold is met, action Potential occurs, signal is sent to other neurons, leading to a response, or the behavior.
Synapse
Point of connection between the tip of the axon or the synaptic terminal and the dendrite of another neuron. The open space between neurons is a synaptic gap.
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that communicate between neurons/neuron and muscle.
Reuptake
when neurotransmitters are unable to find a receptor site either disperse, break down, or are reabsorbed.
Lateralization
Scientists have hound that different regions of the brain have different functions
Brain Sides
Right: Creative
Left: Logical and analytical
Frontal Lobe
Located at the front of brain. Responsible for conscious or voluntary movement and executive functions. Like your secretary (Planning, organizing, self-monitoring)
Parietal Lobe
Located behind your frontal lobe, responsible for sensations and perceptions. (5 senses) Plays a role in reading and reasoning.
Temporal Lobe
Side of your head behind your ears, processes emotions. Used for language and processing info from 5 senses.
Occipital Lobe
Beneath the parietal Lobe, responsible for vision.
Cerebellum
Located at the back of your head, responsible for movement and coordination. Helps for fine motor skills.
Brain Stem
Base of your neck, connected to spinal cord, responsible for basic functioning (Heartbeat, breathing, swallowing) Essential for life.
Timeline of Brain Discovery
-1664: “Anatomy of the Brain” is published by Thomas Willis, term neurology is introduced
-1862: Area of brain responsible for speech is discovered by Paul Broca
-1929: Electroencephalography is invented by Hans Berger and measures electric activity in the brain.
-1938: Nuclear magnetic resonance, which leads to MRI, discovered by Isidor Rabi
-1974: Positron Emission Tomography scanner is invented, producing images of brain activity
-1992: Becomes possible to map activity in human brain with functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Sensory Neurons
Acquire info from stimuli in environment, the deliver it to brain.
Motor Neurons
Carry info from brain and spinal cord throughout the body to communicate what functioning should occur.
Interneurons
Located within the brain and spinal cord. Process and disseminate info coming in from sensory Neurons and info going out from motor neurons.
Somatic nervous system
controls voluntary movement within your musculature
Neroplasticity
The ability of the brain and nervous system to change, adjust, reorganize, and growth, is constantly.
Autonomic nervous system
controls your internal organs and glands.
Hormones
chemical messengers created in endocrine glands that travel through the bloodstream
Genetic transmission
Study of how genes are passed from one generation to the next
Genetic mutation
abnormality within chromosomal development or reproduction.
Perceptual set
the assumptions and interpretations that influence the processing of sensations
Bottom-up processing
occurs when sensations reach sensory receptors and then travel to your brain for processing.
Top-down processing
When expectations/experiences are used to create our perceptions.
Absolute threshold
minimum amount of stimulus that just be present for detection to occur
Biological functioning
essential to detect sensation and interpret it. Must have proper biological components for 5 senses.
Subconscious
Outside our immediate awareness. Affects mood, behavior, and thought processes. Can be brought to conscious mind
Conscious
Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of which you are fully aware and which are readily accessible
Unconscious
Info processing (Memories, interest, motivation, perception) is beneath level of perception. Happens automatically.
Explicit Processing
Information processing that takes place on a conscious level.
Repair and Restore Theory
Sleep cleans up and fixes brain and body, eliminating waste, restoring necessary chemicals, and organizing/consolidating memories. (Repairs body after day)
Evolutionary or Adaptive Theory
Sleep preserves the human species by conserving energy for necessary periods of activity and minimizing their presence while predators are hunting at night.
Information Consolidation Theory
Sleep improves cognition as the brain organizes and stores memories and info preparing for the next day
Brain Plasticity Theory of Sleep
Essential for brain growth and development, during sleep the brain participates in neural reorganization and growth.
