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Psychology Test 2 > Vocab > Flashcards

Vocab Flashcards

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1
Q

Psychologists who specialize in considering the ways in which the biological structures and functions of the body affect behavior.

A

Behavioral neuroscientists or biopsychologists

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2
Q

Nerve cells, the basic elements of the nervous system

A

Neurons

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3
Q

A cluster of fibers at one end of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons

A

Dendrite

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4
Q

The part of the neuron that carries messages destined for other neurons

A

Axon

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5
Q

Small bulges at the end of axons that send messages to other neurons

A

Terminal Buttons

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6
Q

A protective coat of fat and protein that wraps around the neuron

A

Myelin Sheath

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7
Q

The rule that neurons are either on or off

A

All-Or-None Law

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8
Q

The state in which there is a negative electrical charge of about ~70 millivolts within a neuron

A

Resting State

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9
Q

An electric nerve impulse that travels through a neuron when it is set off by a “trigger” changing the neuron’s charge from negative to positive

A

Action Potential

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10
Q

Specialized neurons that fire not only when a person enacts a particular behavior. but also when a person simply observes another individual carrying out the same behavior

A

Mirror Neurons

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11
Q

The space between two neurons where the axon of a sending neuron communicates with the dendrites of a receiving neuron by using chemical messages

A

Synapse

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12
Q

Chemicals that carry messages across the synapse to the dendrite (and sometimes the cell body) of a receiver neuron

A

Neurotransmitters

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13
Q

Chemical messages that make it more likely that a receiving neuron will fire and an action potential will travel down its axon

A

Excitatory messages

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14
Q

Chemical messages that prevent or decrease the likelihood that a receiving neuron will fire

A

Inhibitory Messages

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15
Q

The reabsorption of neurotransmitters by a terminal button

A

Reuptake

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16
Q

The part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord

A

Central Nervous System

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17
Q

A bundle of neurons that leaves the brain and runs down the length of the back and is the main means for transmitting messages between the brain and body

A

Spinal Cord

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18
Q

An automatic involuntary response to an incoming stimulus

A

Reflex

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19
Q

Neurons that transmit information from the perimeter of the body to the central nervous system

A

Sensory (afferent) neurons

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20
Q

Neurons that communicate information from the nervous system to muscles and glands

A

Motor (efferent) Neurons

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21
Q

Neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons, carrying messages between the two

A

Interneurons

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22
Q

The part of the nervous system that includes the autonomic and somatic subdivisions; made up of neurons with long axons and dendrites, it branches out from the spinal cord and brain and reaches the extremities of the body

A

Peripheral Nervous System

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23
Q

The part of the peripheral nervous system that specializes in the control of voluntary movements and the communication of information to and from the sense organs

A

Somatic Division

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24
Q

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary movement of the heart, glands, lungs, and other organs

A

Autonomic Division

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25
Q

The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to prepare the body for action in stressful situations, engaging all the organism’s resources to respond to a threat

A

Sympathetic Division

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26
Q

The part of the autonomic division of the nervous system that acts to calm the body after an emergency or a stressful situation has ended

A

Parasympathetic Division

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27
Q

The study of the effects of heredity on behavior

A

Behavioral Genetics

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28
Q

A chemical communication network that sends messages throughout the body via the bloodstream

A

Endocrine System

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29
Q

Chemicals that circulate through the blood and regulate the functioning or growth of the body

A

Hormones

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30
Q

The major component of the endocrine system; or “master gland,” which secretes hormones that control growth and other parts of the endocrine system

A

Pituitary Gland

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31
Q

The “old brain” which controls basic functions such as eating and sleeping and is common to all vertebrates

A

Central Core

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32
Q

The part of the brain that controls bodily balance

A

Cerebellum

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33
Q

The part of the brain extending from the medulla through the pons and made up of groups of nerve cells that can immediately activate other parts of the brain to produce general bodily arousal

A

Reticular Formation

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34
Q

The part of the brain located in the middle of the central core that acts primarily to relay info about the senses

A

Thalamus

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35
Q

A tiny part of the brain, located below the thalamus, that maintains homeostasis and produces and regulates vital behavior, such as eating, drinking, and sexual behavior

A

Hypothalamus

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36
Q

The part of the brain that includes the amygdala and hippocampus and controls eating, aggression, and reproduction

A

Limbic System

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37
Q

The “new brain” responsible for the most sophisticated information processing in the brain; contains four lobes

A

Cerebral Cortex

38
Q

Opposite of Insomnia, sleeping too much

A

Hypersomnia

39
Q

The four major sections of the cerebral cortex, frontal, panetal, temporal, and occipital

A

Lobes

40
Q

The part of the cortex that is largely responsible for the body’s voluntary movement

A

Motor Area

41
Q

The site in the brain of the tissue that corresponds to each of the senses, with the degree of sensitivity related to the amount of the tissue allocated to that sense

A

Sensory Area

42
Q

One of the major regions of the cerebral cortex, the site of the higher mental processes; such as thought, language, memory, and speech

A

Association Areas

43
Q

Changes in the brain that occur throughout the life span relating to the addition of new neurons, new interconnections between neurons, and the reorganization of information processing areas

A

Neuroplasticity

44
Q

Symmetrical left and right halves of the brain that control the side of the body opposite to their location

A

Hemisphere

45
Q

The dominance of one hemisphere of the brain in specific functions, such as language

A

Lateralization

46
Q

A procedure in which a person learns to control through conscious thought internal physiological processes such as blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, skin temperature, sweating, and the constriction of particular muscles

A

Biofeedback

47
Q

The activation of the sense organs by a source of physical energy

A

Sensation

48
Q

The sorting out, interpretation, analysis, and integration of stimuli by the sense organs and brain

A

Perception

49
Q

Physical energy that produces a response in a sense organ

A

Stimulus

50
Q

The study of the relationship between the physical aspects of stimuli and our psychological experience with them

A

Psychophysics

51
Q

The smallest intensity of a stimulus that must be present for the stimulus to be detected

A

Absolute Threshold

52
Q

The smallest level of added or reduced stimulation required to sense that a change in stimulation

A

Difference Threshold (just noticeable difference)

53
Q

A basic law of psychophysics stating that a just noticeable difference is in constant proportion to the intensity of an initial stimulus

A

Weber’s Law

54
Q

An adjustment in sensory capacity after prolonged exposure to unchanging stimuli

A

Adaptation

55
Q

The part of the eye that converts the electromagnetic energy of light to electrical impulses for transmission to the brain

A

Retina

56
Q

Thin, cylindrical receptor cells in the retina that are highly sensitive to light

A

Rods

57
Q

Cone-shaped, light-sensitive receptor cells in the retina that are responsible for sharp focus and color perception, particularly in bright light

A

Cones

58
Q

A bundle of ganglion axons that carry visual info to the brain

A

Optic Nerve

59
Q

The activation of neurons in the cortex by visual stimuli of specific shapes or patterns

A

Feature Detection

60
Q

The theory that there are three kinds of cones in the retina each of which responds primarily to a specific range of wavelengths

A

Trichromatic theory of color vision

61
Q

The theory that receptor cells for color are linked in pairs, working in opposition to each other

A

Opponent-Process Theory of Color Vision

62
Q

The movement of air molecules brought about by a source of vibration

A

Sound

63
Q

The part of the ear that vibrates when sound hits it

A

Eardrum

64
Q

Three tubelike structures of the inner ear containing fluid that sloshes through them when the head moves, signaling rotational or angular movements to the brain

A

Semicircular Canals

65
Q

The senses of touch, pressure temperature, and pain

A

Skin Senses

66
Q

The theory that particular nerve receptors lead to specific areas of the brain related to pain

A

Gate-Control Theory of Pain

67
Q

The principles of organization of perception

A

Gestalt Laws of Organization

68
Q

Perception that is guided by higher-level knowledge, experience, expectation, and motivations

A

Top-Down Processing

69
Q

Perception that consists of the progression of recognizing and processing information from individual components of a stimuli and moving to the perception of the whole

A

Bottom-Up Processing

70
Q

The ability to view the world in three dimensions and to perceive distance

A

Depth Perception

71
Q

Physical stimuli that consistently produce errors in perception

A

Visual Illusions

72
Q

The awareness of sensations, thoughts, and feelings being experienced at a given moment

A

Consciousness

73
Q

The state of transition between wakefulness and sleep, characterized by relatively rapid, low-amplitude waves

A

Stage 1 Sleep

74
Q

A sleep stage characterized by a slower, regular wave pattern, along with momentary interruptions of sleep spindles

A

Stage 2 Sleep

75
Q

A sleep characterized by slow brain waves, greater peaks and valleys in wave patterns

A

Stage 3 Sleep

76
Q

The deepest stage of sleep, during which we are least responsive to outside stimulation

A

Stage 4 Sleep

77
Q

Sleep occupying 20 percent of an adult’s sleeping time, characterized by increased heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate; erections in males, eye movements, and the experience of dreaming

A

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

78
Q

Sigmund Freud’s theory that dreams represent unconscious wishes that dreamers desire to see fulfilled

A

Unconscious Wish Fulfillment Theory

79
Q

According to Sigmund Freud , the “disguised” meaning of dreams, hidden by more obvious subjects

A

Latent Content of Dreams

80
Q

According to Sigmund Freud, the apparent story line of dreams

A

Manifest Content of Dreams

81
Q

The theory suggesting that dreams permit information that is critical for our daily survival to be reconsidered and reprocessed during sleep

A

Dreams-for-Survival Theory

82
Q

J. Allen Hobson’s theory that the brain produces random electrical energy during REM sleep that stimulates memories stored in the brain

A

Activation-Synthesis Theory

83
Q

A trancelike state of heightened susceptibility to the suggestions of others

A

Hypnosis

84
Q

A learned technique for refocusing attention that brings about an altered state of consciousness

A

Meditation

85
Q

Drugs that influence a person’s emotions, perceptions, and behavior

A

Psychoactive Drugs

86
Q

Drugs that produce a biological or psychological dependence in the user so that withdrawal from them leads to a craving for the drug that, in some cases, may be nearly irresistable

A

Addictive Drugs

87
Q

Drugs that have an arousal effect of the central nervous system, causing a rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and muscular tension

A

Stimulants

88
Q

Drugs that slow down the nervous system

A

Depressants

89
Q

A drug that is capable of producing hallucinations, or changes in the perceptual process

A

Hallucinogen

90
Q

Drugs that increase relaxation and relieve pain and anxiety

A

Narcotics

Psychology Test 2 (1 decks)

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