Week 7 Biology of Behaviour

Question 1

If monozygotic (identical) twins appear more similar to each other in psychological characteristics than dyzygotic twins, are they more genetically or environmentally influenced?

Answer 1

Genetically

Question 2

The role of genetic factors in influencing psychological characteristics is quantified by what?

Answer 2

The heritability coefficient - on a scale between 0 to 1. Scores closer to 0 suggest environmental, scores closer to 1 suggest genetic influences.

Question 3

What is heritability?

Answer 3

The degree to which variability in a psychological characteristic is due to genetics.

Question 4

What are neurons?

Answer 4

Nerve cells that transmit information around the brain and body in the form of electrical impulses.

Question 5

What are the three types of neurons?

Answer 5

a) Sensory: transmit information from sensory receptors in the body to the brain.
b) Motor: Transmit information (commands) from the brain to the muscles and glands in the body.
c) Interneurons: interconnecting neurons (connecting neurons with one another).

Question 6

What are the parts of the neuron?

Answer 6

• Dendrites
• Cell body
• Axon
• Myelin sheath
• Node of Ranvier
• Terminal buttons
• Synapses

Question 7

Dendrite:

Answer 7

Branch-like extensions of a neuron that receive information from other neurons.

Question 8

Cell body:

Answer 8

Includes the nucleus which carries the chromosomes (DNA, genes) of the cell.

Question 9

Axon:

Answer 9

Long extension of the cell body that transmits impulses to the terminal buttons.

Question 10

Myelin Sheath:

Answer 10

A coat of fatty cells that coats speeds up the transmissions along the axon.

Question 11

Node of Ranvier:

Answer 11

Spaces in the myelin sheath that also assist in speedy transmission.

Question 12

Terminal Buttons:

Answer 12

They release the travelling electrical impulse into the synapse.

Question 13

Synapses:

Answer 13

The space between two adjacent neurons.

Question 14

Phenotypic similarity:

Answer 14

How similar people appear to be on psychological characteristics (e.g. intellegence, extroversion, depression, etc.)

Question 15

Neurotransmitters:

Answer 15

Chemicals that transmit the electrical impulses across the synapse. Neurotransmitters are like ‘keys’ to the receptors.

Question 16

Receptors:

Answer 16

Molecules on the post-synaptic membrane that the neurotrasmitters can bind to. If neurotransmitters are like eys, receptors are like locks.

Question 17

Nervous system (NS):

Answer 17

Provides the biological basis for psychological experience.

Question 18

Central nervous system (CNS):

Answer 18

Responds to psychological and basic life processes; responds to stimuli.

Question 19

Peripheral nervous system (PNS):

Answer 19

Carries information to and from the CNS; works with peripheral parts of the body (e.g limbs).

Question 20

Somatic (voluntary) nervous system (SNS):

Answer 20

Conveys sensory messages to the CNS; sends motor messages to muscles.

Question 21

Automatic nervous system (ANS):

Answer 21

Serves basic life functions (e.g. heartbeat, responses to stress).

Question 22

Sympathetic nervous system (emergency response):

Answer 22

Readies the body to respond to threat/stress; fight or flight response.

Question 23

Parasympathetic nervous system (maintenance system):

Answer 23

Maintains basic life funtions (e.g. heartbeat, breathing, digestions, energy); calms the body down.

Question 24

What is the main part of the forebrain?

Answer 24

Cerebral cortex

Question 25

What are the sub-parts of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 25

i) Occipital lobe (processes visual information)
ii) Parietal lobe (touch and spatial orientation)
iii) Frontal lobe (cognition)
iv) Temporal lobe (hearing and language, concrete and abstract information processing).

Question 26

What are the four parts of the hindbrain?

Answer 26

i) Medula oblongata - basic life functions
ii) Cerebellum - movement
iii) Reticular formation - conscious arousal
iv) Pons - sleep

Question 27

The midbrain is important in learning to produce behaviours that what?

Answer 27

Minimise unpleasant consequenses and maximise pleasant (rewarding) consequenses.

Question 28

What is the main function of the hypothalamus (forebrain):

Answer 28

Homeostasis - regulates the hormonal and nervous system to maintain stability.

Question 29

What is the function of the Thalamus (forbrain)?

Answer 29

Sensry regulation - recieves sensory informaiton (visual, auditory, taste, touch) and routes it to the appropriate parts of the brain for processing.

Question 30

What is a) the function of the cerebrum and b) what are it’s two parts?

Answer 30

a) Responsible for complex information processing

b) subcortal structures (inner cerebrum) and cerebral cortex (outer cerebrum)

Question 31

A sub-part of the subcortical cerebrum is the basal ganglia. What is it responsible for?

Answer 31

Mostly involved with controlling movement.

Question 32

What are the three parts of the Limbic system (part of the subcortal cerebrum)?

Answer 32

i) Septal area - pleasure, pain relief, emotionally significant learning.
ii) Amygdala - learning and remembering emotionally significant events; reognition of fear
iii) Hippocampus - storage of new memories

Question 33

What are the functions of the primary areas and association areas of the cerbral cortex?

Answer 33

i) Primary areas - initial/simple processing of sensory information
ii) Association areas - more complex mental processes (pereptions, ideas, plans).

Question 34

What is the right hemisphere of the cerebral cortex responsible for?

Answer 34

Creativity - non-linguistic functions e.g. processing musical sounds.

Question 35

What is the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex responsible for?

Answer 35

Language, logic, analytical thought.

Question 36

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 36

Band of neurol fibres that connect/bridge the left and right hemispheres.