AP Psychology - Unit III
The concentration of glucose in active regions of the brain underlies the usefulness of a(n)
PET scan
Identical twins originate from the fertilization of
a single egg cell by a single sperm cell
A brief electrical charge that travels down the axon of a neuron is called the
action potential
The cortical regions that are not directly involved in sensory or motor functions are known as
association areas
Neurotransmitters are released from vesicles located on knoblike terminals at the end of the
axon
The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior and personality traits is known as
behavior genetics
Which type of psychologist most directly investigates the links between biological activity and our thinking and behaviors?
biological psychologist
The thin surface layer of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebrum is called the
cerebral cortex
The threadlike structures that contain genes are called
chromosomes
What is the interdisciplinary study of how brain activity is linked with our mental processes called?
cognitive neuroscience
Split-brain patients have had their ____________ surgically cut
corpus callosum
A brain lesion refers to ___________ of brain tissue
destruction
Which cognitive neuroscience term reflects the idea that "much of everyday thinking, feeling, and acting operates outside our conscious awareness"?
dual processing
Hormones are the chemical messengers of the
endocrine system
The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes are called
genes
The complete set of genetic instructions in an organism's chromosomes is called the
genome
Nerve cells in the brain receive life-supporting nutrients and insulating myelin from
glial cells
Information travels from the spinal cord to the brain via
interneurons
A synapse is a(n)
junction between a sending neuron and a receiving neuron
Your life would be most immediately threatened if you suffered destruction of the
medulla
DNA is a complex
molecule
An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements is called the
motor cortex
For you to be able to run, _____________ must relay messages from your central nervous system to your leg muscles
motor neurons
The chemical messengers released into the spatial junctions between neurons are called
neurotransmitters
Which region of the brain will fMRI show as active when a person is looking at a photo?
occipital lobes
Consciousness is
our awareness of ourselves and our environment
Which lobes of the brain receive the input that enables you to feel someone scratching your back?
pariental
The somatic nervous system is a component of the ________ nervous system
peripheral
The master gland of the endocrine system is the
pituitary gland
With regard to the process of neural transmission, a refractory period refers to a time interval in which
positively charged ions are pumped back outside a neural membrane
Reuptake refers to the
reabsorption of excess neurotransmitter molecules by a sending neuron
The function of dendrites is to
receive incoming signals from other neurons
A simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus is called a(n)
reflex
For you to experience the pain of a sprained ankle, ____________ must first relay messages from you ankle to you central nervous system
sensory neurons
An axon is
the extension of a neuron that carries messages away from the cell body
Epigenetics refers to the
the study of how environment triggers genetic expression
The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse is called the
threshold
Heritability refers to the extent to which
trait differences among individuals are attributable to genetic variation
To estimate trait heritability, researchers are most likely to make use of
twin studies
Fraternal twins originate from the fertilization of
two egg cells by two sperm cells
