Psych 111: Ch. 3 Cue Questions

Why is an action potential an all-or-nothing event?

If it is not at the threshold, it doesnt happen. If it is, it happens. No in between

Why do dizygotic twins share 50% of their genes, just like siblings born separately?

because they developed from two separate eggs, just like regular siblings do

Which part of the brain helps to orchestrate movements that keep you steady on your bike?

cerebellum: A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills.

What does an fMRI track in an active brain?

detects the difference between oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin when exposed to magnetic pulses

How does the EEG record electrical activity in the brain?

electrodes are placed on the outside of the head, and even though the source of electrical activity in synapses and action potentials is far removed from these wires, the electric signals can be amplified several thousand times by the EEG. This provides a visual record of the underlying electrical activity

What types of thinking occur in the frontal lobe?

frontal lobe: A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgment.

Are abilities, such as intelligence and memory, inherited through our genes?

half of the variability in intelligence test scores is attributable to genetic influences and the remaining half is due to environmental influences. part of these features may come from genes, but part is also due to the environment the individual is raised in

What role does the corpus callosum play in behavior?

it connects the two hemispheres of the brain. Severing the connection helps people with epilepsy, but also produces some unusual, if not unpredictable, behaviors. With split brain, people are unable to perform certain tasks because they require one half of the brain to send info to the other half

What important functions does the spinal cord perform on its own?

spinal reflexes: Simple pathways in the nervous system that rapidly generate muscle contractions.

How do the three types of neurons work together to transmit information?

sensory neurons: Neurons that receive information from the external world and convey this information to the brain via the spinal cord. motor neurons: Neurons that carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement. interneurons: Neurons that connect sensory neurons, motor neurons, or other interneurons.

How is the thalamus like a computer?

thalamus relays and filters information from the senses and transmits the information to the cerebral cortex. The thalamus receives inputs from all the major senses except smell, which has direct connections to the cerebral cortex. The thalamus acts as a kind of computer server in a networked system, taking in multiple inputs and relaying them to a variety of locations

Why is the part of the somatosensory cortex relating to the lips bigger than the area corresponding to the feet?

the body parts are rendered according to how much of the somatosensory cortex is devoted to them. More devoted to lips= lips are larger than feet

How does a neuron communicate with another neuron?

the electric charge of the action potential crosses the synaptic gap as a chemical (neurotransmitter) and is received by receptors on the other neuron and thus the info is passed along

Why should we avoid jumping to conclusions based on fMRI results?

we don't yet know whether the results of laboratory fMRI studies of memory, which typically use simple materials like words or pictures, generalize to the kinds of complex everyday events that are relevant in the courtroom. Furthermore, evidence that fMRI can distinguish accurate from inaccurate memories comes from studies in which brain activity is averaged across a group of participants. But in the courtroom we need to determine whether an individual is remembering accurately or not, and there is little evidence yet that fMRI can do so. BASICALLY we are not yet sure enough of the information

What triggers the increase in your heart rate when you feel threatened?

(This does-->)sympathetic nervous system: A set of nerves that prepares the body for action in challenging or threatening situations.

How have brain disorders been central to the study of specific areas of the brain?

By studying these instances (disorders), neuroscientists can theorize about the functions those brain areas normally perform.

What are the stages of development of the embryonic brain?

1. Initial: form a structure called the neural tube 2. Week 4, Three basic levels of the brain are visible and the spinal cord is being formed 3. 5th week, the forebrain and hindbrain further differentiate into subdivisions. 4. During the 7th week and later, the forebrain expands considerably to form the cerebral hemispheres. 5. As the embryonic brain continues to grow, each subdivision folds onto the next one and begins to form the structures easily visible in the adult brain

What difference between the inside and outside of the neuron's cell membrane creates the resting potential?

In the resting state, there is a high concentration of a positively charged ion, potassium (K+), as well as negatively charged protein ions (A−), inside the neuron's cell membrane compared to outside it. By contrast, there is a high concentration of positively charged sodium ions (Na+) and negatively charged chloride ions (Cl−) outside the neuron's cell membrane.

How do neurotransmitters create the feeling of runner's high?

The "runner's high" experienced by many athletes as they push their bodies to painful limits of endurance can be explained by the release of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins dull the experience of pain and elevate moods

Why are you likely to remember details of a traumatic event?

The amygdala attaches significance to previously neutral events that are associated with fear, punishment, or reward. the amygdala stimulates the hippocampus to remember many details surrounding the fearful situations

What does it mean to say that the brain is plastic?

The brain is plastic: Functions that were assigned to certain areas of the brain may be capable of being reassigned to other areas of the brain to accommodate changing input from the environment

Which components of the neuron allow them to communicate?

dendrite: The part of a neuron that receives information from other neurons and relays it to the cell body. cell body: coordinates the information-processing tasks and keeps the cell alive. axon: The part of a neuron that carries information to other neurons, muscles, or glands. myelin sheath: An insulating layer of fatty material that helps info move along axon faster synapse: The junction or region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another.

Are our brains still evolving?

human brain is still evolving—becoming bigger and more adapted to the demands of the environment