Psych Ch. 2
No
Does heritability apply to individuals?
No
Does heritability trump environment?
Epinephrine
Emotional arousal, memory storage, and metabolism of glucose necessary for energy release
Temporal lobes
Hearing, language, comprehension, memory, and some emotional control
Any cell that will listen
Hormone messages are carried by the blood to whom?
10 meters/second
How fast nerve impulses move?
10x
How many times faster nerve impulses move with myelin sheath?
Grasping reflex
If a finger or object is placed into infant's palm, the infant will grasp it
Stem cells
Immature cells that have the potential to de slip into almost any type of cell, depending on the chemical signals they receive
Norepinephrine
Learning, memory, dreaming, emotion, waking from sleep, eating, alertness, wakefulness, reactions to stress
Rooting reflex
Light stroking of the cheek and infant automatically turns toward stimulus and attempts to latch
Babinksi reflex
Lightly stroking the foot stimulates the big toe to point toward the top while the other toes fan out
Axon
Long, tube-like structure that conveys impulses away from a neuron's cell body toward other neurons or to muscles or glands
Neurogenesis
Lost cells can be replaced by neural stem cells
Norepinephrine
Low levels of _____ is associated with depression while high levels of it is linked with agitated, manic states
Serotonin
Low levels of ______ is associated with depression
Sympathetic division
Mobilizes energy to respond to stressor (fight or flight)
Endorphins
Mood, pain, memory, learning, blood pressure, appetite, and sexual activity
Serotonin
Mood, sleep, appetite, sensory perception, arousal, temperature regulation, pain suppression, and impulsivity
Dopamine
Movement, attention, memory, learning, and emotion, also plays a role in addiction and the reward system
Acetylcholine
Muscle action, learning, memory, REM sleep, emotion
Endocrine system
Network of glands located throughout the body that manufacture and secrete hormones into the blood stream
GABA
Neural inhibition in the CNS
fMRI
New faster version of MRI used to detect blood flow, which areas of the brain are active and inactive during ordinary behaviors and changes associated with various disorders
Brainstem
Oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions
Terminal buttons
Part of the axon forming junctions with with other cells, releasing chemicals/neurotransmitters
Amygdala
Part of the lambic system, 2 Lima-bean-sized neural clusters linked to aggression and fear (fight or flight)
Hypothalamus
Part of the limbic system, helps govern body maintenance of eating, drinking, temperature, endocrine system, etc., linked to emotion and reward
Hippocampus
Part of the limbic system, processes conscious memories
Natural selection
Particular genetic trait gives an organism a reproductive advantage
90%
Percent of glial cells that make up the brains total cells
MRI
Powerful electromagnets produce a high frequency magnetic field that passes through the brain and is used in order to produce high-resolution 3-D images if brain to identify abnormalities and mapping brain structures and function
Glial cells
Provide structure, nutrition, and other support to neurons
Frontal lobes
Receive and coordinate messages from other lobes
Parietal lobes
Receive and interpret body sensations
Endocrine system
Regulates and maintains long-term body processes, such as growth, sexual characteristics, digestion, and elimination
Adrenal glands
Release cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
Responsible for involuntary tasks like heart rate, digestion, and breathing
Neurons
Responsible for receiving, processing, and transmitting electrochemical information
Behavior genetics
Study of how heredity and environment affecf us
Antagonist drug
Substance that black normal neurotransmitter functioning
Cerebral cortex
Surface layer of the brain responsible for most complex mental processes
Cerebellum
The "little brain," processes sensory input and coordinates movement and balance
1. Resting potential 2. Depolarization 3. Spreading of depolarization 4. Repolarization
The 4 steps of neuron communication
Evolutionary psychology
The application of principles of evolution to explain behavior and mental processes
Medulla
The base of the brain stem, controls heart beat and breathing
Neurons
The basic building black if the nervous system, responsible for receiving, processing, and transmitting electrochemical information
Neuroplasticity
The brain's ability to reorganize and change its structure and function throughout the life span
Thalamus
The brain's sensory switchboard: directs messages and transmits replies
Evolutionary psychology
The branch of psychology that studies the application of the principles of evolution to explain behavior and mental processes
Glial cells
The cells that provide structural, nutritional, and other support for neurons, as well as communication, within the nervous system
Synapse
The gap between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite and/or cell body of the receiving neuron; during an action potential, neurotransmitters are released and flow across the synapse
Limbic system
The interconnected group of forebrain structures involved with emotions, drives, and memory, as well as major physiological functions
Myelin sheath
The layer of fatty insulation wrapped around the axon of some neurons that increase the rate at which neural impulses travel along the axon
Cell body
The part of a neuron that contains the cell nucleus and other structures that help the neuron carry out its functions
Broca's area
The part of the frontal libe that controls speech
Motor cortex
The part of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movement
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
The part of the nervous system composed of the nerves and neurons connecting the CNS to the rest of the body
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
The part of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord that carries info to and from the CNS and links the brain and spinal cord to body's sense receptors, muscles, and glands
Visual cortex
The part of the occipital lobe that receives and processes visual information
Somatosensory cortex
The part of the parietal lobe that receive sensory messages
Wernicke's area
The part of the temporal lobe that is involved in language comprehension
Auditory cortex
The part of the temporal lobe that receives sensory information from the ears
Heritability
The percentage of variation in a population attributable to hereditary
Natural selection
The process by which heritable traits that increase an organism's chances of survival or reproduction are favored over less beneficial traits
Neurogenesis
The process by which new cells are generated
Behavioral genetics
The study of the relative effects of heredity and the environment in behavior and mental processes
Sympathetic nervous system
The subdivision of ANS that is responsible for arousing the body and mobilizing its energy during times of stress
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
The subdivision of the PNS that controls the body's involuntary motor responses by connecting the sensory receptors to the CNS and the CNS to the smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands
Parasympathetic nervous system
The subdivision of the the ANS that is responsible for calming the body and conserving energy
Natural selection
The term _______ refers to a process by which heritable traits that increase an organism's chances of survival or reproduction are favored over less beneficial traits
Corpus callosum
Thick band of nerves connecting the two hemispheres of the brain
GABA
Tranquilizing drugs like Valium increases _____ neurotransmitter's inhibitory effects thus increasing anxiety
Electrical recording
Uses electrodes attached to the skin or scalp to detect and record brain activity in order to reveal areas of the brain that are most active during particular tasks and mental states
Occipital lobes
Vision and visual perception
1. Memory 2. Learning 3. Appetite 4. Sexual activity
What is affected by endorphins?
Heritability
_____ is a measure of the degree to which a characteristic is related to genetic versus environmental factors
1. Neurotransmitters released at synapse 2. Neurotransmitters cross synaptic gap and bind at receptor sites across the synapse 3. Reputable of leftover neurotransmitters
3 Communication steps between neurons
1. Rooting reflex 2. Grasping reflex 3. Babinski reflex
3 newborn reflexes
Endorphins
A chemical substance in the nervous system similar in structure and action to opiates; involved in pain control, pleasure, and memory
Acetylcholine
A decreased amount of this neurotransmitter plays a suspected role in Alzheimer's disease
Reticular formation
A nerve network that plays a big role in arousal
Action potential
A neural impulse, or brief electrical charge, that carries information along the axon of a neuron; movement is generated when positively charged ions move in and out through channels in the axon's membrane
Action potential
A neural impulses that carries information along the axon of a neuron
PET scan
A radioactive form of glucose is injected in the bloodstream and a scanner records amount glucose used in active areas of the brain in order to reveal brain areas active during ordinary activities
Gene
A segment of DNA that occupies a specific place in a particular chromosome and carries the code for hereditary transmission
Heritability
A statistical formula that provides a percentage of variation in a population attributable to genetic factors rather than to differences in the environment
Somatic nervous system (SNS)
A subdivision of the PNS that connects the CNS to sensory receptors and controls skeletal muscles
Agonist drug
A substance that mimics and enhances a neurotransmitter's effect
Cell body
Aka soma, contains cell nucleus
Dopamine
An excess amount of this neurotransmitter is associated with schizophrenia while a decreased amount of this is linked with Parkinson's disease
Reflex
An innate automatic response to a stimulus that has a biological relevance for an organism
Reflex
Automatic behavior in response to stimuli
Neuroplasticity
Brain can recognize its function structure due to usage and experience
Dendrites
Branching fibers that receive impulses from other neurons and convey impulses to the cell body
Parasympathetic division
Calms body to conserve energy, returns body to normal function after stress
Somatic Nervous system (SNS)
Carries sensory information to the brain and instructions back to skeletal muscles
Hormone
Chemical messenger manufactured and secreted by the endocrine glands, which circulate in the bloodstream to produce bodily changes or maintain normal bodily functions
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that are released by axon's and travel across the synapse are called _____
Hormones
Chemicals manufactured by the endocrine glands and circulated in the bloodstream to change or maintain bodily functions
Endorphins
Common neurotransmitter that elevates mood and reduces pain
Chemical
Communication between neurons is ______
Electrical
Communication within the neuron is ______
CT scan
Computer-created cross-sectional x-rays of the brain and other parts of the body used to reveal the effects of strokes, injuries, tumors, and other brain disorders
Genes
Control transmission of traits
Frontal lobes
Controls motor control, speech, and higher functions
Endocrine system
Controls response to emergencies
