Psychology chapter 2

there are roughly_____ neurons in the human brain

100 billion

how does cocaine achieve its effects

It interferes with the reuptake of dopamine.

when a neuron is polarized

The interior of the neuron is more negatively charged than the exterior fluid surrounding the neuron

the action potential is best defined as

a brief electrical impulse that transmits info along the axon of a neuron

Phrenology refers to:

a pseudoscience that related personality characteristics to bumps on the skull.

periphrial nervous system is made up of

all nerves lying outside the central nervous system

In general, the sympathetic nervous system _____, while the parasympathetic nervous system _____.

arouses and mobilizes; maintains and conserves

the most abundant cells in the human brain

astrocytes

part of the neuron that carries messages to other cells in the body is the

axon

the branch of psychology that is focused on understanding the internal physical events and processes that correspond with our mental processes and behavior

biological psychology

the most common form of communication between neurons is

chemical

how does communication in the endocrine system differ from communication in the nervous system

communication in the endocrine system is slower than communication in the nervous system

substantia nigra

contains dopamine producing neurons and is involved in motor control

The primary communication link between the left and right cerebral hemispheres is called:

corpus callosum

part of neuron that receives messages from other neurons

dendrites

as a general rule, communication within a neuron progresses from the

dendrites to the cell body to the axon

a neuron may have thousands of _____, but can only have one ______

dendrites; axon

the "all-or-none" law refers to the fact that

either the neuron is sufficiently stimulated and an action potential occurs or it is not sufficiently stimulated and the action potential does not occur

hippocampus plays a key role in

forming new memories

along with neurons, the human nervous system is made up of _____ cells which greatly outnumber neurons by about 1-10

glial

which parts of your body have the greatest representation on the primary motor cortex

hands and facial muscles

neurons are

highly specialized cells that receive and transmit info from one area of the body to another

the endocrine system involves communication by chemical messengers called ____, which circulate through the _____

hormones; bloodstream

info is transmitted along the axon

in the form of a brief electrical impulse

the primary function of the myelin sheath is to

insulate the axon and increase the speed at which neurons convey their message.

the type of specialized cell whose main function is to communicate between neurons is an

interneuron

most of the neurons in the human nervous system are

interneurons

function of cerebrospinal fluid

it protects the central nervous system from being jarred

surrounding and protecting the brain and the spinal cord are three layers of membranous tissues called the

meninges

the stimulus threshold of the neuron refers to the

minimum level of stimulation requires to activate a particular neuron

a drug chemically similar to the endorphins

morphine

which of the following signals muscles to relax or contract

motor neurons

The phrase white matter in the brain refers to:

myelinated axons

brains ability to change function and structure

neuroplasticity

the scientific study of the nervous system is called

neuroscience

Like a key in a lock, the shape of the _____ must fit the _____ to affect the postsynaptic neuron.

neurotransmitter; receptor site

synaptic vesicles contain

neurotransmitters

which best describes the surface of the cerebral cortex

numerous folds, wrinkles, bulges, ridges, and valleys

visual info is processed by your

occipital lobe

axons........

often have branches near their tips called axon terminals

which of the following is true regarding action potentials

once an action potential is started, it is self-sustaining and continues to the end of the axon

awareness of where your arms and legs are is relayed to your

parietal lobe

The two main divisions of the nervous system are the ________ and ________.

peripheral nervous system; central nervous system

info from specialized cells in the sense organs in conveyed to the brain by

sensory neurons

___ convery info about the environment from the sense organs to the brain, and ___ communicate info to the muscles and glands

sensory neurons; motor neurons

the 3 basic types of neurons are

sensory, motor, and interneurons

which of the following represents the sequence of ion movements that causes an action potential

sodium ions move into the axon and then potassium ions move out of the axon

The two main subdivisions of the peripheral nervous system are the _____ nervous system and the _____ nervous system.

somatic; autonomic

tap below the knee cap which cause leg to jerk forward is testing of the

spinal reflexes

communication between two neurons occurs at the

synapse

the presynaptic neuron and the postsynaptic neuron are separated by a tiny, fluid-filled space called the:

synaptic gap

auditory information (hearing) is processed by your

temporal lobe

neurogenesis

the development of new neurons

The popularity of phrenology triggered scientific interest in which of the following

the idea that specific psychological and mental functions are located in specific brain areas

Which gland directly regulates the production of hormones in other endocrine glands?

the pituitary gland