CH 11 PSYC

Adrenal Cortex

The outer layer of the adrenal gland responsible for releasing corticosteroids including cortisol.

Adrenal Medulla

The inner part of the adrenal gland that releases epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine during stress responses.

Aggression

Behavior intended to cause pain or harm to others, whether physical or emotional.

Allostasis

The process of achieving stability through physiological or behavioral change, especially in response to stress.

Amygdala

A brain structure involved in processing emotions, particularly fear, and regulating emotional reactions.

Brain Self-Stimulation

A phenomenon where individuals stimulate their own brain regions for pleasure, indicating the involvement of neural reward pathways.

Cortisol

A stress hormone released from the adrenal cortex, involved in regulating metabolism and immune responses.

Decorticate Rage

A behavior seen in animals with brain cortex damage, characterized by sudden and intense aggressive behavior.

Emotion

A subjective mental state typically associated with feelings, cognition, behaviors, and physiological responses.

Epigenetic Regulation

Changes in gene expression caused by environmental factors, which can impact an individual's stress responses.

Epinephrine

Also known as adrenaline, a hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla during stress, increasing heart rate and energy availability.

Fear Conditioning

A learning process where an individual associates a neutral stimulus with an aversive event, leading to a fear response.

Health Psychology

The study of how psychological factors influence health, illness, and health care. Also known as behavioral medicine.

Individual Response Stereotypy

Stable patterns of emotional reactivity and physiological responses to emotional situations observed across a person's lifespan.

Intermale Aggression

Aggressive behaviors exhibited by males towards each other, often related to competition for mates or resources.

Klüver-Bucy Syndrome

A behavioral syndrome seen in monkeys after removal of temporal lobes, characterized by tame behaviors and reduced fear.

Limbic System

A set of interconnected brain structures involved in emotional responses and memory.

Maternal Aggression

Aggressive behavior exhibited by female animals when defending their young.

Medial Amygdala

A part of the amygdala involved in processing social and emotional information, including aggression.

Medial Forebrain Bundle

A neural pathway in the brain involved in the reward circuitry and self-stimulation behaviors.

Motivation

The psychological processes that drive the expression of particular behaviors.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter and hormone involved in the body's stress response, increasing alertness and arousal. Also known as noradrenaline and plays a role in mood regulation and attention.

Nucleus Accumbens

A brain region crucial for the reward system, often involved in processing pleasure and reinforcement.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The part of the autonomic nervous system that helps the body to conserve energy and relax.

Polygraph

A lie detector test that measures physiological responses thought to be associated with truthfulness or deception.

Psychoneuroimmunology

The study of how psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems interact.

Psychopathy

A personality disorder characterized by antisocial behavior, lack of empathy, and impulsiveness.

Psychosomatic Medicine

The field of study focusing on the interaction between psychological factors and physical health.

Stress

The body's response to perceived threats or demands, involving physiological and emotional changes.

Sympathetic Nervous System

The part of the autonomic nervous system that activates the body’s fight-or-flight response during stress.

Testosterone

An androgen hormone that influences aggressive behavior and is often correlated with male dominance.

Ventromedial Hypothalamus (VMH)

A brain region that plays a role in modulating aggressive behavior and feeding.

Facial nerve VII

Innervates the superficial muscles that contribute to emotional expression

Buccal

Deep facial muscles, like those controlling the jaw, are innervated by the trigeminal nerve

Facial feedback hypothesis

theory suggests that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences and feedback through the activation of the facial nerve.

The facial muscles innervated by two cranial nerves

1. Facial nerve (VII)

2. Motor branch of the trigeminal nerve (V)

James-Lange Theory

is a psychological theory proposing that emotions arise from physiological responses to stimuli. It suggests that the perception of physiological changes leads to the experience of emotion.

Cannon Bard Theory

simultaneous autonomic reaction and feeling

Two Factor theory of Emotion

Emotional labels are attributed to relatively nonspecific feelings of psychological arousal, dependent on current context.

We experience physiological arousal and look for the source of that arousal.