AP Psych Vocab

Evolutionary Perspective

We evolve behaviors and thoughts to survive

Natural Selection

Only the strongest genetics survive in the wild

Eugenics

Movement to only birth good genetics, done by Nazi Germany

Monozygotic Twins

Identical twins with the same DNA

Dizygotic Twins

Fraternal twins not with exact DNA

Central Nervous System

Made up of the spine and brain

Peripheral Nervous System

Made up of all other nerves in body

Autonomic Nervous System

All automatic functions like breathing or heart rate

Somatic Nervous System

All Voluntary movements like kicking or running

Sympathetic Nervous System

Stress symptoms like increase heart and breathing

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Relaxing symptoms like decreased heart and breathing

Neuron

These are the cells that send signals

Glial Cells

These clean the nervous system’s waste

Reflex Arc

Connects Both Nervous Systems

Sensory Neurons

Sends signals from senses to the brain

Motor Neurons

Sends signals from brain towards muscles to move

Interneurons

Connects Motor and Sensory Neurons

All-or-Nothing Principle

Neuron Signals either fire or do not; no half firing

Depolarization

Neurons charge up positively before firing

Action Potential

Signal is officially fired and sent from one to another

Refractory Period

After signal fires, the neuron needs to rest

Reuptake

After signal is fired, Neuron recollects neurotransmitter particles so they are not wasted

Multiple Sclerosis

Disorder in Nervous system from Inflammation and pain

Myasthenia Gravis

Nervous system disorder causes weak muscles

Excitatory Neurotransmitter

Increase effects of Neurotransmitters

Inhibitory Neurotransmitter

Decreases effects of Neurotransmitters

Dopamine

Reward and Arousal chemical

Serotonin

Peace, Happiness, and Relaxation

Norepinephrine

Alertness and Arousal

Glutamate

Excitatory for Learning and Memory

GABA

Peace and Calming Agent

Substance P

Pain and Inflammation

Endorphins

Pain Killer and Pleasure

Acetylcholine

Muscle Movement, Learning, and Motor Memory

Hormones

Slow reacting chemicals

Adrenaline

Fight vs Flight; agitation

Leptin

Feeling Full

Ghrelin

Feeling Hungry

Melatonin

Feeling Sleepy

Oxytocin

Feeling LOVE and Affection

Agonist Drugs

Drugs that bind and activate Excite

Antagonist Drugs

drugs that blind and block depress neurotransmitters

Stimulants

Energizer drugs

Depressants

Relaxes and Calming Drugs

Hallucinogens

Trippy and Hallucinogenic drugs

Addiction

A Body desire to continue taking a drug

Withdrawal

Without the drug, the body experiences unpleasant symptoms until the drug is taken again

Tolerance

The more you take a drug, the higher dosage to feel the same effect

Brain Stem

This connects brain to spine; turns off during dreams

Medulla

Automatic living functions like breathing or heart

Reticular Activating System

Controls our reward center and arousal

Cerebellum

Mini Brain controls thinking, movement, and balance

Cerebral Cortex

High Level thinking area of the brain

Thalamus

Helps with touch and hearing sensation & Perception

Hypothalamus

Controls and regulates body’s hunger and temperature

Pituitary Gland

Master Gland; secretes hormones for body

Hippocampus

Controls our learning and memory ability

Amygdala

Controls Fight vs Flight and our aggression

Corpus Callosum

connects both hemispheres of brain; cut for epilepsy

Occipital Lobe

Vision

Temporal Lobe

Hearing, memory, and language

Parietal Lobe

Perception, Touch, and Body Positioning

Frontal Lobe

Decision Making, Personality, and Impulse

Somatosensory Cortex

Understanding our senses

Motor Cortex

Allows us to move

Split Brain Research

Shows that specific functions occur in each side of the brain

Broca’s Area

Ability to speak

Werenicke’s Area

Ability to understand speech

Aphasia

Inability to speak or understand speech

Brain Plasticity

Brain can repair itself especially when young

EEG Brain Scan

Electrical Brain Waves

fMRI Brain Scan

Magnetic look at energy

CT Scan

X Ray of Head

PET Scan

Glucose energy levels of body

Lesioning

Damage to brain can cause impairment or issues

Circadian Rhythm

Sleep/Wake Cycle

NREM1 Sleep Stage

Alpha Waves

NREM2 Sleep Stage

Theta Waves

NREM3 Sleep Stage

Delta Waves

REM/DREAM Sleep Stage

Beta Waves

Hypnagogic Sensations

Random Jerk Sensation

REM Sleep

Paradoxical Sleep; The Stage where you dream and brain’s active

K Complex

A Random Spurt of Energy

REM Rebound

Vivid Dreams due to lack of REM Stage

Activation Synthesis dream theory

Dreams are caused by random electrical impulses

Memory Consolidation dream Theory

Dreams are caused by memories being reflected

Sleep Function

Heals the body, re-energizes, and protects

Insomnia

Unable to sleep

Narcolepsy

Randomly Falling Asleep

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Random movements during dreaming; kicking, etc

Sleep Apnea

Unable to breath during sleep

Somnambulism

Sleep Walking and Talking

Sensation

Our body is recording data to be perceived

Threshold - Absolute Threshold

Bare minimum to detect with senses

Transduction

Turning energy into readable signals for brain

Just Noticeable Difference

Noticing the difference between senses

Sensory Adaptation

Getting to used to a sense and not noticing it anymore

Weber’s Law

The real change is more than what we notice

Sensory Interaction

Senses work together like smell and taste for flavor

Synesthesia

Mixing senses such as tasting color