BBH 101 Exam 1 Core Concepts Vocabulary

Vocabulary terms and definitions extracted directly from the BBH 101 Exam 1 study guide transcript.

Biomedical model

A conceptual model that explains disease mainly through biological processes such as pathogens, genes, and abnormal physiology.

Reductionism

An approach that breaks a complex problem into smaller biological parts to identify specific mechanisms and treatments.

Biobehavioral model

A health model that combines biological, behavioral, psychological, and social influences to understand health and disease.

Hypothesis

A specific, narrow, testable claim or prediction formulated within scientific inquiry.

Theory

A broad explanation of phenomena supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence.

Confirmation bias

The cognitive bias of favoring or seeking evidence that fits an already existing belief.

Availability bias

The cognitive tendency to overweight memorable or dramatic examples when estimating frequency or probability.

p value

The probability, assuming the null hypothesis and test assumptions are true, of obtaining results at least as extreme as those observed (conventionally statistically significant when $p < .05$).

Selection bias

A distortion that occurs when participant recruitment or eligibility criteria make a study sample unrepresentative of the broader population.

Measurement bias

A distortion occurring when recorded exposure or outcome data are inaccurate or systematically misclassified.

Publication bias

A systematic distortion in published literature caused by journals selectively publishing striking positive or significant results over null findings.

Confounder

A variable that is associated with both the exposure and the outcome, capable of creating a misleading statistical association.

Independent variable (IV)

The predictor or manipulated factor in an experiment or observational study.

Dependent variable (DV)

The outcome variable measured by researchers to determine the effect of an independent variable.

Prevalence

The count or proportion of existing cases of a condition in a population at a given point or period in time.

Incidence

The count or rate of new cases arising among individuals at risk over a defined period of time.

Case control study

An observational study design that starts with individuals who have an outcome (cases) and comparable individuals without it (controls) and assesses past exposures retrospectively.

Odds ratio (OR)

A statistical measure used in case-control studies comparing the odds of prior exposure among cases to the odds of prior exposure among controls.

Cohort study

An observational study design that starts with exposed and unexposed groups free of the outcome and follows them over time to observe new cases.

Risk ratio (RR)

A measure of association in cohort studies calculated as $\text{RR} = \text{risk in exposed} \times (\text{risk in unexposed})^{-1}$, representing relative risk.

Empirical article

A primary research publication reporting original participant data, methodology, and direct findings.

Literature review

A narrative synthesis of existing research studies without presenting a new participant dataset.

Meta-analysis

A quantitative research method that systematically pools and statistical combines numerical results across multiple independent studies.

Phase I drug trial

An early clinical trial phase testing safety, tolerability, dosing, and pharmacology in a small group of human subjects.

Phase III drug trial

A large clinical trial evaluating efficacy and safety in broader patient populations, usually comparing the treatment to standard care prior to regulatory approval.

Somatic division

The division of the peripheral nervous system controlling voluntary skeletal muscles and transmitting sensory input.

Autonomic division

The division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiological functions and organs.

Sympathetic division

The branch of the autonomic nervous system responsible for energy mobilization and fight-or-flight stress responses.

Parasympathetic division

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that promotes vegetative processes, rest, and digestion.

Myelin

A fatty sheath insulating neuronal axons that speeds up action potential propagation.

Synaptic cleft

The physical gap at a chemical synapse into which neurotransmitters are released from presynaptic terminals to bind postsynaptic receptors.

Hippocampus

A key brain structure in the limbic system essential for forming new declarative memories.

Amygdala

A brain region involved in evaluating emotionally significant stimuli and threat processing.

Hypothalamus

A brain structure that regulates homeostatic functions and serves as the primary link between the nervous system and endocrine system.

HPA axis

A primary neuroendocrine stress pathway: Hypothalamus secretes CRH $\rightarrow$ Anterior Pituitary secretes ACTH $\rightarrow$ Adrenal Cortex secretes Cortisol.

Leptin

A hormone synthesized mainly by fat tissue that signals body energy stores and promotes satiety.

Ghrelin

A hormone synthesized mainly by the stomach that stimulates appetite and signals hunger.

Innate defense

Rapid, non-specific immune protection comprising barriers, phagocytes, natural killer cells, inflammation, and complement proteins.

Adaptive defense

Targeted immune response involving pathogen-specific B cells and T cells that generates immunological memory.

Systole

The contraction phase of the cardiac cycle during which blood is ejected from the ventricles.

Diastole

The relaxation phase of the cardiac cycle during which ventricular filling takes place.

Sinoatrial (SA) node

The specialized tissue in the right atrium that acts as the primary natural pacemaker of the heart.

Heritability

The proportion of variance in a specific trait across individuals in a population that is attributable to genetic differences.

Gene-environment interaction

A biological phenomenon where the effect of an environmental factor depends on an individual's genotype, or vice versa.

Epigenetics

Molecular mechanisms (e.g., DNA methylation) that alter functional gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.