AP PSYCH VOCAB: UNIT 0

AP Psychology Vocab Test for UNIT 0 (2024)

Amygdala

Two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion.

Aphasia

Impairment of language usually caused by left hemisphere damage to Broca’s area or Wernicke’s area.

Association areas

Areas of the cerebral cortex involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

Brainstem

The central core of the brain responsible for automatic survival functions.

Broca’s area

A frontal lobe area that helps control language expression by directing muscle movements involved in speech.

Cerebellum

The hindbrain’s “little brain” responsible for processing sensory input, coordinating movement, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.

Cerebral cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres, serving as the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.

Cognitive neuroscience

The interdisciplinary study of brain activity linked with cognition.

Consciousness

Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Corpus callosum

The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

CT (computed tomography) scan

A series of X-ray photographs combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain’s structure.

Dual processing

The principle that information is processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

An amplified recording of electrical activity waves across the brain’s surface measured by electrodes on the scalp.

fMRI

A technique revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans.

Frontal lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex involved in linguistic processing, muscle movements, higher-order thinking, and executive functioning.

Glial cells

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons, possibly playing a role in learning and memory.

Hypothalamus

A limbic system structure that directs maintenance activities and governs the endocrine system, linked to emotion and reward.

Lesion

Tissue destruction caused by disease or trauma.

Limbic system

A neural system in the forebrain associated with emotions and drives, including the amygdala and hypothalamus.

Medulla

The brainstem’s base structure controlling heartbeat and breathing.

Motor cortex

A cerebral cortex area that controls voluntary movements.

MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)

A technique producing images of soft tissue using magnetic fields and radio waves.

Neurogenesis

The formation of new neurons.

Occipital lobes

The cerebral cortex area that receives information from the visual fields.

Parietal lobes

The cerebral cortex area that receives sensory input for touch and body position.

PET (position emission tomography) scan

A technique detecting brain activity by displaying where radioactive glucose goes during tasks.

Plasticity

The capacity to learn and adapt.

Reticular formation

A nerve network in the brainstem that filters information and controls arousal.

Sensory cortex

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for receiving and interpreting sensory information.

Split brain

A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the connecting fibers.

Temporal lobes

The cerebral cortex area involved in auditory processing and language.

Thalamus

The forebrain’s sensory control center directing messages to sensory receiving areas in the cortex.

Wernicke’s area

A brain area involved in language comprehension and expression, usually in the left temporal lobe.