PSY 100 Midterm 2

UH Manoa

What language do neurons speak?

Electrochemical Signals (electrical impulses and chemical signals)

Parts of a neuron

dendrite, cell body, and axon

What is the function of Dendrites?

Reception: chemical signals are received from neighboring neurons

the branch

What is the function of Soma (cell body)?

Integration: incoming signals are assessed

the post office

What is the function of the Axon?

Transmission: signals are passed onto other receiving neurons

the cable

The information finally arrives at what part of the neuron?

Terminal button: ends of the axon that releases chemical signals into the synapse.

Synapse: the gap between the axon of a "sending" neuron and the "receiving" neuron and the site at which chemical communication occurs.

When the neuron is at rest, it is called the _______ _______ _______

resting membrane potential

A neuron at rest is also to be _____

polarized

When a neuron sends the communication signal along the axon, this is known as the ______ ______

action potential (neural firing)

What is the idea behind the all-or-nothing principle here?

two signals can only relay: fire or no fire

The chemical substances that transmit signals from one neuron to another are called the _______

neurotransmitter

What are the two major events that could take place in the neurotransmitters after their activation?

Reuptake: the neurotransmitter is reabsorbed into the presynaptic terminal buttons.

AND

Enzyme deactivation: an enzyme destroys the neurotransmitter.

3 parts of the brain are:

Reptilian Brain (lower regions)

Limbic system (mid-region), Neocortex(upper region

What is the Reptilian Brain responsible for? (HINT: reptilians have basic thinking)

basic bodily function for survival and reproduction

What is the Limbic System responsible for?

Emotion and motivation (emotional brain)

What is the Neocortex responsible for?

Higher-order thinking, language, logic and reasoning

What TWO areas of the Reptilian Brain have we discussed in class, and what are their associated functions?

Brain stem controls automatic or involuntary bodily functions

Cerebellum is essential for coordinated movement and balance

5 Areas of the Limbic System? +1 bonus term

Thalamus

Hypothalamus

Hippocampus

Amygdala

Basal ganglia

Neocortex

What is the thalamus?

Gateway to the brain, receives incoming sensory information (vision, hearing, taste) and relays it

The USPS

What is the hypothalamus? (hint: 4Fs)

Feeding

Fighting

Fleeting

Fornication

What is the hippocampus?

associated with forming new long term memories

What is the amygdala for?

Processes emotional information

What is the basal ganglia for?

Motor control, motor memory, emotional regulation, and reward/pleasure processing

What is the primary function of the Neocortex?

Responsible for higher-order mental functions (thinking, memory, language, decision making, planning, and creativity)

the two hemispheres of the neocortex are connected by the _____ _____

Corpus callosum

What are the Four lobes of the cerebral hemispheres?

1. Occipital lobe - visual center

2. Parietal lobe - touch and motion center

3. Temporal lobe - hearing, memory center

4. Frontal lobe - thoughts, planning, and reasoning

What is unique about the Prefrontal cortex in humans?

Essential for decision making, impulse control, appropriate social behavior, and emotional regulation

What information does the brain communicate with the somatic nervous system

Deals with bodily control (skin, muscles, and joins)

Sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for

action

Parasympathetic nervous system returns body to

rest

Edocrine system is a communication system that uses

hormones to influence thoughts, behaviors, and actions.

Neural plasticity is the

brain's remarkable ability to adapt, change, and reorganize itself throughout a person's life.

Neurogenesis is the

production of new neurons.

What is a phenotype?

refers to the observable characteristics or traits of an organism

Is the result of the interaction between genotype and the environment

Difference between genotype and phenotype?

Genotype is fixed, but phenotype is always changing throughout one's lifetime.

Superficial EEG

(functional imaging)

records the electrical activity of the brain by placing electrodes on the scalp. It measures the electrical signals generated by neurons

PET scan

(functional imaging)

involves injecting patient with a small amount of radioactive tracer into the body

MRI

(anatomical imaging)

uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to created detailed images of the internal structures of the body, including the brain

What is the dual processing theory

explains that consciousness can be divided into an explicit and implicit system.

Explicit: deliberate mind, with awareness, effortful, and slow

Implicit: non-deliberate automatic mind, unconscious, effortless, and fast

The three states of consciousness are:

1. Conscious State

2. Unconscious State

3. Altered States of Consciousness (sleeping and drugs)

What is selective attention?

brain can only focus on a specific aspect of the environment while ignoring everything else

crucial for info processing and decision making

Selection attention capacity is ___

limited

What is Inattentional blindness?

the failure to notice unexpected objects or events when attention is focused elsewhere.

What is change blindness

a remarkable inability to detect changes in a scene, even when deliberately looking for them

difference between endogenous and exogenous attention

Endogenous: voluntarily, intentional and controlled processing

Exogenous: involuntarily by a stimulus, automatic processing

Automatic processing is

muscle memory (e.g. walking, reading)

Controlled processing

involves deliberate, conscious mental control

(e.g. first time learning to drive)

What is implicit memory?

unconscious recall of information acquired without deliberate learning

What is priming?

facilitation in response to a stimulus due to recent experience with that or related stimulus.

What is subliminal perception?

perception without awareness when the stimulus is too weak to be consciously recognized but still has an impact on your behavior.

Are subliminal messages effective in changing people's attitudes and behaviors

NO

Defense mechanisms are apart of unconscious resources

T/F

True

What are the 5 stages of sleep?

Stage N1: Getting sleepy stage

Decrease in muscle activity and eye movements

Stage N2: Sleep entrance stage

Decrease in brain activity and no eye movements

Stage N3: Deep sleep stage

Mental and body restoration, tissue regrowth, muscle relaxation.

Stage N2: Back to sleep entrance stage

REM Stage: Rapid-Eye Movement stage

Vivid dreaming

Increased brain activity

Major muscle group paralysis