Psych Topic 2 Test

biological psychology

the scientific study of the links between biological and psychological process

neuroplasticity

the brains ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

ways to find out more about the brain

• lesion (tissue destruction)

• chemical, electrical, or magnetic stimulus

• snoop on messages sent by individual neurons

behavior genetics

the study of how genetics and the environment influence behavior and traits

genes

segments of our DNA that hold instructions for a trait, some dormant and some are active

DNA

a complex molecule that contains multiple genes strung together

chromosomes

the thread-like structures made up of DNA that live in the nuclei of cells

genome

the complete instruction manual for a given organism, every living thing has a different genome (there is also individual genome and human genome)

twin studies

identical twins have the same genes

even after separating twins, they are found to have very similar personalities, indicating that personality is genetically predesposed

adoption studies

personality is likely caused by genes because personality is very much like biological parents

molecular genetics

subfield of biology where they look at the molecular structure and function of genes

heritability

• the extent to which differences among people are attributed to genes

• is talking about populations, not individual people

• high heritability: genetics play a large role in the differences among people (not environement)

epigenetics

• the study of environmental influences on gene expression

• there are certain things in the environment that can turn genes on or off (theoretically forever)

• things are BPA free because BPA is plastic chemicals that turn on certain genes that lead to cancers/diseases

evolutionary psychology

• essentially natural selection

• for mating preferences: men look for women who are young and look young and have wide hips; women look for older men with a higher social status

• evolutionary psychologists think this is innate

electroencephalogram(EEG)

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brains surface; waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

mostly used in sleep studies, focused on function

computed tomography (CT) scan

examines the brain by taking x-ray photographs that can reveal brain damage

usually post head injury or something

positron emission tomography (PET) scan

a technique for detecting brain activity that displays where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given test

often used for diagnosing alzheimer’s

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue, shows brain anatomy as well

brain damage or stroke, 3D image

functional MRI (fMRI)

a technique for revealing blood flow and therefore brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans, shows function and structure

phineas gage

• railroad worker who survived an iron bar piercing his skull

• his frontal lobe was severed, revealing its importance

  • behavior became erratic and unpredictable

  • lost emotional self control and balance

lesion

taking a piece out/destroying a piece of the brain

brainstem

the central core of the brain; beginning where the spinal cord swells(medulla) as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

medulla

brainstem’s base; controls heartbeat and breathing

pons

in brainstem; helps coordinate movements and control sleep

the brain’s contralateral hemispheric organization

most nerves to and from each side of the brain connect with the body’s opposite side

thalamus

limbic system; the forebrain’s sensory control center; receives information from all the senses except smell and routes the information into sensory receiving areas in the cortex

• traffic(information) is essentially passing en route to its destinations (train analogy)

reticular formation

a nerve network extending from the spinal cord up through the thalamus; it filters information and plays an important role in controlling arousal/alertness

cerebellum

“little brain”; processing sensory input; coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

limbic system

neural system associated with emotions and memory formation

amygdala

part of the limbic system; enables fear and aggression

hypothalamus

limbic system; directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp.), helps govern the endocrine system; is linked to emotion and reward

hippocampus

linked to conscious memory

pituitary gland

master endocrine gland, hormone secretion

cerebrum

two cerebral hemispheres that enable our perceiving, thinking, and speaking

cerebral cortex

a thin surface layer of interconnective cells covering the forebrain, cerebral hemispheres

• contains a lot of nerve cells & synaptic connections

frontal lobes

enable linguistic processing, muscle movements, high-order thinking, and executive functioning (like making plans and judgements)

parietal lobes

receives sensory input for touch and body position

occipital lobes

includes areas that recieve information from the visual fields

temporal lobes

includes auditory areas which receive information from the opposite ear primarily, also enables language processing

motor cortex

voluntary movement

somatosensory cortex

registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

• the more sensitive the body region, the larger the somatosensory cortex area devoted to it is

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary or sensory functions, but rather are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

prefrontal cortex

enables judgement, planning, social interactions, and processing of new memories

nervous system

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

central nervous system (CNS)

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

nerves

bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, sensory organs

sensory (afferent) neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

motor (efferent) neurons

carry messages rom the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

interneurons

neurons within the spinal cord, communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles

autonomic nervous system

part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs

sympathetic nervous system

division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy

parasympathetic nervous system

division of the autonomic nervous system, calms the body, conserving its energy

reflexes

automatic response to stimuli

dendrites

neurons, “tentacles” recieve and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward cell body

axon

passes messages through its branches to other neurons or muscles or glands

myelin sheath

fatty tissue encasing the axons of some neurons, speeds up transmission

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

action potential

a neural impulse, a brief electrical charge traveling down an axon

resting potential

salty banana, the fluid outside an axon’s membrane has mostly positively charged ions, inside is mostly negatively charged

depolarization

loss of inside/outside charge difference of axon membrane

excitatory

like pushing a neuron’s acceleration

inhibitory

pushing its brake

threshold

the level of stimulation needed to trigger an action potential

all-or-nothing response

a neuron’s reaction of either firing (with a full strength response) or not firing

synapse

the point between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron; tiny gap is the synaptic gap

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gap between neurons

reuptake

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron

acetylcholine

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

dopamine

influences movement, leaning, attention, and emotion

serotonin

affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

norepinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter

glutamate

a major excitatory one, involved in memory

endorphines

influence perception of pain and pleasure

substance P

pain perception and immune response

agonist

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action

antagonist

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action

endocrine system

your body’s “slow” chemical communication system; a set of glands and fat tissue that secretes hormones into the bloodstream

hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by endocrine glands, travels through the bloodstream and affects other tissues

neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

corpus collosum

the band of neural fibers connecting the hemispheres of the brain and carrying messages between them

split brain

a condition resulting from surgery where the corpus callosum is severed, resulting in messages no longer being sent between the hemispheres

• information from your left visual field goes to your right hemisphere (nonverbal, can communicate through drawing), and information from your right visual field goes to your left hemisphere (which typically controls speech)

right hemisphere

more active with perceptual tasks

left hemisphere

more active with calculations or speaks