Psych unit 3 chapter

Dendrite

Receives information from other neurons & passes the message through the cell body

Association area

Shapes information into something meaningful

Endocrine system

Released hormones into the body that can cause various reactions

Cerebrum

The largest part of the brain, responsible for higher brain functions, including thought, action, and sensory processing.

Automatic Nervous System

Controls involuntary bodily functions (heartrate, breating)

Synapse

Between the axon terminals of one neuron & the dendrites of another neuron that creates communication

Peripheral Nervous System

Made up of nerve cells that send messages between the Central NS and other body parts

Adrenal Glands

Endocrine glands that produce hormones (adrenaline and cortisol), regulating stress responses & metabolism

Neurons

Specialized cells that transmit information throughout the body via electrical and chemical signals

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons or from neurons to muscles. They play a crucial role in communication within the nervous system

Somatic Nervous System

Transmits sensory messages to the Central NS. Activated by touch, pain, temp changes, body position changes

Parasympathetic nervous system

Responsible for conserving energy and promoting rest-and-digest activities after emergencies

Cerebral Cortex

Composed of areas that involve sensory and motor functions

Sympathetic Nervous System

Prepares the body for stressful or emergency situations. "fight or flight"

Pons

Involved in regulating body movement, attention, sleep & alertness

Corpus Callosum

The structure that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain

Thalamus

Transmits sensory information

Brocas area

Speech production & language processing

Pituitary gland

Responsible for the secretion of hormones that affect behavior

Electroencephalograms

Used to measure electricity in the brain

Neurons structure

Cell body: Produces energy that fuels the activity of the cell

Dendrite: Receive information from other neurons & passes the message through the cell body

Axon: Carries messages away from the cells

Neuron function

• Sends and receives neurotransmitters

• Carry signals throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems

How are messages transmitted?

travels down the neurons axon to the axon terminal

Nature vs Nurture debate

if genetics or external influences influence a child's growth and development

Kinship study

• Kinship: the degree in which people are related

• Used to find out the roles that hereditary and environment play in determining a trait

1979 study:

• Thomas Bouchard + colleagues

• examined twins who were reared apart

• found out that psychological & personality traits (intelligence, traditionalism, risk avoidance) are influenced by hereditary