AP Psych Unit 1 Daily 5

Heritability

a statistical measure (ranging from 0 to 1) indicating how much of the variation in a specific trait within a population is attributable to genetic differences

Eugenics

social and scientific movement—popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—that aimed to improve the genetic quality of the human population through selective breeding and other interventions.

Twin studies

research designs that compare monozygotic (identical) twins, who share 100% of their genes, and dizygotic (fraternal) twins, who share about 50%, to isolate the effects of heredity versus environment on behavior

Nature

the genetic, hereditary, and biological factors that influence an individual's development, behavior, and mental processes

Nurture

all environmental influences, experiences, and external factors—such as upbringing, culture, education, and social relationships—that shape an individual’s behaviors, traits, and development

Autonomic Nervous System

a branch of the peripheral nervous system that automatically regulates involuntary bodily functions—such as heart rate, digestion, respiration, and pupil dilation—without conscious effort

Central Nervous System

the body's main command center, comprising the brain and spinal cord, responsible for processing information from the senses and coordinating all bodily functions, from thought and memory to voluntary and involuntary actions

Somatic Nervous System

a component of the peripheral nervous system, enables voluntary control of skeletal muscles and transmits sensory information to the central nervous system (CNS)

Sympathetic Nervous System

a branch of the autonomic nervous system that triggers the "fight-or-flight" response, preparing the body for action, stress, or emergencies

Parasympathetic Nervous System

a division of the autonomic nervous system responsible for the "rest and digest" response, which conserves energy, slows the heart rate, and increases digestion

Multiple Sclerosis

a chronic, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system where the immune system attacks and destroys the myelin sheath—the fatty insulation surrounding neurons

Parkinson’s Disease

a neurotransmitter deficiency disorder (insufficient dopamine) leading to motor issues like tremors, bradykinesia (slowness), rigidity, and balance problems

Alzheimer’s Disease

buildup of amyloid plaques and tau tangles, causing neuronal death and reduced acetylcholine levels.

Hormones

chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands and released into the bloodstream to regulate body functions, behaviors, and emotions

Opiate Drugs

a type of depressant that mimics natural endorphins to significantly reduce pain and anxiety. Derived from the opium poppy, they are highly addictive drugs that act as agonists for neurotransmitters associated with pleasure and pain reduction.

Cerebellum

Latin for "little brain") is a hindbrain structure located at the back of the skull, beneath the cerebrum and behind the brainstem. It is primarily responsible for coordinating voluntary movements, maintaining balance and posture, and fine-tuning motor skills. It also plays a role in procedural memory

Reticular formation

a diffuse, net-like network of neurons located in the brainstem (extending from the medulla to the midbrain) that is crucial for regulating arousal, alertness, and sleep-wake cycles

Hippocampus

a seahorse-shaped structure in the brain's medial temporal lobe and limbic system, critical for processing and forming new, explicit (declarative) long-term memories. It converts short-term memories into long-term storage and assists with spatial navigation. Damage prevents creating new memories, known as anterograde amnesia.

Split brain research

studying patients with a severed corpus callosum to understand hemispheric lateralization. It shows that the left hemisphere dominates language and logic, while the right handles spatial/visual tasks. When the hemispheres cannot communicate, they operate independently, revealing that each side processes unique information.

Frontal Lobe

the largest, forward-most brain region responsible for higher-level cognition, including executive functions (planning, decision-making, judgment), voluntary motor control (via the motor cortex), personality expression, and language production (Broca's area)

Circadian Rhythm

the internal, biological 24-hour clock that regulates cycles of alertness, sleepiness, body temperature, and hormone release

Consolidation Theory

the process where newly acquired information (short-term memories) is stabilized into long-term storage, primarily occurring during sleep.It involves strengthening neural connections, specifically through long-term potentiation (LTP), transforming fragile memories into permanent ones.

REM Rebound

the increased frequency, intensity, and duration of REM sleep that occurs after a period of REM sleep deprivation. In AP Psychology, this phenomenon demonstrates that REM sleep is a necessary, compensatory biological drive—when deprived, the brain forces itself into REM faster and more often to restore memory and emotional regulation.

EEG

a non-invasive, functional brain imaging technique that uses electrodes placed on the scalp to record, measure, and graph the electrical activity (brain waves) of the brain. It is widely used in psychology to study sleep stages (e.g., REM vs. NREM), diagnose epilepsy, and monitor brain function during specific tasks.

Narcolepsy

a chronic neurological disorder characterized by uncontrollable, sudden sleep attacks during the day, often causing a direct lapse into REM sleep

Dendrite

the bushy, branch-like extensions at the beginning of a neuron that receive chemical messages (neurotransmitters) from other neurons and conduct these impulses toward the cell body (soma)

Reflex Arc

the neural pathway for a rapid, involuntary response to a stimulus, bypassing conscious brain processing for speed, crucial for survival

Efferent Neurons

nerve cells that carry signals away from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to muscles and glands, initiating action or response. They are crucial for voluntary movement and involuntary responses. A common mnemonic is that efferent neurons make actions exit the central nervous system.

Afferent Neurons

specialized nerve cells in AP Psychology that transmit sensory information (pain, touch, light, sound) from the body's receptors and peripheral nervous system toward the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)

Sensory Neurons

nerve cells that convert external stimuli (light, sound, touch, taste, smell) into electrical impulses, transmitting this information from sensory receptors to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). They act as the body's incoming, one-way communication pathway to initiate perception