The Brain and Behavior & Emotion

Behavioral neuroscience/biological psychology

The study of the brain and behavior.

Hindbrain

Controls basic functions of life.

Medulla

A region of the brain that adjoins the spinal cord and controls breathing, blood circulation, and balance.

Pons

Controls attentiveness and timing of sleep.

Reticular formation

A network of nerves extending from the spinal cord that plays a role in circulation, respiration, digestion, pain modulation, sleep, and consciousness.

Midbrain

Regulates our experience of pain, mood, and shapes motivation.

Cerebellum

Coordinates voluntary movements such as posture, balance, and also judges time and modulates emotions.

Forebrain

Made up of the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex.

Thalamus

Involved in sleep, wakefulness, and relaying sensory signals.

Hypothalamus

Involved in eating, drinking, and sexual activity.

Amygdala

Plays a role in emotional activity.

Hippocampus

Plays a role in learning, memory, spatial orientation, and creating new memories.

Cerebral cortex

Involved in every thought and perception, as well as understanding language and constructing experience.

Longitudinal fissure

A deep groove that runs along the middle of the cortex, separating the brain.

Corpus callosum

Transfers information between both hemispheres of the brain.

Prefrontal cortex

Involved in planning, decision making, mood, personality, and self-awareness.

Neurons

Communication cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Dendrites

Receives signals from other neurons.

Cell Body

Contains the neuron nucleus and all elements needed for metabolic activities.

Axon

Receives signals and sends them out to other parts.

Glia

Provides nourishment to neurons and controls nutrient supply; involved in brain development.

Action potential

Neurons' main response to input and the fundamental information carrier.

Excitatory neurotransmitters

Increase the likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potential; used for functions when we are awake.

Inhibitory neurotransmitter

Decrease the likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potential; used to induce sleep.

Agonists

Drugs that produce a specific action and trigger the receptor to produce a natural response.

Antagonists

Drugs that block or oppose the natural action or response of a receptor.

Degeneracy

Many combinations of neurons make one specific action.

Core system

One to many relationships in neural connections.

Brain components

• Brain structure 

• Action potential

• Neurochemicals

Brain

Left and right hemisphere 

Brain hemispheres

control muscles and processes sensory information on the opposite side

Left side of brain

logic

Right side of brain

creativity

Roger Wolcott Sperry

created theory of right and left side of the brain, but not absolute

Brain lateralization

each side of the brain has different functions

James-Lange Theory

feelings follow our bodily reactions to external situations

Cannon-Bard Theory

our physiological responses to emotions are quite general

Classical View

• Emotions are built from birth

• Unique neuronal pathways generate them

• Universally felt and recognized

Display rules

Rules about what emotions are appropriate to show in a situation

Emotion

• Physical properties of the body

• Flexible brain

• Culture and upbringing

Emotion regulation means influence

• Type of emotion

• Timing of emotion

• Expression of emotion

Expression of emotions

• Body posture

• Voice

• Context

• Experience

Circumplex Model of Affect

Idea that any of the emotions you might feel are expressed on a spectrum and is a combination of valence, positive or negative, and arousal, excited or not excited