Biological Bases of Behavior Vocab

Biological psychology

a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior.

Neuron

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.

Dendrites

A neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

Axon

A threadlike extension of a neuron that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body.

Myelin sheath

A layer of fatty tissue that protects the Axon and increases the speed of the transmition

Action Potential

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon. The action potential is generated by the movement of positively charged atoms in and out of channels in the axon's membrane.

Refractory period

The period of time during which a neuron cannot respond to another stimulus because the membrane is returning to its polarized state

Threshold

Must be reached to causes the neuron to fire

All-or-none response

a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.

Synapse

A junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next.

Reuotake

Endorphins

"morphine within" - natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Agonist

A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter.

Nervous System

Brain, nerve cells, spinal cord

Central Nervous System

The brain and spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System

A division of the nervous system consisting of all nerves that are not part of the brain or spinal cord.

Nerves

Bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

Sensory (Afferent) Neurons

changes the stimulation into and action potential or nervous impulse that travels along the axon to the spinal cord

Motor (Efferent) Neurons

Voluntary somatic nervous system

Interneurons

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Somatic Nervous System

Sudivision of peripheral nevous system, controls voluntary muscle movemnt (Soma = body)

Automatic Nervous System

Sudivision of peripheral nevous system controling all involintary (automatic) musclemovemnts. ex: heart beat, blicking, breathing , etc...

Sympathetic nervous system

Fight or Flight respnce, subdivision of the autonomic nervous system.

Parasympathetic nervous system

The calm after the fight or flight responce, slows heartbeat and restores normal body functions, subdivision of the autonomic nervous system.

Reflex

Simplest form of behavior

Endocrine System

Glands secrete hormones that regulate processes such as growth, reproduction, and nutrient use (metabolism) by body cells.

Hormones

Chemicals produced by your glands that regulate the activities of different body cells

Adrenal glands

produces stress hormones, secrets adrenaline and noradrenaline to prepare for Fight-or-Flight response

Pituitary glands

Produces stumulating hormones, "Master gland"

Lesion

Precise destruction of the brain tissue.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

tracing of brain activity prduced when electrodes positioned over the scalp transmit signals about the brain's electrical activity.

CT Scan

Computerized image using X-rays, Shows Brain structure, cannot show brain activity.

PET Scan

Best way to see activity in the brain, patient usually swallows glucose, can see part of the brain using glucose

MRI

Creates a detailed computerized image using magnetic forces and raido waves causing emission of signals depending on tissue density.

FMRI

Shows brain functions at a higher rez than PET scans though changes in oxegyn concentration near actove nurons altering magnetic qualities.

Brainstem

The oldest part and central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions.

Medulla

Base of brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Thalamus

A structure in the forebrain through which all sensory information (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex.

Reticular Formation

A nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.

Cerebellum

coordinates complex motor functions, balance and coordination.

Limbic system

Motivation, memory, emotions, violent behaviors, sociosexual behaviors, conditioned responses

Amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

Hypothalamus

directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion. (Body temp; Hypothermia)

Cerebral Cortex

The part of the brain where information processing takes place. Divided into four lobes.

Glial cells

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Frontal lobe

Largest and longest lobe in each hemisphere. Located in the upper forward half. Association areas are involved with planning, problem-solving, personality, decision making, controlling emotions and speech production

Parietal lobe

Portion of the cerebral cortexr; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Occidental Lobe

Recives visual information

Temporal lobe

Primary receiving area for auditory information

Motor cortex

Controls voluntary movement

Somatosensory cortex

A brain area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensations

Association areas

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

Plasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.

Neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

Corpus callosum

Connects the left & right hemispheres of the brain.

Split brain

A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them.

Consciousness

Awareness of ourselves and our environment

Cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

Dual processing

Behavior Genetics

the study of relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Environment

The sum of your surroundings

Chromosomes

A cellular structure carrying genetic material, found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. Each chromosome consists of one very long DNA molecule and associated proteins

DNA

A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

Genes

Chemical factors that determine traits

Genome

All the genetic information in an organism; all of an organism's chromosomes.

Identical Twins

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

Fraternal Twins

Twins who develop from separate eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment

Molecular genetics

the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

Heritability

the ability of a trait to be passed down from one generation to the next

Interaction

Epigenetics

Evolutionary psychology

Natural Selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Mutation

A rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating genetic diversity.

Paul Broca

discovered area in the brain (named for him) in the left frontal lobe responsible for language production.

Carl Wernicke

discovered the speech comprehension center of the brain; Wernicke's area

Roger Sperry

Studied split brain patients; showed that left/right hemispheres have different functions

Micheal Gazzaniga

Continued Sperry's research by advancing understanding of how two cerebral hemispheres communicate with one another.

Charles Darwin

Evolution by "natural selection" (the weaker die out) wrote On the Origin of Species