HOSA Behavioral Health (pt 2?)

EEG (Electroencephalogram)

Records electrical activity of the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp. Useful for studying sleep and seizures.

CT (Computed Tomography) scan

Series of X-ray images taken from different angles, combined into cross-sectional images of the brain.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan

Detects brain activity by tracking radioactive glucose consumption.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of brain structures.

fMRI (Functional MRI)

Measures brain activity by detecting blood flow changes.

Brainstem

Oldest part of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions. Includes medulla, pons, and midbrain.

Medulla

Controls heartbeat, breathing, and other vital reflexes.

Pons

Relays signals between cerebrum and cerebellum; involved in sleep and arousal.

Reticular formation

Network of neurons in brainstem controlling arousal and consciousness.

Thalamus

Brain's sensory switchboard, relays messages between sensory organs and cortex.

Cerebellum

Controls coordination, balance, and fine motor skills.

Limbic System

Neural system including hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus; associated with emotions, memory, and drives.

Amygdala

Two small neural clusters linked to emotion, especially fear and aggression.

Hippocampus

Critical for memory formation and spatial navigation.

Hypothalamus

Regulates body maintenance (hunger, thirst, temperature, sexual behavior). Controls pituitary gland.

Cerebral cortex

Intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering cerebral hemispheres; ultimate control and information-processing center.

Frontal lobes

Involved in speaking, muscle movements, planning, and judgment.

Parietal lobes

Process sensory information for touch and body position.

Occipital lobes

Receive and process visual information.

Temporal lobes

Include auditory areas; process hearing and language.

Motor cortex

Located at rear of frontal lobe; controls voluntary movements.

Somatosensory cortex

Located at front of parietal lobes; registers touch and body sensations.

Association areas

Areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; involved in higher thinking, memory, learning, speaking.

Corpus callosum

Large band of neural fibers connecting the two hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

Plasticity

Brain's ability to change and adapt, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or building new pathways.

Neurogenesis

Formation of new neurons in the brain.

Split-brain

Condition from surgery cutting corpus callosum; hemispheres act independently.

Left hemisphere functions

Language, logic, analytical thought.

Right hemisphere functions

Creativity, spatial ability, recognition of faces and emotions.

Dual processing

Principle that information is often processed simultaneously on conscious and unconscious tracks.

Consciousness

Awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Circadian rhythm

Biological clock regulating body rhythms (temperature, wakefulness) on a 24-hour cycle.

Sleep stages

NREM-1, NREM-2, NREM-3 (deep sleep), REM sleep (dreaming, brain activity increases, muscles paralyzed).

Sleep disorders

Insomnia (trouble falling/staying asleep), narcolepsy (sudden sleep attacks), sleep apnea (breathing stops during sleep), night terrors (high arousal, intense fear).

Dreams

Sequences of images, emotions, and thoughts during sleep. Freud believed dreams reveal unconscious desires.

Developmental psychology

Study of physical, cognitive, and social change across the lifespan.

Nature vs. nurture

Debate over the relative influence of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) on development.

Continuity vs. stages

Debate over whether development is gradual and continuous or occurs in distinct stages.

Stability vs. change

Debate over whether traits remain stable over time or change.

Prenatal development stages

Zygote (0-2 weeks), Embryo (2-9 weeks), Fetus (9 weeks to birth).

Teratogens

Harmful substances (e.g., alcohol, drugs, viruses) that can cause prenatal damage.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Reflexes in newborns

Rooting, sucking, grasping, Moro (startle), Babinski.

Piaget's stages of cognitive development

Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-6), Concrete operational (7-11), Formal operational (12+).

Object permanence

Awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived (develops ~8 months).

Egocentrism

Inability of preoperational children to see another's perspective.

Conservation

Understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape (concrete operational stage).

Attachment

Emotional bond between infant and caregiver.

Harlow's monkey experiment

Showed infants prefer comfort (cloth mother) over nourishment (wire mother with food).

Erikson's stages of psychosocial development

8 stages from infancy (trust vs mistrust) to late adulthood (integrity vs despair).

Adolescence

Transitional period between childhood and adulthood, marked by puberty and identity formation.

Emerging adulthood

Period from ~18-25 years; not yet fully independent but beyond adolescence.

Menopause

Natural cessation of menstruation, typically around age 50.

Learning

Relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience.

Classical conditioning

Learning in which an organism associates stimuli and anticipates events.

Ivan Pavlov

Discovered classical conditioning through experiments with dogs.

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

Stimulus that naturally triggers a response (e.g., food).

Unconditioned response (UR)

Unlearned, natural response to a stimulus (e.g., salivation).

Conditioned stimulus (CS)

Previously neutral stimulus that, after association, triggers a conditioned response.

Conditioned response (CR)

Learned response to a conditioned stimulus.

Acquisition

Initial stage of learning in classical conditioning.

Extinction

Diminishing of a conditioned response when US no longer follows CS.

Spontaneous recovery

Reappearance of a weakened CR after a pause.

Generalization

Tendency for similar stimuli to elicit similar responses.

Discrimination

Learned ability to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli.

Operant conditioning

Type of learning where behavior is strengthened if followed by reinforcement or diminished if followed by punishment.

B.F. Skinner

Developed operant conditioning, using Skinner boxes with animals.

Reinforcement

Event that strengthens a behavior.

Positive reinforcement

Adding a desirable stimulus to increase behavior.

Negative reinforcement

Removing an aversive stimulus to increase behavior.

Primary reinforcer

Unlearned reinforcer (e.g., food, water).

Secondary reinforcer

Conditioned reinforcer (e.g., money, praise).

Schedules of reinforcement

Fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, variable interval.

Punishment

Event that decreases behavior.

Positive punishment

Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease behavior.

Negative punishment

Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior.

Observational learning

Learning by watching others.

Albert Bandura

Studied observational learning with the Bobo doll experiment.

Memory

Persistence of learning over time through storage and retrieval of information.

Encoding

Processing of information into memory.

Storage

Retention of encoded information over time.

Retrieval

Process of getting information out of memory storage.

Sensory memory

Immediate, brief recording of sensory information (iconic and echoic memory).

Short-term memory

Activated memory holding a few items briefly (about 7 ± 2 items).

Long-term memory

Relatively permanent and limitless storehouse of memory.

Working memory

Active processing of incoming information and retrieval from long-term memory.

Explicit memory

Memory of facts and experiences that can be consciously declared (a.k.a. declarative).

Implicit memory

Retention without conscious recollection (skills, conditioned associations).

Hippocampus (memory)

Neural center in limbic system helping process explicit memories.

Cerebellum (memory)

Important for forming and storing implicit memories created by classical conditioning.

Recall

Retrieving information learned earlier (e.g., essay test).

Recognition

Identifying previously learned information (e.g., multiple choice).

Relearning

Learning material a second time more quickly.

Priming

Activation of certain associations in memory.

Mood-congruent memory

Tendency to recall experiences consistent with one's mood.

Proactive interference

Old information interferes with recalling new information.

Retroactive interference

New information interferes with recalling old information.

Amnesia

Loss of memory.

Anterograde amnesia

Inability to form new memories.

Retrograde amnesia

Inability to retrieve old memories.