ap psych sem 1 all units kbat

Acetylcholine

Neurotransmitter for muscle action/memory; low = Alzheimer’s

Action potential

Electrical signal in neuron; neuron fires to send info

Adoption studies

Compare traits in adopted vs biological kids; see nature vs nurture

Adrenaline

Stress hormone; increases heart rate in danger

Agonists

Drugs that enhance neurotransmitters; morphine boosts endorphins

All-or-nothing principle

Neuron fires fully or not at all; no partial firing

Amygdala

Emotion center; fear responses

Antagonists

Drugs that block neurotransmitters; Botox blocks acetylcholine

Aphasia (Broca’s and Wernicke’s)

Language impairment; Broca = speech production, Wernicke = comprehension

Association areas

Brain regions for complex processing; math, language, thinking

Autonomic nervous system

Involuntary functions; heart rate, digestion

Axons

Neuron part sending signals; carry action potentials

Brain stem

Controls basic functions; breathing, heartbeat

Broca’s area

Speech production; damage = difficulty speaking

Central nervous system

Brain + spinal cord; processes info

Cerebellum

Coordination and balance; riding a bike

Cerebral cortex

Outer brain layer; higher thinking

Contralateral hemispheric organization

Brain hemispheres control opposite body sides; left brain → right hand

Corpus callosum

Connects hemispheres; allows info sharing

CAT

Brain scan; shows structure

Dendrites

Receive signals; tree-like branches on neuron

Depolarization

Neuron becomes less negative; triggers action potential

Dopamine

Mood/movement neurotransmitter; low = Parkinson’s

EEG

Measures brain waves; detects sleep patterns

Endorphins

Natural painkillers; released during exercise

Eugenics

Study of improving genes; unethical historical practice

Evolutionary perspective

Behavior explained by survival/reproduction; fear of snakes adaptive

Excitatory neurotransmitters

Cause neurons to fire; glutamate

Executive functioning

Planning/problem-solving skills; organizing a project

fMRI

Measures brain activity; shows which areas active during tasks

Frontal lobes

Thinking, planning, personality; decision making

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter; calms brain

Genetic predisposition

Inherited likelihood of trait; family history of diabetes

Glial cells

Support neurons; provide nutrients and structure

Glutamate

Main excitatory neurotransmitter; learning/memory

Hemispheric specialization

Left vs right brain functions; language = left

Heredity

Passing traits via genes; eye color

Higher-order thinking

Complex problem solving; critical thinking

Hippocampus

Memory formation; forming new long-term memories

Hormones

Chemical messengers; insulin regulates blood sugar

Hypothalamus

Regulates drives; hunger, thirst, body temp

Inhibitory neurotransmitters

Prevent neuron firing; GABA

Interneurons

Connect sensory + motor neurons; reflexes

Lesioning

Destroy brain tissue to study function; animal research

Limbic system

Emotion and memory; includes amygdala and hippocampus

Linguistic processing

Language comprehension/production; reading a sentence

Medulla

Controls heartbeat and breathing; part of brain stem

Motor cortex

Controls voluntary movement; sending signal to hand

Motor neurons

Carry signals from brain to muscles; lifting arm

MRI

Detailed brain imaging; shows soft tissue structure

Multiple sclerosis

Neuron damage disease; myelin sheath deterioration

Myasthenia gravis

Autoimmune disease; muscle weakness

Myelin Sheath

Insulates neuron; speeds signal transmission

Natural selection

Survival of fittest; traits aiding survival persist

Nature v. Nurture

Genes vs environment influence behavior; height = both

Neural transmission

Neuron communication; action potentials traveling

Neurons

Basic brain cells; transmit info

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals for neuron signaling; dopamine, serotonin

Norepinephrine

Stress hormone/neurotransmitter; alertness

Occipital lobes

Vision processing; back of brain

Parasympathetic nervous system

Calms body; slows heart rate

Parietal lobes

Senses, touch, spatial awareness

Peripheral nervous system

Nerves outside CNS; connects brain/spinal cord to body

Pituitary gland

Master gland; controls hormones

Plasticity

Brain’s ability to change; recovery after injury

Polarization

Neuron resting state; ready to fire

Prefrontal cortex

Decision-making, personality; front of frontal lobes

Receptor Sites

Where neurotransmitters bind; lock-and-key

Reflex arc

Simple neural pathway; knee-jerk reflex

Refractory period

Neuron reset time; cannot fire immediately again

Resting potential

Neuron at rest; negative inside

Reticular activating system

Arousal and attention; wakes you up

Reuptake

Neurotransmitter reabsorption; SSRIs prevent serotonin reuptake

Reward center

Brain region for pleasure; nucleus accumbens

Sensory neurons

Carry info from senses to CNS; touch, pain

Serotonin

Mood neurotransmitter; low = depression

Soma

Neuron cell body; keeps neuron alive

Somatic nervous system

Voluntary movement; skeletal muscles

Somatosensory cortex

Processes touch; parietal lobe

Split brain research

Study of corpus callosum severed; left/right functions separated

Substance p

Pain neurotransmitter; signals hurt

Sympathetic nervous system

Fight or flight; increases heart rate

Synaptic cleft/gap

Space between neurons; neurotransmitters cross here

Temporal lobes

Processes sound, language; sides of brain

Terminal buttons/axon terminal

Release neurotransmitters; end of axon

Thalamus

Relay sensory info; except smell

Threshold

Minimum stimulus to trigger neuron; just enough light to see

TMS

Magnetic stimulation of brain; can activate or inhibit neurons

Twin studies

Compare identical vs fraternal twins; study heritability

Vesicles

Store neurotransmitters; release at axon terminal

Wernicke’s area

Language comprehension; damage = meaningless speech

APA

American Psychological Association; sets ethics/research standards

Behaviorism

Psych approach focusing on observable behavior; studied by Watson/Skinner

Biopsychosocial

Model considering biological, psychological, and social factors; health outcomes

Case study

In-depth study of one person/group; Phineas Gage brain injury

Central tendency

Measure of typical score; mean, median, mode

Cognitive

Related to thinking processes; memory, problem-solving

Confederates

People who help experimenter; act as participants

Confidentiality

Protecting participant info; anonymous surveys

Confirmation bias

Favor info supporting beliefs; ignoring contradictory evidence