Biology and Behavior Review

These flashcards cover key concepts related to biology and behavior, focusing on physiological psychology, genetics, and neuroanatomy.

Physiological Psychology

The study of behavior as influenced by biological factors.

Behavior Genetics

The application of evolutionary theory principles to the study of behavior.

Genes

Biological elements responsible for carrying information about traits across generations.

Evolutionary perspective

how the principles of evolution, including survival of the fittest and natural selection apply to psychology

Eugenics

Discriminatory racist principle that states only desirable traits should be reproduced

Epigenetics

The study of how the environment and behavior affect gene expression.

Behavior genetics

• the ways we are different from each other

• primary methods of research include twin studies, family studies, and adoption studies

Heritability

The degree of differences among individuals attributed to genetic variation.

Environmentality

the level to which a trait's expression is caused by the environment in which the organism lives

Nature vs Nurture Debate

The discussion on the influence of genetics (nature) versus environment (nurture) on behavior.

Decided it was both

Twin studies

compares monozygotic (identical) to dizygotic (non identical) twins

Family studies

looks at the frequency of certain traits in certain families

Adoption studies

• look at the intersections between genetics and the environment

  • Example: how would identical twins raised in different environments differ from each other

Down Syndrome

• occurs when there are three copies of the 21st chromosome

  • Causes some degree of intellectual disability

Huntington's chorea

• genetic disorder resulting in muscle impairment that does not typically occur until the age of 40

  • Caused by the degeneration of the structure of the brain known as basal ganglia

  • It is fatal

  • Frequently passed down to the next generation before its symptoms are manifested

Nervous System

The system comprising the central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous systems.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

comprising the brain and the spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system

comprising all other nerves in the body

Neuron

from a network that extends to the spinal cord, which is encased in protective bones of the spine aka the vertebrae

Cerebrospinal fluid

brain and spine are encased in protective liquid

Nerves

• In the spinal cord where neurons are bundled into strands of interconnected neurons

  • Responsible for conveying information to and from the brain and the PNS

Sensory neurons( afferent)

Nerves sending information to the brain

Motor neurons (Efferent)

• Nerves conveying information from the brain

  • small subset of movement are controlled by direct transmission from afferent to efferent cell at the level of the spinal cord

Reflexes

Quick and involuntary responses to environmental stimuli

What is the reflex path?

Path goes from a sensory neuron to a motor neuron

3 neurons in the spinal cord

Sensory, motor neurons, and interneurons

What is PNS subdivided into?

can be subdivided into the somatic nervous system and the automatic nervous system

Somatic nervous System

responsible for voluntary movement of large skeletal muscles

Autonomic nervous system

• controls the non-skeletal/smooth muscles, such as the heart and digestive tract

  • not under voluntary control (autonomic=automatic)

What can the Autonomic nervous system be divided down into?

sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

Sympathetic

• associated with processes that burn energy

  • aroused in a fight, for example, digestion ceases, blood transfers to skeletal muscle, and heart rate increases

Parasympathetic

• complementary system responsible for conserving energy

  • fight ends which send blood to the stomach for digestion, slowing the heart rate, and conserving energy

  • returns body to homeostasis

Neurons

Cells with a clearly defined, uncleared cell body, or soma

Dendrites

• Branch out from Soma

  • receive input from other neurons through receptors in their surface

Axon

long, tubelike structure that responds to input from the dendrites and soma

transmits a neural message down its length and then passes its information on to the other cells

Myelin Sheath

 it is a fatty coating surrounding the axon

Myelin sheath function

• serves as insulation for axons and also speeds up the rate at which electrical information travels down them

• The better insulated= the faster and more efficient the sending of action potentials

• Looks like beads on a string

Nodes of Ranvier

• gaps between the “beads”

  • help speed up neural transmission

Terminal button

• knobs on the branched end of the axon

  • come very closely to the cell bodies and dendrites of other neurons but they don’t touch

Synapse

The gap between neurons where neurotransmitters are released.

Glial cells

non-neuronal cells that provide support, both physical and chemical, to the neurons

Action Potential

A disturbance in the membrane potential that transmits neural messages.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across synapses between neurons.

Dendrites

Branch-like structures that receive input from other neurons.

Axon

A long structure that transmits neural messages away from the soma.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Part of the autonomic nervous system that activates bodily systems during stress.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Part of the autonomic nervous system that conserves energy and promotes relaxation.

Neural communication

Occurs both between and withing cells

Resting membrane potential

• An electric potential across the plasma membrane of approximately-70 millivolts (mV) exists, in which the interior of the cell is negatively charged with respect to the exterior of the cell

  • Cells can be described as polarized: negative on inside, positive in outside

Electrochemical

Communication within cells

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain, involved in higher cognitive functions.

Limbic System

The emotional center of the brain, involved in responses to emotions and memory.

Circadian Rhythm

The body’s internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

Sleep Apnea

Disorder characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep.

Dyssomnias

Sleep disorders involving the quality and timing of sleep.

REM Sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep, associated with dreaming.

Phantom Limb Sensation

Perception of sensations in an amputated limb.

Prosopagnosia

A disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces.

Place Theory

Theory stating that different sound frequencies stimulate different locations on the basilar membrane.

Conductive Deafness

Hearing loss due to injury to the outer or middle ear.

Sensorineural Deafness

Hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or auditory pathways.

Transduction

The conversion of stimulus energy into neural impulses.

Pheromones

Chemical substances released that trigger social behaviors in other species.

Gustation

The sense of taste, processed through taste buds on the tongue.

Sensory Adaptation

The diminished sensitivity to a stimulus as a consequence of constant exposure.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections.