Studied by 35 PeopleCerebral cortex
Tags & Description
Cerebral cortex
the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; body’s ultimate control and information-processing center
Glial cells (“glue cells”)
cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; plays a role in learning and thinking
Frontal lobe
behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and making plans and judgments
Parietal lobe
top of the head, toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position
Occipital Lobe
back of the head; receive information from the visual fields
Temporal Lobe
above the ears; auditory areas, receiving information from the opposite ear
Motor Cortex
an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement
Sensory cortex
area at the front of parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
Association areas
areas of the cerebral cortex involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking (not primary motor or sensory functions)
Plasticity
the brain’s ability to change or modify itself; reorganizing after damage; building new pathways
Neurogenesis
the formation of new neurons
Corpus-callosum
the large band of neural fibers connecting the 2 brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
Split brain
a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s 2 hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them
Cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory and language)
Dual Processing
processing the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
Two-Track Mind
Visual perception and action track
Behavior geneticist
the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Chromosome
threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes
Genome
the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes
Genes
the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes (segments of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins); Active (expressed) vs. inactive
Identical twins (monozygotic)
twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two (genetically identical)
Fraternal twins (dizygotic)
twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs
Molecular genetics
the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes
Heritability
the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes; difference among people
Genes and experience interact
the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (ex. environment) depends on another factor (ex. heredity)