AP Psychology Unit 1

Evolutionary Perspective

how traits develop overtime

Nurture “Environment”

shape individuals psychological development, behaviors, and cognitive processes

Heredity

transmission of genetic information from bio parents to offspring

Cerebral Cortex

outer layer of brain, responsible for higher level of thinking processing

Association Areas

take info and put together to understand world around us

Frontal Lobe

involved in higher level cognitive functions, including decision making

Prefrontal Cortex

region in frontal lobe, executive functioning

Executive Functioning

cognitive processes enable planning, etc.

Motor Cortex

voluntary movements of body

Parietal Lobes

processing sensory information

Somatosensory Cortex

part of parietal lobe; sensations from skin, muscles

Occipital Lobes

visual information from eyes

Visual Cortex

part of occipital lobe; interprets and perceives visual stimuli

Temporal Lobes

auditory information, language comp., memory formation

Auditory Cortex

part of temporal lobe; processes auditory information

Corpus Callosum

band of nerve fibers connect left and right hemispheres of brain, communication and info sharing

Brain Stem

oldest and primitive; basic life-saving functions such as breathing, heart rate, sleep-wake cycles

Brain Stem function

function; pathway b/w neural network and brain

Medulla

base of brain stem; regulating essential information (heart beat, etc.)

Reticular Activating System

network of neurons located in bran stem plays critical part in arousal, attention, cosciousness

Cerebellum

back of brain, coordinating movement, balance, and posture

Limbic System

beneath cerebral cortex, set of brain structures involved in emotions, memory, and motivation

Reward System

network of brain structures, located in limbic system, processes pleasurable experiences, and reinforces behavior

Thalamus

relay station processes and relays sensory information, such as sight, sound, touch, and taste to CEREBRAL CORTEX

Hypothalamus

small but powerful structure below thalamus; regulates various body functions: hunger, thirst, body temp., sleep-wake cycle

Pituitary Gland

base of brain, regulating hormones, and secretion throughout body

Hippocampus

temporal lobe, forms and consolidates new memories

Amygdala

temporal lobe; processing emotions, fear and aggression

central nervous system

spinal cord and brain

peripheral nervous system

nerves and ganglia outside brain and spinal cord

Autonomic nervous system

controlling unconscious bodily functions such as breathing, heart beat

sympathetic nervous system

(function) fight or flight

parasympathetic nervous system

relaxation and restoring calm state

somatic nervous system

division of peripheral nervous system, controlling voluntary movements

neurons

transmit electrical and chemical signals

neuron parts

soma, dendrites, and axon

glial cells

structural support, insulation, nourishment for nerve cells

motor neurons

central nervous system to muscles, glands, organs; voluntary and involuntary movements

sensory neurons

sensory info. from receptors to central nervous system

interneurons

nerve cells serve as connectors within central nervous system

reflex arc

neural pathway controls reflexes, sensory stimuli without conscious thought

neural transmission

neurons communicate with each other

threshold

level of stimulation to trigger

action potential

electrical impulse travels along axon of neuron

all or nothing

once neuron reaches threshold fire action potential at full length

depolarization

action potential where inside of neuron becomes less negative compared to outside

refractory period

brief period following action potential during which neuron is unable to generate another action potential

resting potential

stable negative charge exists across cell membrane of neuron when not actively transmitting

reuptake

neurotransmitters that have been released are reabsorbed by presynaptic neuron

multiple sclerosis

affects central nervous system; immune system attacks myelin sheath

myasthenia gravis

autoimmune disease affects neuromuscular junction where nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles

neurotransmitter

(function) signal between neurons

excitatory neurotransmitter

increases likelihood of action potential in postsynaptic neuron

glutamate

primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system; key role in synaptic transmission

inhibitory neurotransmitter

decreases likelihood of action potentialin postsynaptic neuron

GABA

primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS; promotes relaxation and decreases anxiety

dopamine

neurotransmitter plays role in regulating mood, reward, motivation, and movement

serotonin

neurotransmitter plays vital role in regulating mood, sleep, appetite, and stress

endorphins

neurotransmitters produced by brain and CNS act as natural pain relievers and mood enhancers

substance p

neurotransmitter involved in transmitting pain signals in nervous system

acetylcholine

neurotransmitter plays fundamental role in CNS and PNS; muscle contraction, learning, memory

hormones

chemical messengers produced by glands in endocrine system travel through blood stream

ghrelin

hormone produced primarily by stomach and small intestine promote hunger

leptin

hormone produced by fat cells regulates energy balance and appetite

melatonin

hormone regulates sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythm in body

oxytocin

hormone and neurotransmitter plays key role in SOCIAL BONDING

adrenaline

hormone and neurotransmitter key role in stress response “fight or flight”

norepinephrine

hormone and neurotransmitter involved in fight or flight

plasticity

brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt throughout life in response to experiences, etc.

split brain research

studies individuals who’ve undergone surgical procedure called corpus callosotomy (disconnects two hemispheres of the brain)

contralateral hemisphere organization

each hemisphere controls opposite sides of the body

hemispheric specialization

each hemisphere has specialized functions and abilities

linguistic processing

understanding and producing language

broca’s area

left hemisphere of brain, frontal lobe, responsible for speech production and language processing

broca’s aphasia

language disorder caused by damage to left hemisphere of brain, often from stroke or brain injury

broca’s aphasia symptoms

• telegraphic speech - short, fragmented phrases

• agrammatism - difficulty forming grammatically

• difficulty with articulation - struggle w/ speech sounds

• impaired naming - difficulty recalling or finding words

• frustration - patients may become frustrated or agitated

wernicke’s area

temporal lobe (left hemisphere), involved in language comprehension and understanding spoken and written language

wernicke’s aphasia symptoms

• word salad - gramatically correct but nonsensical

• neologisms - new or inappropriate words

• paraphasia - replacing words

• impaired comprehension - difficulty understanding language

  • lack of awareness - unawareness of language deficits of nonsensical speech

electroenclephalogram “EEG”

non-invasive neuroimaging technique used to record electrical activity in brain

functional magnetic resonance imaging “fMRI”

measure brain activity by detecting changed in blood flow

lesioning

study brain function by intentionally damagining specific areas of brain in experimental animals