Unit 1 - Biological Bases of Behavior

Evolutionary Perspective

Looks at how human behaviors helped our ancestors survive and reproduce.

Natural Selection

Process where traits that enhance survival and reproduction are passed on more frequently.

Nature

The influence of genetic factors on traits and behaviors.

Nurture

The influence of environmental factors on traits and behaviors.

Twin Studies

Research comparing the similarities between identical and
fraternal twins to understand the influence of genetics versus environment.

Adoption Studies

Studies that compare biologically related people

Family Studies

Research looking at behavioral traits in families to determine how much is genetic versus environmental.

Heredity

The passing of traits from parents to offspring through genes.

Genetic Predisposition

The likelihood of developing certain traits or disorders based on genetics.

Eugenics

A controversial and unethical movement aimed at improving the genetic composition of humans through selective breeding.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain

Frontal Lobes

Involved in decision-making

Prefrontal Cortex

Part of the frontal lobes involved in planning complex
behaviors and expressing personality.

Executive Functioning

Higher order processes including planning

Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary movements.

Parietal Lobes

Processes sensory information like touch and spatial
awareness.

Somatosensory Cortex

Area of the brain that processes sensory input from various body parts.

Occipital Lobes

Responsible for vision

Temporal Lobes

Involved in hearing

Corpus Callosum

Thick band of nerve fibers that connects the two brain hemispheres.

Brainstem

Supports basic life functions

Medulla

Part of the brainstem that controls vital life-sustaining
functions like heartbeat and breathing.

Reticular Activating
System

Regulates
wakefulness and
sleep-wake transitions.

Cerebellum:

Coordinates
voluntary movements like
posture

Limbic System:

Involved in
emotion

Reward Center:

Brain areas
that regulate the
experience of pleasure.

Thalamus:

Relay motor and
sensory signals to the
cerebral cortex.

Hypothalamus:

Regulates
body temperature

Pituitary Gland:

The
master gland of the
endocrine system that
regulates other glands.

Hippocampus:

Essential for
learning and memory.

Amygdala:

Involved in
emotion processing

Nervous System:

The
body's communication
network consisting of
nerve cells.

Central Nervous System:

Consists of the brain and
spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous
System:

The sensory and
motor neurons that
connect the central
nervous system to the rest
of the body.

Autonomic Nervous
System:

Controls
involuntary bodily
functions.

Sympathetic Nervous
System:

Activates the
body's resources during
stress and emergencies.

Parasympathetic
Nervous System:

Conserves energy and
restores the body to a
calm state.

Somatic Nervous System:

Controls voluntary
movements.

Neurons:

Nerve cells that
transmit information
throughout the body.

Glial Cells:

Support cells in
the nervous system.

Motor Neurons:

Carry
signals from the spinal
cord to muscles to
produce movement.

Sensory Neurons:

Carry
signals from body parts to
the central nervous
system.

Interneurons:

Connect
sensory and motor
neurons and carry
impulses between them.

Reflex Arc:

The nerve
pathway involved in a
reflex action.

Neural Transmission:

The
process by which neurons
communicate with each
other.

Threshold:

The level of
stimulation required to
trigger a neural impulse.

Action Potential:

A neural
impulse

a brief electrical
charge that travels down
an axon.

All-or-Nothing Principle:

The rule that neurons are
either on or off.

Depolarization:

A
decrease in the electrical
charge across a cell
membrane.

Refractory Period:

A
period immediately
following stimulation
during which a nerve or
muscle is unresponsive
to further stimulation.

Resting Potential:

The
state of the neuron when
not firing a neural
impulse.

Reuptake:

The absorption by a presynaptic nerve ending of a neurotransmitter that it has secreted.

Consciousness:

The
awareness of internal
and external stimuli.

Circadian Rhythm

(Sleep/Wake Cycle): The
body's natural 24-hour
cycle

Jet Lag:

Fatigue caused
by travel across different
time zones

Shift Work:

Employment
with work hours
scheduled at
non-standard times.

NREM Stage 1:

The initial
stage of sleep

Hypnagogic Sensations:

Feelings of falling or
hearing strange noises as
one falls asleep during
NREM Stage 1.

NREM Stage 2

The
second stage of sleep

NREM Stage 3:

The
deepest and most
restorative sleep stage

includes slow-wave sleep.

REM Sleep:

A sleep stage
marked by rapid eye
movement and dreaming

brain waves are similar to
wakefulness.

REM Rebound:

The
tendency for REM sleep to
increase following REM
sleep deprivation.

Activation-Synthesis
(Dreams):

A theory
suggesting dreams are
caused by the brain's
attempt to make sense of
neural activity during
sleep.

Consolidation Theory

The theory that
dreams help to cement
memories and learning.

Memory Consolidation:

The process by which
temporary memories are
converted into a stable
form.

Restoration of Resources:

The theory that sleep
helps to restore physical
and mental resources
depleted during
wakefulness.

Insomnia:

Difficulty falling
or staying asleep.

Narcolepsy:

A disorder
characterized by sudden
and uncontrollable
episodes of deep sleep.

REM Sleep Behavior
Disorder:

A sleep disorder
where individuals act out
vivid dreams with physical
movements.

Sleep Apnea:

A disorder
where breathing
repeatedly stops and
starts during sleep.

Somnambulism:

Sleepwalking

Psychoactive Drugs:

Substances that affect the
mind

Agonists:

Drugs that
increase the action of a
neurotransmitter.

Antagonists:

Drugs that
block the action of a
neurotransmitter.

Reuptake Inhibitors:

Drugs that block the
reabsorption of
neurotransmitters

Stimulants:

Drugs that
increase brain activity

Caffeine:

A mild stimulant
found in coffee

Cocaine:

A powerful
stimulant that affects the
central nervous system.

Depressants:

Substances that reduce
neural activity and slow
body functions

Alcohol:

A depressant
that is commonly used
and socially accepted but
can impair reasoning
and motor skills.

Hallucinogens:

Drugs
that cause perceptual
distortions and
heightened sensory
experiences.

Marijuana:

A commonly
used hallucinogen that
also has some
depressant and
stimulant effects.

Opioids:

Drugs that act
on the nervous system to
relieve pain

includes
heroin.

Heroin:

An opioid drug
that causes euphoria but
is highly addictive and
dangerous.

Tolerance:

A condition in
which more of a drug is
needed to achieve the
same effect.

Addiction:

A
psychological and
physical inability to stop
consuming a chemical

Withdrawal:

Symptoms
that occur after stopping
or reducing intake of a
drug to which one has
become addicted.

Sensation:

The process by
which sensory receptors
receive and represent
stimulus energies from
our environment.

Transduction:

The
conversion of one form of
energy into another. In
sensory processing

Perception:

The process
of organizing and
interpreting sensory
information

Absolute Threshold:

The
minimum stimulus
intensity required to
detect a stimulus 50% of
the time. NOTICE

Just-noticeable
Difference (JND):

The
smallest difference in
stimulus intensity that a
specific sense can detect. CHANGE.

Sensory Adaptation:

Adjustment in sensory
capacity after prolonged
exposure to unchanging
stimuli.

Weber's Law:

The
principle that to perceive
their difference

Synesthesia:

A condition
in which one sense is
simultaneously perceived
as if by one or more
additional senses.

Retina:

The light-sensitive
layer of tissue at the back
of the eye.