AP Psychology Unit 1 (Part 1)

Part 1

Humans learn behaviors and react certain ways based on past experiences with it, good or bad, according to the __ perspective.

Behavioral

The __ perspective suggests that the brain and certain parts of it control what we think and do, leading people to see it as the cause of their actions.

Biological

According to the __ perspective, people try to read a situation before it happens and come up with negative thoughts about failure or looking bad.

Cognitive

The __ perspective implies that people may perceive certain situations as scary because they believe their survival depends on it.

Evolutionary

The __ perspective emphasizes individual choices and goals, facing frightful situations to achieve personal growth.

Humanistic

According to the __ perspective, past traumas can be hidden deep within memories, but the unconscious mind remembers them.

Psychodynamic

The __ perspective explains how thoughts and actions are influenced by cultures and societal stereotypes.

Social-Cultural

The __ model takes into account biological, psychological, and social factors to understand health and behavior.

Biopsychosocial

The __ is a nerve cell and the primary functional unit of the nervous system.

Neuron

The area of a neuron where signals from other neurons are received is called __.

Dendrites

The __ are areas on a dendrite designed to receive specific neurotransmitters.

Receptor sites

__ are chemicals that transmit signals from one neuron to another.

Neurotransmitters

The part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and interprets signals from dendrites is called the __.

Soma

The __ is where the soma integrates the information received from the dendrites.

Axon hillock

The __ is the next part of the neuron where the signal is sent after the axon hillock.

Axon

__ is the electrical signal that travels down the axon, covered with myelin.

Action potential

The __ is the level of neurotransmitters required to fire a neuron.

Threshold

__ refers to the electrochemical process of neural firing, where electricity travels within the cell and chemicals travel between cells.

Neural firing

__ is the insulator material that helps prevent the signal from degrading as it travels down the axon.

Myelin

The __ are the axon terminals where the action potential releases neurotransmitters.

Synaptic buttons

The __ is the meeting point between neurons, crucial for neurotransmission.

Synapse

The __ principle states that a neuron either fires completely or it does not fire at all.

All-or-none

__ is a shift in a neuron’s electrical charge that makes it more likely to fire an action potential.

Depolarization

__ are brain cells that surround and support neurons.

Glial cells

__ neurons, also known as sensory neurons, transmit information from the senses to the brain.

Afferent

__ neurons, or motor neurons, carry information from the brain to the rest of the body.

Efferent

__ is the process of forming new neurons in the brain.

Neurogenesis

__ neurotransmitters inhibit the next neuron from firing.

Inhibitory

__ neurotransmitters excite the next neuron into firing.

Excitatory

__ enables muscle action, learning, and memory; its problems are linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Acetylcholine

__ influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion; its oversupply can lead to schizophrenia, while undersupply can cause Parkinson’s.

Dopamine

__ affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal; its undersupply is linked to depression.

Serotonin

__ helps control alertness and arousal; its undersupply can depress mood.

Norepinephrine

GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, is the major __ neurotransmitter; its undersupply is linked to seizures and tremors.

inhibitory

__ is the major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory; its oversupply can lead to migraines or seizures.

Glutamate

__ influence the perception of pain or pleasure, but their oversupply with opiate drugs can suppress the body's natural endorphin supply.

Endorphins

__ are drugs that mimic neurotransmitters and fit into the receptor sites on neurons.

Agonists

__ block neurotransmitters by preventing them from using receptor sites on neurons.

Antagonists

__ are psychoactive drugs that increase neural activity, including caffeine and cocaine.

Stimulants

__ are psychoactive drugs that decrease neural activity, including alcohol and barbiturates.

Depressants

__ are psychoactive drugs that cause distortions in perception and/or cognition, like marijuana.

Hallucinogens

Opiates, including heroin and fentanyl, are classified as __ because they relieve pain.

pain relievers

__ is the physiological need for more of a drug due to the brain producing less of a specific neurotransmitter when it is supplied artificially.

Tolerance

__ is the intense desire for a drug, while physical dependence causes withdrawal symptoms without it.

Dependence

The __ nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, housing all nerves within bone.

Central

The __ nervous system contains all nerves in the body except those encased in bone, divided into somatic and autonomic.

Peripheral

The __ nervous system controls voluntary muscle movements and gets impulses from the motor cortex.

Somatic

The __ nervous system regulates automatic functions like heart and lung activity, controlling stress responses.

Autonomic

The __ nervous system mobilizes the body for stress, directing resources for rapid responses.

Sympathetic

The __ nervous system slows the body down after a stress response, restoring balance.

Parasympathetic

The __ arc refers to the neural chain involved in performing reflexes, transmitting impulses through sensory and motor neurons.

Reflex

The __ controls blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing; located above the spinal cord.

Medulla

The __ is vital for experiencing basic emotions.

Amygdala

The __ is located at the bottom rear of the brain and coordinates habitual muscle movements.

Cerebellum

The __ processes memories but does not permanently store them; they are sent to other areas for that.

Hippocampus

The __ receives sensory signals from the spinal cord and directs them to the appropriate areas in the forebrain.

Thalamus

The __ regulates metabolic functions like body temperature and hunger.

Hypothalamus

The __ connects the hindbrain with the midbrain and forebrain, regulating facial expressions and sleep.

Pons

The __ is a bundle of nerves running through the spine, relaying information between the body and brain.

Spinal cord

The __ system is comprised of brain structures such as the thalamus and hippocampus, involved in emotions and memory.

Limbic

The __ system secretes hormones and affects various biological processes.

Endocrine

The __ formation controls body arousal and attention focus; its dysfunction can result in comas.

Reticular

__ area is responsible for speech muscle control; damage can impede speech production.

Broca’s

__ area helps interpret both written and spoken language; damage affects language understanding.

Wernicke’s

The __ hemisphere controls the right side of the body and is more active in speech and logical tasks.

Left

The __ hemisphere controls the left side of the body and is more active in creative and spatial tasks.

Right

__ specialization refers to the distinct functions each brain hemisphere performs.

Hemispheric

The __ connects the two brain hemispheres, facilitating communication between them.

Corpus callosum

The is a thin layer of densely packed neurons covering the brain's surface, involved in higher cognitive functions.

Cerebral cortex

The __ cortex receives incoming touch sensations from the body, organized similarly to the motor cortex.

Sensory