1.1-1.4 part one vocab

Nature nurture issue

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to The development of psychological traits and behaviors.

Evolutionary psychology

The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.

Natural selection

the principle that the inherited traits enabling an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetics and environmental influences on behavior

Mutation

a random error in gene replication that leads to a change.

Environment

every non genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to our experiences of the people and things around us

Heredity

the genetic transfer of Characteristics from parents to offspring

Genes

the biochemical units of heredity

Identical (monozygotic twins)

Individuals who developed from a single fertilized egg that split in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

Fraternal (dizygotic twins)

individuals who developed from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than ordinary siblings, but they shared a prenatal environment

Epigenetics

above" or "in addition to" (epi) genetics; the study of the molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expression (without a DNA change).

Nervous system

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of al the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems.

Central nervous system

the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.

Nerves

bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sensory organs.

Sensory (afferent) neurons

neurons that carry incoming Information from the body's tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

Motor (efferent) neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.

Interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord; they communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles. Also called the skeletal nervous system.

Autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms

Sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy.

Parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

Reflex

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk reflex.