AP Psych Unit 1

All sections

Temporal Lobe

Auditory Areas and assists with memory, contains the auditory cortex and Wernicke's Area

Occipital Lobe

Receives information from the visual fields and organizes and processes the information, contains the visual cortex

Parietal Lobe

Spatial reasoning, receives sensory input for touch sensations like pain, pressure and temperature, and body positions, contains the somatosensory cortex and the angular gyrus

Angular Gyrus

Visual representation into auditory code(Reading)

Somatosensory Cortex

Information from the skin & involuntary movement

Brain Stem

A region of the brain that contains the most instinctual and basic functions

Cerebellum

Rear of brain stem, processes sensory input for coordination and balance, nonverbal learning and memory

Primary Motor Cortex

Muscle, fine, voluntary movement, broken into sections for different body parts

Frontal Lobe

Decision making and executive functions, personality and abstract thoughts, contains the prefrontal cortex, the primary motor cortex, and Broca’s area

Prefrontal Cortex

Motion control, higher cognitive function, decision-making

Broca’s Area

Controls speech muscles, part of the motor cortex

Wernicke’s Area

Responsible for language comprehension

Cerebral Cortex

The connected fabric covering the cerebral hemispheres

Medulla

Breathing, heartbeat, blinking, base of the brain stem

Corpus Callosum

Connects the left and right hemispheres (communication)

Pituitary Gland

Hormone control, controls all endocrine glands

Pons

Sleep, unconscious movement

Pineal Gland

Melationin production and sleep regulation

Reticular Formation

Arousal, selective attention, filters incoming stimuli

Limbic System

The “Lizard Brain“, memories and emotions, contains the Amygdala, Hippocampus, Hypothalamus

Amygdala

Fear and aggression, (fight or flight), facial recgonition

Hippocampus

Memories, moving short term to long term, episodic memories (story oriented)

Thalamus

Relay station for information, sends signals to right part of the name

Hypothalamus

Hunger, thirst, sex, helps govern the Pituitary Gland, emotions and rewards system

Glial cells

Worker bee cells, clean up

Nerve Cells

Queen bee cells, make the decisions 

Myelin Sheath

Increase signal speed

Schwann Cells

Produce Myelin Sheath

Dendrite

Receives signals

Axon

Signal pathway

Axon Terminal

Transmits signals

Dopamine

Reward pathway, voluntary movement, influences sleeping

Serotonin

Mood, sleep, hunger

Norepinephrine

Alertness and arousal (vigilance), with epinephrine during SNS response

Gultamate

Learning and memory, wildly distributed excitatory neurotransmitter

GABA

Sleep, calm, slowdown, inhibitory neurotransmitter

Endorphins

Reduce pain

Substance P

In the brain and spinal cord, transmit pain signals

Acetylcholine (Ach)

Muscle actions & attention (in learnin)

Endocrine System

The system in the body that controls hormones, chemical communication system

Leptin

Inhibts hunger when it doesn't need energy

Melatonin

Regulation of circadian rhythm, pineal response to light

Ghrelin

Triggers hunger, growth hormones, insulin release, protects cardio vascular health

Cortisol

Maintain homeostasis → stress hormone

Adrenilin

Prepare body for emergencies → Flight or fight response

Prozac

SSRI - inhibits serotonin reuptake

Ritalin

Stimulant - Increases the amount of the dopamine in the brain, used to treat ADHD

Caffine

Stimulant - Blocks adenosine that makes you sleepy, indirectly affects other neurostransmitters

Cocaine

Stimulant - Blocks reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, creates a crash afterwards

Alcohol

Depressant - Increased GABA, decreased Glutamate, Increased Dopamine

Marijuana

Depressant and Stimulant and Halluciegen

Opioids

Depressant - Heroin, narcotics, pleasure and lethargy, eventually stops the brain from producing endorphins

Heroin

Depressant - Mimics natural opiates, allowing for uninhibited dopamine release causing immediate feelings of happiness

Hallucinogen

Evoke sensory images and distort perceptions

Agonist

Molecules that act like a neurotransmitter to open a receptor site

Antagonist

A chemical or drug that binds receptors in the brain and prevents a neurotransmitter/hormone from having an effect on behavior

Awake/Alert

Beta waves

Awake/Relaxed

Alpha waves

NREM-1

Theta Waves - Transition between awake and asleep, hypnagogic sensations

NREM-2

Theta waves - loose muscles, half of all sleep, eye res, sleep spindles

NREM-3 & 4

Delta waves - Deepest Sleep

REM

Rapid Eye Movement - dreaming, brain is electrically active, cycle reverses, vital signs rise

Restorative Theory

Dreams replenish body systems, sort memory

Adaptive Theory

Dreams keep us out of trouble

Conserving Theory

Dreams/Sleeping saves energy

Activating Synthesis Model

The Limbic system is randomly firing and dreams are the brain trying to make sense of it

Memory Consolidation - (Theory)

Dreams help sort out the day’s events and consolidate memories

Insomnia

Recurring problems falling or staying asleep

Narcolepsy

Uncontrollable sleep attacks, sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep

Sleep Apnea

Temporary cessation of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakening 

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Physically acting out dreams due to not being immobilized during REM sleep

Somnambulism

“Sleepwalking” - More beign than REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, typically just wandering

Circadian Rhythm

The biological clock that regulates mood, temperature, and arousal through a 24-hour cycle

Heredity

Th genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring

Evolutionary Psychology

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

Natural Selection

Successful inherited traits that allow an organism to survive will reproduce more, passing on their successful trait

Eugenics

A 19th century movement that proposed measuring human traits and then selecting who to reproduce based off those results

Epigenetics

The study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

Nature

Traits are inherited

Nurture

Traits are learned from the enviornment

Nervous System

The connection between the brain and ALL parts and functions in the body

Central Nervous System

Brain & Spinal Cord

Peripheral Nervous System

Contains the Autonomic & Somatic Nervous Systems, gathers and transmits information to the body

Autonomic Nervous System

Self regulated actions of internal organs and glands

Somatic Nervous System

Voluntary movement of skeletal muscles

Sympathetic Nervous System

Starts motivations, fear response, physical exercise response

Parasympathetic Nervous System 

The calm system for regular everyday actions

Hormones

Chemical messenger that are manufactured by the Endocrine glands, travel through the blood stream, affect other tissues

Neuroplasticity

The brain’s about to change, build, and reorganize after damage or new experiences, more common in younger people

Neurogenesis

Creation of more neurons, only happens in embryos