AP Psychology Unit 1A Vocab

Heredity

Genetic that influence physical, behavioral, or mental trait

Evolutionary Persecptive

Uses Darwin’s theory of natural selection to explain why all humans share certain traits and behavior

Natural Selection

Evolutionary process through which adoptive traits are passed on to ongoing generations because these traits help animal survive and reproduce

Eugenics

Used to justify reproductive sucess (adoptive) certain groups of people are less envolved than others

Central Nervous System

The body’s speedy, electrochemical communication system for the brain and the spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system

A network of nerves that extends from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to the rest of the body, carrying sensory information and motor signals

Autonomic Nervous System

Controls self-regulated actions of internal organs and glands

Somatic Nervous System

Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

Sympathetic Nervous System

prepares the body for the "fight-or-flight" response to stress or danger by activating physiological changes like increasing heart rate, dilating pupils, and diverting blood to muscles

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Controls involuntary bodily functions. It is responsible for the "rest and digest" response, promoting relaxation and recovery after periods of stress or exertion. 

Glial cells

Cells that support, nourish and protect neurons; also play a role in memory and learning

Depolarization

A brief electrical charge that travels down a neurons axon; occurs when the charge of the neurons membrane changes

All - or - Nothing Principle

Neurons fire or they don’t

Refractory Period

Brief resting period after a neuron has fired; recharging

Resting Potential

After a neuron is charged, it is ready to fire another action potential

Reuptake

Prevents the reabsorption of neurotransmitters by sending neurons

Acetylcholine

Enables muscles action, learning, and memory

Dopamine

Influences movement, learning, attention, emotion and addiction

Serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Norepinephrine

Helps control alertness and arousal (fight or flight)

Glutamate

Major excitatory chemical (Involved in Memory)

GABA

Major inhibitory chemical

Endorphins

Influences perception of pain & pleasure

Substance P

Involved in pain perception and immune response

Adrenaline

Fight or Flight (Type of Hormones)

Leptin

Hunger (suppressant) Type of Hormones

Ghrelin

Hunger (Stimulant) Type of Hormones

Melatonin

Sleep (Type of Hormones)

Oxytocin

Pair bonding (labor, lactation, love) Type of Hormones

Agnosists

Mimic or facilitate the activity of a neurotransmitter

Antagonists

Block or prevent the activity of a neurotransmitter

Reuptake Inhibitors

Prevent the reabsorption of neurotransmitter by sending neurons

Depressants “Downers”

Calm down neural activity; slow down body functions

Stimulants “Uppers”

Temporarily excite neural activity; arouse body function

Hallucinogens

Distort perceptions and evoke sensation without sensory input

EEG

Measure electrical activity in the brain. Used to study sleep disorders and epilepsy

fMRI

Based on increase of blood flow to activated brain area. Looks at the brain structure, and function

Medulla

The base of the brainstem. That controls heartbeat, blood pressure, and breathing. If the Medulla is damaged it can result in death.

Reticular Activating System

Nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal, sleep cycles, wakefulness, and ability to focus.

Cerebellum “Little Brain”

It helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance. And process sensory input and tell us to bring what to accept from the body

Cerebral Cortex

Responsible for complex function like thoughts, memory, consciousness, and movement

Limbic System

associate with emotions, memories, and motivation

Thalamus

Where sensory information from all of our sensory system except smell go through the thalamus

Hypothalamus

Helps regulate the endocrine system (hormones) helps maintain homeostasis (regulates body temperature) and involves a motivational behavior

Pituitary Gland (Hypothalamus)

Its being controlled by hypothalamus and controls other glands. Helps regulates endocrine process and produce hormone

Hippocampus

Information of new explicit movement spatial memory and storage it in our brain. (memorizing things)

Amygdala

Informing memories with high emotional content involved in fight or flight response and regulates fear and aggression.

Corpus Callosum

Left bundle of fibers that connects the left and right hemisphere of the brain. They carry messages between the 2 hemisphere

Occipital Lobes

Primary used to process visual information. Also received information from the opposite visual

Pariental Lobes

Associated with the areas that perceived objects and body position

Temporal Lobes

Helps process sounds, process smell and understanding music and tonality

Frontal Lobes

Process muscles movement, higher over thinking, and making decisions

Association Areas

Involves in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking

Somatosensory Cortex

process body touch and movement sensations

Motor Cortex

Send signal to body’s controlling muscle movement

Broca’s Area

helps you produces language by directing your muscle movement

Wernicke’s Area

Helps understand with written and spoken language

Left Hemisphere

Associated with logical reasoning, language processing, and analytical thinking

Right Hemisphere

Responsible for spatial abilities, creativity, and processing emotions and nonverbal information

Brain Plasticity

the brain's ongoing ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections and pathways throughout life in response to learning, experience, and injury

Reflex Arc

the neural pathway that controls a reflex

Sensory Neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Motor Neurons

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

Interneurons

communicate internally and process information between sensory input and motors output

NERM-1

Transition stage between wake and sleep. (basically trying to fall asleep)

NERM-2

Clearly asleep but can be awaked easily. And sleepwalking can start occurring this stage

NERM-3

Delta sleep is the deepest stage of sleep and most restorative. Where the growth of hormones and sleepwalking occurs.

REM

Rapid eye movement, where the sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed but the other body systems are active. 

Circadian Rhythm

24 hr sleep wake cycle

Hypnogogic Sensations

bizarre experience, such as jerking or felling of falling floating weightlessly, while transitioning sleep

REM bound

tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

Insomnia

recurring peoblems in falling or staying asleep

REM sleep behavior disorder

Acting out content of dreams while asleep, vocally or motor action

Sleep Apnea

periodically stop breathing during sleep

Narcolepsy

uncontrollable sleep attack

Somnambulism

sleepwalking

Activation Synthesis Theory

REM sleep triggers neural activity that evoke random visual memories, which out brains weaves into a story