BS review: Chapter 1: Biology and Behavior

Sensory Neurons (afferent neurons)

Transmit sensory information from receptors to the spinal chord and brain

Motor neurons (efferent neurons)

transmit motor information from the brain and spinal chord to muscles and glands

Interneurons

found between other neurons and are the most numerous of the three types of neurons; located predominantly in the brain and spinal chord and are often linked to reflexive behavior

Franz Gall

had one of the earliest theories that behavior, intellect, and even personality might be linked to brain anatomy

-developed phrenology, but discovered false; his work generated serious research into brain functions

Pierre Flourens

first person to study the functions of the major sections of the brain

-did this by extirpation (various parts of the brain are surgically removed and the behavioral consequences are observed) on pigeons and rabits

-his work led to his belief that certain parts of the brain had specific functions, and removing one part of the brain weakens the whole

William James

(Known as founder of American psychology), studied how minds adapted to the environment

-his views formed the foundation for functionalism, which studies how mental processes help individuals adapt to their environment

John Dewey

(another important name in functionalism) he believed that psychology should focus on the study of the organism as a whole as it functioned to adapt to the environment

Paul Broca

he was the first person to demonstrate that specific functional impairments could be linked w/ specific brain lesions

-studied a person who was unable to speak and discovered that the person’s disability was due to a lesion on the left side of the person’s brain → now referred to as Broca’s area

Herman Von Helmholtz

first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse

-provided an important early link between behavior and underlying NS activity by relating measured speed of such (nerve) impulses to reaction time

-often credited with the transition of psychology from the realm of philosophy to the realm of quantifiable natural science

Sir Charles Sherrington

first inferred the existence of synapses

-many of his conclusions have held over time, except for when he thought synaptic transmission was an electrical process, but its now known to be a primarily chemical process

Central NS and Peripheral NS, spinal nerves, and cranial nerves

CNS → composed of the brain and spinal chord

PNS → composed of nerve tissues and fibers outside of brain and spinal chord, includes all 31 pairs of nerves emanating from the spinal chord (spinal nerves) and 12 pairs of nerves emanating directly from the brain (cranial nerves)

The PNS connects the CNS to the rest of the body

Reflex arcs

neural circuits that control reflexive behavior; they use the ability of interneurons in the spinal chord to relay information to the source of the stimuli while simultaneously routing it to the brain

Somatic Nervous System

consists of sensory and motor neurons distributed throughout the skin, joints, and muscles (voluntary)

Autonomic Nervous System

the autonomic nervous system manages automatic functions such as heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and temperature control