PSB Exam 1 Review Pt.1

Aggregate field theory

States that consciousness is a side effect of the brain's activity, emerging from the brain's neurons.

Associationism

School of thought explaining mental phenomena as associations between ideas.

Behaviorism

Psychological school explaining mental phenomena as associations between ideas (Watson & Skinner).

Cognitive neuroscience

Studies brain's role in mental processes like memory, perception, and decision-making.

Cytoarchitectonics

Brain mapping based on cell organization to understand brain function.

Localizationism

Theory that different brain functions can be localized to specific brain regions.

Neuron doctrine

Idea that individual neurons transmit signals in the nervous system.

Phrenology

Belief that character traits can be determined by feeling the skull.

Rationalism

System of thought by Descartes, emphasizing reason as the main source of knowledge.

Syncytium

Single cell with multiple nuclei formed by cell fusion or nuclear division.

Electroencephalograph

Records brain's electrical activity via scalp electrodes.

CAT

Creates static brain images through computerized axial tomography.

PET

Visualizes brain activity by tracking radioactive glucose during tasks.

MRI

Uses magnetic fields to produce detailed brain images showing soft tissue.

fMRI

Records blood flow in the brain to identify active areas during tasks.

Glial Cells

Supportive cells in the nervous system that nourish and protect neurons.

Neurons

Nervous system cells transmitting information through electrical and chemical signals.

Soma

Cell body of a neuron.

Membrane potential

Electricity between cells aiding communication.

Action potential

Rapid electrical signal in a neuron's axon for communication.

Ion channels

Protein structures allowing ions to pass through cell membranes.

Synaptic Transmission

Neurons communicate through neurotransmitter release at synapses.

PNS

Nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord.

CNS

Central nervous system comprising the brain and spinal cord.

ANS

Part of the peripheral nervous system controlling internal organs and muscles.

Stroop effect

Delay in naming ink color when word color differs.

Single dissociation

Limited information from dissociating two functions.

Double dissociation

Demonstrates two functions are localized in different brain areas.

TMS

Treatment altering brain activity using a pulsed magnet over the scalp.

Single cell recordings

Measure neuron responsiveness to stimuli in action potentials per second.

Synchrony EEG

Sources oscillating in phase contributing to EEG.

Electrocorticogram

Technique analyzing data from electrode grids over the cortex.