AP Psychology Unit 1 (modules 13-15)

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

split brains

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them.

consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks.

blindslight

a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it.

parallel processing

processing many aspects of a problem simultaneously; the brain’s natural mode of information processing for many functions.

sequential processing

processing one aspect of a problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems.

enviroment

every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.

heredity

the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring.

chromosome

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

genes

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins.

genome

the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes.

behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

Identical (monozygotic) twins

develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms.

Fraternal (dizygotic) twins

develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than ordinary brothers and sisters, but they share a prenatal environment.

heritability

the proportion of variation among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

interact

the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity).

molecular genetics

the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes.

molecular behavior genetics

the study of how the structure and function of genes interact with our environment to influence behavior.

epigenetics

“above” or “in addition to” (epi) genetics; the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.

mutation

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

social scripts

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations.