Untitled Flashcards Set

Heredity

The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring.

Environment

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

Evolutionary Perspective

An approach to psychological inquiry that views human cognition and behavior in a Darwinian context of adaptation to physical and social environments and new intellectual challenges.

Eugenics

A philosophy that seeks to eradicate genetic defects and improve the genetic makeup of populations through selective human breeding.

Central Nervous System

The brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body.

Neuron

A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system.

Glial Cells

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Reflex Arc

The nerve pathway involved in a reflex action, including a sensory nerve and a motor nerve with a synapse in between.

Motor Neurons

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

Interneurons

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and process information between sensory inputs and motor outputs.

All-or-Nothing Principle

A neuron's reaction of either firing with a full-strength response or not firing at all.

Depolarization

A reduction in the electric potential across the plasma membrane of a neuron.

Refractory Period

A brief resting pause after a neuron has fired, during which subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons.

Excitatory Neurotransmitter

Chemicals that depolarize postsynaptic neurons, increasing the likelihood of an action potential.

Inhibitory Neurotransmitter

Chemicals that hyperpolarize the postsynaptic neurons, decreasing the likelihood of an action potential.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in motor behavior and implicated in various mental conditions.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter with roles in emotional processing, mood, and appetite.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter and hormone involved in the regulation of arousal, attention, and stress reactions.

Glutamate

The predominant excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain.

GABA

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system.

Endorphin

Neurotransmitters produced in the brain that block pain and increase feelings of wellbeing.

Acetylcholine

A major neurotransmitter important for memory formation and learning.

Hormone

A chemical messenger manufactured by endocrine glands, traveling through the bloodstream to affect tissues.

Adrenaline

A neurotransmitter and hormone that increases heart rate and produces stress-related effects.

Leptin

A hormone produced by fat cells that regulates appetite and fat storage.

Ghrelin

A hunger-arousing hormone secreted by an empty stomach.

Melatonin

A hormone that produces sleepiness, manufactured by the pineal gland.

Psychoactive Drug

Any substance that significantly affects psychological processes like thinking and perception.

Agonist

A molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action.

Antagonist

A molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action.

Stimulants

Drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.

Depressants

Drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.

Hallucinogens

Psychedelic drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images.

Opioids

Drugs that depress neural activity and temporarily lessen pain and anxiety.

Tolerance

The diminishing effect of a drug requiring larger doses to achieve the same effect.

Addiction

Compulsive substance use.

Brain Stem

The central core of the brain responsible for automatic survival functions.

Medulla

The hindbrain structure that controls heart rate and breathing.

Cerebellum

The hindbrain region responsible for processing sensory input and coordinating movement.

Cerebral Cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the forebrain's hemispheres.

Limbic System

Neural system associated with emotions and drives, located mostly in the forebrain.

Thalamus

The sensory control center of the forebrain.

Hypothalamus

A limbic structure that directs several maintenance activities and helps govern the endocrine system.

Amygdala

Two clusters in the limbic system linked with emotion.

Pituitary Gland

The body's most influential endocrine gland, regulating growth and other glands.

Hippocampus

A neural center in the limbic system involved in processing explicit memories.

Corpus Callosum

The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres.

Occipital Lobe

The cerebellum's portion responsible for visual information processing.

Frontal Lobe

The cerebral cortex's portion involved in higher-order thinking and muscle movements.

Temporal Lobe

The auditory area of the cerebral cortex, involved in language processing.

Motor Cortex

Area at the rear of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movement.

Broca's Area

The brain area that helps control language expression.

Wernicke's Area

The area involved in language comprehension.

Split Brain Research

The study of effects following the surgical cutting of the corpus callosum.

Brain Plasticity

The brain's ability to change and reorganize, especially during childhood.

EEG

An amplified recording of the brain's electrical activity.

fMRI

A technique revealing blood flow and brain activity.

MRI

A technique producing images of soft tissue using magnetic fields.

Circadian Rhythm

The biological clock regulating regular bodily rhythms on a 24-hour cycle.

NREM Sleep

Quiet, typically dreamless sleep divided into four stages.

REM Sleep

A recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur.

Insomnia

Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.

Narcolepsy

A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks.

Somnambulism

The condition of walking or performing activities while asleep.

Sensation

The process by which sensory receptors and the nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum intensity of stimulation required to experience a sensation.

Sensation Adaptation

A decrease in sensitivity to a constant level of stimulation.

Weber's Law

The principle stating that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage to be perceived as different.

Synesthesia

A condition where stimulation of one sense generates a simultaneous sensation in another.

Retina

The light-sensitive inner surface of the eye that begins processing visual information.

Blind Spot

The point where the optic nerve leaves the eye, causing a 'blind' spot.

Accommodation

The process by which the lens changes shape to focus images on the retina.

Trichromatic Theory

The theory proposing three types of color receptors in the retina.

Opponent-Process Theory

The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision.

Fovea

The central focal point in the retina around which cones cluster.

Rods

Retinal receptors that detect black, white, and gray.

Ganglion Cells

Cells whose axons form the optic nerve carrying information to the brain.

Dichromatism

A type of color deficiency where one cone type is missing.

Monochromatism

A type of color deficiency where two cone types are missing.

Prosopagnosia

An inability to recognize faces, known as face blindness.

Blindsight

A condition in which visual stimuli are responded to without conscious experience.

Amplitude

The height of a light or sound wave, determining brightness or loudness.

Wavelength

The distance between peaks of light or sound waves, determining hue or pitch.

Place Theory

The theory linking pitch to the place of cochlea's membrane stimulation.

Volley Theory

The theory suggesting groups of neurons respond to sound by firing slightly out of phase.

Frequency Theory

The theory linking the rate of nerve impulses to the frequency of a tone.

Sound Localization

The ability to identify the position of sound sources using acoustic information.

Conduction Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the system that conducts sound to the cochlea.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hearing loss caused by damage to the cochlea's receptor cells or the auditory nerve.

Olfaction

The sensation of smell.

Gustation

The sensation of taste.

Olfactory Bulb

The brain center that processes smell.

Papillae

Bumps on the tongue's surface containing taste sensory receptors.

Gate Control Theory

The theory that a neurological gate regulates pain signals' passage to the brain.

Phantom Limb Sensation

The perception of sensations in an amputated limb.

Vestibular Sense

The sense that enables body movement perception and balance.

Kinesthesis

The system for sensing the position and movement of individual body parts.

Natural Selection

A process where individuals with inherited traits that improve survival reproduce at higher rates.