AP Psych Ch. 2 Vocab

Biological psychology

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes (applied by studying how brain damage affects behavior)

Biological psychologists

scientists who study the interplay of biology and behavior/mind

Neuron

a nerve cell; building block of the body’s neural information system, transmits messages from senses to brain (neuron notification)

Dendrite

receives information and conducts it toward the cell body (dendrite detect — the listener)

Axon

passes the message through its terminal branches to other neurons, muscles, or glands (axon acts — the speaker)

Myelin sheath

layer of fatty tissue that insulates axons and speeds impulses (makes messages move faster)

Action potential

brief electrical charge that travels down an axon when neuron fires (neuron’s zap of electricity)

Refractory period

resting pause after a neuron fires when it cannot fire again (reload time)

Excitatory signal

signal that pushes a neuron’s accelerator (go)

Inhibitory signal

signal that pushes a neuron’s brake (stops)

Threshold

minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural response (amount needed to fire)

All-or-none response

neuron either fires completely or not at all

Cell body/Soma

part of neuron that contains nucleus (neuron’s control center)

Terminal branches/buttons

end of axon that releases neurotransmitters (bus terminal is at the end of the line aka axon)

Synapse

meeting point between neurons, tiny gap where neurotransmitters meet

Neurotransmitter

chemical messenger released by neurons to transmit messages (mail man — think a barbershop haircut that costs a quarter)

Reuptake

process of reabsorbing excess neurotransmitters (brain recycling system)

Endorphins

neurotransmitters that relieve pain and increase pleasure (ex: runners high)

Agonist

molecule that mimics a neurotransmitter and stimulates a response (agonists activate)

Antagonist

molecule that blocks a neurotransmitter response (antagonists attack receptors)

Substance P

neurotransmitter involved in transmitting pain signals (p for pain)

Central nervous system (CNS)

brain and spinal cord; decision-making center (central = command center in cord)

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

sensory and motor neurons connecting CNS to body (peripheral = pathways)

Sensory (afferent) neurons

carry incoming information from senses to brain/spinal cord aka CNS (sensory sends, affarant arrives)

Motor (efferent) neurons

carry outgoing instructions from CNS to muscles/glands (motor moves out, efferent exits)

Interneurons

neurons in CNS connecting sensory and motor neurons (internal connections)

Somatic nervous system

controls voluntary movement in PNS (SOMAtic — purposeful body control)

Autonomic nervous system

controls involuntary processes (AUTOnomic = AUTOMATIC)

Sympathetic nervous system

speeds things up, fight or flight response (yelling when seeing a spider)

Parasympathetic nervous system

calms and slows down body (rest and digest)

Reflex

automatic response to a stimulus (ex: knee jerk reflex)

Acetylcholine (ACh)

neurotransmitter involved in muscle movement, memory, learning. it is released by nerve endings to send signals across a synapse (ACh triggers muscles to ACH-tivate)

Endocrine system

the “slow" chemical communication system. a set of glands that release hormones into the bloodstream (exit onto hormone highway)

Hormones

chemical messengers that are mad3 by the endocrine glands travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues (snail mail of the body)

Adrenal glands

produce hormones like epinephrine/norepinephrine for stress response (ADRENALine for anxiety)

Pituitary gland

master gland controlling other endocrine glands (prominent pituary)

Melatonin

hormone that regulates sleep and increased production when dark (melatonin = mellow tone in)

Oxytocin

hormone managing reproductive behaviors, social bonding, trust, love

Lesion

tissue destruction in the brain to study function (lesion = lose function)

EEG

measures electrical activity of the brain via electrodes on scalp (brainwave listener, ELECTRODE EEG)

CT scan

X-ray images showing brain structure

PET scan

tracks brain activity via glucose consumption (PETs eat sugar)

MRI

uses magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed brain images (MRI = magnetic map)

fMRI

tracks blood flow to show brain function and structure (f = function)

Brainstem

oldest brain region controlling automatic survival functions (stem = supports life)

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing (medusa stops medulla when turning a person to stone)

Pons

coordinates movement and controls sleep (lele pons dances and pons pillow)

Crossover point

point where nerves from each brain side connect to opposite body side

Thalamus

brain’s sensory hub (except smell) sending info to higher areas (ThalaMUST relay signals from senses)

Reticular formation

responsible for maintaining wakefulness and alertness. receives sensory signals from throughout the body and sends them to the brain cortex, which then initiates arousal (reTICKLE wake up)

Cerebellum

coordinates balance, movement, nonverbal (motor) learning (cerebelllum ballerina)

Amygdala

processes fear and aggression (amygdala anxiety and agression)

Hypothalamus

regulates hunger, thirst, body temp, sexual behavior, controls pituitary (hypo the llamas, feed water to the llamas to cool them down)

Nucleus accumbens

part of reward system linked to pleasure behaviors (accumbens award)

Cerebral cortex

Outer layer of brain; control & information processing center (cerebro sombrero)

Glial cells

support, nourish, and protect neurons (glial guards of the neurons)

Frontal lobes

involved in speaking, muscle movement, planning, judgment (frontal lobe doesn’t develop until 25)

Parietal lobes

processes sensory input for TOUCH and body position (parietal pressure perception)

Occipital lobes

processes visual information (occipital open eyes)

Temporal lobes

auditory processing, some memory, smell, vision (temporal temple near ears)

Motor cortex

plans, controls, and executes voluntary movements (motor = move)

Somatosensory cortex

processes touch and movement sensations (soma = body sensory = senses)

Association areas

involved in higher mental functions like learning, memory, speaking (associate ideas = higher think, in stats high association is smart)

Plasticity

brain’s ability to reorganize after damage or experience (plastic = flexible brain)

Neurogenesis

formation of new neurons (neuron generation)

Lateralization

Hemispheres have different functions. Left = language/math, Right = tone/patterns. (LATTERs = sides)

Corpus callosum

Connects left & right hemispheres (Like a bridge letting brain sides communicate)

Split brain

When hemispheres are surgically separated (Left can speak, right cannot)

Blindsight

Responding to visual information without consciously seeing (Blind but avoids obstacles)

Dual processing

Brain processes information on conscious and unconscious tracks (High road = deliberate, low road = automatic)

Cognitive neuroscience

Links brain activity to mental processes (Scanning brain to see thinking)

Visual perception/action tracks

Perceiving vs. acting on objects (Look vs. reach)

Readiness potential

Brain activates before conscious decision (Hand moves before awareness)

Parallel processing

Fast, unconscious processing (driving on autopilot, driverless car = parallel parking)

Sequential processing

Slow, conscious problem-solving (writing an essay with your own brain power and NO CHAT)

Behavior geneticists

Study how genes and environment affect behavior (Scientists studying nature vs. nurture)

Environment

External influences shaping a person (Family, culture, experiences)

Chromosomes

DNA strands carrying genes; humans have 46 (Blueprint bundles)

DNA

Molecule holding genetic information (Instruction manual for body)

Genes

DNA segments that determine traits (Individual recipes in the manual)

Genome

All of an organism’s genetic material (Entire instruction manual)

Identical twins

From one egg, share 100% of genes (Clone-like siblings)

Fraternal twins

From two eggs, share ~50% of genes (Regular siblings born at same time)

Molecular genetics

Study of specific genes and traits (Zooming in on DNA instructions)

Heritability

Proportion of trait differences due to genes (How much of height/personality comes from genes)

Interact

Genes and environment influence each other (Nature and nurture “team up”)

Epigenetics

Environment can turn genes on/off (Stress or diet can switch genes)

Evolutionary psychology

Study of how natural selection shapes behavior and mind (Why behaviors exist, not should exist)

Natural selection

Traits aiding survival/reproduction get passed down (Survival of the fittest)

Mutation

Random genetic changes creating new traits (DNA “typos” that may help)

Adaptation

Trait increasing survival/reproduction (Like camouflage or fear of snakes)

Gender

Socially influenced roles/traits of males and females (Cultural expectations + biology)

Behavioral tendencies

Patterns shaped by evolutionary pressures (Fear of danger, social bonding, mate preferences)