QCAA psychology unit 3 & 4

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter in the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system involved in muscle contractions, learning and memory and REM sleep.

Action potential

A momentary change in the electrical potential of a cell, which allows a nerve cell to transmit a signal or impulse towards another nerve cell.

Alzheimer's disease

A disease that progressively destroys neurons in the brain, causing memory loss.

Axon

The part of the neuron along which the electrochemical nerve impulse is transmitted.

Axon terminals

Located at the end of the axon, it transmits messages to the next neuron by secreting neurotransmitters.

Dendrites

A component of a nerve cell that receives information from other nerve cells and transports this information to the cell body.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in thoughts, feelings, motivation and behaviours.

Epinephrine

A neurotransmitter and hormone involved in stress responses.

Excitatory synapses

Cause the target cell to become excited and more likely to fire and cause an action potential.

GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid)

An inhibitory neurotransmitter imbalance of GABA is implicated in severe anxiety disorders; also involved in arousal and sleep.

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain involved in learning.

Inhibitory synapses

Cause the target cell to become inhibited and less likely to fire and cause an action potential.

Myelin

A white, fatty, waxy substance that coats some axons and insulates them, protecting them from electrical interference from other neurons; this increases the efficiency of transmission of nerve impulses.

Neurons

Nerve cells, responsible for communication within the body.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that help communication across nerve synapses.

norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter and hormone involved in stress responses, alertness, arousal, emotional regulation and attention.

Parkinson's disease

A progressive neurological condition, known to affect the control of movement.

Postsynaptic neuron

A neuron that receives information from another neuron.

Presynaptic neuron

A neuron that transmits information to another neuron.

serotonin

A neurotransmitter in the brain involved in the regulation of mood, sleep, eating, arousal and pain.

soma

Largest part of a neuron; it controls the metabolism and maintenance of the neuron.

Synapse

The connection between two neurons.

Synaptic transmission

The process of neurons sending information to each other via neurotransmitters.

Amygdala

An almond-shaped structure, located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain that is central to emotion, aggression and implicit learning.

Autonomic nervous system

Consisting of the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches and responsible for the communication between the body's non-skeletal (visceral) muscles and the internal organs and the glands that carry out bodily functions.

Basal ganglia

A set of structures involved in the control of movement, gathering and channelling information from different areas of the brain.

Broca's area

The speech production centre of the brain.

Central nervous system

Comprises the brain and spinal cord; the CNS controls the body by processing and responding to sensory input from the peripheral nervous system.

Cerebellum

The area of the brain responsible for coordinating and remembering smooth, well-sequenced movements

Cerebral cortex

The multi-layered outer surface of the cerebrum responsible for receiving information from the environment, controlling our responses, and allowing complex voluntary movements and higher order thinking processes.

Cerebrum

The part of the brain most responsible for voluntary movement and complex thought processes such as perception, imagination, judgment and decision-making.

Corpus callosum

The band of neural fibres that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres.

Fight-flight-freeze response

A physiological response to stress that causes an organism to react in a combative manner (flight), by removing itself from the situation (flight), or by not reacting at all (freeze).

Frontal lobe

The largest lobe of the brain; has several functions, including initiating movement of the body, language, planning, judgment, problem-solving, aspects of personality and emotions; extremely well developed in higher order mammals.

Geschwind's territory

Area of the brain that provides a connection between Broca's area and Wernicke's area.

Hippocampus

A finger-sized curve structure that lies in the medial temporal lobes; responsible for consolidation of explicit memories and acts to transfer these to other parts of the brain for storage as long-term memory.

Homeostasis

The state of balance in the body's metabolism.

HPA axis

A major neuroendocrine system that includes the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal gland; these structures interact through a feedback system to regulate a number of functions such as a person's digestion, immune system, mood, emotions and their responses to stress.

Hypothalamus

A structure in the forebrain that plays a major role in controlling emotion and motivated behaviours such as eating, drinking and sexual activity.

Limbic system

Structure of the brain consisting of the amygdala, hypothalamus and midbrain; implicated in memory, emotion, behaviour and motivation.

Localisation of function of the brain

Specific parts of the brain are responsible for different functions.

Monosynaptic reflex arc

A reflex arc made up of only two neurons (one sensory and one motor).

Motor neurons

Neurons that communicate messages from the central nervous system to the particular muscles that an organism intends to move at any particular moment; also known as efferent neurons.

Neurons

Nerve cells, responsible for communication within the body.

Occipital lobe

The cerebral cortex at the rear of the brain; the location of the primary visual cortex and association areas involved with integration of visual stimuli.

Parasympathetic nervous system

A branch of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for maintaining our day-to-day functioning and for most of the automatic functions of the body such as digestion, heart rate, breathing and some glandular functions.

Parietal lobe

The location of the primary somatosensory cortex in the brain; enables a person to perceive their own body and where things are located in their immediate environment.

Peripheral nervous system

Communicates information from the body to the central nervous system (e.g. aches and pains) and to the body's organs, glands and muscles.

Polysynaptic reflex arc

A reflex arc made up of multiple neurons, with one or more interneurons connecting the sensory and motor neurons.

Prefrontal cortex (PFC)

Part of the cerebral cortex that connects brain regions that are involved in the processing and production of emotion.

Primary auditory cortex

Location in the upper part of the temporal lobe; receives sounds from the ears.

Primary motor cortex

Located at the rear of each frontal lobe; responsible for movement of the skeletal muscles of the body.

Primary somatosensory cortex

Located at the front of each parietal lobe; processes sensations such as touch, pressure, temperature and pain.

Primary visual cortex

Located in the occipital lobe; processes information from the eyes.

reflex

Simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus.

Sensory neurons

Neurons that carry information from the body and from the outside world into the central nervous system; also known as effector neurons.

Somatic nervous system

The division of the peripheral nervous system that carries sensory information into the central nervous system and motor commands from the central nervous system to the skeletal muscles.

Spinal cord

The bundle of nerve fibres connecting the brain with peripheral nervous system.

Sympathetic nervous system

A branch of the autonomic nervous system that activates the fight-flight-freeze response.

Temporal lobe

The part of the forebrain beneath the temporal plate of the skill, at the side of the head above the ears; contains Wernicke's area and the primary auditory cortex.

Thalamus

Structure in the brain located between the cerebral cortex and he midbrain, just above the brain stem; responsible for relaying motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex.

Wernicke's area

Part of the left temporal lobe, responsible for language reception and interpretation and for creation of grammatically correct speech.

Central executive

The functional component of working memory that is responsible for switching attention from task to task, deciding what material is to be retrieved from or committed to long-term memory and for performing calculations and making linkages.

Declarative memory

A long-term memory store of personal experiences (episodic) and facts (semantic).

Echoic memory

Auditory memory in the sensory memory register.

Encoding

The process of putting information into a form that will allow it to fit with your personal storage system.

Episode buffer

A theoretical component of working memory that acts as both a bridge and a filter (for auditory and visual information) between long-term memory and the central executive and storage components in working memory.

Episodic memory

Long-term memories of episodes or experiences in your life.

Explicit memory

Memories of facts, names, images and events; also called declarative memories.

Iconic memory

A sensory register for the fleeting storage of visual information, it lasts about 0.3 seconds and explains why we can see a moving picture from a series of still photos.

Implicit memory

Memories of skills, emotions, preferences and dispositions; also called procedural or non-declarative memories; processed in the amygdala and possibly the cerebellum.

Levels of processing model of memory

A model of memory that suggests that memory comprises a continuous dimension in which memory is encoded related to the ease with which it can be retrieved: the deeper the processing of information, the greater the chance of it being retrieved.

Long-term memory

The information is encoded and stored, and as long as you know enough about the information, the information can be retrieved.

Maintenance rehearsal

A strategy for keeping information in short-term memory or for moving it into long-term memory by simply repeating information over and over.

Multi-store model of memory

A model that suggests that memory is comprised of three memory stores: a sensory store, a short-term memory store and a long-term memory store.

Phonological loop

A storage system for auditory information in working memory.

Procedural memory

One aspect of implicit memory; memory for how to perform particular tasks, skills or actions.

Retrieval

The process of getting information back from long-term memory to be used in working memory.

Retrieval cues

Mental reminders or prompts that we create to assist our recollection later on.

Semantic memory

Memory for facts or general knowledge.

Semantic networks

The idea that items in long-term memory are stored in a hierarchical patter of nodes with links between related nodes.

Sensory memory

A store for incoming, fleeting sensory information.

Short-term memory

A store that receives information from the long-term and sensory stores; with a limited capacity of 5-9 pieces of information, and a duration of approximately 12-20 seconds.

Storage

Maintaining encoded information in a memory store.

Visuospatial sketchpad

The storage system for visual information in working memory.

Working memory

The mental work that is occurring at any given time, including retrieving information, problem-solving, and comprehending sounds and visions; draws on information from sensory and long-term memories.

Central executive

The functional component of working memory that is responsible for switching attention from task to task, deciding what material is to be retrieved from or committed to long-term memory and for performing calculations and making linkages.

Declarative memory

A long-term memory store of personal experiences (episodic) and facts (semantic).

Echoic memory

Auditory memory in the sensory memory register.

Encoding

The process of putting information into a form that will allow it to fit with your personal storage system.

Episode buffer

A theoretical component of working memory that acts as both a bridge and a filter (for auditory and visual information) between long-term memory and the central executive and storage components in working memory.

Episodic memory

Long-term memories of episodes or experiences in your life.

Explicit memory

Memories of facts, names, images and events; also called declarative memories.

Iconic memory

A sensory register for the fleeting storage of visual information, it lasts about 0.3 seconds and explains why we can see a moving picture from a series of still photos.

Implicit memory

Memories of skills, emotions, preferences and dispositions; also called procedural or non-declarative memories; processed in the amygdala and possibly the cerebellum.

Levels of processing model of memory

A model of memory that suggests that memory comprises a continuous dimension in which memory is encoded related to the ease with which it can be retrieved: the deeper the processing of information, the greater the chance of it being retrieved.

Long-term memory

The information is encoded and stored, and as long as you know enough about the information, the information can be retrieved.

Maintenance rehearsal

A strategy for keeping information in short-term memory or for moving it into long-term memory by simply repeating information over and over.

Multi-store model of memory

A model that suggests that memory is comprised of three memory stores: a sensory store, a short-term memory store and a long-term memory store.

Phonological loop

A storage system for auditory information in working memory.