Neuropsychology and Developmental Psychology Lecture Notes

These vocabulary flashcards cover the key terms from the lecture notes on neuropsychology, neuron structure, brain lobes, neurochemicals, mental health models, and developmental theories by Erikson and Piaget.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Consists of the brain and spinal cord; the spinal cord connects the brain and the peripheral nervous system.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The division of the nervous system further divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Somatic Nervous System

Controls voluntary muscles and transmits sensory information to the Central Nervous System (CNS).

Autonomic Nervous System

Controls involuntary body functions and contains the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Arouses the body to expend energy.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Calms the body down to conserve and maintain energy.

Dendrites

The part of the neuron that receives incoming neural messages.

Soma

The body of the neuron which contains the nucleus with all genetic material.

Axon

The pathway along which the neural message travels.

Myelin Sheath

A fatty insulation covering the axon which speeds up neural transmission.

Axon Terminal

The exit pathways for neural messages to reach the next neuron.

Synapse

The gap that separates the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron and the dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron.

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that receive sensory information and transmit it to the CNS.

Motor Neurons

Neurons that transmit information from the CNS to the muscles, glands, and organs to enable muscle movement.

Interneurons

Neurons that transmit information within the CNS, providing neural links between sensory and motor neurons.

Forebrain

The largest and most developed part of the brain responsible for complex processes including emotions, motivation, and reasoning.

Hindbrain

Part of the Autonomic NS that controls basic survival functions like heart rate, breathing, and coordinates voluntary muscle movement.

Frontal Lobe

The largest lobe located at the front of the brain; contains the primary motor cortex and Broca's area.

Parietal Lobe

Receives and processes bodily or somatosensory info such as temperature, touch, and body positions.

Occipital Lobe

The lobe that receives and processes visual information such as shapes, color, and motion perception.

Temporal Lobe

Responsible for hearing, language comprehension, memory, and facial recognition; contains Wernicke's area.

Dopamine

A reward neurochemical that increases pleasure and motivation; it is both an excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter.

Serotonin

An inhibitory neurotransmitter and mood-balancing chemical that regulates sleep, appetite, and aggression.

Oxytocin

A neurochemical involved in sexual arousal, recognition, trust, romantic attachment, and mother-infant bonding.

Cortisol

The stress hormone involved in the fight, flight, or freeze response; helps control blood sugar levels and memory formation.

Biopsychosocial Model

An approach that attributes mental health and illness to a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Developmental Psychology

A branch of psychology specializing in the study of changes that occur from conception to birth.

Continuous Development

A perspective of development characterized by a gradual and ongoing change throughout the lifespan.

Discontinuous Development

A perspective of development involving distinct and separate stages with different kinds of behaviors occurring in each stage.

Nature vs. Nurture

Nature refers to inborn, inherited factors gained genetically; Nurture refers to environmental or external conditions affecting development.

Psychosocial Crisis

A personal conflict an individual faces in adjusting to society, according to Erikson's theory.

Identity VS Identity Confusion

Erikson's stage (12-18 years) where young people establish an overall self-image or experience role confusion.

Schemata

Mental ideas about what something is and how to deal with it, as defined in Piaget's theory.

Assimilation

The process of taking new information and fitting it into existing schemas.

Accommodation

The process of changing existing schemas to fit new information that does not link to what is already known.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects still exist even if they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.

Egocentrism

The tendency to perceive the world solely from one's own point of view.

Conservation

The understanding that certain properties of an object remain the same even when its appearance changes.

Abstract Thinking

A way of thinking in the formal operational stage that does not rely on being able to see or manipulate items to understand them.