AP Psych Unit 1

Heredity

The genetic transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring.

Environment

The surrounding conditions, influences, and experiences that impact an individual.

Genetic predisposition

An increased likelihood of developing a particular disease based on a person's genetic makeup.

Twin and adoption studies

Research methods used to determine the influence of genetics and environment on behavior.

Temperament

A person’s or animal's nature, especially as it permanently affects their behavior.

Gene-environment interaction

The phenomenon in which specific environmental factors can affect the expression of genes.

Evolutionary Perspective

An approach in psychology that considers how evolutionary principles such as natural selection influence behavior.

Central Nervous System

The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System

The part of the nervous system outside the central nervous system, responsible for connecting the CNS to the limbs and organs.

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

Motor Neurons

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

Interneurons

Neurons within the CNS that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Somatic Nervous System

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles.

Autonomic Nervous System

The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary actions and regulates bodily functions.

Sympathetic Nervous System

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

Reflex Arc

The neural pathway that mediates a reflex action.

Hormones

Chemical messengers produced by the endocrine glands that are released into the bloodstream.

Pituitary Gland

The endocrine gland that regulates many bodily functions and controls other glands in the endocrine system.

Glial Cells

Supportive cells in the nervous system that provide assistance and protection for neurons.

Neurons

The basic building blocks of the nervous system, specialized for communication.

Action Potential

A neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.

Synapse

The junction between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another neuron.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron to another.

All-or-None Response

The principle that a neuron either fires completely or does not fire at all.

Plasticity

The brain's ability to change and adapt, especially in response to damage or injury.

Circadian Rhythms

The biological processes that cycle every 24 hours, impacting sleep and wakefulness.

REM Sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep, a stage of sleep characterized by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids.

Sleep Apnea

A sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep.

Activation-Synthesis Theory

The theory that dreams are a byproduct of brain activity during REM sleep.

Tolerance

The reduced response to a drug after repeated use, often leading to higher doses needed to achieve the same effect.

Psychoactive Drug

A substance that changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood, or consciousness.

Bottom-Up Processing

Analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain's integration of sensory information.

Top-Down Processing

Information processing guided by higher-level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experience and expectations.

Weber’s Law

The principle that, to perceive a difference between two stimuli, they must differ by a constant proportion.

Trichromatic Theory

The theory of color vision that proposes three cones in the retina detect three primary colors: red, green, and blue.

Opponent-Process Theory

The theory that opposing retinal processes enable color vision, such as red-green and blue-yellow.