Unit 1 - AP Psychology Vocab (midterm)

Genes

Units of heredity that contribute to an organism's traits.

Twin Biology

The study of effects of heredity and environment on behavior using sets of identical and fraternal twins.

Nature vs Nurture

The debate on the relative contributions of genetics and environment to human development.

Neuron

The basic building block of the nervous system; a nerve cell that transmits information.

Dendrites

Branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons.

Axon

The long extension of a neuron that transmits impulses away from the cell body.

Action potential

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

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals released by neurons that influence other neurons' action potentials.

Reuptake

The process by which neurotransmitters are reabsorbed into the sending neuron.

Agonist

A chemical that mimics or enhances the action of a neurotransmitter.

Antagonist

A chemical that inhibits the action of a neurotransmitter.

Endorphins

Neurotransmitters that act as natural painkillers and affect the perception of pleasure.

Hippocampus

A brain structure responsible for the formation of new explicit memories.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

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

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The part of the nervous system consisting of sensory and motor neurons outside the CNS.

Sympathetic Nervous System

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body in stressful situations.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body and conserves energy.

Endocrine System

The body's slow chemical communication system that uses hormones.

Circadian rhythm

The biological clock that governs regular bodily rhythms on a roughly 24-hour cycle.

REM sleep

A stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movement and vivid dreaming.

Insomnia

Recurring problems falling or staying asleep.

Transduction

The process of converting physical energy from the environment into neural impulses.

Absolute threshold

The minimum stimulus energy needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.

Pupil

The adjustable opening in the center of the eye through which light enters.

Cochlea

A coiled structure in the inner ear that converts sound waves into neural impulses.

Sensorineural hearing loss

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

Gustation

The sense of taste, which detects chemical substances in food.

Kinesthesis

The sense of body position and movement, relying on proprioceptors in muscles and joints.

Vestibular sense

The sense of balance regulated by the semicircular canals in the inner ear.