PSYC 100 Exam 1 Review: Brain Structures and Behavioral Genetics

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering brain regions, cortical lobes, subcortical structures, brainstem components, clinical case clues, and foundational concepts in nature vs. nurture and behavioral genetics.

Cortical Lobes Diagram

An anatomical diagram illustrating the locations of the Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Insular, and Occipital lobes.

Frontal Lobe

Cortical lobe responsible for complex thought, planning, decision making, self-control, voluntary movement, and language production.

Parietal Lobe

Cortical lobe responsible for touch, bodily sensation, spatial awareness, integration of sensory information, and map of the body's skin surface.

Temporal Lobe

Cortical lobe responsible for hearing, language comprehension, memory, and face and object recognition.

Occipital Lobe

Cortical lobe that receives and processes visual information.

Insula

Cortical lobe lying beneath parts of the frontal and parietal lobes, responsible for taste, emotion, and awareness of internal bodily states including hunger, heartbeat, nausea, pain, and homeostasis.

Primary Motor Cortex

Located at the back of the frontal lobe; initiates and helps execute voluntary movement.

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Located at the front of the parietal lobe; receives bodily sensations.

Broca's Area

Located usually in the left frontal lobe; supports speech production. Damage produces slow, effortful speech while retaining comprehension.

Wernicke's Area

Located usually in the left temporal lobe; supports language comprehension. Damage produces fluent but meaningless speech with poor comprehension.

Premotor Cortex

Cortical area that plans and prepares movement.

Deeper Brain Structures Diagram

An anatomical diagram showing the deeper brain structures: Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Amygdala, and Hippocampus.

Thalamus

Deeper brain structure known as the sensory 'switchboard' that relays most sensory information to the correct cortical destination.

Hypothalamus

Deeper brain structure located below the thalamus that regulates internal states and homeostasis, including hunger, thirst, temperature, sleep, and endocrine activity.

Amygdala

Deeper brain structure that supports emotional arousal, threat detection, fear, and excitement; damage leads to reduced fear or trouble recognizing fear.

Hippocampus

Deeper brain structure essential for forming new long-term memories and supporting spatial memory.

Basal Ganglia

Brain structure that helps plan and control movement; damage is linked to Parkinson's symptoms, including tremor and difficulty initiating movement.

Cerebellum

Brain structure that coordinates movement, posture, balance, and motor learning; damage causes poorly coordinated movement and balance problems.

Midbrain

Part of the brainstem that supports reflexes and visual tracking.

Pons

Part of the brainstem that acts as a bridge between the cortex and cerebellum.

Medulla

Part of the brainstem that controls vital automatic functions such as breathing and heartbeat; severe damage can be life threatening.

Spatial Neglect

A condition resulting from parietal lobe damage where an individual ignores one side of space.

Nature

Biological inheritance, including genes and heredity.

Nurture

Experience, learning, and environmental influence.

Chromosome

A tightly coiled strand of DNA located in the cell nucleus; most human cells contain 23 pairs, or 46 chromosomes.

DNA

The molecule that carries genetic information.

Gene

A segment of DNA containing instructions for building proteins.

Genotype

The set of genes a person inherited.

Phenotype

Observable physical and behavioral characteristics, usually influenced by both genotype and environment.

Behavioral Genetics

The study of how individual differences in behavior are related to genetic and environmental differences.

Passive Response from the Environment

A gene-environment interaction where genetically influenced characteristics lead other people to respond differently, such as an outgoing child receiving more social attention.

Active Selection

A gene-environment interaction where genetically influenced tendencies lead people to seek certain experiences, such as a thrill-seeking person choosing adventurous activities.