AP Psychology Unit 1

Central Nervous System

The brain and spinal cord; it controls and processes information.

Somatic Nervous System

The part of the PNS that controls voluntary movements and sends information from the senses to the brain.

Peripheral Nervous System

All the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that connect the CNS to the rest of the body.

Autonomic Nervous System

The part of the PNS that controls automatic body functions, like heartbeat and digestion

Neurons

Specialized cells that send and receive information in the nervous system.

Axons

Parts of neurons that carry messages away from the cell body.

Dendrites

Parts of neurons that receive messages from other neurons.

Synapses

Tiny spaces between neurons where chemical messages are passed.

Sensory Neurons

Neurons that carry information from the senses to the brain and spinal cord.

Motor Neurons

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

Threshold

The minimum level of stimulation needed for a neuron to fire.

Action potential

The electrical impulse that travels down a neuron's axon when it fires.

Refractory Period

A short period after firing when a neuron cannot fire again yet

Reuptake

The process of a neuron taking neurotransmitters back in after they are released.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter involved in movement, motivation, reward, and learning.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter involved in mood, sleep, and appetite.

Stimulant

A drug that increases activity in the nervous system, making you feel more alert or energized.

Depressant

A drug that slows activity in the nervous system, making you feel more relaxed or slowed down.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain responsible for complex thinking, sensing, movement, and decision-making.

Brain lateralization

The idea that the left and right hemispheres specialize in different functions.

Broca’s Area

A brain area involved in producing speech.

Plasticity

The brain's ability to change and reorganize itself based on experience or after damage.

Circadian Rhythm

The body's roughly 24-hour biological clock that affects sleep, alertness, and other functions.

Opponent Process Theory

The idea that we see three pairs of opposing colors: red/green, blue/yellow, and black/white.

Trichromatic Theory

The idea that the eye has three types of color receptors that detect red, green, and blue.

Kinesthesia

The sense that tells you where your body parts are and how they are moving.

Vestibular Sense

The sense that helps you maintain balance and know your body's position and movement.