Biology and Behavior/Sensation and Perception/Consciousness

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Psychology

186 Terms

1

dendrites

fiber-like cells that come out of the cell body; take information and pass it on to the soma (cell body) [part of neuron]

<p>fiber-like cells that come out of the cell body; take information and pass it on to the soma (cell body) [part of neuron]</p>
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cell body

provides the energy for the nerve cell and houses the nucleus; power plant

<p>provides the energy for the nerve cell and houses the nucleus; power plant</p>
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axon

carries information away from the cell; consists of myelin sheaths, nodes of Ranvier, and Schwann's cells

<p>carries information away from the cell; consists of myelin sheaths, nodes of Ranvier, and Schwann&apos;s cells</p>
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myelin sheath

acts as insulation; allows signal to run fast and uninterrupted from cell body to axon terminals; protects axon from damage; each bubble has a cell called Schwann's cell

<p>acts as insulation; allows signal to run fast and uninterrupted from cell body to axon terminals; protects axon from damage; each bubble has a cell called Schwann&apos;s cell</p>
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node of Ranvier

where action potential occurs; in between two myelin sheaths

<p>where action potential occurs; in between two myelin sheaths</p>
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Schwann's cell

produces and maintains the myelin shell

<p>produces and maintains the myelin shell</p>
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axon terminal

where information is released from the nerve cell

<p>where information is released from the nerve cell</p>
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synapse

gap between two nerve cells; makes you who you are

<p>gap between two nerve cells; makes you who you are</p>
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9

input of information

handled by afferent (aka sensory) neurons that bring information to the brain [one of the three functions of neurons]

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interneuron

process information; all in the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) [one of the three functions of neurons]

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output of information

efferent (aka motor) neurons neurons that handle information sent from the brain to the body [one of the three functions of neurons]

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threshold

minimum amount of stimuli needed to trigger a neural impulse; genetic; referred to as tolerances ex | pain tolerances

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ascending track

afferent neurons sending information from the body to the brain (northbound on I-95)

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descending track

efferent neurons sending information from the brain to the body (southbound on I-95)

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excitatory response

nervous system fires at faster than normal rate [one of two events that occurs when a reflex is triggered]

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inhibitory response

nervous system fires at slower than normal rate [one of two events that occurs when a reflex is triggered]

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excitatory overrules inhibitory

ex | Thursday night - party, Friday morning - major test

  • lie to yourself and say you'll study until you have to leave; too busy thinking about party

  • lie to yourself and say you'll only stay a little while, flash forward to 3 am and you're still there

  • say you'll study in the morning but end up sleeping through alarm and rushing to class

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action potential

neural signal moving down the axon from node of Ranvier to node of Ranvier; caused by positive and negative ions rubbing against each other

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19

neurotransmitters

communicators of the nervous system; talk through chemicals

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Goldilocks principle

"just right"; perfect amount of neurotransmitters equals normal behavior

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abnormal behavior

oversupply/undersupply of neurotransmitters

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illicit drugs

temporarily create an undersupply or oversupply of neurotransmitters

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lock and key

type of relationship between neurotransmitters and receptor sites; if all receptor sites are used, then the message is received

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characteristics of a neurotransmitter

  • work quickly

  • serve a specific function

  • released next to an adjacent nerve cell

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ACh

primary neurotransmitter for memory and learning undersupply - Alzheimer's

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serotonin

primary neurotransmitter with mood, hunger, and sleep undersupply - depression oversupply - mania

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dopamine

primary neurotransmitter with muscle movement and mood undersupply - Parkinson's oversupply - Schizophrenia

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glutamate

primary neurotransmitter for excitatory responses; speeds up nervous system oversupply - migraines

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GABA

inhibitory neurotransmitter; slows down nervous system

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PEA

what causes people to find other people attractive; breathing and heart beat accelerate, pupils dilate; only lasts between 90 days and 6 months (works with oxytocin)

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oxytocin

produces feelings of love (works with PEA)

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reuptake

releases more neurotransmitters than we have receptor sites for; extra unused neurotransmitters are recycled to the axon terminal to be used later; makes sure you always have enough to keep things moving; replenishing now doesn't have to occur constantly

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undersupply of neurotransmitters

reuptake didn't happen, and all these molecules are sitting there, waiting to be used

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oversupply of neurotransmitters

reuptake was too quick and the message wasn't fully received to fix: you want to block reuptake

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central nervous system

where interneurons are located and process information

  • spinal cord is protected by vertebrae, disks, and spinal fluid

  • brain is protected by skull and spinal cerebral fluid

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peripheral nervous system

brings information to brain and allows the brain to send information back to the body

  • SNS

  • ANS

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SNS

controls voluntary muscle movement; you have to think to do it ex | running, walking, talking, writing

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ANS

controls smooth muscles and heart; everything that your body does unconsciously ex | breathing, blinking, heart beating

  • sympathetic

  • parasympathetic

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sympathetic

uses energy; runs fight/flight responses; helps release adrenaline

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parasympathetic

makes sure you're never burning more energy than necessary so you have energy for fight/flight

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lesion

permanently destroys part of the brain so you can understand what it controls ex | Phineas Gage - railroad pipe through the frontal lobe; changed his personality completely

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lobotomy

probe shoved through eye and hammer hits it against frontal lobe, it gets wiggled around and supposedly cures mental illnesses

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EEG

captures electrical activity in the brain Strength: shows brain activity; non-invasive Weakness: cannot show detail such as structure

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CT scan

slice by slice 3D X-ray Strength: shows detail Weaknesses: doesn't show activity; uses radiation, invasive

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PET Scan

measures brain activity by looking at blood flow Strength: shows higher level of activity Weaknesses: requires radioactive isotopes, invasive; cannot show structure, no good picture; doesn't last long

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MRI

uses radio waves that produce an image once sent back Strengths: highly detailed image, shows soft tissues; non-invasive; can spend hours in the machine Weaknesses: can't show activity; cannot have reactive metal

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fMRI

first machine to show both activity and structure; looks at how oxygen moves through body

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DTI

studies blood flow on a microscopic level

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TMS

uses electromagnetic waves to create temporary lesion in the brain

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hindbrain

back, bottom part; most primitive part of the brain; takes care of the most basic functions; consists of medulla, pons, cerebellum, and reticular formation

<p>back, bottom part; most primitive part of the brain; takes care of the most basic functions; consists of medulla, pons, cerebellum, and reticular formation</p>
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medulla

controls breathing, heart rate, pulse and reflexes; essential function

<p>controls breathing, heart rate, pulse and reflexes; essential function</p>
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pons

regulates sleep; bridge connecting lower and upper brain

<p>regulates sleep; bridge connecting lower and upper brain</p>
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cerebellum

posture, balance, memory, ability to perform controlled activities

<p>posture, balance, memory, ability to perform controlled activities</p>
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reticular formation

controls alertness and arousal; like alarm system in house; active while sleeping, only inactive when in coma or death; brain processes unimportant information while sleeping by dumping it in dreams

<p>controls alertness and arousal; like alarm system in house; active while sleeping, only inactive when in coma or death; brain processes unimportant information while sleeping by dumping it in dreams</p>
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midbrain

integrates and coordinates sensory information; helps tie it together and make it work together ex | hear a noise and turn your head to try to find out where it came from

<p>integrates and coordinates sensory information; helps tie it together and make it work together ex | hear a noise and turn your head to try to find out where it came from</p>
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forebrain

where complexities start; higher order operations

<p>where complexities start; higher order operations</p>
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limbic system

inner core of the brain; second oldest part of the brain; control motivation and emotion

<p>inner core of the brain; second oldest part of the brain; control motivation and emotion</p>
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58

thalamus

sensory switchboard; all incoming sensory information goes here, and it directs it to the correct part of the brain to be processed; except for smell

<p>sensory switchboard; all incoming sensory information goes here, and it directs it to the correct part of the brain to be processed; except for smell</p>
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hypothalamus

the brain's pleasure center; runs human pleasures and directs pituitary gland four human pleasures: food, drinks, body heat, sex

<p>the brain&apos;s pleasure center; runs human pleasures and directs pituitary gland four human pleasures: food, drinks, body heat, sex</p>
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hippocampus

in charge of memory, helps coordinate it; Function 1A - make short-term memory long-term and Function 2B - long-term memory short-term

<p>in charge of memory, helps coordinate it; Function 1A - make short-term memory long-term and Function 2B - long-term memory short-term</p>
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retrograde amnesia

forget everything; entire life is erased and have to start over

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antrograde amnesia

cannot make any new memories; stuck in time only remembering events that occurred prior to event causing the brain damage (50 First Dates)

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63

amygdala

in charge of fear, anger, and impulsive thinking; makes decisions during fight/flight; makes decisions because it seems fun at the time, without thinking of consquences; if all your friends jump off a cliff, you would too

<p>in charge of fear, anger, and impulsive thinking; makes decisions during fight/flight; makes decisions because it seems fun at the time, without thinking of consquences; if all your friends jump off a cliff, you would too</p>
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64

singular cortex

bridge between thoughts and emotions

<p>bridge between thoughts and emotions</p>
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cerebrum

upper part of the brain; right and left hemisphere, same four lobes on each hemisphere; functions can be hemisphere-specific

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left hemisphere

language, analytical thinking, and controls right side of the body

<p>language, analytical thinking, and controls right side of the body</p>
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right hemisphere

creativity, spatial thinking, holistic, and left side of the body

<p>creativity, spatial thinking, holistic, and left side of the body</p>
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corpus callosum

connects hemispheres together; allows information to go back and forth between them

  • females have larger ones, which is believed to make them better at empathy and nonverbal communication/language

<p>connects hemispheres together; allows information to go back and forth between them</p><ul><li><p>females have larger ones, which is believed to make them better at empathy and nonverbal communication/language</p></li></ul>
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cerebral cortex

upper covering of brain; where all higher order learning occurs and where personality is; makes you who you are; part of the brain that becomes "brain dead"; the higher your level of education, the thicker this will be

<p>upper covering of brain; where all higher order learning occurs and where personality is; makes you who you are; part of the brain that becomes &quot;brain dead&quot;; the higher your level of education, the thicker this will be</p>
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occipital lobe

smallest of the lobes; where visual information is processed; 70% of brain's energy is used for it

<p>smallest of the lobes; where visual information is processed; 70% of brain&apos;s energy is used for it</p>
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parietal lobe

where body senses (touch and taste) are; larger part because it codes a large area

<p>where body senses (touch and taste) are; larger part because it codes a large area</p>
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temporal lobe

hearing, language, emotions, memory, and human faces

<p>hearing, language, emotions, memory, and human faces</p>
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frontal lobe

takes 22 to 23 years to develop; where organization and planning occurs; most sophisticated part of us is the cerebral cortex on our frontal lobe (pre-frontal cortex)

<p>takes 22 to 23 years to develop; where organization and planning occurs; most sophisticated part of us is the cerebral cortex on our frontal lobe (pre-frontal cortex)</p>
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somatosensory cortex

very front of parietal lobe; where all incoming touch information goes; hands and mouth are most sensitive

<p>very front of parietal lobe; where all incoming touch information goes; hands and mouth are most sensitive</p>
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motor cortex

back of the frontal lobe; controls movement

<p>back of the frontal lobe; controls movement</p>
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association areas

neural cluster/network that performs a unique and specific function

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Broca's area

left frontal lobe; controls speech production; if damaged, Broca's aphasia will occur - know what you want to say but are unable to physically communicate it

<p>left frontal lobe; controls speech production; if damaged, Broca&apos;s aphasia will occur - know what you want to say but are unable to physically communicate it</p>
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Wernicke's area

understanding; if damaged, you could speak but it wouldn't make sense

<p>understanding; if damaged, you could speak but it wouldn&apos;t make sense</p>
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split-brain operation

cut the corpus callosum in half; right brain and left brain that don't that don't talk to each other anymore; treats fatal epilepsy

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hemispherectomy

done when right side is having seizure activity that is life-threatening; cuts out right hemisphere

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81

hormones

messengers of the endocrine system

  • very slow

  • carried by bloodstream

  • last longer and affect a much broader area of the body

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pituitary gland

master gland; controls other glands and tells them to start secreting hormones; right under hypothalamus

<p>master gland; controls other glands and tells them to start secreting hormones; right under hypothalamus</p>
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pineal gland

produces/secretes melatonin (sleep)

<p>produces/secretes melatonin (sleep)</p>
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thyroid gland

produces/secretes thyroxine

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hypothyroidism

too little thyroxine is used; weight gain

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hyperthyroidism

too much thyroxine is used; weight loss

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adrenal gland

makes three hormones: adrenaline (opens up airways and rushes blood to muscles), noradrenaline (brings body's functioning back to normal), and cortisol (retains energy for fight/flight; stores calories; also releases from stress and causes weight gain)

<p>makes three hormones: adrenaline (opens up airways and rushes blood to muscles), noradrenaline (brings body&apos;s functioning back to normal), and cortisol (retains energy for fight/flight; stores calories; also releases from stress and causes weight gain)</p>
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ovary

produces estrogen and progesterone; regulates fertility cycle; develop secondary sex characteristics in females (puberty); retain and shave fat; cycles sync when females cohabitate; these characteristics start at puberty and run up until menopause

<p>produces estrogen and progesterone; regulates fertility cycle; develop secondary sex characteristics in females (puberty); retain and shave fat; cycles sync when females cohabitate; these characteristics start at puberty and run up until menopause</p>
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testes

testosterone is regulated within 28 seconds; can be made higher by having women treat him rudely and can be made lower by handing him a baby; drives sexual behavior and creates secondary sex characteristics (facial hair and deepening of voice)

<p>testosterone is regulated within 28 seconds; can be made higher by having women treat him rudely and can be made lower by handing him a baby; drives sexual behavior and creates secondary sex characteristics (facial hair and deepening of voice)</p>
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sensation

raw information/stimuli taken in by senses; governed by sensory system

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perception

how sensation is organized into something meaningful; governed by interneurons experiences - memory expectations - what you think will be there

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accessory structure

anything that modifies or enhances incoming stimuli ex | lens of eye - focuses image on retina ear - funnels sound into the ear canal

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transduction

all about brain and its function; turns outside stimuli into electrical activity so the brain can enhance it

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receptors

specialized cells in which transduction is caused

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adaptation

when an incoming stimuli is constant and unchanging, we stop responding to it positive: weight of clothes negative: when it occurs in the eye ex | driving down a long country road and hit a cow because you don't see it

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absolute threshold

minimum amount of stimuli you can accurately detect 50% of the time

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Signal Detection Theory

at or near the absolute threshold, there are two or more competing stimuli and you have to to tell the difference between them ex | thinking someone in a crowd looks like someone you know from far away but as you get closer you realize it's not them competing stimuli - the faces in the crowd vs. the face of the person you know

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Just Noticeable Difference

the smallest amount of distance needed to detect a difference

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sight

dominant sense; overrules every sense except smell

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sight

dominant sense; overrules every sense except smell

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