AP psych unit 1A

1.1-1.4

Genotype

An organism's genetic makeup

Phenotype

the observable characteristics that result from genes and the environment

Epigenetics

processes that alter the expression of a gene without changing genetic sequence

Genetic determinism vs genetic predisposition

Determinism: genetically determined
Predisposition: genetic push or inclination, but no guarantee

Behavioral genetics

Study of environmental and genetic influences on behavior

Monozygotic twins

Same genetic makeup (used for epigenetic studies)

Dizygotic twins

just as similar as any other pair of siblings

Biopsychology

examines physiological roots of how behavior and thinking are influenced by neurotransmitters, chemicals, and drugs

Biopsychologists

examine function of brain structures, methods of scanning the brain, and the role of genetic predispositions in human behavior and mental processes

Nervous system

carries info through your body

central nervous system

brain and spinal chord (subdivided into hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain)

peripheral nervous system

all nerves in body that aren't part of brain or spinal chord

reflexes

do not need further processing and are sent back through the body through peripheral nervous system through reflex arc without ever going to brain for evaluation

autonomic nervous system

deals with automatic or involuntary functions

somatic nervous system

deals with voluntary functions

sympathetic nervous system

part of autonomic nervous system that deals w/ emergency responses (fight or flight response)

Effect of sympathetic nervous system overuse

person becomes tired or worn out (system only works well in short term)

parasympathetic nervous system

maintains homeostasis and returns body to resting state (lowers breathing and heart rate, increases salivation and digestion)

afferent neurons

carry messages INTO the CNS (A=Approach)

efferent neurons

carry messages out of CNS to muscles and glands (E=exit)

interneurons

neurons in CNS that communicate between sensory and motor neurons (important in reflexes)

neurons

building blocks of nervous system

dendrites

branches on neurons that RECEIVE messages from other neurons

soma

contains nucleus and carries out basic metabolic functions of the neuron

axon

"tail" of neuron, electrical signals are conducted through here

action potential

electrical signal sent through axon. carries messages to other neurons

myelin sheath

white fatty substance that wraps around most axons and speeds up communication

nodes of ranvier

exist between sections of sheath. they hold the sodium potassium pumps

terminal buttons

knobs at end of each axon that house neurotransmitters

synapse

the microscopic gap between terminal buttons of sending neuron and dendrites of receiving neuron

resting state

has slightly negative charge due to presence of potassium w/ some chloride ions. outside of neuron is positive charge due to sodium ions (think of a salt encrusted banana-- sodium on outside and potassium on inside)

threshold

when a stimulus reaches the necessary level for the neuron to fire

depolarization

sodium ions rush into the cell and potassium rushes out temporarily (causes action potential)

all or none response

neuron fires completely or not at all

refractory period

the short amount of time in which a neuron cannot fire (happens immediately after firing a signal)

repolarization

when cell returns to its negative charge after firing

neurotransmitters

chemicals that allow for communication between neurons

vesicles

sacs on the end of terminal buttons that house neurotransmitters

postsynaptic neuron

receiving neuron

neurotransmitter specificity

neurotransmitters are specific to a certain neuron with a unique receptor site for them

reuptake

process by which neurotransmitters that arrived at their receptor site and completed their "job" are taken out of the synapse and returned to the vesicles (neurotransmitter recycling)

antagonist

drugs that impede/inhibits the action of a neurotransmitter (can bind to its receptor site)

agonist

drugs that enhance/amplify the action of a neurotransmitter

multiple sclerosis (MS)

autoimmune disease where own body attack myelin sheath

glial cells

cells that support neurons by holding them in place. form myelin sheath, support and provide nutrients, clean up excess potassium after neuron fires.

Substance P

send pain messages (P=pain)

endorphins

block pain messages and are linked to pleasure

epinephrine/norepinephrine

involved in alertness and arousal of fight or flight (pneumonic: epipen- opens airways so you can breathe in fight or flight)

serotonin (and effect of not enough of it)

stabilizing effect on mood, sleep, and appetite (low amount=depression)

dopamine (and effect of too much or not enough of it)

pleasure, learning, attention, movement (too much=scizophrenia, too little=parkinson's) (pneumonic: doPAMine: P=pleasure, A=attention, M=muscle control)

acetylcholine (and effect of too little of it)

memory and muscle control (too little=alzheimer's)

GABA

inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain (GABA, B=brakes)

glutamate (and effect of too much of it)

excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain (too much=seizures and migranes)

pychoactive drug

chemical substance that acts on the brain to impact moods, behavior, perceptions, or mental processes

blood brain barrier

blocks certain material in the blood from entering brain tissue (pyschoactive drugs must pass it in order to have an effect)

tolerance

result of repeated drug use which causes a need for greater and greater amounts of the drug to feel effects

physical dependence

when person has intense cravings and biological need for the drug

psychological dependence

when people spend a lot of time thinking about their next "high"

withdrawal

when someone stops taking a drug after long term use, resulting in distressing and painful side effects

endocrine system

message sending system comprised of glands

glands

release hormones into the blood stream

pituitary gland

directs other glands within the endocrine system to release hormones and releases oxytocin and HGH

hormones

chemical messengers that travel through blood stream

oxytocin

chemical involved in bonding, especially in parent-child connection (love hormone)

human growth hormone (HGH)

stimulates growth

thyroid/parathyroid

specialized in growth and metabolism, located in neck. regulates calcium in blood stream. Produces thyroxine

thyroxine level effects

too much= hyperthyroidism, causes weight loss and anxiety
not enough= hypothyroidism, causes weight gain and depression

adrenal glands (and effect of overactivity)

located near kidneys, govern fight or flight response through secretion of adrenaline and noradernaline and cortisol. activates sympathetic nervous system. overactivity can lead to breakdown in the function of immune system

Pancreas (and effect of not enough)

below adrenal glands, secretes insulin that is required for metabolism of blood sugar. not enough causes type 1 diabetes

pineal gland

deep between two hemispheres of brain, secretes sleep inducing hormone melatonin

gonads

sex organs

ovaries

produce hormones estrogen and progesterone which regulate menstrual cycle and maintain pregnancy respectively

Testes (and effects of too much of the hormone produced)

produce androgens such as testosterone (too much= aggression)

hypothalamus (endocrine system)

controls pituitary gland (hypothalamus is like the coach, pituitary gland is like the captain of a sports team)

Comparison between endocrine and nervous systems

nervous system= FAST
endocrine system= SLOW (b/c it has to go through blood stream)

hindbrain

includes, medulla, pons, reticular formation, and cerebellum

brainstem

contains pons and medulla. directs incoming messages to the opposite hemisphere of the brain for evaluation

medulla

just below where the brainstem meets brain. helps control breathing, swallowing, heartrate, and digestion

pons

located just above medulla on the slightly larger swell of brainstem. plays a role in sleep and dreaming (Pons=Pillow)

cerebellum

located at bottom rear of brain below occipatal lobe and controls balance, coordination, and smooth muscle movements

reticular formation

network of neurons that extends from hindbrain to midbrain and runs vertically on interior of brainstem. controls alertness and attention to incoming stimuli. functions as a filter to determine what info reaches cerebral cortex

midbrain

receives and integrates sensory info. bridge between hindbrain (basic life functions) and forebrain (sensory integration, complex thought &decision making)

forebrain

contains limbic system (amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus) and cerebral cortex

limbic system

responsible for emotion and basic primal motivation

hippocampus

responsible for FORMATION of NEW memories and transfer from short term to long term activities. only peripherally involved in limbic system

amygdala

IN LIMBIC SYSTEM: basic emotional responses like fear and anger, and the evaluation of emotionally relevant info (3 As: Afraid, angry, aggression)

thalamus (and effect when it's too small)

IN LIMBIC SYSTEM: sorts and relays all sensory info EXCEPT SMELL to cortical areas for evaluation (acts like a switchboard-- recieves and sends messages). could be linked to schizophrenia if it's too small and sends messages to wrong area

hypothalamus

IN LIMBIC SYSTEM: just below thalamus, at base of brain. regulates feeding, fighting, fleeing, mating, appetite, thirst, sex drive, sleep/wake cycle, maintains body temp, and fight or flight response

cerebrum

wrinkeld shell of brain

cerebral cortex

outer layer of cerebrum that allows for more neural connections that in the surface were smooth

frontal lobes

largest lobes in human brain. play role in future planning, complex thinking, decision making, speech production, and motor ability

prefrontal cortex

planning, judgement, decision making, self control

motor cortex

rear of frontal lobe, responsible for voluntary muscle movement

broca's area

responsible for speech production (broca=boca)

broca's aphasia

damage to broca's area which leads to an inability to express speech

parietal lobes

hadle incoming sensory info regarding touch, temp, and pain

somatosensory cortex

evaluates sensory info from skin

phantom limb syndrome

when people who have lost a limb still feel pain in the area where the limb used to be b/c even though the limb is gone, its corresponding area in the sensory cortex is still intact

primary visual cortex

located inside OCCIPATAL LOBE at rear of forebrain. processes visual info (you have eyes at the back of your head)

auditory cortex

located inside TEMPORAL LOBES on sides of brain above ears. temporal lobes also contain olfacory cortex which is essential to smell