PSY 3061 Exam 1

tbh don't trust me i suck at bio

What is biopsychology?

The scientific study of the biology of behavior

Who is Donald O Hebb?

First person (1904) to propose a comprehensive theory of how psychological things might be produced by brain activity.

What are the three dimensions of biopsychology?

• Human vs non-human subjects

• Experiments vs. nonexperimental studies

• Pure vs. applied research

What are the pros to using animal models?

• Their nervous systems are similar to ours

• They are simpler

• Fewer ethical constraints

• More room for experimentation with drugs

What are the cons to animal models?

• They are not exact replicas

• Their neocortex are significantly smaller

• They only sometimes follow directions

What is the first division of biopsychology?

Physiological psychology: the division of biopsych that studies the neural mechanism of behavior through direct manipulation and recording the brain in controlled experiments. Mostly lab animals.

What is the second division of biopsychology?

Psychopharmacology

What is the third division of biopsychology?

Neuropsychology; the study of psychological effects of brain damage in human patients. Mostly case studies like patient HM.

What is the fourth division of biopsychology?

Psychophysiology: studies the relation of physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects.

What is the fifth division of biopsychology?

Cognitive neuroscience

What is the sicth division of biopsychology?

Comparative psychology; studying the behavior across species.

What is Cartesian dualism?

Mind and body as two separate entities

Where is it understood in Cartesian dualism that the body and soul meet?

The Pineal Gland

How do behaviors influence evolution?

• Social dominance (two alpha wolves fighting) allows one to copulate more

• Courtship display (peacocks) influence evolution because they promote the formation of the new species.

What is an allele?

Variant forms of a given gene and are found at the same place on a chromosome?

What makes up the central nervous system?

Brain and spinal cord

What makes up the peripheral nervous system?

Everything that is not the brain and spine, but more specifically the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system

What makes up the somatic nervous system?

Afferent and efferent nerves

What are afferent nerves?

They are sensory nerves that carry information to the CNS

What are efferent nerves?

They are motor neurons that carry information away from the CNS and to the skeletal muscles

What are the two divisions of efferent nerves?

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

What does the autonomic nervous sytem do?

• Rest and digest

• synapses close to target

• Conserves energy

• Release acetylcholine

What does the sympathetic nervous system do?

• Fight or flight

• Synapse laterally to the spinal cord in chains of ganglion. Often act in unison

• Releases norepinephrine

What are the divisions of the spinal cord?

Dorsal and ventral horn

What does the dorsal horn control?

Sensory functions

What does the ventral horn control?

Motor functions

How many pairs of spinal nerves are there?

31 pairs

What are the four regions of the spinal cord?

Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral

What are the five major divisions of the brain?

Myelencephalon, metencephalon, mesencephalon, diencephalon, telencephalon

What are the major parts of the myelencephalon?

The Medulla

What is the major functions of the myelencephalon?

It regulates vital functions like heartbeat, circulation, respiration, sleep, arousal, movement, and muscle tone

What are the major parts of the metencephalon?

The cerebellum and the pons

What does the cerebellum do?

It controls motor functions, attention, and cognition

What does the pons do?

It controls postural balance, carries info from the cerebellum to the cerebral hemispheres, and is highly active during dreaming

What does the mesencephalon do?

It controls sensory processing

What does the thalamus do?

It is the sensory relay station of the brain

What are the major parts of the diencephalon?

The thalamus, the hypothalamus, optic chiasm, and the pituitary gland

What does the hypothalamus do (the 4 F’s)?

Fighting, fleeing, feeding, fornication

What are the major parts of the telencephalon?

The cortex and the subcortex

The neocortex is contained in what structure?

The cortex

The subcortex is comprised of what parts?

The basal ganglia, the limbic system, and the corpus callosum

What makes up the neocortex?

The frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe

What does the frontal lobe do?

Controls executive function

What does the parietal lobe do?

Controls somatosensory processing?

What does the occipital lobe do?

Controls visual processing

What does the temporal lobe do?

Controls auditory processing

What is another name for the subcortex?

The limbic system

What does the subcortex control?

Producing behavioral and emotional responses

What are the structures within the limbic system?

Amygdala, hippocampus, fornix, mammillary bodies, septum

What does the basal ganglia do?

It has involvement in motor control, motor learning, decision-making, and reward learning.

What are the structures that make up the basal ganglia?

Amygdala, striatum

What is the landmark division \n between frontal and parietal lobe?

The central sulcus

What is the landmark division \n between frontal and temporal lobe?

The lateral sulcus

What is the barrier that protects the brain?

The meninges

What are the layers to the meninges?

Dura, arachnoid membrane, pia mater

What is in the subarachnoid space?

Vessels and cerebral spinal fluid

Where is the cerebrospinal fluid made?

Choroid plexus

What does the cerebrospinal fluid do?

It cushions the brain, circulates, nutrients, and removes waste

What does the blood brain barrier let in?

Water, small lipids, small solutes, and gases

What does the blood brain barrier not let in?

Large plasma proteins and large organic molecules