Biological Bases of Behavior and Consciousness

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering brain structures, functions, cognitive processing mechanisms, and states of sleep and consciousness.

Neuroplascity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Lesion

tissue destruction. May occur naturally during surgery or experimentally

Medula

the hindbrain structure that is the brainstem's base; controls heartbeat and breathing.

Thalamus

the forebrain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Reticular formation

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal

Cerebellum

the hindbrain's "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.

Amygdala

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Hypothalamus

a limbic system neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

Cerebral cortex

interconnected neural cells covering the forebrain's cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Parietal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Occipital lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields

Temporal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

Motor Cortex

a cerebral cortex area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Corpus Callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

Dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Blindsight

a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

Parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

sequential processing

processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems

Hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Hypnagogic Sensations

bizarre experiences, such as jerking or a feeling of falling or floating weightlessly, while transitioning to sleep

Delta Waves

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

Neuroplascity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Lesion

tissue destruction. May occur naturally during surgery or experimentally

Medula

the hindbrain structure that is the brainstem's base; controls heartbeat and breathing.

Thalamus

the forebrain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Reticular formation

a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal

Cerebellum

the hindbrain's "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.

Amygdala

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Hypothalamus

a limbic system neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

Cerebral cortex

interconnected neural cells covering the forebrain's cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Parietal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Occipital lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields

Temporal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

Motor Cortex

a cerebral cortex area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Corpus Callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment

Dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Blindsight

a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it

Parallel processing

the processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously

sequential processing

processing one aspect of a stimulus or problem at a time; generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems

Hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

Hypnagogic Sensations

bizarre experiences, such as jerking or a feeling of falling or floating weightlessly, while transitioning to sleep

Delta Waves

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

REM rebound

the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation