AP Psych Vocab 1.4a-1.4c

Neuroplasticity

The brains ability to change, especially during childhood by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experiments. 

Neuroplasticity example

Baby learning how to walk, they repetidetly try and fail but successful steps strengthen it making walking easier overtime

Lesion

Destruction, brain lesions may occur naturally (from disease or trauma) during surgery or experimentally (using electrodes to destroy brain cells) (destruction and damage) 

Lesion example 

The damage to one area of a cats hypothalamus reduces eating to the point of starvation, whereas damage to another area produces overreacting 

Stimulate the brain

Involves applying energy (electrical, magnetic, or chemical) to a part of the brain to activate its function often to improve symptoms

Stimulate the brain example

Solving puzzles, learning new skills makes the brain function 

Hindbrain

Contains brain stem structures that direct essential survival functions.

Hindbrain example

Breathing, sleeping, arousal etc

Mid brain 

Coordinates simple movements with sensory information. Contains the basal ganglia which controls smooth voluntary movements (low dopamine here is associated with parkinsons

Mid brain example

When your pupils constrict in response to bright light

Forebrain

Manages complex cognitive activities, sensory and motor

Forebrain example

Behavior etc allows us to experience consciousness think critically, interact with others around us 

Brainstem

The central care of the brain, beggining where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull and the brain stem is responsible for automatic survival functions

Brainstem example

Breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure 

Medulla

Part of the brain stem, controls basic life support functions, controls reflexes

Medulla example

Heartrate, breathing, digestion, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, and swallowing

Thalamus

Part of the limbic system, sensory switch board, incoming sensory formation (except to the cerebral cortex for proccessing smell)

Thalamus example

Receives info from all the senses except smell

Retiucular formation

A nerve network that travels through the brain stem into the thalamus

Reticular formation example

Filters info and plays an important role in controlling arousal. A cat severed reticular info without damaging nearby sensory pathways madethe cat go in a coma

Cerebellum 

Controls balance and coordination, learned motor movements, procedural memory formation (how to) 

Cerebellum example

How to ride a bike

Limbic system

System located in the forebrain that includes amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus etc

Limbic system example

Associated with emotions drives, memory formation 

Amygdala

Part of the limbic system, plays a role in emotional responses especially fear and agression

Amygdala example

The women had no fear even after being threatened with a weapon. People with amygdala after display reduced arousal to fear

Hypothalamus 

Part of the limbic system, controls endocrine system by influencing the pituitary gland control autonomic nervous system.

Hypothalamus example

Regulates body maintance activities, hunger, thirst, boy, temp, sexual behavior

Hippocampus 

Part of the limbic system, explicit memory formation, learning, processing new memories into long term memories

Hippocampus

Recalling the steps to your house after a long day

Cerebral Cortex

Cerebral makes up the largest section of the brain and is made up of one layer, has ultimate control and information processing center.

Cerebral cortex 

Mammals complex cerebral cortex offered high capacity for learning and thinking enabling them to adapt to ever changing enviornments 

Frontal lobes

Starting at the front of your brain and moving g over the top, they enable inguistic processing muscle movements higher order thinking and executive functioning (Such as making plans and judgements) 

Frontal lobes example

Imagine a situation where you are walking down the street and suddenly see a car speeding towards you.

Parietal lobes

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

Parietal lobes example

Touch sensations, movements

Occipital lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head. It includes areas that recieve information from  visual fields. 

Occipital lobes example

The ability to read 

Temporal lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears it includes auditory of which receives information primarily from the opposite ear. They also enable language processing

Temporal lobes example

Recognizing a similar face, or sound

Motor cortex 

A cerebral cortex area at the rear of the frontal lobes that contains voluntary movements 

Motor cortex example

The process of reaching out for a cup of soup

Somatosensory cortex

A cerebral cortex area at the front of the paretial lobes that registers and processes body touch, movement sensations

Somatosensory cortex example 

When you can identify a object like a spoon looking at it feeling it. Someone giving you a hug

Association areas 

Areas of cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking 

Association areas example

Planning decison making

Neurogensis

The formation of new neurons

Neurogensis example 

The generation of neurons in the adult hippocampus that support memory and learning

Corpus callosum

Bundle of nerve fibers that connects the 2 hemispheres allowing them to communicate/ midslice view

Corpus callosum example

Imagine your riding a bike, your left side of the brain controls the pedals and your right side controls the handlebars

Split brains 

A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brains two hemisphere by cutting fibers connecting them. 

Split brains example

The split brain phenomenon occurs when corpus callosum, the thick band of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain is severed.

Left hemisphere

Handles language processing, including speech, reading, and writing

Right hemisphere

Associated with creativity, intuition, thinking

Right hemisphere example

Recognizing faces etc