AP psych unit 1

Spinal cord

Communication pathway between brain and body

Brain stem function

Controls basic, autonomic functions such as breathing and heart rate

Medula

Part of the brain stem which regulates respiratory and cardiovascular systems

Pons

Part of the brain stem which connects parts of the nervous system, helps with movement

Reticular activating system

Part of the brain stem. Network of neurons which controls alertness, wakefulness, and attention

Cerebellum

Part of the brain which controls voluntary functions and motor skills such as coordination

Midbrain

Bridge which connects forebrain and hindbrain. Also processes visual and auditory information and helps with motor control

Cerebrum

Largest part of the brain. Higher level thinking and functions

Cerebral cortex

Outer layer of the cerebrum made of gray matter

Frontal lobe

Region of cerebral cortex which process higher level thinking

Prefrontal cortex

Area of the frontal lobe responsible for language, judgement, and high level thinking

Motor cortex

Area of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movements

Parietal lobe

Region of cerebral cortex which processes sensory information from the body such as touch and spatial orientation. Think touch and direction

Somasensory cortex

Area of the parietal lobe which processes touch sensitivity. Think touch

Temporal lobe

Region of cerebral cortex which controls auditory and linguistic processing. Think sound and language

Occipital lobe

Region of the cerebral cortex which processes visual information. Think vision

Limbic system

Part of the brain which connects different parts together and performs essential life functions

Thalmus

Part of the limbic system which recieves sensory information such as vision, touch, audio, and sends it to the appropriate lobe for processing. Think relay station

Corpus Callosum

Part of the limbic system. Band of nerve fibers which connect the 2 hemispheres of the brain

Hypothalmus

Part of the limbic system. Helps body to maintain balance and homeostasis. Controls drives such as thirst and hunger

Pituitary gland

Regulates hormones which release glands to regulate bodily function

Left hemisphere of brain

Words, letters, interpreting language

Right hemisphere of brain

Spatial concepts, facial recognition, discerning direction

Broca's area

Region of brain in the frontal lobe which deals with the production of speech. Damage to the area can lead to Broca's aphasia

Wernicke's area

Region of brain in the temporal lobe which deals with the comprehension of speech. Damage to the area can lead to Wernicke's aphasia

EEG

Electrodes are placed on an individual's scalp to record the electrical signals from neuron firing

fMRI

Magnetic imaging of the brain which shows which active areas of the brain

NREM 1

The first stage of sleep which lasts 5-10 minutes. Body will start to relax and mind will slow. Alpha waves

NREM stage 2

Second stage of sleep which lasts 10-20 minutes. Body will experience bursts of mental activities called sleep spindles and K-complexes. Theta waves

NREM stage 3

Third stage of sleep which lasts around 30 minutes. A deep sleep where growth hormones are produced and an individual may experience sleep walking and sleep talking. Delta waves

Hypnogogic sensations

Imaginary images or sensations that seem real and occur as a person is falling asleep. Occur in NREM sleep

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep

The fourth stage of sleep. Ranges from 10 minutes to an hour. The external muscles are paralyzed while internal muscles are active. Dreams are experienced. After a cycle of REM sleep, the cycle repeats and repeats until a person wakes up. REM sleep is paradoxical because the brain is most active while the body is most relaxed. Beta waves

REM Rebound

The tendency for REM sleep to increase in length after a person is deprived of REM sleep

Activation-synthesis Theory

Proposes that dreams are the brain's way of making sense of random neural activity during sleep

Consolidation theory

Proposes that dreams help process and strengthen our memories and experiences

Restoration theory

Proposes that we sleep because we are tired and need to restore our energy

Sleep apnea

A disorder where an individual has trouble sleeping due to breathing issues

REM sleep behavior disorder

A disorder where an individual physically acts out dreams in REM sleep

Somnambulism

Sleepwalking

Narcolepsy

A disorder where a person has trouble falling asleep at night, but suffers from uncontrollable sleep attacks in the day

Sensory transduction

The process of converting stimuli into sensation

Absolute threshold

The smallest amount of stimulus which can be detected by an organism 50% of the time. To experience a stimulation, the stimulus has to hit the absolute threshold

Sensory adaptation

Constant exposure to an unchanging stimulus leads to reduced sensitivity to the stimulus. Occurs in the body

Habituation

Repeated exposure to the same stimulus leads to a reduced response to the stimulus. Occurs in the brain

Difference threshold

Minimum difference between two stimuli required for a person to detect the change

Weber-Fechner law

For us to notice a difference between two stimuli, the two stimuli must differ by a constant percent, not a constant amount

Synesthesia

A neurological condition where one sense is experienced through another

Pupil

A part of the visual sensory system. The part of the eye which helps focus light to the retina

Retina

A part of the visual sensory system. A layer of photo receptor cells at the back of the eye which convert light into neural impulses that allow the brain to process what the eye is seeing

Optic nerve

A part of the visual sensory system. The nerve which transmits the neural impulses from the retina to the brain

Blind spot

The point where the optic nerve leaves the eye. At this point, no photo receptors are located in the retina, creating a blind spot. Our brain fills in the blind spot with information from the other eye

Rods

Photoreceptor cells which are located in the periphery of the eye. They become active in low light environments, allowing you to see in dim light. They do not process color

Cones

Photo receptor celsl which are located in the fovia of the eye. They allow a person to see fine details and color

Trichromatic theory

Individuals are able to see color because different light wavelengths stimulate combinations of 3 color receptors. Our 3 photo receptor colors are red, blue, and green

Opponent processing theory

Opposing retinal processes (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black) enable color vision. For example, some cells are stimulated by green and inhibited by red; others are stimulated by red and inhibited by green. This is because information received from the cones is sent to ganglion cells, which causes some neurons to be excited and some to be inhibited

Color blindness

Color blindness is caused by damage or lack of cones

Dichromatism

Caused by only having 2 out of the 3 cones. Causes difficulty in seeing certain colors

Monochromatism

Caused by having 1 cone or no cones at all. Full color blindness

Accommodation

The ability for the eye to change shape to focus light on the retina

Myopia/nearsightness

The lens focuses light in front of the retina, causing far objects to appear more blurry

Hyperopia/farsightedness

The lens focuses light behind the retina, causing near objects to appear more blurry

Prosopegnosia

A condition caused by damage to the occipital and temporal lobes, where a person is no longer able to recognize faces

Blindsight

A condition caused by damage to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe, where a person who is blind can still detect and respond to visual stimuli without conscious awareness

Sound localization

The process by which the brain

Wavelength

Higher wavelength=higher pitch, lower wavelength=lower pitch

Amplitude

Higher amplitude=Louder, lower amplitude=quieter

Sound localization

The process by which our brain determines where sounds are coming from. Allows us to determine the direction and distance of sounds

Place theory

Certain hair cells respond to certain frequency. Hair cells at the base of the cochlea can detect higher pitch sounds, while hairs at the top of the cochlea can detect lower pitch sounds. Helps the brain determine pitch

Frequency theory

The frequency of the auditory nerve's impulses corresponds to the frequency of a sound wave. Ex: 100HZ sound wave causes the auditory nerve to fire 100 times per second

Volley theory

Groups of neurons work together to fire in a staggered manner, allowing them to collectively match higher frequency sound waves. This addresses the limitations of the frequency theory

Sensorineural deafness

Inner ear is damaged

Conduction deafness

A blockage prevents sound from traveling to the inner ear

Olfactory receptors

Receptors in the upper nasal cavity. Particles that enter the nose bind to the olfactory receptors, causing chemical reactions that convert the particles into electrical signals for the brain to interpret

Pheremones

Chemical signals released by an individual which affect the behavior of other individuals

Gustation

Sense of taste. Consists of 6 different tastes, sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami, oleogustus

Taste sensitivity is caused by what?

The amount of taste buds present. More taste buds->Greater ability to taste

Mechanoreceptors

Sensors in the skin which respond to pressure

Thermoreceptors

Sensors in the skin which respond to temperature changes. The sensations of hot and cold are caused by the activation of thermoreceptors in the cell

Nociceptors

Sensors in the skin which cause pain when detecting harmful stimuli

Gate control theory

Spinal cord contains a neurological "gate" which can block or allow pain signals to reach the brain

Phantom limb sensation

An individual experiences pain where a lost limb once was

Vestibular sense

The fluid inside of the semicircular canals moves when you move your head. This causes hair cells in the canal to bend, sending signals to your brain to understand the direction and speed of rotation, which allows you to maintain balance

Kinesthesis

Sense of one's body movement.

Proprioceptors

Sensory receptors located throughout the body which help the brain gain a sense of movement and direction