chapter 1

autonomic nervous system

autonomic nervous system

(ANS) The part of the peripheral nervous system that participates in the regulation of the body’s internal environment.

between-subjects design

An experimental design in which a different group of subjects is tested under each condition.

cerebral cortex

The layer of neural tissue covering the cerebral hemispheres of humans and other mammals.

cognition

Higher intellectual processes such as thought, memory, attention, and complex perceptual processes.

Cognitive neuroscience

A division of biopsychology that focuses on the use of functional brain imaging to study the neural mechanisms of human cognition.

comparative approach

The study of biological processes by comparing different species—usually from the evolutionary perspective.

confounded variable

An unintended difference between the conditions of an experiment that could have affected the dependent variable.

converging operations

The use of several research approaches to solve a single problem.

Coolidge effect

The fact that a copulating male who becomes incapable of continuing to copulate with one sex partner can often recommence copulating with a new sex partner.

critical thinking

The process of recognizing the weaknesses of existing ideas and the evidence on which they are based.

electroencephalogram

(EEG) A measure of the gross electrical activity of the brain, commonly recorded through scalp electrodes.

epigenetics

The study of all mechanisms of inheritance other than the genetic code and its expression.

ethological research

The study of animal behavior in its natural environment.

Korsakoff’s syndrome

A neuropsychological disorder that is common in alcoholics and whose primary symptoms include memory loss, sensory and motor dysfunction, and, in its advanced stages, severe dementia.

leucotome

A surgical device used in psychosurgery to cut out a core of brain tissue.

Lordosis

The arched-back, rump-up, tail-to-the-side posture of female rodent sexual receptivity.

Morgan’s Canon

The rule that the simplest possible interpretation for a behavioral observation should be given precedence.

Neuroanatomy

The study of the structure of the nervous system.

Neurochemistry

The study of the chemical bases of neural activity.

Neuroendocrinology

The study of the interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system.

neurons

Cells of the nervous system that are specialized for the reception, conduction, and transmission of electrochemical signals.

Neuropathology

The study of nervous system disorders.

Neuropharmacology

The study of the effects of drugs on neural activity.

Neurophysiology

The study of the functions and activities of the nervous system.

neuroplasticity

The notion that the brain is a “plastic” (changeable) organ that continuously grows and changes in response to an indi-vidual’s environment and experiences.

Neuropsychology

The division of biopsychology that studies the psychological effects of brain damage in human patients.

neuroscience

The scientific study of the nervous system.

Physiological psychology

The division of biopsychology that studies the neural mechanisms of behavior through direct manipulation of the brains of nonhuman animal subjects in controlled experiments.

prefrontal lobes

Areas of cortex, left and right, that are located at the very front of the brain—in the frontal lobes.

prefrontal lobotomy

A surgical procedure in which the connections between the prefrontal lobes and the rest of the brain are cut, as a treatment for mental illness.

Psychopharmacology

The division of biopsychology that studies the effects of drugs on the brain and behavior.

Psychophysiology

The division of biopsychology that studies the relation between physiological activity and psychological processes in human subjects by noninvasive methods.

psychosurgery

Any brain surgery performed for the treatment of a psychological problem (e.g., prefrontal lobotomy).

quasiexperimental studies

Studies of groups of subjects who have been exposed to the conditions of interest in the real world; such studies have the appearance of experiments but are not true experiments because potential confounded variables have not been controlled for.

transorbital lobotomy

A prefrontal lobotomy performed with an instrument inserted through the eye socket.