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Neurons
building blocks of our body’s neural information system
unused neurons wither away
each neuron consists of a cell body
Motor Neurons
signals to move
sensory neurons
receive sense signals
afferent neurons
Brain Accepts signals
Efferent neurons
Signal Exits brain
neurogenesis
the formation of new neurons
How neurons work
Neurons receive and integrate information, then they conduct it towards the cell body. This is the job of dendrites. Then it passes messages through the terminal branches to other neurons.
White matter
axons and dendrites
Gray matter
cell bodies
dendrites
receive incoming neurotransmitters
soma
cell body (include nucleus)
axon
where action potential travels down
Myelin sheath
speeds up action potential down the axon
protects axon
terminals
release neurotransmitters
sends signal onto the next neuron
vesicles
sacs inside terminal
contains neurotransmitters
synapse
ends of terminal
gap between neurons is called synaptic gap
Structuralism
used introspection(act of looking inward to examine mental experience) to determine the underlying structures of the mind
Wilhelm Wundt
functionalism
need to analyze the purpose of behavior
How the mind functions
William james
psychoanlytic/dynamic
unconscious, childhood
Freud believed people can be cured by making conscious their unconscious thoughts and motivations
release repressed emotions
id, ego, and super ego
Behavioral
behaviors are learned and reinforced through interaction with the environment
nurture over nature
Humanistic
People innate potential for self-fulfillment
free will, choice, ideal, actualization
cognitive
perceptions, thoughts
evolutionary
genes
biological
brain, neurotransmitters
sociocultural
society
biopsychosocial
biology, social,
Charles Darwin
Natural selection
evolution
Dorthea dix
reformed mental institutions
Basic research
Purpose is to increase knowledge
applied research
purpose is to help people
placebo effect
experimental results caused by expectations alone
reduces depression, pain, and anxiety
Double-blind experiment
when neither the participant nor the experimenter are aware of which condition people are assigned to (drug studies)
prevents bias
single-blind
only participant blind
used if experimenter can’t be blind
Gender, age, etc.
Random assignment
assigns participants to either the control or experimental group at random
increases chance of equal representation among groups
random sample (selection)
method for choosing participants for your study
everyone has a chance to take part
increase generalizability
Ex. Names in a hat or computer generation
Representative sample
sample mimics the general population
Ethnic, gender, age
positive correlation
variables increase and decrease together
negative correlation
as one variable increases, the other decreases
Correlation notes
the stronger the # the stronger the relationship regardless of the pos/neg sing
cannot be less or greater than 1
stronger relationships = tighter clusters on the graph
3rd variable problem (lurking variable)
diff. variable is responsible for the relationship
breast implants and suicide
illusory correlation
belief of correlation that doesn’t exist
Ex. old man predicts rain from arthritis
surveys
usually turned into correlation
obtains self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group
subject to…
social desirability - ppl lie to look good
wording effects - how you frame the question can impact your answers
Naturalistic observation
real-world validity
observe people in their own setting
Disadvantage
No cause and effect
does not explain, simply describes
Case study
studies one person in great detail
lots of info
Disadvantage
No cause and effect
Examples
Brain damage - information came from case studies on individuals who suffered damage to certain brain regions.
Descriptive stats
the shape of the data
numerical
Ex. Bar graph/ histogram
Mode: occurs most often
mean: Average
median: middle number
inferential statistics
establishes significance and reliable the data is
allows one to generalize
infer the probability of something being true of a population
statistical significance
results are not due to chance, experimental manipulation caused the difference in means
we say this when the sample averages are reliable and the difference between them is relatively large
ethical guidelines
confidentiality: names kept secret
informed consent: must agree to be a part of the study
debriefing: must be told the true purpose of the study
deception must be warranted
no harm - mental/physical
action potential
neural impulse - movement of Na and K ions across the membrane sends an electrical charge down the axon
All or none law
stimulus must trigger the AP past its threshold but does not increase the intensity of the response
think of it like flushing a toilet
refractory period
neuron must rest and reset before it can send another AP
think of it like when the toilet resets
interneurons
cells in spinal cord responsible for reflex loop
transmits info between sensory and motor neurons
Central Nervous System
brain and spinal cord
body’s decision makers
information is carried to the sensory neuron, which takes it to the spinal cord and is passed to the motor neuron through an interneuron.
Peripheral Nervous system
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body
Somatic NS
Voluntary movement of skeletal muscles
Autonomic NS
controls our glands and internal organ muscles
involuntary movement / operates on its own
Ex. Heart/heartbeat, lungs, etc.
splits into two divisions - sympathetic and parasympathetic
Sympathetic NS
Arouses the body fight/flight and expends energy
generally activates - sympathetic to you getting eaten by tigers helps you run away
ex. dilates pupils, accelerates heartbeat, inhibits digestion, stimulates glucose release, relaxes bladder
parasympathetic NS
established homeostasis after a sympathetic response
generally inhibits and calms
ex. contracts pupils, slow heartbeat, stimulates digestion, contracts bladder, stimulates gallbladder, etc.
Neurotransmitters
Chemicals released in synaptic gap, received by neurons
GABA
Major inhibitory neurotransmitter
undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, depression and insomnia
calming effect
Glutamate
Excitatory NT
When you get excited to see your friends
involved in memory
oversupply can overstimulate the brain, producing migraines or seizures
Dopamine
influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion
Reward and movement
linked to schizophrenia, tremor, decreased mobility in Parkinsons
serotonin
affects moods, hunger, sleep, and arousal
undersupply linked to depression
acetylcholine (ACh)
enables muscle action, learning, and memory
with alzheimer’s disease, Aches-producing neurons deteriorate
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
helps control alertness and arousal
undersupply can depress mood
sympathetic NS arousal
Endorphins
pain and pleasure control
oversupply with opiate drug can suppress the body’s natural endorphin supply
oxytocin
love and bonding
after the birth, helps with after-birth processes like breast milk
manages female and male reproductive systems
Agonist
drugs that increase a NT action
may increase production or release of NT or block reuptake
Antagonist
Drug that blocks a NT
decreases NT action, blocks production or release
Reuptake
unused NT’s are taken back up into the sending neuron
SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) block reuptake
treatment for depression
Hind brain
oldest part of the brain and part of the brain stem
The brain stem is responsible for automatic survival functions
the brain stem is a crossover point
cerebellum
movement and balance
processing of sensory input
enabling nonverbal learning and memory
helps us judge time, modulate our emotions, and discriminate sounds and textures
coordinates voluntary movement
Injured cerebellum would result in…
difficulty walking
shaky hands
bad balance
jerky movements
medulla
the base of the brain stem
control of vital organs like heartbeat and breathing
pons
bridge between regions
coordinates movement and sleep
above medulla
Reticular formation
Alertness and arousal
Part of midbrain
travels through the brain stem and into the thalamus
you can thank reticular formation if you multitasked
stimulated it can cause an awake, alerted state, damage can cause the opposite effect (you may enter a coma)
Note of these brain structure
these older brain functions all occur without any conscious effort
our brain processes most information outside of our awareness
cerebral hemispheres
the 2 parts of the brain
Forebrain
Higher thought process
The limbic system is part of the forebrain
in between the cerebral hemispheres
Amygdala
emotions, fear, aggression
“Amy! You’re so emotional”
people with amygdala lesions often display reduced arousal to fear and anger arousing stimuli
Hippocampus
memory
If you saw a hippo on campus you’d remember it
stores explicit memories of facts and events
Hypothalamus
directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp)
governs the endocrine system through the pituitary gland
reward/pleasure/emotion center
Thalamus
Brains sensory control center
relay center for all but smell and routes info to higher brain regions dealing with the senses
You MUST (ThalaMUST) use your thalamus unless it’s MUSTY - smell
receives higher brain region replies, which it then directs to the medulla and cerebellum
Cerebral cortex
the outer portion of the brain
higher order thought processes
information processing center
occipital lobe
vision
receives info from the visual fields
frontal lobe
decision-making, speaking, planning, judgment, muscle movement, and personality.
parietal lobe
sensations
receives sensory input for touch and body position
temporal lobe
hearing and face recognition
somatosensory cortex
map of our touch receptors
in parietal lobe
registers and processes movement and touch sensations
motor cortex
map of our motor receptors
located in the frontal lobes
control voluntary movement
association areas
areas in the cerebral cortex not involved in motor or sensory functions
involved in higher mental functions like learning, thinking, speaking, and remembering
left hemisphere
damage results in aphasia
Aphasia - damaged speech
Broca’s area
controls speech
damage to this area will cause broken speech
Wernickes Area
area that controls ability to comprehend speech
damage can cause inability to comprehend speech
Corpus callosum
bundle of nerves that connects the 2 hemispheres
sometimes severed in patients with severe seizures - leads to split brain patients
split-brain experiments
seizures disappeared and patients were normal with no effect to their personality and intellect
The image shown to the left eye is processed in the right hemisphere
can’t say what was seen but can point at it
The image shown to the right eye is processed in the left hemisphere
patient can say what they say
Brain plasticity
the brain can heal itself (the brain is malleable)
brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood
Nature vs. Nurture
Answer is both
twin studies
Genetics identical twins will have a higher percentage of also developing a disease
Environment: Identical twins raised in different environments show differences
Endocrine system
sends hormones throughout the body
hormones: chemical messengers secreted from endocrine glands through the bloodstream and affect other tissues
parts of the system
Hypothalamus - brain region controlling pituitary gland
pituitary gland - secretes hormones, can affect other glands
thyroid gland - affects metabolism
parathyroids - regulate calcium levels in the blood
adrenal gland - triggers flight or fight
pancreas - regulates sugar levels in the blood
testis - secretes male sex hormones
ovary - secretes female sex hormone
Pituitary Gland
controlled by hypothalamus
release growth hormones
adrenal galnd
related to sympathetic NS
above the kidneys
releases adrenaline and arouse body in times of stress