AP Psychology 1.4-1.5 Terms

Brainstem

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; this part is responsible for automatic survival functions

Medulla

controls heartbeat, blood circulation, breathing, muscle maintenance, regulation of reflexes like sneezing/coughing.

Reticular activating system

regulate behavioral arousal, consciousness and motivation (generally control some voluntary movement, eye movement, and some types of learning, cognition, and emotion)

Cerebellum

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

Thalamus

the brain'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

Limbic System

neural system (includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Hippocampus

vital to our memory system

Amygdala

The _______ is the center of emotion and is responsible for fear and aggressive responses

Hypothalamus

The ______ regulates the autonomic nervous system (flight or fight), temperature, hunger, and sex.

Pituitary gland

the "master control gland;” controls other glands and makes the hormones that trigger growth

Hemisphere

the brain has two hemispheres, the left and the right. The left controls the right side of the body and the right controls the left side of the body.

Left Hemisphere

specializes in language, speech, handwriting, calculation, sense of time and rhythm

Right Hemisphere

specializes in processing involving perception, visualization, recognition of faces & emotions

Corpus Callosum

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

Cerebral Cortex

the outer layer of tissue of the hemispheres, and smaller subcortical structure

Frontal Lobe

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

The prefrontal cortex (Frontal Lobe)

is located at the very front of the frontal lobe, and it controls executive functions or a set of abilities that are needed to control cognitive behaviors. These behaviors include attention, inhibition, working memory, problem-solving and planning.

Broca’s Area (frontal lobe)

is located in the left hemisphere in the frontal lobe. This area is responsible for speech production and language comprehension. Damage to this area can result in ____’s aphasia.

Parietal Lobe

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 Lobe

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

Temporal Lobe

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas and helps with hearing and meaningful speech, contains the primary auditory cortex

Wernicke’s area (temporal lobe)

is located in the back of the temporal lobe near the occipital lobe of the left cerebral hemisphere and is involved in understanding written and spoken language. Damage to this area is called Wernicke’s Aphasia.

Motor Cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Sensory Cortex

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

Association Areas

areas in the cerebral cortex involved in higher mental function.

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization

the arrangement whereby the motor cortex of each cerebral hemisphere is mainly responsible for control of movements of the contralateral (opposite) side of the body.

Split Brain

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them

Left Hemisphere

Controls right hand, spoken language, written language, mathematical and logical thought processes, analysis, and reading

Right Hemisphere

Controls left hand, nonverbal (visual) perception. Is responsible for musical and artistic processing, and emotional thought

Neuroplasticity

• reorganization of neural pathways as a result of experience

• When a hemisphere is removed from a young child, that child develops what would otherwise be lateralized skills in the remaining hemisphere.

Brain Lesion

Lesions are tissue that is destroyed (disease, Traumatic Brain Injuries, drug abuse, etc).

We can analyze ______ and determine what was destroyed and the resulting changes in behavior

EEG

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

fMRI

a technique for revealing blood flow, and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. These scans show brain function as well as its structure

Consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

Circadian Rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms

Jet Lag

a temporary physiological condition that occurs when a person's circadian rhythm, or "internal clock", is out of sync with the time zone they are in

EEG Patterns

are periodic rhythms recorded in the brain's electrical activity: alpha waves, beta waves, theta waves, and delta waves

NREM 1

½ awake / ½ asleep

Hypnagogic sensations

occurs as you enter NREM 1 and is a sensation of impending threat, feelings of suffocation, and sensations of floating, spinning, or falling

NREM 2

light sleep - associated with sleep talking

NREM 3

Deep Sleep

Hormones for growth in children, Immune system refreshes itself

REM Sleep

(paradoxical sleep) rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur and body is immobilized

Rem Rebound

a phenomenon that occurs when a person experiences more rapid eye movement (REM) sleep than normal after a period of sleep deprivation or stress

Consolidation Dream Theory

the idea that sleep helps convert short-term memories into long-term memories by strengthening neural connections

Activation Synthesis Dream Theory

During the night our brain stem releases random neural activity, dreams may be a way to make sense of that activity.

Insomnia

Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep. Treatment include reduction of caffeine, set sleep schedule, etc

Narcolepsy

A disease marked by sudden & irresistible onsets of sleep during normal waking periods. Treatments include medication, changing sleep patterns, and introduction of naps during the day

Sleep Apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings. Treatments include respiration machine

REM sleep behavior disorder

is a sleep disorder in which you physically and vocally act out vivid, often unpleasant dreams during REM sleep.

Somnambulism (sleep walking)

a behavior disorder that originates during deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors while still mostly asleep