ap psych unit 3A + unit 3B vocab

5.0(1)
studied byStudied by 11 people
learnLearn
examPractice Test
spaced repetitionSpaced Repetition
heart puzzleMatch
flashcardsFlashcards
Card Sorting

1/73

encourage image

There's no tags or description

Looks like no tags are added yet.

Study Analytics
Name
Mastery
Learn
Test
Matching
Spaced

No study sessions yet.

74 Terms

1
New cards

biological psychology

a branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior

2
New cards

neuron

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

3
New cards

sensory neuron

neurons that carry incoming information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

4
New cards

interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

5
New cards

dendrite

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

6
New cards

axon

the extension of a neuron ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands

7
New cards

multiple sclerosis

disease → communication to muscle slows → eventual loss of muscle control

8
New cards

myelin sheath

a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next

9
New cards

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

10
New cards

resting potential

positive outside/ negative inside state of a neuron

11
New cards

selectively permeable

axon’s surface is selective about what it allows in

12
New cards

depolarization

when a change inside a cell that causes the distribution of electric charges to alter, leaving the cell with a less negative charge than the outside

13
New cards

refractory period

resting cause during polarization

14
New cards

excitatory

__ currents are those that prompt one neuron to share information with the next through an acton potential

15
New cards

inhibitory

__ currents reduce the probability that such a transfer will take place

16
New cards

threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

17
New cards

synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron.

18
New cards

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron they travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

19
New cards

reuptake

a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron (happens when too many neurotransmitter cross the synaptic cleft)

20
New cards

acetylcholine (ACh)

one of the best-understood neurotransmitters → muscle contraction

21
New cards

endorphins

natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters lined to pain control and to pleasure

22
New cards

antagonists

bind receptors but their effect is instead to block neurotransmitters functioning

23
New cards

nervous system

the body’s speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

24
New cards

central nervous system

the brain and spinal cord

25
New cards

peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body

26
New cards

nerves

bundled axons that form neural “cables” connecting the central nervous system with muscles, gland, and sense organs

27
New cards

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles

28
New cards

autonomic nervous system

the park of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs

29
New cards

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

30
New cards

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

31
New cards

neural networks

the brain’s neurons cluster into work groups called neural networks

32
New cards

spinal cord

information highway connecting the PNS to the brain

33
New cards

reflex

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

34
New cards

endocrine system

the body’s slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

35
New cards

hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

36
New cards

adrenal glands

a pair of endocrine glands that sis just above the kidneys and secrete hormones that help arouse the body in times of stress

37
New cards

pituitary gland

the endocrine system’s most influential gland. under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

38
New cards

lesion

tissue destruction; a brain _ is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

39
New cards

electroencephalogram (EEG)

an amplified recording of the waves of the electrical activity that sweeps across the brains surface. these waves are measured by electrobes placed on the scalp

40
New cards

CT (computed tomography) scan

a series of x-ray photographs from different angles and combined by a computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body

41
New cards

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

42
New cards

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan

a technique that uses magnetic field and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue. _ scans show brain anatomy

43
New cards

fMRI (functional MRI) scan

a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. _ scans shoe brain function

44
New cards

brain stem

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

45
New cards

medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

46
New cards

pons

helps coordinate movements

47
New cards

reticular formation

a nerve network that plays an important role in controlling arousal

48
New cards

thalamus

the brain’s sensory switchboard, 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

49
New cards

cerebellum

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

50
New cards

limbic system

doughnut-shaped neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

51
New cards

amygdala

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system linked to emotion

52
New cards

cerebral hemispheres

two halves of the brain

53
New cards

hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities, helps govern the endocrine system, and is linked to emotion and reward

54
New cards

reward deficiency syndrome

a genetically disposed deficiency in the natural brain systems for pleasure and well-being that lead people to crave whatever provides that missing pleasure or relieves negative feeling

55
New cards

cerebral cortex

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering

56
New cards

glial cells (glia)

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

57
New cards

frontal lobe

involved in speaking and muscle movement and in making plans and judgement

58
New cards

parietal lobe

receives sensory input for touch and body position

59
New cards

occipital lobe

visual

60
New cards

temporal lobe

auditory

61
New cards

motor cortex

voluntary movement

62
New cards

sensory cortex

registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

63
New cards

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that’s involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

64
New cards

Broca’s area

controls language expression - directs the muscle movements involved in speech

65
New cards

Wernicke’s area

controls language reception - language comprehension and expression

66
New cards

aphasia

impairment of language, usually cased by left hemisphere damage to either Broca’s area of Wernicke’s area

67
New cards

plasticity

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

68
New cards

corpus callosum

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

69
New cards

split brain

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

70
New cards

consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

71
New cards

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

72
New cards

dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

73
New cards

visual perception track

enables us “to create the mental furniture that allows us to think about the world” - to recognize things and to plan future actions

74
New cards

visual action track

guides our moment-to-moment actions