Biological Psychology

A collection of vocabulary words and their definitions related to biological psychology, focusing on genetic, evolutionary perspectives, and the workings of the nervous system.

Heredity

The passing of traits from parents to offspring through genes.

Phenotype

The observable traits or characteristics of an organism as a result of the genotype.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism; the specific set of genes it possesses.

Chromosomes

Structures within the nucleus that contain genes and genetic information.

Behavioural Genomics

The study of the relationship between genes and behavior.

Heritability

A statistic that quantifies the degree to which genetic differences among individuals contribute to individual differences in a trait.

Monozygotic twins

Identical twins formed from a single fertilized egg, sharing almost 100% of their genetic material.

Dizygotic twins

Fraternal twins resulting from the fertilization of two separate eggs by two different sperm cells.

Epigenetics

The study of changes in gene expression that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence.

Natural Selection

The process by which favorable traits become more common in a population.

Neurons

Cells in the nervous system responsible for transmitting messages.

Action potential

A rapid rise and subsequent fall in voltage or membrane potential across a cellular membrane.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit signals across the synapse from one neuron to another.

Agonists

Drugs that enhance or mimic the effects of neurotransmitters.

Antagonists

Drugs that inhibit neurotransmitter activity by blocking receptors.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain involved in complex brain functions such as thought and language.

Hemispheric Specialization

The tendency for certain functions to be more highly localized in one hemisphere than the other.

Glial Cells

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Myelin

A fatty substance that surrounds and insulates axons, increasing the speed of electrical impulses.

Thalamus

A brain structure that relays sensory information to various parts of the brain.

Limbic System

A network of brain structures involved in emotion, memory, and motivation.