AP psych unit 1 vocab

Nature-nurture issue

the longstanding controversy over the relative contribution that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits & behaviors. They both work to shape us as individuals.

Natural selection

the process where organisms with traits that make them better suited to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than those with less advantageous traits, leading to the perpetuation of these favorable traits in subsequent generations.

Eugenics

A controversial and unethical movement aimed at improving the genetic quality of the human population.

Evolutionary Psychology

The study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.

Behavior genetics

The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

Mutation

Environment

Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.

Heredity

The genetic transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring.

Identical twins (monozygotic twins)

Twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms. (same genes, same gender)

Fraternal twins (dizygotic twins)

Twins who develop from separate eggs and are no more similar genetically than non-twin siblings.

Interaction

Epigenetics

the study of how the environment can alter genes

Genetic predisposition

Twin studies

uses the comparison of monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins to understand the relative influences of genetics and environment on traits, diseases, and behaviors.

Family studies

a research method to investigate the influence of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) on traits, behaviors, and mental disorders, by assessing whether a characteristic "runs in a family" and is passed down through family members.

Adoption studies

to understand the relative influences of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) on traits and behaviors. By comparing adopted individuals to their biological and adoptive families, researchers can distinguish the impact of shared genes from shared environments, providing insights into conditions like alcoholism, schizophrenia, and IQ differences.

Nervous system

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Nerves

Sensory (afferent) neurons

Motor (efferent) neurons

Interneurons

Somatic Nervous System

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Sympathetic Nervous System

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Reflex (reflex arc)

Neuron

specialized cells in the nervous system that transmit information

Cell body/soma

cell’s life support center

Dendrites

receive messages from other cells

Axon

passes messages from the soma to the other neurons, glands, muscles

Axon Hillock

controls a neuron's firing

Myelin sheath

fatty tissue that insulate the axon and speed up neural messages (created by Schwann cells)

Multiple sclerosis

if myelin sheaths degenerate you can develop this disease, which causes slow communication with eventual muscle loss

Glial cells (glia)

cells that support the neuron

Nodes of Ranvier

gaps in the myelin sheaths

Receptor sites

where neurotransmitters bind to the postsynaptic cell

Synaptic Vesicles

contain neurotransmitters that are released into the synapse

Saltatory conduction

when a message hops down the axon

Axon terminals/axon branches/terminal branches/axon buttons

hold synaptic vesicles and follow the axon

Neural transmission

Resting potential

at rest, neuron not firing, homeostasis, polarized (slightly negative)

Action potential

neurons fire, depolarization (slightly positive), sodium+potassium pumps exchange charges

Depolarization

neuron changes from a negative charge to positive charge

Refractory period

when reuptake occurs, neurons have to recharge, and wait for pumps to close

Threshold

the level an impulse must exceed to cause a neuron to fire

All-or-none response

describes how a nerve or muscle cell reacts to a stimulus by either firing completely or not at all, with no intermediate or partial responses.

Synapse

the space between neurons

Neurotransmitters

chemicals that alter you and transmit a message

Reuptake

neurotransmitters returning into the presynaptic neuron and into the synaptic vesicle.

Excitatory neurotransmitters

Inhibitory neurotransmitters

Endorphins

Acetylcholine

Dopamine

Serotonin

Epinephrine (adrenaline)

Norepinephrine (noradrenaline)

Glutamate

GABA

Substance P

Agonist

Antagonist

Reuptake inhibitors

Myasthenia gravis

Endocrine System

Hormones

Adrenal glands

Pituitary gland

Leptin

Ghrelin

Melatonin

Oxytocin