all ap psych vocab review

sensory neurons

neurons that message from sensory receptors to the brain (PNS)

motor neurons

neurons that transmit messages from the brain to the muscles and glands.

interneurons

neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons within the central nervous system (CNS).

selective permeablility

certain ions can pass through the membrane; sodium + potassium

action potential

the electrical impulse that travels down the axon of a neuron, resulting from the movement of ions in and out of the cell.

refractory period (cell)

the time it takes for neurons to fire again

sodium potassium pump

seeks to balance positive + negative ions inside and outside the axon

reuptake

(4) the process of neurons taking back the neurotransmitters that they released too much of

agonist

mimics certain neurons to fire by mimicking the neurotransmitters

antagonists

inhibits certain neurons from firing by blocking transmission

dendrites

(1) where the neurons recieve the message

axon

(2) transmits the message

axon terminals

(3) release neurotransmitters

myelin sheath

insulates and protects the axon, speeding up the signals

node of ranvier

gaps in the myelin sheath that facilitate rapid conduction of nerve impulses.

synaptic vesical

small sacs that store neurotransmitters before their release into the synapse (in axon)

seretonin

mood, appetite, sleep-wake

too much: depression, anxiety, insomnia
too little: mania + ___ syndrome

acetylcholine

muscle contraction, learning, memory

too much: muscle spasms
too little: alzheimer’s disease

norepinephrine (NE)

arousal, alertness, flight or fight response, attention

too much: anxiety, high blood pressure
too little: depression, adhd

dopamine

reward, motivation, motor control, mood

too much: schizophrenia, psychosis, addiction
too little: parkinson’s disease, depression

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

inhibitory neurotransmitter

too much: sedation, impaired memory, coma
too little: anxiety, seizures, insomnia

glutamate

excitatory neurotransmitter

too much: seizures
too little: cognitive impairment

frontal lobe

involved in higher cognitive functions such as decision-making, planning, and voluntary movement.

parietal lobe

processes sensory information such as touch, temperature, and pain.

occipital lobe

processes vision

temporal lobe

hearing or audition, and facial recognition

brainstem

responsible for basic life functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

medulla oblongata

regulate breathing and heart rate

pons

coordinates movement + involved with sleep

reticular formation

alertness and arousal

cerebellum

‘little brain’ — voluntary movement + implicit memory

pituitary gland

master of endocrine system + regulates growth

thalamus

sensory switchboard of the brain + sends sensory imput

hypothalamus

regulates metabolism

limbic system

emotional processing center

amygdala

fear + agression

hippocampus

verbal or explicit memory

olfactory bulb

smell receptors

cerebral cortex

most evolved part — involved with individual experience + changes

corpus callosum

nerves that connect left and right hemisphere

broca’s area

production of speech

wernicke’s area

interpretation of language

primary motor cortex

involved in voluntary movement

split brain

left can do language + logic
right can do creative and emotions

aphasia

language impairment

lesion

cut out part of brain

EEG (electroencephalograph)

brain wave activity (like a coma)

CAT/CT scan

shows structure (like a tumor)

PET scan (positron emission tomography)

colorful — brain activity for glucose

MRI

detailed look at brain tissue

f-MRI

see blood flow to brain tissue

adrenal gland

fight or flight (adrenaline)

pituitary gland

master gland — growth (GH)

thyroid gland

metabolism — thyroxine

ovaries

female reproductive

testes

male reproductive

heritability

the extent to which differences in traits are attributable to genetic variation

interaction

the way genes interact w enviornment

gender role

set of expectations in society

gender typing

classifying as either male or female

social learning theory

learn gender through observations

gender schema theory

learn gender through creating schemas

weber’s law

ability to detect differences in stimuli is like percentages, not an amt

additive color theory

primary colors add up to white

subtractive color theory

primary colors subtract to black

opponent processing theory

we see colors due to opposing retinal processing

red - green
blue - green
black - white

young-helmholz trichromatic color theory

we see colors based on 3 receptors (red, green, blue)

feature detection

nerve cells in the brain that respond to specific things of the stimulus, such as shape, angle, or movement

accommodation

the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus on objects near or far on the retina

serial processing

process 1 thing at a time

parallel processing

process multiple things at a time

myopia

near sightedness

hyperopia

far sightedness

conductive hearing loss

damage to the bones in the middle ear — impacts loudness of sound perceived

sensorineural hearing loss

damage to hair cells —> genetics or aging —>

frequency theory

vibrations n shit — low

volley theory

neurons alternating firing to achieve high frequency

place theory

high pitched tones — spot for each tone along basilar membrane

localization of sounds