AP Psychology Unit 1: Biological Bases of Behavior

Try to get uncooked for this horrid test

Nature Vs. Nurture

What plays a bigger factor in one’s behavior: genetics or their enviorment

Behavior Genetics

Explores the genetic and Enviormental roots of human differences

How do behavior genetisitcs explain our indivudal differences?

They compare our enviorment vs. our genetics to explain our behavior

Heredity

The genetic transfer of charecterisutsc from parent to offspring

Genome

the complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism.

Dif between monozygotic and dizygotic twins

Mono=one egg splits (identical), Dizygotic=two eggs drop at the same time (fraternal)

Epigentics 

how enviorments influence our genetics

What are the two main parts of the nervous system?

Central and Periphreal

What makes up the central nervous system

The brain and Spinal Chord

What is the Periphreal nervous system

broken down into 4 other, on the outside, every neuron that is not your brain or spinal chord (connects the CNS to the body)

Autonomic nervous system

self-regulated bodily functions (you do not have to think about them)

Somatic nervous system

voluntary movements and responses

Sympathetic nervous system

arousing (stress-response, fight or flight, or freeze, or fawn, hightened state)

Parasympathetic nervous system

calming, helps maintain homeostasis

Afferent neurons

sensory neurons

Efferent neurons

Motor neurons

What are the primary information processors in the nervous system?

Neurons

What is the main function of glial cells?

support neurons

What happens when a neuron reaches the threshold potential?

it deploarizes

What does a Dendrite do

Receives signals from other neurons and brings in information (branches)

Soma

Cell’s body; contains nucleus and DNA

Axon

Carriers signals from one end to the other (trunk)

Axon terminals or Terminal buttons

sends singlas to next neuron (roots)

Myelin Sheath

Covers the axon; insulates and protects the axon (bark)

Nodes of Ranvier

a gap between the myelin sheaths

What is the purpose of Schwann cells

they produce myelin for the myelin sheath and the nodes of ranvier

What is the purpose of Glial Cells

surrounds the neuron, provides extra protection and nourishment to neurons. (worker bees) (Support neurons)

How does information pass through a neuron

the neurone sends a message by firring an impulse called the action potential

Aspects of Nerual Transmission:

Threshold

the level of stimulation to trigger a neutral impulse

Action potential

a brief electrical charge that travels down a neurons axon

Resting Potential

The neuron is positive outside and negative inside (selectively permeable)

Refractory Period

a brief resting pause that occurs after a neurons has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon reutnrs to its resting state

All or none response

a neuron either fires with full strength or does not fire at all (like a gun)

Neurotransmitters 

chemcial messagers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

Synaspe or synaptic cleft

the meeting point between neurons

Reuptake

the left over chemicals that were it used get absorbed by the axon terminal

Acetylcholine (ACh)

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

dopamine

influences voluntary movement, learning, attention, and memory

serotonin

affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

norephinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal

GABA

(most common inhibitor) natural tranquilizer, involved in calming you down

glutamte

excitatory neurotransmitter, involved in memory

endorphins

influence the perception of pain and pleasure

substance P

invovled in pain perception and immune response

Agonists

increasing/mimicking a neurotransmitter action (caffeine and opiods) “acting like”

Antagonists

blocking neurotransimmters from releasin; block receptor sites (Botox and narcane)

hormones

slow chemical messangers of endocrine system

Pituary Gland

master gland (controls all the glands)

Endoctrine System:

Adrenaline

prepares the body for emergencies

Oxtocin

Facilitates location and improves relationships (bonding hormone)

Melatonin

Plays a role in managing your sleep (wake cycle and circadium rhythym)

Leptin

helps control hunger

Ghrelin

Tells your body you’re hungry

What are psychoactive drugs

chemicals you take that are altering your mood or perception

Hallucinogens

drugs that distort perception, cause false sensory hallucinations, impair memory, and givesensations of relaxation and/or euphoria

Depressants

drugs that slow things down (increase relaxation and decrease arousal)

Stimulants

Drugs that excite neural activity (increase energy, decrease apatite, briefe feelings of euphoria)

what do Biological psychologist focus their research on 

they focus on how the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences, as well as genes vs. enviorment

The Biopsyschosocial Apporach

Biological, physical, psychological

Neurogensis

Creating new neurons/brain cells

Neuroplasticity

The brain’s ability to rewire itself if it is damaged

Lesion

A cut in the brain (sometimes purposeful to stop things like seizures from spreading)

EEG

electordes places on the scalp that measures electron activity in neurons (swim cap with wires example) 

MEG

looks at magnetic waves in your brain 

PET

shows brain activity (radioactive glucose)

MRI

ONLY STRUCTURE (gives detailed pictures of your soft tissue) (uses magnetic field)

fMRI (functional MRI)

shows activity and structure

CT

Strucutral scan (uses x-ray)

Hindbrain evolutonal purpose:

survival

Midbrain evolutional purpose:

Movement, sensation

Forebrain evoluinalary purpose:

allows for more sophisticated responses to the environment, processes sensory information

Brainstem

autonomic survival (ex. breathing) above spinal chord

Thalamus

sensory "switchboard”, directs everything EXCPET SMELL

Reticular formation

helps tell the thalamus what’s more important (fire alarm example), helps control arousal

Medulla

controls breathing and heartbeat, base of brainstem

Pons

controls movement and sleep (bigger swollen parts of the brain stem)

Cerebellum

movement, balance, posture, processes sensory input, judgement of time, enables nonverbal memory and learning (one of the first parts affects by alchohol)

Hypothalamus

deals with addiction, helps regulate homeostasis (things like fullness, body temp, endoctrine system via the pituitary gland) dopamine is stored here (if damaged the body can not regualte itself)

Amygdala

focuses on aggression and fear (survival emotions)

Hippocampus

responisble for processing and storing explicit memories of facts and events (linked with smell)

Corpus Callosum

Joins the two hempispheres, allows for the communication between both sides of the brain

Pituitiary Gland

master gland, connected to hypothalamus, releases hormones throughout the body

Pineal Gland

Produces melatonin, regulates body’s sleep cycle

Frontal Lobe

ability to recognize future consequences, making judgement, planning and decision making, abstract thought, personality

Motor Cortex (FL)

Sends signals to our body to control muscle movement (like writing, “fine motor skills”), more area=more control

Broca’s area (FL)

responsible for controlling muscles that produce speech (only in the left hemisphere)

Parietal Lobes

math and spatial abilities (top of the head)

(in parietal lobe) Somatosensory Cortex

takes in sensory input from corresponding body parts

Temproal Lobes

Above the ears, has auditory areas, receives input from opposite ear, assists with memory

Auditory Cortex (TL)

orginzation and processing of auditory information

Wernickes Area (TL)

responsible for language comprehension

Occipital Lobe

above cerebellum, receives info from visual fields of opposite eyes for visual processing

Visual Cortex (OL)

orgnization and processing of visual information

What are association areas

any part of the brain that is not dealing with primary motor or sensory functions

Differences between the left and right hempispheres

left: logic, thought, language abilities, analytical

Right: creativeness, impulsive, emotional thought

What does cognitive neuroscience explore

how our physical brain links with our non-physical consciousness

Dual Processing

the idea that the mind operates on two independent tracks simultaneously: a fast, automatic, and intuitive track (System 1/unconscious mind) and a slower, deliberate, and analytical track (System 2/conscious mind)

Parallel Processing

the brain's ability to handle multiple streams of information simultaneously, rather than one at a time (unconscious mind)

Sequntial Processing

the brain's ability to handle multiple streams of information simultaneously, rather than one at a time (conscious mind)

Blindsight

the ability to respond to visual stimuli without conscious awareness of seeing them. Individuals with blindsight can perform actions like locating an object or navigating around obstacles, even though they are physically blind and have no conscious visual experience.