unit 1 part 1 psych

heredity

Passing of traits from parents to offspring

nature

the influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality

nurture

external factors that one experiences

Genetic predisposition

an inherited genetic pattern that makes one susceptible to a certain disease or behaviors

evolutionary perspective of psychology

explores how natural selection affects the expression of

behavior and mental processes to increase survival and reproductive success.

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

eugenics

study of factors that influence the hereditary qualities of the human race and ways to improve those qualities

twin studies

a common method of investigating whether nature or nurture affects behavior

family studies

researchers assess hereditary influence by examining blood relatives to see how much they resemble one another on a specific trait

adoption studies

assess hereditary influence by examining the resemblance between adopted children and both their biological and their adoptive parents

central nervous system

brain and spinal cord; interacts with all processes in the body.

peripheral nervous system

relays messages from the central nervous system

to the rest of the body and includes the autonomic and somatic nervous systems.

Autonomic nervous system

governs processes that are involuntary and includes

the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles; governs processes that are voluntary.

neurons

neural cells that transmit information

Glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support

reflex arc

in the spinal cord; demonstrates how neurons within the central and peripheral nervous systems work together to respond to stimuli. Three types of neurons work together: sensory

sensory neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

motor neurons

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

interneurons

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

neural transmission

electrochemical communication within and between neurons and the final destination

action potential

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

all-or-nothing principle

Once action potential reaches threshold

depolarizaiton

change in charge when neuron fired positive ions through the cell membrane

refractory period

the time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated

reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

neural threshold

The minimum level of stimulation required to get a neuron to fire.

multiple sclerosis

A chronic disease of the central nervous system marked by damage to the myelin sheath. Plaques occur in the brain and spinal cord causing tremor

Myasthenia gravis

a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the neuromuscular junction and produces serious weakness of voluntary muscles

excitatory neurotransmitters

chemicals released from the terminal buttons of a neuron that provoke the next neuron into firing

inhibitory neurotransmitters

chemicals released from the terminal buttons of a neuron that prevent the next neuron from firing

dopamine

A neurotransmitter associated with movement

Serotonin

Affects mood

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter involved in arousal

Glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter; regulates sleep and wake cycles

Endorphines

natural

Substance P

A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of pain messages to the brain.

Acetylcholine

enables muscle action

Hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands

Adrenaline

a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands

Leptin

A hormone produced by adipose (fat) cells that acts as a satiety factor in regulating appetite.

Ghrelin

A hunger-arousing hormone secreted by an empty stomach

Melatonin

A hormone manufactured by the pineal gland that produces sleepiness.

Oxytocin

A hormone released by the posterior pituitary that stimulates uterine contractions during childbirth and milk ejection during breastfeeding.

Psychoactive Drugs

Chemicals that affect the nervous system and result in altered consciousness

Agonist

a molecule that

Antagonists (drugs)

These drugs block the actions of neurotransmitters

Reuptake inhibitors

Drugs that interfere with the reuptake of neurotransmitters in the synapse so that a greater amount remains in the synapse

Stimulants

Drugs (such as caffeine

Caffeine

a mild stimulant found in coffee

Cocaine

a powerful and addictive stimulant

Depressants

drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Alcohol

Depressant

Hallucinogens

psychedelic drugs

Marijuana

a drug

Opioids

synthetic opiates that are prescribed for pain relief

Heroin

narcotic drug derived from opium that is extremely addictive

Tolerance

the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug

Addiction

compulsive drug craving and use

withdrawal

the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug

Brain Stem

Connection to spinal cord. Filters information flow between peripheral nervous system and the rest of the brain.

Medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

reticular activating system

Located in the upper brain stem; responsible for maintenance of consciousness

Reward Center

An area of the hypothalamus that

Cerebellum

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

Cerebral Cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Limbic System

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

Thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard

Hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating

Pituitary Gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

Amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion

Corpus callosum

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

Occipital lobes

regions of the cerebral cortex - at the back of the brain - important for vision

temporal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas

parietal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

frontal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments

linguistic processing

Using knowledge of meanings of words

higher-order thinking

A level of thinking that requires the student to think critically. These levels would be at the application

executive functioning

the cognitive abilities and processes that allow humans to plan or inhibit their actions

prefrontal cortex

part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

split brain research

-study of patients with severed corpus callosum

-involves sending messages to only one side of the brain

-demonstrates right and left brain specialization

hemispheric specialization

The control of distinct neurological functions by the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

Broca's area

Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe

Wernicke's area

controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Aphasia

impairment of language

Contralateral hemispheric organization

left side of brain controls right side of body while right brain controls left body except smell

Plasticity

the brain's ability to change

EEG

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.