Studied by 6 people
Learning
It is the acquisition of knowledge, values, attitudes, and emotional reactions. It is a long-term change in one's mental representations brought about by an experience.
Principle
universal and timeless laws of nature fundamental truths that govern our world
Theory
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events
Soma
Responsible for the health and well-being of the neuron
Dendrites
Responsible for receiving messages from other neurons
Axon
Responsible for transmitting messages to other neurons
Myelin Sheath
Helps in the speed and efficiency of transmission of information within the neuron
Synapses
contact points between neurons
Chemical
Kind of energy of information that travels from one neuron to another
Electrical
Kind of energy of transmission of information within a neuron
Neurotransmitters
chemicals that travel across the synapses and stimulate the dendrites or somas of neighboring neurons
10%
Percentage of neurons in the brain
Glial Cells
Majority of cells in the brain
White Matter
Glial Cells
Glial Cell Nutritionist
they control the blood flow to neurons
Glial Cell Doctor
they tend to infections and injuries
Glial Cell clean up crew
they dispose of unwanted brain garbage
hindbrain
part of brain containing medulla, pons, cerebellum balance and motor behavior
midbrain
part of brain involved in: vision & hearing; attention & consciousness; alerts us to stimuli
forebrain
front and upper portion of the brain; complex activity;
frontal
lobe of brain involved in conscious thinking
parietal
lobe of brain the interprets somasensory information (pain, temperature, pressure)
occipital
back part of the brain involved in interpreting and remembering visual info
temporal
located behind the ears; interpret and remember auditory info; long-term memory
Limbic system
system in forebrain involved with learning, memory, motivation
hippocampus
a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage
amygdala
A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.
thalamus
the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
hypothalamus
brain region controlling the pituitary gland
prenatal development
forms 3 chambers; neuron formation & reproduction between 5th - 20th week; majority of neurons we'll ever have is formed here
infancy & early childhood
between 0-3 months, brain triples in size (proliferation of glial cells); synaptogenesis; differentiation; synaptic pruning; myelination
synaptogenesis
formation of synapses
synaptic pruning
the elimination of neurons as the result of nonuse or lack of stimulation
Differentiation
neurons begin specialization
myelination
the formation of a fatty sheath around the axons of a neuron
middle childhood up to adulthood
synaptic pruning; hormones; maturation occurs in this stage
critical periods
times during which certain environmental influences can have an impact on the development of the infant
sensitive periods
times in development when a person is particularly open to certain kinds of experiences
experience-expectant
processes of brain development that seem to anticipate experiences that are universal in all normally developing members of our species
experience-dependent
brain functions that depend on particular, variable experiences and therefore may or may not develop in a particular person
Note
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