AP Psych: Biological Bases

Evolutionary Psychology

focuses on what makes humans alike and how common ancestors passed down traits that evolved to enhance survival and reproduction

Natural Selection

favorable traits, which help us survive, will be passed down to future generations

-mutations change the genes and stuff

Nature

considered the genes, which code for protein, and how they influence behavior, traits, and cognitive ability

Nurture

is the environmental influences and experiences that shape psychological development, behaviors, and cognitive abiltity

Twin Studies

examines twins to asses the influence og genetics and enviroment on traits and hevaior

either identical (monozygotic) or faternal (dizygotic)

Adoption Studies

investigates the similarities between adopted children and their biological adoptive families to asses the power of genetics and the evniorments

Family Studies

analyzes the simillarities and differences among family members to understand the interplay of genes

Heredity

is transmition of genetic information to the offspring

meosis

Genetic Predesposition

is the inherited liklehood of developing specific traits or conditions

ex: anxiety can be passed down or even alchololsim

Eugenics

the practice of improvind quality of human propulation by controlling reproduction or selectively reproducing

Divisions of the Brain

Forebrain - the largest part of the brain and is “the cap”. Role in emotion, memory, senses

Midbrain - regulates movements and processes audio and visual, arousal

Hind Brain - is the base and controls autonomic processes like breathing, etc

Cerebral Cotex

a large region of the forebrain

for high level cognition like thinking, learning, desision

Lobes of the Brain (cebral cortex)

Frontal -

Paretal -

Temporal -

Occipital -

Association Areas

regions of the cerebral cortex that integrate and interpret information from different sources to enable higher cognitive processe

Frontal Lobe

located in the front and is for higher level cognition

-decision making, problem soliving, planning, personality expression

-contains prefrontax cortex, motor cortex

Prefrontal Cortex

-located in the frontal lobe

-in executive thinking/ Functioing: planing, decision making, self control, organization, stegizing, focus, and emotion regulation

Motor Cortex

-located in the frontal lobe

-controls the volentary movments of the body

Parietal Lobe

-located on the top of the cerrebral cortex

-responsible for processing sensory information

-has the somatosensoty cortex

Somatosensory Cortex

-in the parietal lobe

-responsible for sensory sensations from skin, muscles, and joints

Occiptial Lobe

-located in the back of the cerebral cortex

-respsobsible for processing/interpreting visual information

Temporal Lobe

-located on the side (next to ear)

-involved in processing auditory information (auditory cortex), language comprehenision(wenirkle), and memory information (hippocampus)

Corpus Callosum

thick band of nerve finbers connecting both hemispheres of the brain

Brainstem

the oldest and most primative part

Connects to body

Part of the hind brain

responsible for autonomic function like breathing, sleep, heart rate, etc

Medulla

-base of the brainstem

regulates hartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure

Reticular Activiating System

is network of neurons in the brain stem part of hind brain

respibsible for regulating arousal, attention, conciosuness, and alertness

Responsible for sleep too

Cerebellum

located in the back of the head or hindbrain

“small brain”

responsible for condordating movment, balance, and posture

Limbic System

is beneath thecerebral cortex

set of brain structures involved in emotions, memory, and motivation

-reward center, thalumus, hypothalumus, pitiraty, hppocampus, amygdala

Reward Center

part of limbic system processes

processes pleasureable eperiences, reinfoces behaviors

Thalumus

part of the limbic system in the temporal lobe

processes and relays sensory information ot the ceberal cortex except smell

Hypothalumus

part of the symbic system or temporal lobe

small but powerful

resposible for homeostatis

-controls hunger, thirsts, body temp, circadiaun rythem

Pituitary Gland

small and at the base and part of the limbic system

regulates homrone production and secreation of other glands

-”master gland:

Hippocampus

located in the temporal lobe and part of the lmibic system

responsible for forming and consolidating memory

Amygdala

small almont shape, part of the limbic system

responsible for processing information, patircuallu fear and agression

plays a role in “fight of flight:

The Nervous System

the bodies fast electochemical communication network, composed of nerves, neurons, and specialized cells Cebt

Central Nervous System (CNS)

consists of the brian and spinal cord

is like the commander, and repsobsinle for information processing, coordinating repsonses, and regualting the body

“command center:

Peripheral Nervous System

transmits sensory infomration to the CNS

brings CNS info to the motor function

Autonomic Nervous System

regulates involuntary bodily functions

part of the PNS

Sympathetic Nervous System

part of the PNS, specifically the ANS

responsible for fight of flight rresponse → dilated pupils, heart rate

Fight or flight response

Parasympathetic Nervous System

part of the ANS

responsible for relaxation and calm state

“rest and digest”

Somatic Nervous System

Part of the PNS

controls voluntary movments and relays snesory information from the body to CNS

Skeletal nervous system

Neurons

is a specialized cell that seves as the building block of the nervous system

transmits chemical and electrical signals

Glial Cells

“support cells'“ of the nevrous system that provide structure, support, insulation, waste transportation, and neourishment to the neurons

Most abundant

Motor Neurons (Efferent)

nerve cells that transmit signals from the CNS to the muscles, glands, organs.
Either voluntary of involuntary

Information exits the cns

Sensory Neurons (Afferent)

nerve cells that transmit infromation from sneosry receptors to the CNS

The information approaches the cns

Interneurons

are a type of neuron found exclusively in the central nervous system (CNS) that act as a middle-man between sensory and motor neurons.

Reflex ARC

neuroal pathways that control reflex actions rapidaly and automatically without thinking

Involves sensory, motor,and interneurons

Parts of a Neuron

Denrites: short branching extension that receive the signal

Cell Body (Soma): the main part of the nucleus with orgnanells

Axon: the long projection that carries signals away from the cell body to the next neuron or etc, carries the action potential

Mylen Sealth: the fatty insulating layer that surrounds the axon to speed up the transmition of electrical signals

Synapse: is where the information is transfered, specifcally the neurotransmitters

Neural Transmition

Proces in which neurons communicate with eachother through neurotransmitters

Threshold

the level of stimulus needed to trigger an action potential

Action Potential

is the electorncal chatge that travels down the axon

when depolarizion occurs (the positive Na ions rush in)

All or Nothing Principle

-the action potential lecel will always be the same as long as the threshold is there

if the threshold is not met, no action potential occursDEPO

Depolarization

when the ion channels open and Na+ rushes in, making the inside positive

Refactory Peroid

when the neuron cant generate another action potential and has to recharge

the sodium potassium pumps get to workre

Resting Potential

when there is a slight negative charge on the inside of the neuronRe

Reuptake

neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the presympnatic neuron

Multiple Sclerosis

autoimmune disorder when mylen sealths are attacked or damaged

→ nerve damage → numbness, loss of speech, and loss of muscular conrdination

Myasthenia Gravis

autoimmune system affecting the neuromuscular Junction, affecting aceytylechline receptor, which destroys the communication to muscles

→ loss of muscle function and weakening

Presympatnic Terminal

is the end of an axon of the presympatnic neuron, where the neurotramitters are stores in vesicels

Sympatic Cleft

is the itny gap between the 2 neurons

Postsympatic Membrane

is where the membrane of the dendrite of the post symnpatic neuron contains the receptors

receptors are the proteins that bidn to neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters

are the chemical signals or lingands that are used for interneuron communcation and relased in the sympnatic cleft

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

neurotramistters that stimulate an action potential

Glutamate

an excitatory neurotramitters

involved in learning, memoru, neuroal plasticity, and sympatic communoication

Inhbitory Neurotransmitters

decrease the chance ogf an action potential

GABA

is an inhbitory neurotramitter

promotes relaxation and anciety

Dopamine

a neurotrasmitter that regulates mood, reward, motivation, and movment

Seratonin

a neurotrasmitter

regulates mood, sleep, appeteite and stress

associated with feelings of happiness and well-being,

Endorphins

neurotrasmitter that act as pain relievers

→ runners high

Substance P

neurotrasmitter that transmits pain signals

amplifies pain

Acetylcholine

neurotrasmitter involved in muscel contrasnction, memory, and learning

Homrones

are chemical messangers produced by glands

travel through the blood stream and target cells and organs

Ghrelin

known as the hunger hormone

Leptin

hormone produced by fat cells

used to regulate the exense of energy and supress apetite

Melatonin

regulates the sleep wake cycle (circadian rythem)

oxytosin

hromone and neurotransmitter

role in social bonding and known as the love homrone

Adrenaline (epinephrine)

homeone and neurotramistter

involved in the body stres response and helps form memories

Disributes blood to essential, more air, affects the heart more

Norepinephrine

neurotrasmitter/homrone

involved in arousal stres attention

part of fight or flhgt

Has a greater effect on blood vessels, and is better at increasing blood pressure

Plasticity

the brains ability to reorganize, adapt, create new connections and respobe to change

best in children

gives the people the ability to regain motor function after a stroke, or learn an instrument

Split brain Research

whewn a surgical procudure that removes the corpus callosum, essntially disconecting both hemispheres

sutides showed how it results in an unsynced and weird processesingCo

Contralateral Hemispheric Organiziation

the phenomenon that each hemisphere contorlls the opposite side of the body

Hemispheric Specialization

the phenonomon that each brain hemisphere is specialized and has different unfcitons

left → verbal and language function

right → more spactial

Linguistic Processing

the complex cognigive processes involved in understanding an rpoducting language

Brocas Area and

Broacs Aphasia

located on the left frontal lobe

responsible for speecj production (muscles(, and language processing

the disorder is from damage to the area

→ difficulty in fluent and smooth speech, difficulty in making dramatically correct sentences

→ slurred, slow, short setntces

-comprehension is intact

Wernickles Area and

Aphasia

located on the left of the temporal lobe

involved in language comprehension, understanding spoken and writtern lanage

“the decoder”

when not functioning properly

→ normal speech but

→ not understandable or non meaningful words

Electroencephalogram “EEG”

neuroimaging to record the electrical activity in the brain, using electrodes

-can be used to diagnose epilepsy, sleep disroders, brain injuries etc

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging “fMRI”

neuroimaging to measure the brains activity, seeing the blood flow and oxygen levels

shows detailed images and shows the acitive partsLe

Leisioning

research technique of destorying specific parts of the brain and see how they affect the function of the organism

Consciousness

state of being aware of ouarselves and our surroundings or being alert

“flashlight”

Circadian Rhythm

our sleep wake cycle

influences our hormones, body temp, alertness

Jet Lag

distruption of body circadian rythm because of travel across time zones

→ fatique, sleep difficulty

Shift Work

employment schedule is not normal and affects circadian rhythm

→ sleep deprevation and distrucption → fatique

NREM Stage 1

first stage of nonrapid sleep

defined by

• drifting in an out of sleep, nodding off

• muscles relax, sudden muscle contractions “hypnic jerks” Zoning off

• also has alpha waves

• Hypnagonic sensations - are the feeling of falling or hearing noise

NREM Stage 2

“light sleep” lasting around 20 minuites

-Brain Waves

• Theta waves

• are slow but switch to bursts of fast

• sleep spindles are short birsts fast of brain acrivity

  • K-complex are large sudden bursts → sudden

NREM Stage 3

-deepest sleep of NREM

-restoration of resources occurs, we replenish enegy, repair tissues, remove waste

-Delta Waves are slow but large mpliude

REM Sleep

-rapid eye movment

Beta waves

-vivid dreams and muscle paralysis

-memory consolidation and emotionall processeing

Sawtooth Waves - low voltage and fast

Muscles are paralyzed

REM Rebound

the body will increase the time spent in REM sleep after there is a perioid of deprevation

Activation Dream Synthesis

theory that proposes that dreams are a result of random neural activity during REM sleep and is interpreted and synthesized into a dream

Consoldiation Theory for Dream

theory that dreams play a role in memory consoldiation and procesing them

Insomnia

sleep disorder characterized by not being able to fall asleep, staying asleep, or experience restorative sleep

→ fatique, mood distruption, and lower cognitive function

Narcopelsy

is exessive dautime sleepiness

→ Episodes of sudden muscle weakness, sleep, hallusionations

“sleep attack”