AP Psych Unit 1.1

nervous system

Body's communication system. Receives information form the environment (senses) and generates responses to that information (motor responses).

nerves

are bundled axons that connect the body to the brain

Afferent/Sensory Neurons

Divisions of the Nervous System: Carry messages from the senses inward to the CNS for processing

Efferent/Motor Neurons

Divisions of the Nervous System: Carry instructions from the CNS outward to the body's muscles

Interneurons

Divisions of the Nervous System: Cells in spinal cord /brain responsible for reflex arc. Connect the afferent and efferent neurons. Sensory and motor neurons don't touch.

Peripheral Nervous System

Connects the central system (brain/spinal cord) to the rest of the body

arc

Interneurons connect sensory neurons to motor neurons in the spinal cord. It look like a __________.

Reflex

Simple, automatic responses to a sensory stimulus

Reflex arc

Controls knee jerk response fast reflex's

Somatic NS

Is responsible for voluntary muscle movement

Autonomic NS

Is responsible for involuntary muscle movement and internal organs

Sympathetic

Arouses the body to deal with threats/stress. Fight, flight, or freeze. Dilates pupils, inhibits salivation, heart rate increases, stimulates glucose production, and release secretion and adrenaline.

Parasympathetic

Decreasing your heart rate. Takes longer than sympathetic system.

central nervous system

The brain and spinal cord. Body's decision maker. Location of interneurons.

Brain

Is the physical organ. The central processing unit.

spinal cord

Interneurons in this link the sensory (afferent) and motor (efferent) neurons.

neural networks

Are interconnected neurons that develop in the brain. They change and grow. They make the electrochemical process faster.

Endocrine system

A set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream. Interconnected with the nervous system.

Hormones

Chemical messengers produced by the endocrine system that flow through the bloodstream

Adrenaline

A surge of energy, known as the flight, fight, or freeze response.

Leptin

Regulates appetite

Ghrelin

Hunger arousing secreted by empty stomach

Melatonin

regulates sleep

Pituitary gland

controls other glands. Pea-sized structure in the brain near hypothalamus.

cerebral cortex

Location is the outer layer of neural tissue covering the brain. It is folded into the skull. The processing and control center of the body.

glial cells

Nourish the neurons. Important in learning and thinking.

Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

The cerebral cortex is divided into 4 lobes separated by fissures (deep grooves). Name the 4 lobes.

Hemispheres of the Brain: Behind the forehead. Higher order thinking. Executive function.

Frontal lobes

Hemispheres of the Brain: Top of the head. Touch and body position.

parietal lobes

Hemispheres of the Brain: Back of the brain. Visual functions

occipital lobes

Hemispheres of the Brain: Sides of the head/behind the ears. Auditory processing.

Temporal Lobes

Corpus Callosum

Wide band of fibers that divides the right and left hemispheres. Carries messages between the 2 hemispheres.

Functions of the Cortex: Located behind the frontal lobe. Controls voluntary movements.

Motor cortex

Functions of the Cortex: Located in the parietal lobe. Processes touch sensations.

sensory cortex

Functions of the Cortex: The least understood. Control higher order functions (thinking, memory, speaking, planning). This part of the brain is distinctly different to you.

Associations Areas

Functions of the Cortex: Located in occipital lobe. Processes visual information.

Visual Cortex

Functions of the Cortex: Location is the temporal lobe. Processes sound.

Auditory Cortex

sensory; motor

Proportions in the Brain: There are no ____________ neurons in the brain; able to stimulate areas to determine function. Cortex proportions is not proportional to size of the body part. Body parts that have more control have larger ____________ cortex. Same for somatosensory cortex.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)

A direct communication link between the brain's electrical activity and an external device (computer or robotic arm). Thinking the words then computer program writes it on the screen.

plasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways. Greater in younger brains. Strokes (older people not as successful). The brain does not regenerate.

hemispheric specialization

Different and specific functions performed by the two hemispheres of the brain

creativity, abstract thought, arts and music

Right hemisphere

analytic thought, language, math and science

left hemisphere

When the corpus callosum is cut there are two distinct hemispheres. This surgery is done to treat severe epilepsy. No brain function is lost, but the two hemispheres cannot communicate with one another.

Split brain research

right; left

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization (cross wiring): The left hemisphere controls the _________ side of the body, and the right side controls the __________ side.

corpus callosum

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization (cross wiring): Patients with a severed ________________ look at a dog. This creates left and right visual field.

communication

Aphasia refers to problems in ______________.

Broca's area

Located in the left frontal lobe. Speech articulation. Damage affects person's ability to form words.

Located in the left temporal lobe. Language comprehension. Damage affects ability to understand meaning of words.

Wernicke's area

behavior genetics

the study of how genes and the environment interact to influence behavior

nature

the genes we inherit determine our behavior

the environment which we live (family, culture, friends) determine our behavior

nurture

evolutionary psychology

studies inherited traits over generations and how these traits determine our behavior

natural selection

the genetic mutation of genes that help the survival of a species. Physical change of our body.

adaptation

are traits present today because in the past they helped our ancestor to survive. Ex: fears, tastes for sweets, mate selection, morning sickness in pregnant women.

twin studies

useful to research the impact of nature or nurture

identical (monozygotic)

One egg that splits in two. Genetically ____________. Egg splits in 2 weeks.

Fraternal (dizygotic)

Separate fertilized eggs. Genetically like other siblings. Some women drop 2 eggs. Body releases more than what is average. No different than siblings. Siblings are in the womb as two separate units but they don't have identical DNA.

Read about Thomas Bouchard studies identical twins raised apart.

shows the effects of environment on inherited traits

adoption studies on identical twins

gene environmental interaction

The interactions between genes and environment and how it shapes human development. Environmental influences impact development. Foods we eat, physical activities, educational opportunities etc. shape us.

Explore genetic basis of behavior by studying genetic patterns in families.

Family studies

psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia), intelligence, substance abuse and addiction, Alzheimer's disease

Give examples of genetic patterns in families.

Electrical, magnetic, lesioning

What are the three types of stimulation?

EEG (electroencephalogram)

A recording of the waves of electrical activity across the brain's surface measured by electrodes placed on the scalp. Used to diagnose epilepsy and brain death.

fMRI (functional MRI)

Shows brain activity (functions) and physical structure. Used to understand autism, panic disorder, OCD, and PTSD.

Hindbrain

Oldest part of the brain. Contains brainstem and cerebellum. Basic functions of life.

Brainstem

Hindbrain. Controls automatic survival function (breathing, blinking, heartbeat, sleep, arousal). Contains medulla and reticular activation system. Cross-wiring.

Cross-wiring

Crossover point where nerves from each side of the brain connect with the body's opposite side.

medulla

Hindbrain. Where spinal cord enters the skull. Regulates breathing and heart rate.

reticular formation

Hindbrain. Controls arousal. "Tickle" the RF you instantly wake. Remove the RF you fall into a coma. Reticular activating system control wakefulness.

The Cerebellum

Hindbrain. "Little brain." Enables non-verbal memory (muscle memory). Stores procedural memory. Coordinates voluntary movements. Impacted by alcohol = lack coordination. Ability to walk is stored in this as memory.

hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain

What are the three layers of the brain.

The limbic system

Midbrain. Regulates emotions and drives. Fear, hunger, and sex. Contains thalamus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus.

Thalamus

Midbrain. Sensory control center. Located on top of the brain stem. Receives information from the senses except for smell and routes it to the higher brain regions that deal the the information.

amygdala

Midbrain. 2 almond sized neural clusters. These cluster of neurons (thalamus) is routing everything. Creates emotions such as fear, anger. Stimulate this creates aggression. Linked to the storage of emotional memories.

Hypothalamus

Midbrain. Body maintenance (hunger, thirst, body temperature). Reward Center.

Reward Center

Planted electrode in the hypothalamus of a rat that created pleasurable effects. Where we get that positive feeling. Dopamine is produced here.

Hippocampus

Midbrain. Processes conscious memories (explicit memories). Without this, can't form new memories.

biology perspective

Physical basis for behavior. Brain controls behavior. Behavior is inherited/genes.

Eugenics

A set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of human behavior. Mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. Forcibly sterilize "feebleminded and socially inadequate" people.

neurons and glial cells

What are the two types of cells in neural communication?

neurons

Nerve cells in the nervous system whose function is to receive and transmit signals.

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that nourish the neurons

soma, dendrites, axon

What are the three most important parts of the neuron?

soma

cell body

dendrites

branching treelike fibers, which collects signals from other neurons and sends the down signals down the axon

axon

A long, segmented fiber, which transmits information away from the cell body toward other neurons. It is covered in the myelin sheath.

Electrochemical process

The nervous system operates using this. An electrical charge moves through the neuron then chemicals are released between neurons to transmit information.

myelin sheath

A fatty protein that encases the neurons. It speeds up the impulse of the axon. It continues to develop (age 25), so neural efficiency continues to improve. Deterioration of this can lead to motor impairments.

multiple sclerosis

Problems in Neural Communication: Myelin sheath degenerates. Communication to the muscles slow, with eventual loss of muscle control. Lesions form (brain has been damaged).

Myasthenia Gravis

Problems in Neural Communication: Nerve-muscle autoimmune disease. Body destroys acetylcholine (neurotransmitter). Communication between nerves and muscles breaks down.

Resting Potential

Neural Impulse: When there is no input; it is waiting for a stimulus ( electrical process). The neuron is polarized. Outside of axon is positively charged. Inside of axon is negatively charged.

Action Potential

Neural Impulse: Neuron sends the impulse down the neuron's axon. Occurs when a neuron receives enough stimuli to pass on the electrical signal. One neuron fires the impulse to the next neuron in the link. The neuron is depolarized.

Depolarization

Neural Impulse: Occurs when + ions enter the - charged axon and create a reaction.

Refractory period

Neural Impulse: The neuron must re-set in order to receive another stimuli. It cannot fire during this period. During this period, the neuron pumps to the positively charged sodium back outside the cell. The neuron is repolarizing.

All or none response

The neuron cannot fire until there are enough excitatory stimuli. It does not fire faster with more excitatory signals. Ex: flushing a toilet; it flushes or it doesn't. When the threshold is met an action potential is triggered.

excitatory

These impulses increase the action potential

inhibitory

These impulses slow the action potential.

action

When the excitatory impulses outnumber the inhibitory impulses, the threshold has been reached a _____________ potential occurs.