Ap psych Unit 1 vocab

Evolutionary psychology

How natural selection, passing down genes, and behaviors, came from ancestors

Natural Selection

organisms who are the survivors of the fittest and passed on their traits to their offspring

Nature

Its about inherited genes that influences a person's psychological behavior

Nurture

The environment, like family relationships and cultures, shaping behaviors and human psychological development

Twin studies

Examine similarities and differences between identical and fraternal twins ti access the relative genes and environment

Adoption studies

Compare an adopted person’s behavior to both their biological and adoptive parents’ behavior.

Family studies

It focuses on research that examines how individuals grow when interacting within the family

Heredity

The intended characteristics that influences a person’s traits and genetics

Genetic Predisposition

The likelihood of developing a particular trait or condition due to genetics

Eugenics

Promoting selective breeding on humans to ‘improve the genetic quality’ for the desirable traits and rejecting the unsuitable traits.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain and made of gray matter. It’s responsible for higher cognitive functions. Plus it is divided into two hemispheres (Left & Right hemispheres) and 4 lobes

Lobes of the brain

The 4 divisions of that brain that includes the Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, and Occipital lobes

Association Areas

Frontal Lobe

Located behind the forehead. The main function for this is higher order thinking like problem solving and critical thinking.

Prefrontal Cortex

Specializes in memory, predictions, and judgement (MINOS PRIME REFERENCE RAHHHH)

Motor Cortex

Located at the back of the frontal lobe which controls voluntary movement like walking or writing.

Executive Functioning

cognitive processes that involves a person to plan, adapt and improvise in situations, and organize

Parietal Lobes

Located at the top of the head behind the frontal lobe. It’s responsible for receiving sensory information.

Somatosensory Cortex

Part of the Parietal lobe that processes sensory information that involves touch, temperature, pain, and pressure.

Occipital Lobes

Located in the back of the brain that is responsible for processing vision.

Temporal Lobes