Ap psych Unit 1.1 -1.4 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

responsible for hearing and mindful speech

Corpus Callosum

A thick band of neural fibers that connects the left & right hemispheres of the brain to communicate with each other

Brainstem

The oldest part of the brain and connects it to the spinal cord

Medulla

Controls autonomic functions like digestion, heart rate, and breathing without thinking about it

Reticular Activating System

Bundle of nerves in the brainstem. It controls the sleep-wake cycle and alertness.

Cerebellum

Coordinates voluntary movement and balance

Limbic System

Includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. It’s responsible for memory, emotion, learning, and motivation.

reward center

It’s responsible for what makes an individual feel satisfied and pleasure

Thalamums

receives sensory information except smell and sends it to the right areas of the brain.

hypothalamus

part of the brain that maintains homeostasis, temperature, thirst and hunger, and sexual behavior

Pituitary Gland

Known as the master gland as it regulates the rest of the body’s glands and it’s controlled by the hypothalamus. Its responsible for regulating stress, growth, and reproduction.

Hippocampus

responsible for forming long term memories.

amygdala

triggers fear and activates survival instincts. Basically controls the body's emotions

The Nervous System

A network of neurons connected to the brain and spinal cord that sends messages throughout the body.

Central Nervous System

It consists of the brain and spinal cord where information is sent

Peripheral Nervous System

It consists of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It connects the CNS to the body

Autonomic System

It’s important for maintaining the body’s non-voluntary functions like breathing or pumping blood

sympathetic nervous system

responsible for activating the ‘fight or flight’ response in terms of increased blood pressure and breathing

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Responsible for calming the body down by lowering blood pressure and breathing, helps digestion, and conserves energy

Somatic Nervous System

It allows the brain to communicate with the muscles that are involved with voluntary movement.

Neurons

Basic building blocks for the nervous system. They communicate using electrical impulses and chemical systems

Glial Cells

Motor neurons

responsible for controlling muscle movement

Sensory neurons

Carries messages relating to sensory input to the brain

Interneurons

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that connects sensory neurons to motor neurons

Reflex arc

It allows the body to react instantly without thinking.

Neural Transmission

Occurs when a neuron fires a signal to communicate

Threshold

The amount of stimulation needed to fire an action potential

Action Potential

Brief electrical pulses that travels along the axon

All-or-nothing principle

A neuron either sends an impulse or it does not.

depolarization

Positive sodium ions flood in the neuron and makes it positive

Refractory period

A resting pause, where neurons pump positively charged sodium ions back outside of the cell.

Resting potential

When a neuron does not have an action potential

Polarized charge

The state of a resting neuron; the outside of the membrane is positively charged while the inside of the membrane is negatively charged.

Reuptake

reabsorbtion of a neurotransmitter to recycle and use for future purposes

Multiple Selerosis ‘MS’

(MS): The loss of muscle control resulting from a deterioration of myelin sheath

Myasthenia gravis ‘MG’

a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the neuromuscular junction, where nerves communicate with muscles. It causes muscle weakness that worsens with activity

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers in the nervous system that sends messages between neurons