AP Psych Master Set

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Paul Broca

Doctor who performed an autopsy on a patient nicknamed tan who couldn’t speak but could understand

Broca’s area

The left frontal lobe, which when destroyed can inhibit the ability to speak

Expressive Aphasia

The loss of the ability to speak due to damage in the left frontal lobe

Wickne’s area

the left temporal lobe of the brain that is related to understand langauge

receptive aphasia

The loss of ability to comprehend written and spoken language

Lesions

precise destruction of brain tissue

CAT or CT

Computerized axial topography scan which uses x rays to show 2 dimensional slices of the brain

MRI

magnetic resonance imaging, using magnetic fields and radio waves the brain is able to be observed based on the density of each part

EEG

electroencephalogram, traces brain activity or brain waves

evoked potentials

amplified tracings from an EEG when the recorded change in voltage is caused by a specific response to a stimulus

PET

positron emission topography scan which produces colored computer graphics depending on the metabolism rate of each area of the brain

Functional MRI

Shows the brain at a higher resolution than PET, can measure the change in oxygen in the blood of a brain

MSI

magnetic source image, produced by a MEG

MEG

magnetoencephalography, a scan similar to a EEG but is able to detect the slight magnetic fields caused by the brain

central nervous system

consists of your brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

consists of your somatic and autonomic nervous system, carries sensory information from the brain to the rest of the body

autonomic nervous system

The nervous system that controls your involuntary movements like the beating of your heart or blinking. It is divided into sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

somatic nervous system

the nervous system that controls your voluntary movements

sympathetic stimulation

responses that help your body deal with stressful events, ex: dilatation of pupils, and increased heart rate

parasympathetic stimulation

calms your body from the sympathetic stimulation by restoring digestive processes, and returning pupils to normal size

old mammalian brain

concept This is the part of the brain responsible for emotion its main parts are to amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus

new mammalian brain

This is the part of the brain that is responsible for higher thinking like planning, communicating, and problem solving. This part is mainly comprised of the cerebral cortex and the prefrontal cortex

Surface of the cortext

gyri which are peaks, sulci which are valleys, and they both form convolutions which increases the surface area of the cortex

Association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that don’t have specific sensory or motor functions but are related to higher mental functions like planning and communicating

Medulla Oblongata

part of the brain stem that regulates heart rhythm, breathing rate, and digestion,

pons

part of the brainstem that is involved in sleep, arousal, and relaying information to and from the medulla, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex

Cerebellum

controls posture, equilibrium and movement

basal ganglia

regulates the initiation of movements, balance, and posture, it also functions in processing of implicit memories

thalamus

relays visual, auditory, and soma sensory information to and from the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex

hypothalamus

controls feeding and drinking behavior, body temperature, sexual behavior, threshold for rage, activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, body temperature, pulse, etc… through producing hormones that either stimulate or inhibit secretions of hormones by the pituitary gland

hippocampus

enables the creation of new long-term memories

cerebral cortex

The space in the brain responsible for all higher mental tasks such as planning, thinking, and judgement. It receives and processes sensory information and directs movements.

plasticity

If one region of the brain is damaged the brain can reorganize and take over its function

glial cells

cells that help guide the growth of developing neurons by providing nutrition, removal of waste, and forming an insulated sheath around neurons that speeds up conduction

neuron

the basic unit of structure and function of your nervous system

cyton or soma

the cell body where the nucleus and cytoplasm are, which the directs the synthesis of substances such as neuro transmitters

dendrites

branching tubular processes capable of receiving information

Axon

A single conducting fiber that branches out of the cyton that branches and ends in tips called terminal buttons

myelin sheath

A insulating layer around the axon by glial cells

neurogenesis

The growth of new neurons which takes place throughout life

neurotransmitters

chemicals stored in synaptic vesicles in the terminal buttons which are sent out of presynaptic neurons and are received by the postsynaptic neurons

dopamine

a neurotransmitter that stimulates the hypothalamus to synthesize hormones and affects alertness and movement, and reward; undersupply is linked to Parkinson’s disease, and oversupply is linked to schizophrenia

glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter involved information processing throughout the cortex and especially memory formation in the hippocampus

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter associated with sexual activity, mood, concentration and attention, and, emotions; low levels linked to depression

opioid peptides

neurotransmitters such as endorphins that are often called the brain’s own painkillers

GABA

gamma aminobutyric acid which inhibits the firing of neurons; low levels linked to anxiety and seizures

norepinephrine

a neurotransmitter also known as noradrenaline which is associated with attentiveness, learning, sleep ,and learning

agonists

substances that may mimic a neurotransmitter and bind to its receptor site to produce the effects of the neurotransmitter

antagonists

substances that block a receptor site not allowing the effect of a neurotransmitter or a agonist

neurons resting potential

The neuron is more negative inside the cell membrane than out, this is caused by the selective permeability of the cell membrane and the presence of electrically charged particles called ions, near the inside and outside surfaces

action potential

when a neuron is sufficiently stimulated a net flow of sodium ions into the cell causes a rapid change in potential across the membrane

all or non principal

the strength of the action potential is constant whenever it occurs

action potential to neurotransmitters

this depolarization and repolarization is passed along the axon to the terminal buttons which release neurotransmitters

nodes of the Ranvier

spaces between the segments of myelin

saltatory conduction

when a axon is myelinated by glial cells conduction speed in increased since depolarizations jump from node to node

synapse

the tiny gap between the terminal buttons of one neuron and the dendrites of another neuron where the neurotransmitters are released

excitatory neurotransmitters

a neurotransmitter that causes the other neuron on the other side of the synapse to have an action potential(to fire) however some synapses can be inhibitory which causes the neuron to not have a reaction

reflex

an impulse conduction over a few neurons, the path is called a reflex arc

sensory or afferent neurons

transmit impulses from your sensory receptors to your spinal cord and brain

interneurons

neurons that are located only in your brain that intervene between sensory and motor neurons

motor or efferent neurons

neurons that transmit impulses from your sensory or interneurons to muscle cells that contract or gland cells that secrete

effectors

muscle and gland cells

endocrine system

A system in your body that consists of glans that secrete chemical messages called hormones into your blood

Endocrine glands

the pineal gland, the hypothalamus, and the pituitary gland in your brain, the thyroid and parathyroids in your neck, the adrenal glands atop your kidneys, pancreas near your stomach, and either ovearies or testes

endocrine glands in the brain

pineal gland, hypothalamus, and the pituitary gland

pineal gland

endocrine gland in the brain that produces melatonin and helps regulate circadian rhythm which is related to sleep

pituitary gland

endocrine gland in the brain that produces stimulating hormones that promote secretion by other glands including TSH, ACTH, FSH, ADH, and HGH

TSH

thyroid stimulating hormones

ACTH

adrenocorticotropic hormone which stimulates the adrenal glands

FSH

follicle stimulating hormone which stimulates egg or sperm production

ADH

antidiuretic hormone which helps retain water in the body

HGH

human growth hormone which helps you grow

thyroid gland

endocrine gland in the neck which produces thyroxine which helps stimulate and maintain metabolic activities

parathyroid gland

endocrine gland in the neck which produces parathyroid thyroxine which helps maintain calcium ion level in the blood

adrenal glands

endocrine glands atop the kidneys which produce hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and, aldosterone

pancreas

endocrine gland near the stomach which produces the hormones insulin and glucagon which help regulate blood sugar which fuels the body

Ovaries and testies

endocrine glands that produce hormones necessary for reproduction

nature-nurture controversy

the belief in which heredity and the environment influence each other’s behavior

behavioral geneticists

people who study the role played by our genes and environment when it comes down to our mental ability personality, etc.… and what makes us individually unique

identical twins

2 individuals who share the same genes since they developed from the same fertilized egg and they are monozygotic twins

fraternal twins

2 individuals who share half of the same genes since they developed from 2 fertilized eggs and they are dizygotic twins

heritability

the proportion of variation among individuals in a population due to genetic causes

gene

DNA segment of a chromosome that determines a trait

role of a chromosome

carry information stored in genes to new cells during reporduction

number of chromosomes in the human body

each cell has 46 except for sperm and egg which have 23

turner’s syndrome

where cells only have one X chromosome

klinefelter’s sydrome

When a zygote has XXY chromosomes

down syndrome

when there is 3 copies of chromosome 21

genotype

the genetic makeup for a trait of an individual

phenotype

the expression of genes

dominant and recessive genes

the gene that is expressed is dominant and the other is recessive

Tay-Sachs syndrome

progressive loss of nervous function and death in a baby

albinism

failure to synthesize or store pigment and also involves abnormal nerve pathways to the brain, resulting in the inability to sense depth or see 3d

PKU

When a baby’s body is unable to process the amino acid phenylalanine which can poison cells in the nervous system unless they are fed a special diet. the condition is called phenylketonuria

huntington’s disease

an example of a dominant gene defect that involves the degeneration of the nervous systems

Alzheimer’’s disease chromosome

some forms of alzheimer’s disease have been associated with chromosome 21

preconscious

the form of consciousness outside of awareness but contains feelings and memories that can easily bring you into conscious awareness

nonconscious

the form of consciousness that is devoted to processes completely inaccessible to conscious awareness such as blood flow and recognizing patterns

unconscious

also known as subconscious is the level of consciousness that includes unacceptable thoughts, wishes, or feelings not directly available to conscious awareness

dual processing

the processing of information on both a conscious and unconscious level at the same time