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AP psych unit 1

nature

the influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions. heredity

nurture

environmental factors that influence you

charles darwin

how heredity and enviornment impacted an individual. theory of evolution: evolution happens by natural selection

eugenics

the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics

Epigenetics

how enviornment and a persons behavior affect a persons genes: genes being turned on and off

Plasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

nervous system

the network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

brain and spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the body.

afferent/sensory neurons

Nerve cells that carry impulses towards the central nervous system. approaches the brain

efferent/motor neurons

carry messages from the spinal cord to the muscles and glands. CNS-->PNS. Exits brain

somatic nervous system

aka skeletal nervous system. Controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles. contains five senses.

autonomic nervous system

controls involuntary activities. ex: heart beating

The part of the PNS that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. fight or flight.

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy. rest and digest

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

neuron

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

reflex arc

the nerve pathway that allows the body to respond to a stimulus without thinking.

response to stimulus

signal sent through a sensory neuron --> spinal cord --> inter neuron(within brain and spinal cord)--> motor neurons (CNS)

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

resting potential

the state of the neuron when not firing a neural impulse. more negative ions are inside

Depolarization

The process during the action potential when sodium is rushing into the cell causing the interior to become more positive.

Repolarization

Return of the cell to resting state, caused by reentry of potassium into the cell while sodium exits the cell.

refractory period

the time following an action potential during which a new action potential cannot be initiated

Synapse

A junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next.

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

electrical synapses

messages that need to be sent immediately

presynaptic terminal

axon terminal with synaptic vesicles

postsynaptic terminal

membrane region of the receiving cell

synaptic gap

space between the axon terminal of one neuron and the receptors of the next neuron

Receptors

parts of the cell membrane that receive the neurotransmitter and initiate or prevent a new electric signal

excitatory neurotransmitters

increase likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potentional through depolarization

inhibitory neurotransmitters

inhibit the next cell from firing

Reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Acetylcholine (ACh)

neurotransmitter

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Substance P

neurotransmitter

a neurotransmitter involved in pain perception

Dopamine

neurotransmitter

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Serotonin

neurotransmitter

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

Endorphins

neurotransmitter

pain control. impacts individuals pain tolerance.

epinephrine

neurotransmitter

helps with bodys response to high emotional situations to help form memories.

Norepinephrine (NE)

neurotransmitter

increases blood pressure and heart rate. fight or flight alertness

glutamate

neurotransmitter

long term memory and learning

GABA

neurotransmitter

sleep, movement, and slows nervous system

Adrenaline

aka epinephrine A hormone released into the bloodstream in response to physical or mental stress. fight or flight

Leptin

inhibts hunger

Ghrelin

hunger hormone

Melatonin

A hormone manufactured by the pineal gland that produces sleepiness.

Oxytocin

produced in hypothalamus and released in pituitary gland. love is in the air mwah mwah mwah

agonist drug

increase the effectiveness of a neurotransmitter

Antagonist drugs

decrease the effectiveness of a neurotransmitter

Stimulants

drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions

Depressants

drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Hallucinogens

psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

Opiods

A class of drugs that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects, including pain relief and feelings of euphoria.

Hindbrain

An area of the brain that coordinates information coming into and out of the spinal cord. located at the bottom of the brain

Midbrain

A small part of the brain above the pons that integrates sensory information and relays it upward.

Forebrain

The largest and most complicated region of the brain, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum.

spinal cord

connects brain to the rest of the body

brain stem

located at the base of the brain and on top of the spinal cord (medulla pons and midbrain) controls autonomic functions

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons

A brain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain

reticular activating system

the part of the brain that is involved in attention, sleep, and arousal. network of nerve cells located within in the brain stem.

Cerebellum

A large structure of the hindbrain that controls voluntary movements

Cerebrum

Largest part of the brain + complex thoughts.

consists of gray matter/cerebral cortex

white matter + billions of nerve cells

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

frontal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement

prefrontal cortex

part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, and language

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization

left side of brain controls right side of body while right brain controls left body except smell

Broca's area

controls language expression - an area, usually in the left frontal lobe, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Broca's aphasia

inability to produce speech

parietal lobe

receives sensory input for touch and body position. located behind frontal lobe

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage. does not store memory

Amygdala

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

auditory cortex

the area of the temporal lobe responsible for processing sound information

superior temporal gyrus

primary auditory cortex

Wernicke's area

a brain area involved in meaningful language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Wernicke's aphasia

condition resulting from damage to Wernicke's area, causing the affected person to be unable to understand or produce meaningful language

occipital lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information

primary visual cortex

what receives visual input from the eyes

Thalamus

receives sensory information from sensory organs except for smell. relays information to the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex for processing

limbic system

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Hypothalamus

keeps body balanced and allows homeostasis. controls drives ex: hunger and sex

pituitary gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

brain lateralization

specialization of function in each hemisphere

left hemisphere

controls the right side of the body; analytical, language, math