unit 1 ap psych

Behavior genetics

Study of how genetic variations influence an individuals behavior

Eugenics

Selection of desired heritable traits in order to improve future generations

Epigenetics

Study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

Sympathetic nervous system

Fight or flight

Parasympathetic Nervous system

Rest and digest

Depolarization

Change within cell, less negative charge inside than outside

Reputable

Neurotransmitter is reabsorbed by the cell produced it

Multiple sclerosis

Damage to myelin disrupts electrical signal, causing muscle weakness, coordination problems, and fatigue

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that cross the synapse between neurons

Excitatory neurotransmitters

Increase the likelihood of an action potential through depolarization

Norepinephrine

Arousal and vigilance

GABA

Inhibition of action potential (anxiety)

Substance P

Pain perception

Leptin

Regulates energy balance by inhibiting hunger

Myasthenia Gravis

Autoimmune disorder; antibodies block/destroy acetylcholine receptors

Inhibitory neurotransmitters

Decrease likelihood of action potential through hyper polarization (more negative inside)

Glutamate

Long term memory and learning

Endorphins

Control pain and pain tolerance

Acetylcholine

Muscle control, learning and memory

Adrenaline (Epinephrine)

Aids in response to high emotional situations; fight or flight

Ghrelin

Signals hunger; release of growth hormones

Oxytocin

love hormone

EEG

Electrodes placed on scalp to record electrical signals; helps with sleep and seizure research

MRI

Magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images of brain structure

CT

Series of x ray photographs; detects brain damage and tumors

PET

Radioactive glucose tests

fMRI

Shows metabolic functions

Lesions

Tissue destruction in the brain

Reticular Formation

Controls arousal (coma if damaged)

Cerebral Cortex

Outermost layer of the brain

Lymbic system

Emotions and drive

Hypothalamus

Eating, drinking, body temp (bodily functions)

Pituitary Gland

“Master gland” regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Brocas Area

Produce speech

Wernickes Area

Comprehend speech

Reuptake Inhibitor

Drug/substance that blocks the reuptake of neurotransmitters into the sending neuron

Cerebral cortex

Covers cerebral hemispheres; ultimate control/information processing center

Brocas Aphasia

Impaired speaking

Temporal Lobe

Auditory processing

Parietal Lobe

Sense of touch

Association Areas

Higher mental functioning areas (learning, remembering, thinking)

Somatosensory Corex

Parietal lobe; touch and movement sensations

Prefrontal cortex

Frontal lobe; judgement, planning, decision making, and social interaction

Dual processing

Information processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Ex. Consciously thinking about a math problem while unconsciously processing background sounds

Parallel processing

Process multiple aspects of a stimulus at once (ex. Color motion and shape)

Sequential processing

Process one aspect of a stimulus at a time (often when learning something new/performing difficult task)

Alpha Waves

Slow brain waves of a relaxed state (NREM 1)

NREM 1

Light sleep, hallucinations, alpha waves

NREM 2

Sleep spindles; can be awakened easily

NREM 3

Slow wave (Delta); deep sleep

Delta Waves

Large slow brain waves (NREM 3)

REM

• vivid dreams

• Brain is very active (similar to awake)

• Body is paralyzed

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN)

• controls circadian rhythm

• Responds to light and signals pineal gland to adjust melatonin production

• In hypothalamus

Activation Synthesis Theory

Dreams are the brains attempt to make sense of random neural activity during sleep

Consolidation Theory

Sleep strengthens memories formed during the day

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Person acts out vivid dreams during REM; abscense of normal muscle paralysis

Somnambulism

Sleep walking

Psychophysics

relationship between physical stimuli and sensations/perceptions they produce

Signal Detection Theory

Explains when/how we detect a stimulus amid background noise

• challenges “absolute threshold” stating detection depends on multiple factors

• Ex. Parent hears child crying in the night but not loud noises, because they expect it

Absolute Threshold

Minimum stimulation needed to detect a stimulus 50% of the time

Weber’s Law (Same as JND)

Amount of change in a stimulus needed to detect a difference (ratio)

Embodied Cognition

Influence of bodily sensations on cognitive judgements and preferences

Subliminal

Below ones absolute threshold for conscious awareness

• ex. Unconsciously seeing the word “thirsty” appear on a movie theater screen will increase the likelihood of them buying a drink, even if they didn’t know they saw the word

Priming

Hearing the word “yellow” and being quicker to recognize “banana” after it due to unconscious associations in memory

Wavelengths (light)

Hue/color

Cornea

Transparent tissue where light enters the eye

Pupil

Opening

Iris

Muscle that expands and contracts to change the size of the pupil for light

Retina

Contains sensory receptors that process visual information and send it to the brain

Blind Spot

Area in the retina where optic nerve passes through, no light receptors

Visual (optic) nerve

Carries neural impulses from the eyes to the brain

Lens

Focuses light rays on retina

Accommodation

Lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina

Nearsightedness (Myopia)

Nearby objects are clearer than distant objects

• distant objects are focused in front of the retina

• Eyeball is too long or cornea has too much curvature

Farsightedness (hyperopia)

Faraway objects are clearer

• images of near objects is focused behind the retina

• Eyeball is too short or cornea is too flat

Fovea

Highest cone cells; sharp vision

Photoreceptors

Rods and cones (specialized cells that detect light)

Transduction

Transforming stimulus energy into neural impulses

Rods

Detect black, white and gray; necessary for night vision

Cones

Detect color and sharp vision

Trichromatic Theory

3 receptors sensitive to red, green, and blue

Opponent Process Theory

We process 4 primary colors in pairs (Red and Green, Blue and yellow, Black and White)

Afterimages

Retinal impressions persist after removal of visual stimulus (often in complementary colors)

Feature Detectors

Nerve cells in brain that respond to specific features (shape, angle, movement etc.)

Ganglion Cells

Neurons that connect the bipolar cells in the eyes to the brain

Dichromatic

Can only see 2 types of cone cells (red, green, or blue)

Monochromatism

Only see blacks and grays

Blindsight

A clinically blind person can respond to visual stimulus

Parallel processing

Processing several aspects of stimuli (ex. Color, depth, movement)

Wavelengths (Sound)

Pitch (frequency)

Amplitude (sound)

Loudness

Place theory

Sound frequencies stimulate basilar membrane at specific places resulting in perceived pitch

Volley Theory

Multiple neurons work together to process high-pitch

Frequency theory

Rate of nerve impulses traveling up auditory nerve matches frequency of tone

Conduction deafness

Damage to mechanical system that conducts sound waves to cochlea

Sensorineural deafness

Damage to cochlea’s receptor cells or auditory nerve

Oleogustus

Taste of fats/fatty acids

Vestibular sense

Sense of body movement and position, including balance

Kinesthesis

Sensing the position and movement of individual body parts

Semicircular canals

detect rotational movements and maintain balance