Behavioral Neuro PSY209: Exam 1 Content

What is biopsychology?

the connection between brain and behavior

Alternative Names for Behavioral Neuroscience

behavior biology, biopsychology

What does the nucleus contain?

DNA

What purpose do dendrites serve?

they collect neurotransmitters

How does an action potential work?

It moves through the axon, while the myelin sheath protects it

Myelin Sheath

Fatty layer that ensures the electrical signal moves efficiently

How many neurons do we have?

100 billion

How many neurons are connected to one another at a time?

10 thousand

synapse

Gap contact points that allow for signals to pass from one neuron to the next

How many synapses are in your brain?

100 trillion+

Is an organism with a bumpy or smooth brain smarter?

Bumpy

Why are bumpier brains smarter?

More surface area: 18 sq ft

Gyri

Bumps in the brain

Sulci

trenches in the brain

Disciplines of biopsychology

neuro...anatomy, chemistry, endocrinology, pharmacology, pathology, physiology

How old is the discipline of neuroscience?

About 73 years old

All behavior is the product of interactions among...

genes (based on evolution), experience, and perception of the situation

natural selection

environmental selection pressures dictate the fittest, not best

survival of the fittest

whatever fits environment the best is what promotes survival

What defined the evolution of behavior?

social dominance and courtship displays

social dominance

establishing hierarchy reduces aggression

courtship display

special method of finding a mate

Taxonomic Kingdom classification, in order

Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species

species

based on anatomical and physical similarities

The smaller the taxonomic ring...

the more specific it is

What idea is evolution based on?

that we share a common ancestor

How old is the common human ancestor?

4.6 billion years

Human took about _______ years to start being humans

a billion

How long ago did bacteria produce the atmosphere?

2.3 billion years ago

When did multi-cellular organisms show up?

about 6 billion years ago

When did chordates first appear?

450 mya

When did vertebrates first show up?

About 25 million years after chordates

What do chordates have?

a rudimentary brain and spine

What do vertebrates have?

A BACKBONE

When did amphibians first come about?

about 410 million years ago

Why are amphibians evolutionarily fit?

They could go on both land and water, meaning more resources and better safety

How long ago did reptiles come about?

about 300 million years ago

Where do reptiles lay eggs?

On land

Why are reptiles evolutionarily fit?

Can survive in both land and water

When did mammals first appear?

200 million years ago

What species began early human lineage?

Hominids

Who was Lucy?

Australopithecus, a 4 ft humanoid

When did homosapiens first appear?

about 200 thousand years ago

Evolution is NOT

linear

How does evolution progress?

traits for the environment are selected over time

What species did the modern human evolve from?

Homoerectus, Homoneaderthalis

When did homoerectus die?

About 150 thousand years ago

When did homoneanderthalus die?

30 thousand years ago

How old is oral language?

~40 thousand years old

How old is written language?

about 5 thousand years old

What marks a civilization?

Agriculture; less nomadic societies

What creation stopped us from being nomadic?

Beer

How long ago did we stop being nomadic?

About 10 thousand years ago

What is the correlation between brain size an intelligence?

There is none

Do brain and body weight correlate?

No

How do species become more intelligent over time?

Growth in the cerebrum means higher cognitive function

What does evolutionary psychology do?

it emphasizes importance of adaptation, reproduction, and more in explaining behavior

Why is evolutionary psych flawed?

it takes behaviors from the past and tries to apply them today

Why are most evolutionary psychology theories not falsifiable?

No access to concrete evidence

Who proposed one-sided evolution?

David Buss

One sided evolution

hunter-gatherer society explains evolution; too simple

bi-directional evolution

humans change too much; we can overcome genetic disposition

Who was Mendel?

Naturalist and "father of genetics"

What did Mendel study?

Pea plants and mice

What did he conclude about breeding traits?

They are more individualistic

Dichotomous traits

traits that occur in one form or the other, never in combination

allele

genes that code for a specific trait

homozygous

same genes

heterozygous

different genes

dominant trait

expressed trait

recessive trait

a gene that is overruled by a dominant trait

When do recessive traits appear?

When there are two of them together passed on`

genotype

the actual genetic coding

phenotype

the physical expression

Mendelian principles

Principles of genetics first studied by Gregor Mendel; namely the property of independent assortment, uniformity, and segregation

Principle of Independent Assortment

whichever allele is passed down is totally independent to other traits

Principle of Uniformity

mom and dad pass on alleles randomly and whichever is passed on is the phenotype

Principle of Segregation

you receive an allele randomly from mom

How many chromosome do we have?

46

What do chromosomes contain?

DNA

What does DNA contain?

genes

Genes are your....

recipe

What are the four nucleotide bases?

ATCG

Nucleotide Base: A

Adenine

Nucleotide Base: C

Cytosine

Nucleotide Base: T

Thymine

Nucleotide Base: G

Guanine

A pairs with...

T

C pairs with...

G

What does a sequence of nucleotide bases create?

a gene

How many ATCG pairs are there?

3 billion

Each parent transmits ______ their chromosomal material

Half

What do incorrect nucleotide base pairings create?

Mutations

Are mutations usually good or bad?

Bad

When are mutations good?

When they increase survival

What does a structural gene contain?

protein recipe

What is gene expression?

Making a protein

What is the function of an operator gene?

Turning structural genes on and off

What signals the operator gene to turn the structural gene off and on?

DNA binding protein

Do proteins make other proteins?

Yes