Ap psychology unit 1

Biological Psychology

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes; examines physical basis for behaviors and mental states looking specifically at the roles of genetics and the brain

Neuron

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

Dendrites

thin fiber extension that receive neurotransmitter messages from other neurons

Axon

long branch that transmits and receives messages of neurons

Myelin

a fatty tissue layer enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next

Action Potential

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

Refractory Period

a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired, a period immediately following stimulation

Resting potential

the electric potential across the plasma membrane of a neuron when it is in the nonexcited state; condition of the neuron when it is resting

Depolarize

The loss of the inside/outside charge difference, causes the next section of axon channels to open

Threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

All-or-none response

a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing

Synapse

tiny gaps at the junction between two neurons, signals are transmitted from one neuron to another

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that transmit signal across a synapse from one neuron to another 'target' (neuron, muscle cells, etc.)

Reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

Synaptic cleft

tiny gap in the synapse between receiving neuron

Acetylcholine

a neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning, memory

Dopamine

a chemical that influences movement, learning, attention, emotion, gives feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, etc

Serotonin

neurotransmitter affects mood, hunger, sleep, arousal (undersupply linked to depression)

Norepinephrine

a neurotransmitter helps control alertness and arousal (undersupply depresses mood)

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, lessens the ability of a nerve

Glutamate

a major excitatory neurotransmitter

Endorphins

neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain and pleasure, also known as natural pain killers

Substance P

involved in pain perception (perceiving pain) and immune response (oversupply can lead to chronic pain)

Agonist

a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter's action

Antagonist

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter's action

Nervous system

fast electrochemical communication network , consist of the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

Central Nervous system

the brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system

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

Nerves

bundled axons that form neural cables connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sensory organs

Sensory neurons

neurons that carry incoming information to the brain

Motor neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information to muscles and glands

Interneurons

communicates within the brain and spinal cord

Somatic nervous system

controls voluntary movements

Autonomic nervous system

controls involuntary bodily functions (eg: digestion, breathing)

Sympathetic nervous system

the fight-or-flight response that prepares the body for action by arousing it and sending energy to the muscles

Parasympathetic nervous system

the rest-and-digest response that calms the body

Reflex

our automatic responses to stimuli, such as knee-jerk response

Reflex arc

pathway that a reflex takes in the body

Endocrine system

slower communication system that uses glands to secrete hormones into the bloodstream

Hormones

chemical messengers that regulate metabolism, sleep, growth, body temp, etc

Adrenal Glands

A pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in the 'fight-or-flight' response.

Pituitary Glands

the "master gland" located in the brain that controls other glands

Lesion

destruction of tissue due to disease, trauma, surgery, etc.

EEG

electroencephalogram; shows the brain wave activity, useful for studying sleep disorders, brain activity

MEG

magnetoencephalography; measures magnetic fields to pinpoint the exact location, neural strength, speed of brain activities

CT Scan

uses x-rays to show the structure of the brain, look for physical structural changes due to damage, disease, injury, brain development

PET Scan

positron emission tomography; shows where glucose/energy is being used in the brain to identify brain activity

MRI

magnetic resonance imaging; a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.

fMRI

a technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity

Brainstem

the central core of the brain, responsible for automatic survival functions.

Medulla

controls breathing and heartbeat

Thalamus

part of the forebrain, delivers all sensory information (except smell) to the appropriate brain areas

Reticular formation

nerve network that's filters information, damage could result in the inability to wake up from a coma

Cerebellum

"little brain", its functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and procedural memory

Limbic System

includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, thalamus, and pituitary gland; associated with emotions, drives, and memory

Amygdala

deals with aggression and fear

Hypothalamus

directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature, sexual behavior and reward-system)

Cerebral Cortex

parts of the forebrain, known as the ultimate information processing center, divided into four lobes, frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

Left Hemisphere

controls the right side of the body and is typically more involved in tasks involving logic, language, and analytical thinking.

Right Hemisphere

controls the left side of the body and processing tasks related to creativity, spatial ability, artistic and musical skills.

Glial Cells

supporting cells in the nervous system that assist neurons.

Frontal Lobes

responsible for thinking, planning, judgment, decision-making

Parietal Lobes

touch and body position

Temporal Lobes

auditory processing

Occipital Lobes

processes visual information

Motor Cortex

controls voluntary movement

Somatosensory Cortex

processes body touch and movement sensation

Association Areas

areas that integrate information from various parts of the brain, involved in higher mental functioning

Neuroplasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood

Corpus Callosum

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

Split Brain

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres, prevents communication between right and left hemispheres

Consciousness

our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Cognitive Neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition.

Behavior Genetics

studies the influence of genetics and environment, understand the reasons behind human differences

Environment

every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to our experiences of the people and things around us.

Chromosomes

46 (23 from each parent); composed of a coiled chain of DNA.

DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid, holds your genetic information.

Genes

the biochemical units of heredity.

Genome

the complete instructions for making an organism.

Identical Twins

(monozygotic) individuals who developed from a single fertilized egg that split in two, creating two genetically identical organisms.

Fraternal Twins

(dizygotic) individuals who developed from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than ordinary siblings, but they share a prenatal environment.

Molecular Genetics

field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level and their association with personality traits.

Heredity

the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring.

Interaction

the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity).

Epigenetics

studies how environmental factors can influence gene expression(how genes work) across generations

Evolutionary Psychology

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.

Natural selection

organisms with more advantageous traits are more likely to survive. eg: humans are social because it aided survival and reproduction

Mutation

a random error in gene replication that leads to a change.

Circadian Rhythm

our biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle.

REM sleep

rapid eye movement sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active.

Alpha waves

the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state.

Sleep

a periodic, natural loss of consciousness — as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation.

Hallucinations

false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.

Hypnagogic sensations

bizarre experiences, such as jerking or a feeling of falling or floating weightlessly, while transitioning to sleep.

Delta waves

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

NREM Sleep

non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep.

NREM-1

hallucinogenic images, falling sensations, hypnagogic sensations.

NREM-2

deeper relaxation, periodic sleep spindles, rapid/rhythmic brain waves that aid memory processing.

NREM-3

slow-wave sleep, large delta waves, hard to awaken.

Suprachiasmatic nucleus

(SCN) a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm