Psychology chap 3

Refractory Period

The amount of time a neuron can not fire again

Where are the brain and spinal cord?

Central nervous system

Sympathetic Nervous System

Fight or flight, hunger, dilates pupil, increases heart rate

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Storing energy, calming, slows heart rate, constricts pupil

What is Neuroplasticity?

a neurons ability to grow, change, disappear overtime and adrenalin helps it grow.

Medulla

Vital functions and reflexes (heartbeat)

Pons

axons from one side of the body and crosses over to the opposite side of the brain (left side of the brain controls right side of the body)

Cerebellum

timing and balance, fine motor control

Thalamus

All sensory function except smell, turns sensitivity up and down

Hypothalamus

makes us eat, fight, run, sexually active, etc. (keeps us alive)

Pituitary gland

regulating body functions by producing and releasing hormones (master gland)

Hippocampus

critical for making new memories, if there is damage new memories cannot be made

Amygdala

important for fear and anger

Corpus collosum

transfers information and coordination from left to right side of the brain (if cut you get two brains kinda)

Which side of the brain does the talking

Left side

Which side of the brain is in charge of seeing all, whole puts stuff together

Right Side

Frontal lobe

movement, planning, executive functioning

Parietal lobe

somatosensory (body sensory)

Occipital lobe

vision

Temporal lobe

hearing and speech

Post

feeling and pain

Pre

movement

Lateralization

concept that each hemisphere of the brain is associated with specialized functions

What is the definition of the cerebral cortex

surface of the brain that is associated with out highest mental capabilities such as consciousness, thought, emotion, reasoning, language and memory

The motor cortex

strip of cortex involved in planning and coordinating movement

The Prefrontal cortex

responsible for higher-level cognitive functioning

Broca’s area

region in the left hemisphere that is essential for language production

• damage to _______ leads to difficulties producing language

A(n) ________ is the electrical signal that typically moves from the neuron’s cell body down the axon to the axon terminals.

action potential

One example of ________ is the differences between hemispheres in the areas underlying language function.

lateralization

Gyri and sulci are the ________ and ________, respectively, which characterize the surface of the human brain.

folds; grooves

One function of glia cells is to allow the nervous system to communicate with glands.

False

Which of the following areas is located in the frontal lobe of the brain?

Broca’s area

The theory of ________ states that organisms that are better suited for their environment will survive and reproduce, while those that are poorly suited for their environment will die off.

evolution by natural selection

Which is the main type of chemical messengers secreted by the male gonads?

androgens

Which gland is referred to as the master gland of the endocrine system?

pituitary gland

The two major divisions of the nervous system are the ________ and ________.

central; peripheral nervous systems

The ________ nervous system is responsible for responses such as pupil dilation, increased heart rate, and increased respiration.

sympathetic