Psychology Unit 2: Part B

Nature vs. Nurture

Whether human thought and behavior are cause primarily by nature (biology/genetics) or nurture (environmental/social influences)

Hormones

Chemical messengers produced by the endocrine glands and carried by bloodstream to all the body

Pituitary Glands

Gland that controls growth and regulates other glands

Central Nervous System

brain and spinal cord (99% of nerve cells located here)

Peripheral Nervous System

Network of nerves that connects brain and spinal cord to rest of body (sensory/motor neurons)

Somatic Nervous System

Division of PNS that controls voluntary movement of body’s skeletal muscles

Automatic Nervous System

Division of PNS that controls automatic movement of glands and muscles of internal muscles

Sympathetic Nervous System

Division of ANS that arouses the body to mobilize it for action in stressful situations

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Division of ANS that calms the body and conserves its energy after stressful situations

Brainstem

Oldest part and central cure of brain; automatic survival functions and crossover points for connecting brain to opposite side

Medulla

Part of brainstem that controls breathing and heartbeat

Pons

Part of brainstem that plays a key role in sleeping, dreaming, and muscle movements

Reticular Formation

Nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and controls arousal and sleepwake cycle

Thalamus

Brain’s sensory control center

Cerebellum

“little brain” coordinates voluntary movement (balance)

Amygdala

Linked to aggression and fear (fight or flight)

Hypothalamus

Below thalamus; directs several maintenance activities and helps govern endocrine system; linked to emotion and reward

Hippocampus

Helps process explicit long term memories and involved in learning

Cerebral Cortex

Ultimate control and info processing center; divided into 2 hemispheres/ 4 lobes (frontal, occipital, parietal, temporal)

Frontal lobe

Involved in personality, intelligence, and voluntary control of muscles

Parietal Lobe

Processes sensory info involving taste, temperature, and touch

Occipital Lobe

Part of cerebral cortex at back of head; receives info from visual fields

Temporal lobes

Portion of cerebral cortex lying roughly above ears; receiving info from opposite ear (hearing, language, processing, memory)

Motor Cortex

Area at rear of frontal lob that controls voluntary movements

Somatosensory cortex

Area at front of parietal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Association Areas

Involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Broca’s Area

Controls language expression, directs muscle movements involved in speech production

Wernicke’s Area

Controls language reception; a brain area involved in language comprehension

Split Brain

Isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the corpus callosum connecting them

Corpus Callosum

Large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages betwen them

EEG

Amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface

PET

A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

MRI

Uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue that shows brain anatomy

FMRI

Technique for revealing blood flow, and therefore brain activity by comparing successive MRI scan that shows brain function