AP Psych Unit 1 Vocab

Hereditary (Nature)

The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring

Enviornment (Nurture)

The influence of a person’s surroundings and experiences on their behavior and development.

Genetic Predisposition

An inherited tendency that makes a person more likely to develop a certain trait, behavior, or disorder, but does not guarantee that they will.

Adoptive Studies

Research that examines children raised apart from their biological parents to determine the impact of environment vs. inherited traits.

Evolutionary Perspective

The view that behavior and mental processes are influenced by traits that helped our ancestors survive and reproduce.

Natural Selection

The principal that the inherited traits enabling an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Eugenics

Applying principles of evolutionary psychology to discriminate against people tyring to “improve the human race”

Twin Studies

Research that compares identical and fraternal twins to see how similar they are on certain traits.

Family Stuides

Research that examines how a trait or disorder occurs among family members to determine whether it may have a genetic or environmental influence.

Central Nervous System

The part of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spainal cord, processing all information and sending out instructions.

Periphearal nervous system

The part of the nervous system that carrys out messages to and from the central nervous system.

Somatic (skeletal) nervous system

The part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that controls the bodys skeletal muscles (voluntary movements)

Autonomic nervous system

The part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) that controls all the involuntary movements you don’t think about.

Sympathetic nervous system

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its evergy.

Parasympathetic nervous system

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

Glial Cell

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Neural Cell

Cells in the nervous system that communicate and transmit all the information to the body

Reflex arc

A automatic nerve pathway that controls an involuntary response to a stimulus

Sensory Neuron

Neruon that brings information in from your central nervous system senses

Motor Neruon

Neuron that sends commands out from the central nervous system to your muscles

Interneuron

Neurons that connect the sensory and motor neuron, allowing fast reaction, without involving the brain directly

Neural transmission

The process of sending signals between neurons through electrical and chemical signals.

All-or-nothing Principle

 A neuron’s reaction of either firing with a full-strength response or not firing.

Depolarization

 A sudden influx of postive ions, aseing a brief electrical charge to travel down the axon.

Refractory Period

 in neural processing, a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired

Resting Potential

The neuron is resting, with a slightly negative charge inside.

Reuptake

After the neurotransmitters are related, any excess are reabsrbed by the sending neurons to clear the synapse

Threshold

The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.

Multiple sclerosis

A disease in which the myelin sheath around nerve cells becomes damaged, causing problems with muscle control, movement, and sometimes cognition.

Myastenia gravis

A neuromuscular disease in which the muscles cannot contract, results in weekness, difficulties with muscle control, or paralysis

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that carry signals between neurons and other cells in the body.

Location in the NS

The specific part of the nervous system where a structure, process or neurotransmitter is dound or function

Excitatory

Increases the likelihood that a nerion will fire/send a signal

Inhibitory

 Decreases the likelibood that a neron will fire/send a signal

Dopamine

Neurotransmitters that influences movement,   learning, attention, and emotion

Serotonin

Neurotransmitters that affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal

Norrepinephrine

Neurotransmittera that helps control alertness and arousal

Glutamate

Neurotransmitters that excites or increases brain activity, playing an important role in learning, memory, and brain development.

GABA

Neurotransmitters that slows down brain activity, helping calm the nervous system and reduce neuron firing.

Endophins

Neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain or pleasure

Subsance P

 Neurotransmitters invoned in pain, perception and immune responce

Acetlycholine

A neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learned, and memory

Hormones

Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.

Adrenaline

A hormone that increases alertness,heart rate, and energy duringstress or danger

Leptin

A hormone that helps regulate hunger and tells the brainwhen thebody has enough stored energy

Ghrelin

A hormone that increases hunger and signals the brain that its time to eat

Melationin

A hormone tha thleps regulate the sleep - wake cycle and promotes sleepiness

Oxytocin

A hormone involved in social bonding, trust, and relationships

Psychoactive drugs

 Substances that change brain activity and affect mood, thorughts, perceptions or behavior

Agonist

A molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action.

Antagonist

a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action.