Psych Unit 1- Biological Basis of Behavior & States of Consciousness

Natural Selection

organisms with traits that better enable them to survive and reproduce in their environment are more likely to pass those traits on to future

Eugenics

• controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics 

Twin studies

• compare identical twins to one another

  • Monozygotic (identical twins) vs dizygotic (fraternal twins) 

Adoption Studies

• compare twins who have been separated and adopted by different families 

Family studies

• researchers assess hereditary influence by examining blood relatives to see how much they resemble each other on a specific trait 

epigenetics

• study of heritable changed in gene expression that occur through alterations in the chromosome rather than in the DNA sequences 

Neurons (know the parts)

• Dendrite

• Cell body/soma

• Axon

• Myelin Sheath

• Axon terminals/terminal buttons

• synapse/synaptic cleft 

glia cells

• non-neuronal cells in the nervous system that provide support and protection for neurons, maintain homeostasis, and produce myelin.

• provide structural support and insulation; 1 to 5 million 

reflex arc

• neural pathway that controls a reflex 

• receptor activation, sensory neuron transmission, integration in the central nervous system, motor neuron transmission, and effector response.

sensory neurons

• carry sensory information from external environment to CNS 

motor neurons

• transmits signals from CNS to muscles 

interneurons

•  connect sensory neurons to motor neurons in CNS

mirror neurons

• fire both when an individual perform and action or observes the same action being performed (when watching smth ur brain processes it as if you’ve done it too) 

dopamine

serotonin

norepinephrine

GABA

glutamate

substance p

acetylcholine

endorphins

resting potential

• stable, negative charge when the cell is inactive (polarized)

action potential

• rapid, electrical impulse that travels down a neuron's axon to transmit signals

  • all the same size

absolute refractory period

• minimum time which another impulse can not occur (1-2 milliseconds) 

all-or-nothing principle

• a neuron either fires or it doesn’t 

inhibitory neurotransmitters

excitatory neurotransmitters

reuptake

synaptic pruning

agonist

antagonist

central nervous system

peripheral nervous system

autonomic nervous system

somatic nervous system

sympathetic v. parasympathetic division

fight-flight response

lesioning

Brain scans: EEG & fMRI

brainstem

hindbrain: medulla, cerebellum

midbrain: reticular activating system

forebrain: cerebrum, cerebral cortex

limbic system- thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala

occipital lobe- visual cortex

parietal lobe- somatosensory cortex

temporal lobe- auditory cortex

frontal lobe- prefrontal & motor cortex

brain plasticity

neurogenesis

broca’s area

wernicke’s area

aphasia

left hemisphere

right hemisphere

corpus callosum

Roger Sperry & Michael Gazzaniga’s split brain research- Contralateral hemispheric organization

hormones: adrenaline, leptin, melatonin, oxytocin, ghrelin

pituitary gland

multiple sclerosis

myasthenia gravis

evolutionary psychology

critical period

Consciousness

Sleep stages with EEG patterns

Brain waves: beta, alpha, theta, delta

Circadian rhythms

Pineal gland- melatonin

Jet lag

NREM stages 1-3 (your textbook also has a stage 4)

hypnagogic sensations (occur in stage1)

REM sleep (paradoxical sleep)

REM rebound

Sleep deprivation/disruption effects

Insomnia

Narcolepsy

Sleep apnea

Somnambulism

REM sleep behavior disorder

Hobson & McCarley’s Activation-Synthesis theory of dreams

Consolidation dream theory (memory consolidation)

Drugs to know: stimulants, caffeine, cocaine, depressants, alcohol, hallucinogens, marijuana, opioids, heroin

Addiction

Tolerance

Physical dependence

Psychological dependence

Withdrawal

brain’s reward center- Mesolimbic dopamine pathway- Nucleus accumbens