AP PSYCH UNIT 1

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1. What does the Nature vs. Nurture debate study? → Whether behavior and traits are shaped more by genetics (nature) or environment and experience (nurture).

2. What is heritability (h²)? → The % of variation in a trait within a population due to genetics (0.0 = all environment, 1.0 = all genetics).

3. What did the Han Chinese vs. European hair color example show? → Han = low heritability (little genetic variation); Europeans = high heritability (large genetic variation).

4. What is evolutionary psychology? → Studies how traits and behaviors evolved to help ancestors survive and reproduce.

5. Define natural selection. → Traits that improve survival and reproduction are passed to offspring.

6. Define adaptation. → Species change over time to better fit their environment.

7. What is eugenics and who founded it? → “Improving” population by selective breeding; founded by Francis Galton (1883).

8. How was eugenics misused historically? → U.S. sterilization laws and Nazi “racial purification” through sterilization, euthanasia, and genocide.

9. What does behavior genetics study? → How genes and environment influence behavior.

10. Define environment. → All non-biological influences (family, culture, education, experiences).

11. Define heredity. → Passing genes from parents to offspring.

12. Define genes and genome. → Genes = units of heredity; Genome = complete set of genes.

13. What are monozygotic twins? → Identical twins—one fertilized egg splits; genetically identical.

14. What are dizygotic twins? → Fraternal twins—two eggs fertilized; genetically like siblings.

15. What did the Minnesota Twin Study find? → Genetics strongly influence personality, IQ, and health.

16. What did the Colorado Adoption Project show? → As children age, their IQ/personality resemble biological more than adoptive parents, showing genetic influence increases over time.

17. What is epigenetics? → Environmental factors turn genes “on” or “off” without changing DNA sequence.

18. What are the two main parts of the nervous system? → CNS (Brain + Spinal Cord) and PNS (all other nerves).

19. What is a neuron? → A nerve cell that receives, processes, and transmits information.

20. What do sensory (afferent) neurons do? → Carry messages to the brain; detect stimuli like light, sound, and touch.

21. What do motor (efferent) neurons do? → Carry messages from the brain to muscles; cause movement.

22. What do interneurons do? → Connect sensory and motor neurons inside the CNS.

23. What is a reflex arc? → Automatic response that travels through spinal cord without brain involvement.

24. What is the soma? → Cell body that contains the nucleus and nutrients.

25. What are dendrites? → Branch-like structures that receive signals.

26. What is the axon? → Long fiber that sends impulses away from the soma.

27. What is the myelin sheath? → Fatty insulation that speeds up neural signals; damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS).

28. What are axon terminals? → Ends of axon that release neurotransmitters.

29. What is the synapse? → Gap where one neuron passes information to another.

30. Define action potential. → Brief electrical impulse (firing) when stimulation reaches threshold.

31. What is the all-or-none principle? → Neurons fire completely or not at all.

32. What is the refractory period? → Time after firing when neuron can’t fire again until reset.

33. What is resting potential? → The negative charge inside a neuron at rest (~–70 mV).

34. What is reuptake? → Reabsorption of neurotransmitters by the sending neuron.

35. What are glial cells? → Support cells that form myelin, clean waste, provide nutrients, and repair neurons.

36. What do neurotransmitters do? → Chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons.

37. What are excitatory vs. inhibitory neurotransmitters? → Excitatory increase firing; inhibitory decrease firing.

38. What is an agonist? → Drug that mimics or increases neurotransmitter action.

39. What is an antagonist? → Drug that blocks or decreases neurotransmitter action.

40. What does acetylcholine (ACh) do? → Enables muscle action, learning, and memory; low ACh causes Alzheimer’s or myasthenia gravis.

41. What does serotonin do? → Regulates mood, sleep, and hunger; low levels cause depression.

42. What does dopamine do? → Controls movement, motivation, learning, emotion; low = Parkinson’s, high = schizophrenia or addiction.

43. What does norepinephrine do? → Increases alertness and arousal; low levels cause depression.

44. What does GABA do? → Major inhibitory neurotransmitter; low levels cause seizures, tremors, and insomnia.

45. What does glutamate do? → Major excitatory neurotransmitter; high levels cause migraines and seizures.

46. What do endorphins do? → Natural painkillers linked to pleasure; opioids reduce natural production.

47. What does Substance P do? → Involved in pain perception and immune response.

48. What is the endocrine system? → Body’s slow chemical communication system using hormones via bloodstream.

49. What is the pituitary gland? → “Master gland” controlled by hypothalamus; releases growth hormone and vasopressin.

50. What does oxytocin do? → “Love hormone”; promotes bonding, trust, and uterine contractions.

51. What does melatonin do? → Regulates sleep-wake cycles; produced by pineal gland.

52. What does leptin do? → Signals fullness and energy sufficiency to the brain.

53. What does ghrelin do? → Triggers hunger when stomach is empty.

54. What are psychoactive drugs? → Chemicals that alter brain function and change mood or perception.

55. What is tolerance? → Reduced effect with regular use, requiring larger doses.

56. What is addiction? → Compulsive use despite harmful consequences.

57. What is withdrawal? → Discomfort or distress after stopping a drug.

58. What are the effects of alcohol? → Depressant; relaxation then memory loss, impaired reaction, organ damage.

59. What are the effects of opioids like heroin or oxycodone? → Mimic endorphins; cause euphoria and high addiction; depress physiology.

60. What are the effects of marijuana (THC)? → Mild hallucinogen; relaxation, altered time perception, impaired learning and memory.

61. What does the Somatic Nervous System control? → Voluntary muscle movement and sensory input.

62. What does the Autonomic Nervous System control? → Involuntary functions like heartbeat, digestion, and glands.

63. What does the Sympathetic Division do? → “Fight or flight”; increases heart rate, breathing, decreases digestion.

64. What does the Parasympathetic Division do? → “Rest and digest”; slows heart rate and restores energy.

65. What are case studies used for? → Study effects of brain damage on behavior (e.g., Phineas Gage).

66. What are lesion studies? → Studying brain regions by observing effects of damage or removal.

67. Which brain imaging techniques are on the exam? → EEG and fMRI.

68. What does an EEG measure? → Electrical activity (brain waves); used for sleep and seizure studies.

69. What does an fMRI measure? → Blood and oxygen flow to show brain activity and function.

70. What makes up the central nervous system (CNS)? → Brain and spinal cord.

71. What does the brainstem control? → Vital life functions like heartbeat and breathing.

72. What does the cerebellum do? → Balance, coordination, and procedural (muscle) memory.

73. What is the cerebrum? → 85% of brain; four lobes, two hemispheres, and cerebral cortex for higher thinking.

74. What does the corpus callosum do? → Connects left and right hemispheres for communication.

75. What does the frontal lobe do? → Thinking, planning, speech, voluntary movement; includes Motor Cortex & Broca’s Area.

76. What does the parietal lobe do? → Processes touch and body position; includes Somatosensory Cortex.

77. What does the occipital lobe do? → Vision; includes Visual Cortex.

78. What does the temporal lobe do? → Hearing and memory; includes Auditory Cortex & Wernicke’s Area.

79. Where is Broca’s Area and what does it control? → Left frontal lobe; speech production.

80. What are symptoms of Broca’s Aphasia? → Can understand but struggle to speak; aware of problem.

81. Where is Wernicke’s Area and what does it control? → Left temporal lobe; language comprehension.

82. What are symptoms of Wernicke’s Aphasia? → Speak fluently but speech makes no sense; unaware of problem.

83. What does the limbic system regulate? → Emotions, motivation, reward, and memory formation.

84. What does the thalamus do? → Relays sensory info (except smell) to the cerebral cortex.

85. What does the hippocampus do? → Forms new memories; damage causes anterograde amnesia.

86. What does the amygdala do? → Controls emotion, fear, and aggression.

87. What does the hypothalamus do? → Maintains homeostasis; controls hunger, thirst, body temp, and sex drive; regulates pituitary gland.

88. What hormones are linked to hypothalamus hunger control? → Ghrelin (hunger) and Leptin (fullness).

89. What is the Reticular Activating System (RAS)? → Network in brainstem regulating arousal, attention, and sleep-wake cycle; damage can cause coma.

90. What are association areas? → Regions not involved in movement or sensation; handle thinking, learning, memory, and speech.

91. What is brain lateralization? → Each hemisphere specializes: left = language/logical; right = spatial/facial recognition.

92. What is prosopagnosia? → Face blindness from right fusiform gyrus damage.

93. What is neurogenesis? → Formation of new neurons.

94. What is brain plasticity (neuroplasticity)? → Brain’s ability to form new connections and reorganize after learning or injury.

95. Who researched split-brain and hemisphere specialization? → Roger Sperry and Paul Gazzaniga, studying patients after corpus callosum surgery.

96. Which two neuroimaging techniques are part of the AP curriculum? → EEG and fMRI.