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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Biological psychology |
The study of the biological basis of mind and behaviour |
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Correlation |
A measure of the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables |
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Cumulative selection |
The occurrence of natural selection over many successive generations |
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Dualism |
The belief that the mind and brain exist as separate entities |
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Emergent Property Position |
A materialist position that claims that the mind arises from the functioning brain |
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Evolution |
The underlying organizing principle for the health sciences that complex organisms arose from simple ancestors |
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Evolutionary Explanation |
An explanation for behaviour that identifies how it has enhanced the reproductive success of ancestral members of the species |
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Functional Explanation |
An explanation for behaviour that identifies the immediate purpose of the behaviour |
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Mind-Body Problem |
A philosophical problem concerning the nature of the mind and brain and how each influences the other |
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Monism |
The belief that only one entity, either the brain or the mind, exists physically. Most biological psychologists believe that the brain is the physical basis of the mind |
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Natural selection |
The idea that those individuals within a species that are best able to exploit the current environmental conditions will be disproportionately successful in reproducing |
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Neoteny |
The tendency to retain juvenile characteristics into adulthood |
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Neuron |
The basic cell type in the nervous system |
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Neuroscience |
A integrated approach to the study of the brain and mind involving many sciences and other related disciplines |
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Neurotransmitter |
A molecule released from one neutron that crosses the synapse to influence the next neuron |
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Ontogenetic Explanation |
An explanation for behaviour that identifies how the body has developed to the point that the behaviour can now occur |
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Physiological Explanation |
An explanation for behaviour that identifies the brain structures and pathways associated with the behaviour |
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Reductionist Explanation |
An attempt to explain complex behaviour in terms of simpler underlying processes |
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Somatic variable |
A variable that concerns some internal body function or process |
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Speciation |
A central evolutionary concept in which new species arise from existing species |
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Species |
Organisms that share the ability to reproduce with each other |
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Synapse |
The location at which one neuron influences the next neuron in the circuit |
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Taxonomy |
The science of classifying and naming organisms |
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Parallelism |
Proposes that there is no interaction/relationship between the mind and brain, and that the two entities run on parallel courses |
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Interactionism |
Through some form of interaction the mind can influence the body, and the body can influence the mind |
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Mentalism |
Belief that only the mind exists |
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Mentalism |
Belief that only the mind exists |
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Materialism |
Belief that only the body/brain is a physical entity |
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Ethologist |
Scientist who studies animal behaviour under natural conditions and tries to explain how individual behaviours are related |
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Random variation |
For any group of offspring,(the next generation) they will vary, some variances will provide a distinct advantage |
