Chapter 2- Biological Basis Of Behavior

Front 1

Neuropsychologists

Back 1

Psychobiologists who study the brain's influence on behavior.

Front 2

Neuroscience

Back 2

The study of the brain and the nervous system.

Front 3

Psychobiology

Back 3

The area of psychology that focuses on the biological foundations of behavior and mental processes.

Front 4

Neurons

Back 4

Individual cells that are the smallest unit of the nervous system.

Front 5

Dendrites

Back 5

Short fibers that branch out from the cell body and pick up incoming messages.

Front 6

Axon

Back 6

Single long fiber extending from the cell body; it carries outgoing messages.

Front 7

Nerve (or tract)

Back 7

Group of axons bundled together.

Front 8

Myelin sheath

Back 8

White fatty covering found on some axons.

Front 9

Sensory (or afferent) neurons

Back 9

Neurons that carry messages from sense organs to the spinal cord or brain.

Front 10

Motor (or efferent) neurons

Back 10

Neurons that carry messages from the spinal cord or brain to the muscles and glands.

Front 11

Interneurons (or association neurons)

Back 11

Neurons that carry messages from one neuron to another.

Front 12

Glial cells (or glia)

Back 12

Cells that insulate and support neurons by holding them together, provide nourishment and remove waste products, prevent harmful substances from passing into the brain, and form the myelin sheath.

Front 13

Ions

Back 13

Electrically charged particles found both inside and outside the neuron.

Front 14

Resting potential

Back 14

Electrical charge across a neuron membrane resulting from more positive ions concentrated on the outside and more negative ions on the inside.

Front 15

Polarization

Back 15

The condition of a neuron when the inside is negatively charged relative to the outside; for example, when the neuron is at rest.

Front 16

Neural impulse (or action potential)

Back 16

The firing of a nerve cell.

Front 17

Graded potential

Back 17

A shift in the electrical charge in a tiny area of a neuron.

Front 18

Threshold of excitation

Back 18

The level an impulse must exceed to cause a neuron to fire.

Front 19

All-or-none law

Back 19

Principle that the action potential in a neuron does not vary in strength; either the neuron fires at full strength, or it does not fire at all.

Front 20

Synaptic space (or synaptic cleft)

Back 20

Tiny gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of the next neuron.

Front 21

Synapse

Back 21

Area composed of the axon terminal of one neuron, the synaptic space, and the dendrite or cell body of the next neuron.

Front 22

Terminal button (or synaptic knob)

Back 22

Structure at the end of an axon terminal branch.

Front 23

Synaptic vesicles

Back 23

Tiny sacs in a terminal button that release chemicals into the synapse.

Front 24

Neurotransmitters

Back 24

Chemicals released by the synaptic vesicles that travel across the synaptic space and affect adjacent neurons.

Front 25

Receptor sites

Back 25

Locations on a receptor neuron into which a specific neurotransmitter fits like a key into a lock.

Front 26

Neural plasticity

Back 26

The ability of the brain to change in response to experience.

Front 27

Neurogenesis

Back 27

The growth of new neurons.

Front 28

Central nervous system (CNS)

Back 28

Division of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord.

Front 29

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Back 29

Division of the nervous system that connects the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Front 30

Hindbrain

Back 30

Area containing the medulla, pons, and cerebellum.

Front 31

Cerebellum

Back 31

Structure in the hindbrain that controls certain reflexes and coordinates the body's movements.

Front 32

Midbrain

Back 32

Region between the hindbrain and the forebrain; it is important for hearing and sight, and it is one of several places in the brain where pain is registered.

Front 33

Limbic system

Back 33

Ring of structures that play a role in learning and emotional behavior.

Front 34

Cerebral cortex

Back 34

The outer surface of the two cerebral hemispheres that regulates most complex behavior.

Front 35

Association areas

Back 35

Areas of the cerebral cortex where incoming messages from the separate senses are combined into meaningful impressions and outgoing messages from the motor areas are integrated.

Front 36

Frontal lobe

Back 36

Part of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for voluntary movement; it is also important for attention, goal-directed behavior, and appropriate emotional experiences.

Front 37

Primary motor cortex

Back 37

The section of each frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movement.

Front 38

Occipital lobe

Back 38

Part of the cerebral hemisphere that receives and interprets visual information.

Front 39

Parietal lobe

Back 39

Part of the cerebral cortex that receives sensory information from throughout the body.

Front 40

Primary somatosensory cortex

Back 40

Area of the parietal lobe where messages from the sense receptors are registered.

Front 41

Temporal lobe

Back 41

Part of the cerebral hemisphere that helps regulate hearing, balance, and equilibrium, and certain emotions and motivations.

Front 42

Corpus callosum

Back 42

A thick band of nerve fibers connecting the left and right cerebral cortex.

Front 43

Spinal cord

Back 43

Complex cable of neurons that runs down the spine, connecting the brain to most of the rest of the body.

Front 44

Somatic nervous system

Back 44

The part of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages from the senses to the central nervous system and between the central nervous system and the skeletal muscles.

Front 45

Autonomic nervous system

Back 45

The part of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages between the central nervous system and the internal organs.

Front 46

Sympathetic division

Back 46

Branch of the autonomic nervous system; it prepares the body for quick action in an emergency.

Front 47

Parasympathetic division

Back 47

Branch of the autonomic nervous system; it calms and relaxes the body.

Front 48

Endocrine glands

Back 48

Glands of the endocrine system that release hormones into the bloodstream.

Front 49

Hormones

Back 49

Chemical substances released by the endocrine glands; they help regulate bodily activities.

Front 50

Behavior genetics

Back 50

Study of the relationship between heredity and behavior.

Front 51

Genetics

Back 51

Study of how traits are transmitted from one generation to the next.

Front 52

Genes

Back 52

Segments of DNA that control the transmission of traits; they are found on the chromosomes.

Front 53

Chromosomes

Back 53

Pairs of threadlike bodies within the cell nucleus that contain the genes.

Front 54

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Back 54

Complex molecule in a double-helix configuration that is the main ingredient of chromosomes and genes and that forms the code for all genetic information.

Front 55

Human genome

Back 55

The full complement of genes within a human cell.

Front 56

Polygenic inheritance

Back 56

Process that occurs when traits are determined through the combined action of several genes.

Front 57

Heritability

Back 57

Degree to which a given trait results from hereditary, genetic instructions.

Front 58

Family studies

Back 58

Studies of heritability in humans based on the assumption that if genes influence a certain trait, close relatives should be more similar on that trait that distant relatives.

Front 59

Twin studies

Back 59

Studies of identical and fraternal twins to determine the relative influence or heredity and environment on human behavior.

Front 60

Identical twins

Back 60

Twins developed from a single fertilized ovum and therefore identical in genetic makeup at the time of conception.

Front 61

Fraternal twins

Back 61

Twins developed from two separate fertilized ova and therefore different in genetic makeup.

Front 62

Adoption studies

Back 62

Research carried out on children, adopted at birth by parents not genetically related to them, to determine the relative influence of heredity and environment on human behavior .