Intro To Psychology (Ch. 2) Vocab Set

Front 1

Phrenology

Back 1

an ill-fated theory that bumps on the skull could reveal our mental abilities and character traits

Front 2

Dendrite

Back 2

the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conductimpulses toward the cell body

Front 3

Axon

Back 3

The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through whichmessages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands

Front 4

Myelin Sheath

Back 4

A layer of fatty cells segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons

Makes possible vastly greater transmission speed of neutral impulses

Front 5

Synapse

Back 5

Junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cellbody of the receiving neuron.

Tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or cleft

Front 6

Neurotransmitters

Back 6

Chemical messengers that go across the synaptic gaps between neurons

When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse andbind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether it willgenerate a neural impulse

Front 7

Action Potential

Back 7

A neuron is considered “on” when it fires. The firing of a neuron down the axon is action potential

Also known as a “neural impulse

Front 8

Refractory Period

Back 8

Phase of a neuron after it has fired. It cannot fire again until it has rested a bit

Front 9

Resting Potential

Back 9

When a neuron is at rest and has the potential to “fire when ready"

Capable of generating an action potential.

Front 10

All-or-None Principle

Back 10

The principle that if a neuron fires it will always fire at the same intensity

All action potentials are of the same strength.

A neuron does NOT fire at 30%, 45% or 90% but at 100% each time it fires

Front 11

Neurotransmitters (2)

Back 11

The synapse is where it’s at when it comes to the effects of many drugs.

Same for neurotransmitters which are naturally made in the body.

Different neurotransmitters are responsible for different functions.

Some neurotransmitters influence our motions and our emotions

Front 12

Dopamine

Back 12

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion. Excessive activityat dopamine receptors has been linked with schizophrenia.

Front 13

Serotonin

Back 13

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. Prozac raises serotonin levels

Front 14

Epiphrine

Back 14

Increases heart rate and blood flow to muscles.

Front 15

Ach (Acetylcholine)

Back 15

works on neurons involved in muscle action, learning andmemory. One of the best understood neurotransmitters.

EX: If you’re bitten by a black widow, the venom causes a synaptic flood of Ach.You get violent muscle contractions, convulsions, maybe death.

Front 16

Endorphins – Natural Opium

Back 16

Known as “Morphine within” our bodies – usually released during strenuousexercise or stressful/painful moments.

If we become a drug addict (like heroine, morphine or derivatives) our brain willstop producing natural opiates. If we go through a drug withdraw, it’sagonizingly painful!

Front 17

Nervous System

Back 17

Neurons communicating with other neurons form our body’s primary information system, the nervoussystem.

Front 18

Central Nervous System

Back 18

Includes the brain & the spinal cord

The information highway of your body!

Neural activity in your spine sends pain and pleasure signals.

If your upper spinal cord were severed, you would feel nothing. Your brain would literally be outof touch with your body!

Front 19

Peripheral Nervous System

Back 19

The sensory and motor nerves that connect the central nervous system to the rest of thebody

Peripheral means “outer region”

The system is subdivided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Sensory and motor axons carrying this information are bundles of nerves.

Front 20

Skeletal Nervous System

Back 20

Controls voluntary movements of the skeletal system.

Examples: Turning a page, picking up an object

Front 21

Autonomic Nervous System

Back 21

Controls the glands and muscles of our internal organs.Works without us thinking about it. Examples: breathing, heartbeat

Front 22

Sympathetic Nervous System

Back 22

Arouses us for defensive action.

If you are alarmed or enraged, the sympathetic nervous system willaccelerate your heartbeat, slow your digestion, raise your blood sugar,etc. making you extra alert for action.

The fight or flight response.

Front 23

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Back 23

Produces opposite effects

After an alarming situation has occurred, the parasympathetic nervous systemkicks in to calm your heartbeat and bring your body back to a calm and normalstate.

Front 24

EEG

Back 24

Measures electrical activity in brain

Front 25

CT (computed tomography scan)

Back 25

X-rays to determine brain damage (we call themCAT scans)

Front 26

PET (positron emission tomography) scans

Back 26

Shows the activity of different brain areas.

Front 27

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Back 27

Gives detailed pictures of the brain’s soft tissues

Front 28

Brainstem

Back 28

the oldest and innermost region. It begins where the spinal cord enters theskull and swells slightly forming the medulla.

Front 29

Medulla

Back 29

The base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing

Front 30

Reticular Formation

Back 30

Reticular (netlike) Formation is a finger-shaped network of neurons. It extendsfrom the spinal cord right up to the thalamus.

The Reticular Formation is responsible for relaying important information toother areas of the brain.

It’s most important function is controlling wakefulness. Example: Sleeping cat.

Front 31

Thalamus

Back 31

means the inner chamber

It sits atop the brainstem. It’s a pair of egg shaped structures.

This is the brain’s sensory switchboard. It receives information from thesensory neurons and routes it to the higher brain regions that deal with sight,hearing, tasting, and touching.

It also receives and routes other incoming information to the cerebellum andmedulla

Front 32

Cerebellum

Back 32

This little brain coordinates your voluntary movements! It influences balance, coordination, andmovement.

If you were hurt, your cerebellum would probably have a hard time walking, keeping yourbalance, or shaking hands.

the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem

it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance

Front 33

Amygdala

Back 33

these almond-shaped neural clusters in the limbic system influenceaggression and fear.

Lesion the amygdala and you get someone who demonstrates no emotion.

Put electrodes in different places on the amygdala and get intense aggressivebehavior.

Front 34

Neurons

Back 34

nerve cells, the basic elements of the nervous system

Front 35

Terminal Buttons

Back 35

small bulges at the end of axons that send messages to other neurons

Front 36

Mirror Neurons

Back 36

specialized neurons that fire not only when a person enacts a particular behavior, but also when a person simply observes another individual carrying out the same behavior

Front 37

Excitatory message

Back 37

a chemical message that makes it more likely that a receiving neuron will fire and an action potential will travel down its axon

Front 38

Inhibitory message

Back 38

a chemical message that prevents or decreases the likelihood that a receiving neuron will fire

Front 39

Reuptake

Back 39

the reabsorption of neurotransmitters by a terminal button

Front 40

Reflex

Back 40

an automatic, involuntary response to an incoming stimulus

Front 41

Sensory (afferent) neurons

Back 41

neurons that transmit information from the perimeter of the body to the nervous system and brain

Front 42

Motor (efferent) neurons

Back 42

neurons that communicate information from the brain and nervous system to muscles and glands

Front 43

Peripheral Nervous System

Back 43

the part of the nervous system that includes the autonomic and somatic subdivisions; made up of neurons with long axons and dendrites, it branches out from the spinal cord and brain and reaches the extremities of the body

Front 44

Somatic Division

Back 44

the part of the peripheral nervous system that specializes in the control of voluntary movements and the communication of information to and from the sense organs

Front 45

Autonomic divisions

Back 45

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary movement of the heart, glands, lungs, and other organs

Front 46

Evolutionary psychology

Back 46

the branch of psychology that seeks to identify behavior patterns that are a result of our genetic inheritance from out ancestors

Front 47

Behavioral Genetics

Back 47

the study of the effects of heredity on behavior

Front 48

Endocrine System

Back 48

a chemical communication network that sends messages throughout the body via the bloodstream

Front 49

Hormones

Back 49

chemicals that circulate through the blood and regulate the functioning or growth of the body

Front 50

Pituitary gland

Back 50

the major component of the endocrine system, or "master gland," which secretes hormones that control growth and other parts of the endocrine system

Front 51

Central core

Back 51

the "old brain," which controls basic functions such as eating and sleeping and is common to all vertebrates

Front 52

Reticular formation

Back 52

the part of the brain extending from the medulla through the pons; it is related to changes in the level of arousal of the body

Front 53

Thalamus

Back 53

the part of the brain located in the middle of the central core that acts primarily to relay information about the senses

Front 54

Hypothalamus

Back 54

a tiny part of the brain located below the thalamus, that maintains homeostasis and produces and regulates vital behavior, such as eating, drinking, and sexual behavior

Front 55

Limbic system

Back 55

the part of the brain that controls eating, aggression, and reproduction

Front 56

Cerebral cortex

Back 56

the "new brain," responsible for the most sophisticated information processing in the brain; contains four lobes

Front 57

Lobes

Back 57

the four major sections of the cerebral cortex: frontal, parietal, temporal, & occipital

Front 58

Motor area

Back 58

the part of the cortex that is largely responsible for the body's voluntary movement

Front 59

Sensory area

Back 59

the site in the brain of the tissue that corresponds to each of the senses, with the degree of sensitivity related to the amount of tissue

Front 60

Association area

Back 60

one of the major regions of the cerbral cortex; the site of the higher mental processes, such as thought, language, memory, and speech

Front 61

Neuroplasticity

Back 61

changes in the brain that occur throughout the life span relating to the addition of new neurons, new interconnections between neuronss, and the reorganization of information-processing areas

Front 62

Hemispheres

Back 62

symmetrical left and right halves of the brain that control the side of the body opposite to their location

Front 63

Lateralization

Back 63

the dominance of one hemisphere of the brain in specific functions, such as language

Front 64

Biofeedback

Back 64

a procedure in which a person learns to control through conscious thought internal physiological processes such as blood pressure, heart and respiration rate, skin temperature, sweating, and the contriction of particular muscles