Psych 1 Exam 2

Front 1

the body's electrochemical communication circutry

Back 1

nervous system

Front 2

the brains special capacity for change

Back 2

plasticity

Front 3

a nerve cell

Back 3

neuron

Front 4

also called sensory nerves; nerves that carry information about the external environment to the brain and spinal cord via sensory receptors

Back 4

afferent nerves

Front 5

also called motor nerves; nerves that carry information out of the brain and spinal cord to other areas of the body

Back 5

efferent nerves

Front 6

the brain and spinal cord

Back 6

central nervous system (CNS)

Front 7

the network of nerves that connects the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body

Back 7

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Front 8

the body system consisting of the sensory nerves, whose function is to convey information from the skin and muscles to the CNS about conditions such as pain and temperature, and the motor nerves, whose function is to tell muscles what to do.

Back 8

somatic nerves system

Front 9

the body's system that takes messages to and from the body's internal organs, monitoring such processes as breathing, heart rate, and digestion

Back 9

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Front 10

the part of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body

Back 10

sympathetic nervous system

Front 11

the part of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body

Back 11

parasympathetic nervous system

Front 12

the second of two types of cells in the nervous system; they provide support, nutritional benefits, and other functions and keep neurons running smoothly

Back 12

glial cells

Front 13

one of two types of cells in the nervous system; are the nerve cells that handle the information-processing function

Back 13

neurons

Front 14

the part of the neuron that contains the nucleus which directs the manufacture of substances that the neuron needs for growth and maintenance

Back 14

cell body

Front 15

treelike fibers projecting from a neuron, which receive information and orient it toward the neurons cell body

Back 15

dendrites

Front 16

the part of the neuron that carries information away from the cell body toward other cells

Back 16

axon

Front 17

a layer of fat cells that encases and insulates most axons

Back 17

myelin sheath

Front 18

in an inactive neuron, the voltage between the inside and outside of the axon wall (-60 - -70 mV)

Back 18

resting potential

Front 19

the brief wave of positive electrical charge that sweeps down the axon (goes from -70 to 40 mV)

Back 19

action potential

Front 20

the principle that once the electrical impulse reaches a certain level of intensity (its threshold), it fires and moves all the way down the axon without losing any intensity

Back 20

all-or-nothing principle

Front 21

extensive wrinkled outer layer of the forebrain; governs higher brain functions, such as thinking, learning and consciousness

Back 21

cerebral cortex

Front 22

relays information between lower and higher brain centers

Back 22

thalamus

Front 23

governs eating, drinking, and sex; plays a role in emotion and stress

Back 23

hypothalamus

Front 24

diffuse collection of neurons involved in arousal and sterotyped patterns such as walking

Back 24

reticular formation

Front 25

involved in fear and discrimination of objects necessary for survival

Back 25

amygdala

Front 26

when the __ is severed, visual information from the left or right visual field is restricted to one side of the brain

Back 26

corpus callosum

Front 27

tiny spaces between neurons; the gaps between neurons are referred to as synaptic gaps

Back 27

synapes

Front 28

chemical substances that are sotred in very tiny sacs within teh terminal buttons and involved in transmitting information across a synaptic gap to the next neuron

Back 28

neurotransmitters

Front 29

neurotransmitter that stimulates the firing of neurons and ins involved in muscle action, learning, and memory

Back 29

acetylcholiine (ACh)

Front 30

neurotransmitter that has a key role in exciting many neurons ot fire and is especially involved in learning and memory. too much leads to migraines and seizures.

Back 30

glutamate

Front 31

neurotransmitter that plays a key function in the brain inhibiting many neurons form firing. low levels linked with anxiety

Back 31

GABA

Front 32

neurotransmitter that inhibits the firing of neurons in the central nervous system but excites the heart muscle, intestines, and urogenital tract. too little is associated with depression. too much triggers agitated states

Back 32

norepinephrine

Front 33

neurotransmitter that helps control voluntary movement and affects sleep, mood, attention, learning, and the ability to regonize opportuniteis for rewarding experiences in teh environment. low levels associated with parkinsons. high levels associated with schizophrenia

Back 33

dopamine

Front 34

neurotransmitter involved in regulation of sleep, mood, attention and learning. low levels associated with depression.

Back 34

seratonin

Front 35

neurotransmitter that are natural opiates. they shield the body from pain and elevate feelings of pleasure

Back 35

endorphins

Front 36

neurotransmitter and hormone that plays an important role in teh experience of love and social bonding.

Back 36

oxytocin

Front 37

networks of nerve cells that integrate sensory input and motor output

Back 37

neural networks

Front 38

an abnormal disruption in the tissue of the brain resulting from injury or disease

Back 38

brain lesioning

Front 39

records the brains electrical activity

Back 39

electroencephalograph (EEG)

Front 40

the recorded chart of an EEG

Back 40

electroecephalogram

Front 41

a brain imaging technique that produces a three dimensional image obtained from X rays of the head that are assembled into a composite image by a computer, provides valuable info about the location and extent o damage involving stroke, language disorder, or loss of memory

Back 41

CAT scan

Front 42

a brain imaging technique that is based on metabolic changes in teh brain related to activity, measures the amount of glucose in various areas of the brain

Back 42

PET scan

Front 43

a brain imaging technique that involves creating a magnetic field around a persons body and using radio waves to construct images of the persons tissues and biochemical activities

Back 43

MRI

Front 44

a brain imaging technique that monitors oxygenated blood levels in teh brain to show brain function

Back 44

fMRI

Front 45

located at skulls rear, the lowest portion of teh brain, consisting of the medulla, cerebellum, and pons

Back 45

hind brain

Front 46

-begins where teh spinal enters the skull
-controls breating and heart rate and regulates reflexs

Back 46

medulla

Front 47

the stemlike brain area that includes much of teh hindbain (not cerebellum) and teh midbrain; it connects with teh spinal cord at its lower end and tehn extends upward to encase the reticular formation in the midbrain

Back 47

brain stem

Front 48

rounded structure involved in motor coordination

Back 48

cerebellum

Front 49

located between teh hindbrain and forebrain, an area in which many nerve-fiber systems ascend and descend to connect the higher and lower potions of teh brain; in particular, this relays info between the brain and the eyes and ears

Back 49

midbrain

Front 50

a system in the midbrain comprising of a diffuse collection of neurons involved in sterotyped patterns of behavior such as walking, sleeping, and turing t attend to a sudden noise

Back 50

reticular formation

Front 51

governs sleep and arousal

Back 51

pons

Front 52

involved in fear and the discrimination of objects necessary for organisms survival

Back 52

amygdala

Front 53

__ damages a section near the bottom of the midbrain called the substatia nigra

Back 53

parkinson disease

Front 54

the brains largest division and its most forward part

Back 54

forebrain

Front 55

a loosely connected network of structures under the cerebral cortex, imortant in both memory and emtion. its two principal structures are the amygdala and teh hippocampus

Back 55

limbic system

Front 56

an almond shaped structure within the base of the temporal lobe that is involved in the discrimination of objects that are necessary for teh organisms survival such as appropriate food, mates, and social rivals

Back 56

amygdala

Front 57

the structure in teh limbic system that ahs a special role in the storage of memories

Back 57

hippocampus

Front 58

large neuron clusters located above the thalamus and under the cerebral cortex that work with teh cerebellum and the cerebral cortext to control and coordinate voluntary movements

Back 58

basal ganglia

Front 59

a small forebrain structure located just below the thalamus that monitors three pleasurable activiteis eating, drinking, and sex as well as emotion stress and reward

Back 59

hypothalamus

Front 60

part of the forebrain the outer layer of teh brain resonsible for the most complex mental functions such as thinking and planning

Back 60

cerebral cortex

Front 61

the outermost part of teh cerebral cortex, making up 80 percent of teh cortex in teh human brain

Back 61

neocortex

Front 62

sturctures located at the back of eth head that resond to visual stimuli

Back 62

occipital lobes

Front 63

sturctures in teh cerebral cortex that are located just above the ears and are involved in hearing language processing and memory

Back 63

temporal loves

Front 64

the portion of teh cerebral cortex behind the forehead, involved in personality intelligence, and teh control of voluntary muscles

Back 64

frontal lobes

Front 65

structures at teh top oand toward teh rear of teh head that are involved in registering spatial location, attention, and motor control

Back 65

parietal lobes

Front 66

a region in the cerebral cortex that processes information about body sensations, located at teh front of the parietal lobes

Back 66

somatosensory cortex

Front 67

a region in teh cerebral cortex that processes information about voluntary movement, located just behind the frontal lobes

Back 67

motor cortex

Front 68

sometimes called association areas, the region of teh cerebral cotex that is the site of teh highest intellectual funtions such as thinking and problem solving

Back 68

association cortex

Front 69

the large bundle of axons that conects the brains two hemispheres responsible for relaying information between teh two sides

Back 69

corpus callosum

Front 70

when a person is logical and rational they are __ brained

Back 70

left

Front 71

when a person is creative or artistic they are __ brained

Back 71

right

Front 72

the body system consiting of a set of glands taht regulate tthe activites of certain organs by releaing their chemicals products into the bloodstream

Back 72

endocrine system

Front 73

organs or tissues in teh body that create chemicals that control many of our bodily functions

Back 73

glands

Front 74

chemical messengers that are produced by teh endocrine glands and carried by the bloodstream to all parts of teh body

Back 74

hormones

Front 75

a pea sized gland just beneath the hypothalamus that controls growth and regulates other glands

Back 75

pituitary gland

Front 76

glands at the top of each kidney that are resonsible for regulating moods, energy level, and teh ability to cope with stress

Back 76

adrenal glands

Front 77

a dual process gland under the stomach that performs both digestive and endocrine functions

Back 77

pancrease

Front 78

sex-related endocrine glands in teh uterus that produce hormones related to womens sexual development and reproduction

Back 78

ovaries

Front 79

sex-related endocrine glands in the scrotum that produce hormones related to mens sexual development and reporduction

Back 79

testes

Front 80

the brains ability to repair itself

Back 80

placisity

Front 81

the process by which axons of some healthy neurons adjacent to damaged cells grow new branches

Back 81

collateral sprouting

Front 82

the process by which the damaged region's fuction is taken over by another areas of the brain

Back 82

substitution of function

Front 83

the process by which new neurons are generated

Back 83

neurogenesis

Front 84

implants of healthy tissue into damaged brains

Back 84

brain grafts

Front 85

unique primitive cells that have the capacity to develop into most types of human cells

Back 85

stem cells

Front 86

in teh human cell, threadlike structures that come in 23 pais, one member of each pair originating from each parent, and that contain teh remakable substance DNA

Back 86

chromosomes

Front 87

a complex molecule in the cell's chromosomes that carries genetic information

Back 87

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Front 88

the units of hereditary information consisting of short segments of chromosomes composed of DNA

Back 88

genes

Front 89

the priciple that if one gene of a pair is dominant and one is recessive, the dominant gene overrides the recessive gene. a recessive gene exerts its infulence only if both genes of a pair are recessive

Back 89

dominant-recessive genes provide

Front 90

a genetic meathod in which organisms are chosen for reproduction based on how much of a particular trait they display

Back 90

selective breeding

Front 91

the study of teh degree and nature of heredity's influence on behavior

Back 91

behavior genetics

Front 92

an individuals genetic heritage; his or her actual genetic material

Back 92

genotype

Front 93

an individuals obeservable characteristics

Back 93

phenotype

Front 94

the reponses of individuals to environmental stressors

Back 94

stress

Front 95

circumstances and events that threaten individuals that tax their coping abilities and that cause physiological changes to ready teh body to handle the assault of stress

Back 95

stressors

Front 96

stress that occurs in resonse to an immediate perceived threat

Back 96

acute stress

Front 97

stress that goes on continuously

Back 97

chronic stress

Front 98

the process of receiving stimulus energies from teh external environment and transforming those energies into neural energy

Back 98

sensation

Front 99

the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information so that it has meaning

Back 99

perception

Front 100

the operation in sensation and perception in which sensory receptors register information about the external environment and send it up to the brain for interpretation

Back 100

bottom-up processing

Front 101

the operation in sensation and perception, launched by cognitive processing at teh brains higher levels, that allows teh organism to sense what is happening and to apply that fraework to information fromt eh world

Back 101

top-down processing

Front 102

detection of light, perceived as sight

Back 102

photoreception

Front 103

detection of pressure, vibration and movement, perceived as touch, hearing, and equillibrium

Back 103

mechanoreceptino

Front 104

detection of chemical stimuli; perceived as smell and taste

Back 104

chemoreception

Front 105

specialized cells that detect stimulus information and transmit it to sensory (afferent) nerves and the brain

Back 105

sensory receptors

Front 106

an experience in which onse sense induces an experience in another sense

Back 106

synaethesia

Front 107

condition where in amputees, the limb that contains teh sensory receptors is gone byt the areas of teh nervous system that received information from thos receptors are still there causing confusion

Back 107

phantom limb pain

Front 108

the minimum amount of stimulus energy that a person can detect

Back 108

absolute threshold

Front 109

irrelevant and competing stimuli-not only soudns but also any distracting stimuli for our senses

Back 109

noise

Front 110

the degree of difference that must exist between two stimuli before the difference is detected

Back 110

difference threshold

Front 111

the principle that two stimuli must differ by a constant minimum percentage (rather than a constant amount) to be percieved as different

Back 111

weber's law

Front 112

the detection of information below the level of conscious awareness

Back 112

subliminal perception

Front 113

a theory of perception that focuses on decision making about stimuli in the presensce of uncertainty

Back 113

signal detection theory

Front 114

the process of focusing awareness on a narrowed aspect of the environment

Back 114

attention

Front 115

the process of focusing on a specific aspect of experience while ignoring others

Back 115

selective attention

Front 116

attention is selective but also is __

Back 116

shiftable

Front 117

the fact that when we encounter an emotionally charged stimulus, we often fail to recognize a stimulus that is presented immediatly after it

Back 117

emotion-induced blindness

Front 118

the failure to detect unexpected events when our attention is engaged by a task

Back 118

inattentional blindness

Front 119

a predisposition or readiness to perceive something in a particular way

Back 119

perceptual set

Front 120

a change in teh responsiveness of teh sensory system based on the average level of surrounding stimulation

Back 120

sensory adaptation

Front 121

a form of electromagnetic energy that can be described in terms of wavelengths

Back 121

light

Front 122

the distance form teh peak of one wave to teh peak of teh next

Back 122

wavelength

Front 123

the wavelength of light that is reflected from a stimulus determines it __ or color

Back 123

hue

Front 124

the brightness of light

Back 124

amplitude

Front 125

whether the waves are all the same or a mix of waves

Back 125

purity

Front 126

the white outer part of teh eye that helps to maintain the shape of teh eye and to protect it from injuy

Back 126

sclera

Front 127

the colored part of teh eye which might be light blue in one individual and dark brown in another

Back 127

iris

Front 128

the opening in teh center of teh iris

Back 128

pupil

Front 129

a clear membrane just in front of teh eye

Back 129

cornea

Front 130

a transparent and somewhat flexible disk-shaped structure filled with a gelatin like material

Back 130

lens

Front 131

the multilayered light-sensitive surface in the eye that records electromagnetic energy and converts it to neuralimpulses fro processing in teh brain

Back 131

retina

Front 132

the receptor cells in the retina that are senstivie to light but not very useful for color vision

Back 132

rods

Front 133

the receptor cells in teh retina that allow for color perception

Back 133

cones

Front 134

the most important part of the retina

Back 134

fovea

Front 135

the structure at the back of teh eye, made up of axons of the ganglion cells, that carries visual information to teh brain for further processing

Back 135

optic nerve

Front 136

neurons in teh brains visual system that respond to particular features of a stimulus

Back 136

feature detectors

Front 137

the simultaneous distribution of information across different neural pathways

Back 137

parallel processing

Front 138

in the sense of vision, the bringing together and integration of what is processed by different neural pathways or cells

Back 138

binding

Front 139

theory stating that color perception is produced by three types of cone receptors in teh retina that are particular sensitive to different, but overlaping ranges of wavelenths

Back 139

trichromatic theory

Front 140

theory stating that cells in teh visual system respond to complementary pairs of red-green and blue-yellow colors; a given cell might be excited by red and inhibited by green, whereas another cell might be excited by yellow and inhibited by blue

Back 140

opponent-process theory

Front 141

teh principle by which we organize the perceptual field into stimuli that stand out (figure) and those that are left over (ground)

Back 141

figure -ground relationship

Front 142

a school of thought interested in how people naturally organize their perceptions according to certain patterns

Back 142

gestalt psychology

Front 143

the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally

Back 143

depth perception

Front 144

depth cues that depend on the combination of the images in teh left and right eyes and on teh way the two eyes work together

Back 144

binocular cues

Front 145

a binocular cue to depth and distance in which teh muscle ovments in out two eyes provide information about how deep and or far away somehting is

Back 145

convergence

Front 146

powerful depth cues availible form the image in one eye, either the right or the left

Back 146

monocular cues

Front 147

all other things being equal objects positioned higher in a picture are seen as farther away

Back 147

height in the field of view

Front 148

objects that are farther away take up less space on the retina so things that appear smaller are perceived to be farther away

Back 148

linear perspective

Front 149

we percieve an object that partially conceals or overlaps another object as closer

Back 149

overlap

Front 150

the cue involves changes in perception due to the position of the light and the position of the viewer

Back 150

shading

Front 151

texure becomes denser and finer the farther away it is from the viewer

Back 151

texture gradient

Front 152

the perception that a stationary object is moving

Back 152

apparent movement

Front 153

the recognition that objects are constant and nchanging even though sensory input about them is changing

Back 153

perceptual constancy

Front 154

the recognition that an object remains the same size even though teh retinal image of teh object changes

Back 154

size constancy

Front 155

the recognition that an object remains the same shape even though its orientation to you changes

Back 155

shape constancy

Front 156

the recognition that an object remains the same color even though different amounts of light fall on it

Back 156

color constancy

Front 157

the number of cycles (full wavelengths) that pass through a point in a given time interval

Back 157

frequency

Front 158

the perceptual interpretaion of teh frequency of a sound

Back 158

pitch

Front 159

the amount of pressure the sound wave porduces relative to a standard

Back 159

aplitude

Front 160

teh perception of a cound waves amplitude

Back 160

loudness

Front 161

the outermost part of the ear, consisting of the pinna and external auditory canal

Back 161

outer ear

Front 162

the part of teh ear taht chennels sound through the eardrum, hammer, anvil, and stirrup to the inner ear

Back 162

middle ear

Front 163

the part of teh ear that includes the oval window chochlea, and basilar membrane and whose function is to convert sound waves into neural impluses and sned them to the brain

Back 163

inner ear

Front 164

transmits sound waves to teh choclea

Back 164

oval window

Front 165

a tubular fluid-filled structure that is coiled up like a snail

Back 165

cochlea

Front 166

lines the inner wall of teh cochlea and runs its entire length

Back 166

basilar membrane

Front 167

a jellylike flap above the cilia that generates impulses that teh brain interprets as sound

Back 167

techtorial membrane

Front 168

theory on how the inner ear registers the frequency of sound, stating that each frequency produces vibrations at a particular spot on the basilar membrane

Back 168

place theory

Front 169

theory on how the inner ear registers the frequency of sound, stating that teh preceptino of a sounds frequency depends on how often the auditory nerve fires

Back 169

frequency theory

Front 170

modification of frequency theory stating that a cluster of nerve cells can fire neural impulses in rapid succession producing a volley of impulses

Back 170

volley principle

Front 171

the nerve structure hat receives information about sound from the hair cells of teh inner ear and carries these neural impulses to the brains auditory areas

Back 171

auditory nerve

Front 172

sensory nerve endings uder the skin that respond to changes in temperature at or near the skin and provide input to keep the body's temperature at 98.6 degrees fahrenheit

Back 172

thermorecpetors

Front 173

the sensation that warns us of damage to our bodies

Back 173

pain

Front 174

sore torn muscles produce __ which stimulate teh receptors and cuase the experience of pain

Back 174

prostaglandins

Front 175

in the __, fibers connect directly with the thalamus and then to the motor and sensory areas of teh cerebral cortex

Back 175

fast pathway

Front 176

in the __, pain information travels through the limbic system, that delyays the arival information at the cerebral cortex by seconds

Back 176

slow pathway

Front 177

rounded bumps above the tongues surface that contain the tast buds teh receptors for taste

Back 177

papillae

Front 178

the taste of L-gluatamte (found in asain foods)

Back 178

umami

Front 179

the lining of the roof of the nasal cavity, containing a sheet of receptor cells for smell

Back 179

olfactory epithelium

Front 180

mates with differing sest of genes that produce healthier offspiring with the broadest immune systems

Back 180

major histocmpatibility compolex

Front 181

senses that provide information about movement posture, and orientation

Back 181

kinesthetic senses

Front 182

sense that provides information about balance and movment

Back 182

vestibular sense

Front 183

three fluid filled circular tubes in teh inner ear containing the sensory receptors that detect head motin caused when we tilt or move our head and or body

Back 183

semicircular canals

Front 184

informatino about the position of our limbs and body parts in relation to to other parts

Back 184

proprioceptive feedback

Front 185

located in the brains left hemisphere and is involved in the contol of speech, individuals with damage to this area have problems saying words

Back 185

brocas area

Front 186

the portion of the left hemisphere in understanding language. individuals with damage to his area cannot comprehend words

Back 186

wernicke's area

Front 187

a drug that mimics or increases a neurotransmitter's effects.

Back 187

agonist

Front 188

A drug that blocks a neurotransmitter's effects

Back 188

antagonist

Front 189

he spinal column contains a neural gate that can be open (allowing the perception of pain) or closed (blocking the perception of pain)

Back 189

gate-control theory of pain

Front 190

The process of transforming physical energy into electrochemical energy.

Back 190

transduction

Front 191

A discrepancy between reality and the perceptual representation of it.

Back 191

visual illusion

Front 192

the way that automatically reading a color name can make it difficult to name the color in which the word is printed

Back 192

stroop effect

Front 193

We are able to determine from where a sound is coming because of __

Back 193

timing and intensity.

Front 194

The back of the tongue is most sensitive to __

Back 194

bitterness

Front 195

Smells can often bring up emotional memories because the neural pathways for smell go through the __

Back 195

limbic system

Front 196

In order to determine your _____, you might slowly turn up the volume on the stereo one decibel at a time until you could just hear it

Back 196

absolute threshold

Front 197

_____ is to bottom-up processing as _____ is to top-down processing.

Back 197

Sensation, perception

Front 198

The absolute threshold is the level at which someone can detect a stimulus ____ percent of the time.

Back 198

50

Front 199

The visible spectrum of light is __

Back 199

between 400 and 700 nm.

Front 200

Pastel colors have __ purity than primary colors.

Back 200

less

Front 201

the __ are responsible for perceiving that your head is moving up or down, left or right, and forwards or backwards

Back 201

semicircular canals

Front 202

Cells that transmit information from outside stimulus to the brain are called.

Back 202

sensory receptors