Psychology 101 Chapter 2

Front 1

Biological Psychology:

Back 1

Study of physical and chemical changes involved in behavior and mental processes.

Front 2

Nervous System:

Back 2

Network of billions of cells that detects what is going on inside or outside the body and guides appropriate responses.

Front 3

Neurons:

Back 3

Specialized cells of the nervous system that send and receive messages.

Front 4

Glial Cells:

Back 4

Nervous system cells that hold neurons together and help them communicate with each other.

Front 5

Axon:

Back 5

Fiber that carries signals away from the cell body.

Front 6

Dendrites:

Back 6

Fibers that receive signals from axons of other neurons.

Front 7

Action Potential:

Back 7

The electrochemical impulse or message that is sent down an axon and stimulates release of a neurotransmitter.

Front 8

Refactory Period:

Back 8

A short recovery times after cell firing, during which the cell cannot fire again.

Front 9

Neurotransmitter:

Back 9

Chemical that transfers messages across synapses.

Front 10

Synapse:

Back 10

Tiny gap between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites of another.

Front 11

Neural Networks:

Back 11

Neurons that operate together to perform complex functions.

Front 12

Central Nervous System (CNS):

Back 12

Brian and spinal cord.

Front 13

Peripheral Nervous System:

Back 13

Part of the nervous system that sends messages to and from the central nervous system.

Front 14

Somatic Nervous System:

Back 14

The subsystem of the Peripheral Nervous System that transmits information from the senses to the CNS and carries signals from the CNA to muscles that move the skeleton.

Front 15

Sensory Neurons:

Back 15

Neurons that provide the brain with information about the environment.

Front 16

Motor Neurons:

Back 16

Neurons that influence muscles and other organs to responds to the environment in some way.

Front 17

Autonomic Nervous System:

Back 17

The subsystem of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages between the CNS and the heart, lungs, and other organs and glands in the body.

Front 18

Sympathetic Nervous System:

Back 18

Subsystem of the Peripheral Nervous System that readies the body fir vigorous activity.

Front 19

Parasympathetic Nervous System:

Back 19

Subsystem of the Autonomic Nervous System that typically influences activity related to the protection, nourishment, and growth of the body.

Front 20

Nuclei:

Back 20

Clusters of nerve call bodies in the CNS.

Front 21

Fiber Tracts:

Back 21

Bundles of axons that travel together.

Front 22

Spinal Cord:

Back 22

The part of the CNS that receives information from the senses, asses these signals to the brain, and sends messages from the brain to the body.

Front 23

Reflexes:

Back 23

Simple, involuntary, unlearned behaviors directed by the spinal cord without instructions from the brain.

Front 24

Hindbrain:

Back 24

The portion of the brain that lies just behind the skull and is a continuation of the spinal cord.

Front 25

Medulla:

Back 25

Area of the Hindbrain that controls vital autonomic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.

Front 26

Reticular Formation:

Back 26

Collection of the cells and fibers in the hindbrain and midbrain that are involves in arousal and attention.

Front 27

Locus Coeruleus:

Back 27

Small nucleus in the reticular formation that is involved in directing attention.

Front 28

Cerebellum:

Back 28

Part of the hindbrain that controls finely coordinated movements.

Front 29

Midbrain:

Back 29

Small region between the hindbrain and the forebrain that, among other things, helps produce smooth movements.

Front 30

Forebrain:

Back 30

Part of the brain responsible for the most complex aspects of behavior and mental life.

Front 31

Thalamus:

Back 31

Forebrain structure that relays messages from the most sense organs to higher brain areas.

Front 32

Hypothalamus:

Back 32

Forebrain structure that regulates hunger, thirst, and sex drives and has many connections to and from the autonomic nervous system and other parts of the brain.

Front 33

Amygdala:

Back 33

A forebrain structure that links information from various systems and plays a role in emotions.

Front 34

Hippocampus:

Back 34

Forebrian structure associated with the formation of new memories.

Front 35

Cerebral Cortex:

Back 35

Outer surface of the forebrain.

Front 36

Corpus Callosum:

Back 36

Bundle of fibers that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres.

Front 37

Sensory Cortex:

Back 37

Part of the cerebral cortex located in the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes that receives stimulus information form the skin, eyes, and ears, respectively

Front 38

Motor Cortex:

Back 38

Part of the cerebral cortex that conveys voluntary movement.

Front 39

Association Cortex:

Back 39

Parts of the cerebral cortex that integrate sensory and motor information and perform complex cognitive tasks.

Front 40

Neural Plasticity:

Back 40

Property of the CNS that has the ability to strengthen neural connections at synapses as well as to establish new connections.

Front 41

Endocrine System:

Back 41

Cells that form organs called glands and that communicate with one another by secreting hormones.

Front 42

Glands:

Back 42

Organs that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Front 43

Hormones:

Back 43

Chemicals secreted by glands into the bloodstream, allowing stimulation of cells that are not directly connected.

Front 44

Fight or Flight Response:

Back 44

Physical reactions triggered by the sympathetic system that prepare the body to fight or to run from a threatening situation.